Words, words, words

Reflecting on World Cup, Wimbledon, and sports in general

2010-06-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

One of the jobs I sandwiched between my teaching gigs was sportswriting and editing. To understand just what that meant to me at the time, you'd have to know that my dream job as I approached graduation from college was to be Sports Information Director at the University of Delaware. I had done stat work for the college radio station in both football and basketball, and I thought being the SID would be as close to perfect as I could get. But those jobs were and are scarce, and I found myself teaching - coaching lacrosse satisfied my sports hunger during those first years. When I found myself sitting around at home, waiting for my first child to be born, the opportunity arose to become a sports writer for a small local weekly and my ten-plus years as a sports journalist began. I schlepped my kids to countless games and learned to ask intelligent questions about soccer, cross-country, and wrestling, as well as gaining more knowledge of my beloved field hockey, lacrosse, football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. For a while, I even subscribed to The Sporting News.

As my kids grew, we were a full-bore sports family. I stood at countless soccer, lacrosse, and baseball games, then later at cross country and track meets. I love to watch people who love to play and get a thrill out of "my" teams winning. I've been a huge Phillies fan for over 30 years and find myself looking forward to every Olympics, winter and summer, for the pageantry as well as the competition.

And I really get the World Cup, having been in the UK the last time it was played. I was excited that the American team qualified and really enjoyed watching them play. But I have to confess that I was actually kind of glad that Ghana defeated them, not because there is anything inherently unlikeable about the American squad or its coach, but because it means so much more to other countries. It's not like the 1980 ice hockey squad - a bunch of amateur college kids playing against the Soviet machine; most (if not all) of the U.S. soccer team players are pros and many play in Europe. It reminds me a little of the basketball Dream Team - I never really liked that whole concept, frankly. And I am SO sick of American fans behaving so badly in international events. I really hate the constant chants of "U.S.A! U.S.A.!" whenever any American is competing in any sport. Seriously, folks, you had NOTHING to do with the little gymnast or water polo player accomplishing anything.

Also, my son-in-law has a soft spot for Ghana, having spent some time there. And Ofebia Quist-Arcton, an NPR reporter who is a Ghanaian and usually is covering much more serious events, was delightfully excited when she reported on the victory and what it meant to her country.

We Americans do American football, baseball, and basketball pretty damn well - we can enjoy soccer without feeling like we have to be a world power in that, too.

Is it wrong to love Wimbledon primarily for upsets? I somehow feel that it puts me in league with people who go to car races and are disappointed if no one crashes. I love it when the big names are pushed to the edge (Roger Federer) or occasionally defeated by a relative unknown (Venus Williams). And that marathon match was one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen. I remember watching the fortnight back in the Evert-Navratilova, Connors-McEnroe days and hearing Chris Evert talking about the ladies in the locker room drawing baths for the players. I particularly love the announcers: "Ad-VAHN-tage, Miss Nav rah ti LOV ah." And I thought it was funny that the married women were, at least early in my memory, called by their husband's names: I believe Chris was known on the scoreboard during her first marriage as "Mrs. J. Lloyd."

Finally, I am shocked, SHOCKED to hear that Lenny Dykstra took steroids. Really, weren't we all just so impressed how he developed those muscles through off-season hard work? I'm wondering what other names are going to trickle out now. Hate to think the whole decade of the 90s will carry the stain.

Oh, and it turns out there is a huge gambling scandal in sumo wrestling. Just saying.

The rite of passage

2010-06-05T03:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Senior Prom.

Like no other event, even more than graduation, the prom is the defining moment of transition for our seniors. They begin thinking about it, it seems, in January; they start shopping for dresses (often on the computers in my classroom) in February. The drama of who will sit at which table or share which limo seems to dominate the emotional landscape for most of April and May. Finally, the first Friday after Memorial Day arrives, and the cars, limos, and party buses pull up to the catering facility.

Along with my friend and partner, Karen, I have my assigned spot every year - checking in those with ticket numbers 1-200. This is my chance to see the girls teeter in on impossibly high heels, zipped, buttoned, or laced into dresses of a dizzying array of colors and patterns, trailed by young men who range from confident to bewildered to downright terrified in their rented finery. The attendees line up for photos (there is a LOT of tugging on tops of strapless dresses), then wander into the oh-so elegantly decorated to find their tables. The background music is lively but not so loud as to interfere with conversation and everyone is behaving like ladies and gentlemen - I saw any number of young men gallantly pulling out chairs for and offering their jackets to their shivering bare-shouldered dates. The salad is served, and then each table take its turn at going to the buffet. Once dinner is over, the lights go down, the volume of the music goes up and the kids step on to the dance floor.

Now, I've watched Dancing with the Stars and any number of music videos, but this is NOT what happens at prom (I've learned to eliminate the definite article in front of the word). First, the kids are jammed onto the floor with barely enough room between them to turn around, so that the really good dancers don't have space to make their moves. In fact, I watch one boy do some impressive dancing IN THE LOBBY because it is the only place he has the space to cut loose. Second, the partners do not face each other; they go for long stretches of time without ever seeing their dates' faces. Beyond these descriptions, I have nothing to say - I'm hoping it isn't my advanced age that makes me avert my eyes and retreat to the chaperons' spot on the perimeter. Let someone else wade through the throng and be the decency police.

We left before the wonderful ice cream sundae/bananas foster dessert buffet on the patio - the second shift of adults had rolled in - and drove home listening to the Phillies and Flyers games, pondering yet another version of our students' crossover into post-high school almost-adulthood. I remember my own prom, so many years ago, and how grown up I felt; I remember helping my daughter shop for her dresses and the photo shoot at my parents' house for her senior prom. It's a lot of planning and emotional investment for just one night, but for most of the kids it will be indelibly etched in their memories - for better or worse. Next week is exam week, then, in ten days, graduation, and it will all be a blur. But, years from now, when they look at photos, they will recognize that kid, straddling the divide between childhood and adulthood, and smile, remembering how important it was at the time and just how it felt to be that elegant, if only for one night.

So who exactly is stealing jobs?

2010-05-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

I confess: I don't know a whole lot about the impact of illegal immigration, especially in border states. I tend to side with those who feel outrage at the law recently enacted in Arizona, mostly because it conjures up the specter of Nazis checking the papers of Jews or the Peri-Urban police scrutinizing the passbooks of blacks in South Africa. But I do sympathize with those who decry the tax revenues being spent on social services for illegals, and those whose jobs have been lost because illegals will work for much less. So, am I being hypocritical or spineless?

This got me thinking - I guess it was triggered also by an Arlen Specter political ad in which he refers to jobs lost because of illegal Chinese practices - what is the difference between a company hiring Mexicans or Salvadorans to pick lettuce (which, by the way, the farmers would have a LOT of trouble finding Americans to do) and one that outsources its customer service or billing functions (which, frankly, a lot of Americans would LOVE to do) to India or Singapore or China? If I own stock in a company that outsources high tech jobs to other countries and that means I earn higher dividends, am I contributing to this problem? Is my desire for my investment to do well a major cause of lost tech jobs? And when I buy an electronic item at a cheap price because it was built in a Third World country, how is that different from buying cheap lettuce or tomatoes picked by illegal Latin American farmworkers?

As I drive through different neighborhoods near me, I see many people having yard work done, and it seems to me that most of those workers are immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries. I wonder how many of them are legal, but, more to the point, I wonder if they really have usurped jobs from native-born Americans. I teach around 115 high school seniors and I'm willing to bet that not more than five of them would deign to do such work. If, magically, all illegals disappeared from the United States tomorrow, most wealthy people's lawns would remain unmowed, a lot of hotel rooms would remain untended, and lettuce would rot in the field.

I wasn't a fan of President George Bush, but his "guest worker" plan was a good one. Decriminalize the process so that people can freely come into the country to work and return to their families when they aren't working without worrying that they won't be able to come back. Make employers keep good records and collect and pay taxes for these folks so that they are making some contribution to the U.S. economy as they use roads or schools or whatever. And allow those who demonstrate law-abiding behavior to become citizens without jumping through hoops.

I'd like to ask parents of newly minted college graduates, especially those who majored in technology fields, how they feel when they call customer service for their cable company or insurance carrier or credit card companies and realize that their calls are being handled by people who have essentially robbed their children of a job. Where is a hue and cry against Bank of America or Comcast or Verizon?

Let's just be consistent in our outrage.

How far do I go?

2010-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

So I'm contemplating selling my house - again - and I'm doing an inventory of what needs to be done to make it more marketable. I mean, it seems sweet and homey and light and airy to ME, but when I look at it with the eyes of a potential buyer, not so much. So I make a list and have to decide which of the most glaring imperfections to deal with.

Bad looking roof? Done and done, along with new shutters and gutters. Now I'm getting the things to go IN the gutters to keep the leaves (and, I'm hoping next year's snow) from clogging them.

Funky looking drywall buckle in the dining room? Had the guy who came in to fix the ice dam damage to fix that and I'll paint it as soon as it's totally dry.

Missing floorboard in Paige's/Lea's/Susanna's room? Next on the list - the guy who has been doing the work on my back room will do that, along with replacing two pieces of siding that blew off.

Big giant tree and big giant tree limb hanging over the back of the house? Scheduled sometime in the next couple of weeks - will be a big expense but has to be done.

Painting of family room ceiling, living room ceiling, and kitchen? Working on that - shouldn't be too bad if I can get the guy to come out. I'm rethinking whether I should do a tile back splash in the kitchen - I remember my mom did one in their house - it was NOT cheap - and when the new owners recently put it back on the market, I could see that they had replaced the lovely tile mural with the little mosaic tiles. So maybe just paint it really nicely and keep it neutral.

Now, for the pricier things (beyond the roof and tree cutting):

Making the yard actually look like a lawn? Ah, it is SO bad that I don't know WHAT it will take to make it actually grow grass. I've deluded myself that I haven't put weed killer or fertilizer on it because I'm uber-green, but the truth is that I'm lazy and also thought I would not be here by now.

Re-doing the upstairs bathroom? While it will be pricey and it IS still functional, I'm convinced that the 1970 vintage avocado green tile (with the oh-so-lovely gold fishes on some of them) is a deal-killer. I may not recoup all that I have to pay to get it done in a nice, neutral motif, but at least it won't scare people off.

Refinishing all the hardwood floors? I have no idea what this would cost, but I'm guessing it might make a difference. Maybe just the back sun room.

This is a very difficult place I'm in, both literally and figuratively. I enjoy walking in the door in the evening and seeing the things I love in a familiar place. But I need to get a smaller place that is all mine, without the grass, leaves, and snow to deal with. And I know that staying here, as easy as that might be, is keeping me in that figurative place I need to get out of. As long as I'm here, I will think of myself as one of four people who lived here happily for a long time; the truth is that I am the only one who still lives here. I remember how sad I was when my parents moved out of their house almost nine years ago - sadder, probably, than they were. I guess maybe part of my reluctance at making a move is that it means acknowledging that I am no longer that young wife and mother who moved in.

But the STUFF that is here that isn't all mine is paralyzing me. The books alone are staggering - I'm tempted to set up a couple of tables along the sidewalk and offering them up to anyone who wants them. Then there are rugs and other stuff in the attic - including a couple of bikes and a sandbox. Every time I set out to throw stuff out, I end up just moving it around.

Yep, gotta keep making lists. But at the top of that list will be "Do some stuff on the damn list!"

May I just say YAY!!!!!

2010-03-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's still officially winter - at least until tomorrow - but I have windows open and the deck furniture out. I even have the umbrella up! I spent a few minutes picking up sticks, but the state of my yard is, frankly, appalling and distressing, so I just decided to sit on the deck and prop my feet up. This is just plain glorious.

I know that we'll have some rotten, cool, windy weather before it turns lovely for good. But a bit of sunshine, a little spring training baseball on the radio or TV, and swinging a golf club for the first time in over a year give me hope.

I need to so some research into Seasonal Affective Disorder, because I feel I may be a victim. The funk I get in every winter was especially bad this year, so I sure would love to be able to put a name to it, other than "I feel listless and sad and overall icky." I don't expect a miracle cure, but it would be nice to know that there are ways to at least alleviate some of the blue funk.

I know I've probably mentioned this before, but I often think about primitive man and how relieved they must have been every spring to see green things pop up and feel the warmth of the sun. I am pretty sure I know JUST how they felt.

Never thought I say it, but I really hope it DOESN'T snow.

2010-03-07T04:05:00.001-08:00

My adult son posted something like this on Facebook: how, in his whole life, anytime snow was predicted, there was a little thrill to it, and no matter what it interfered with, there was something wonderful about watching it fall; this time (the third big snow predicted) he didn't have one iota of that thrill, he just wanted it NOT to snow. (I hope I paraphrased accurately, Eric.) I think he was wondering if that made him officially old.

I know just what he meant. I don't think, honestly, that my traditionally excited feelings about snow are completely linked to my job as a teacher. When it snowed that weekend in December, I thought it was kind of beautiful and got me in the Christmas mood, but I was glad it WAS on a weekend, although I had to admit that the late opening on Monday was pretty sweet. The first big snow last month, also on a weekend, was daunting, and I was very glad that my nice neighbor was able to help me get out, but I still was impressed by the power of nature and the loveliness of the snow covering my not-so-great lawn. The next big snow that paralyzed us pretty much did me in, plus my nice neighbor's snowblower went belly-up and I had to shovel the whole driveway by myself, except that another nice neighbor helped me with the mountain that the plow created at the street end. All I could do for those six days was fervently wish I was elsewhere! And, of course, there was the ice damming in my raingutters that had water pouring into my sunroom. But that's another topic for another day.

Now, we had been warned that another storm was in the offing; I had coincidentally put in for two personal days, and I jumped in my car on Wednesday afternoon and headed south for long weekend. While I went through about ten minutes of whiteout conditions on Route 81 Wednesday evening, it was pretty uneventful. At home, however, everyone was braced for Round 3, and, while it didn't amount to much, it did close schools for two more days and I think even the kids (seniors excepted, since they don't have to make up days) were sick of it. The good part was that I didn't have to sacrifice my personal days, although we now have two more days to make up, and, by the time I got home, the sun (and my nice neighbor) has cleared the driveway.

Now it's melting and my not-so-great lawn is peeking through and looks worse than ever - it's essentially a sea of mud - but I have NO longing for snow to cover its flaws. The roof is clear; the gutters are clear; I have an almost completely clear driveway. By this time next week, I expect most of the snow to be gone, even the huge pile on the deck.

I suppose by December I will be longing nostalgically for snow, but I'm pretty sure I won't want more than just a nice little aesthetic, purifying coating. And I really hope I'm somewhere where someone ELSE will be doing all the shoveling and worrying about it!

C'mon, baseball season!

2010-02-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

After this last snowstorm, I am even more eager for the 2010 season to get underway. Baseball - even long-distance baseball in February - means spring and then summer, and that helps keep me going through all the nastiness that late February, even in the best of years, can bring.

But part of me has this kind of sinking feeling - not dread, exactly, not even close - associated with turning on 1210 AM to hear the first broadcast of the season. Even though we've had since last April to get used to the fact that Harry Kalas passed away and his voice won't be coming through the airwaves anymore, it may just hit a lot of us pretty hard again. One of the main reasons I loved hearing that first spring training game was hearing Harry and Richie after a long winter's nap. Even after Richie passed away, we still had Harry's voice to bring us out of that hibernation.

Having said all this, I must say that I'm a big fan of Scott Franzke and Tom McCarthy, especially, and Larry Andersen, Chris Wheeler, and Garry Matthews are okay. And I'll still be excited to hear the call of the first pitch of the first broadcasted pre-season game.

But, without Harry, it's will feel a little less warm.

I really love Shakespeare

2009-11-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

I do. I love teaching Hamlet and Macbeth; I always kind of preferred Macbeth, but this year I became a true believer in Hamlet's majesty. Maybe it is the enthusiasm of my two AP classes, or maybe it's the magnificent Kenneth Branaugh treatment - a four-hour extravaganza, but I feel like I finally truly "get" why it's considered by many to be the finest play ever written in English. The title character takes his audience through so many different emotions: exasperation, pity, horror, and admiration. Yes, he's a procrastinator, but maybe that's why he resonates so much with us. Few of us can identify with Macbeth - he's fascinating, but, let's be honest, he's a bit cartoony. His wife, though - WHOA!!! - she's what makes the play so great, but, still, I don't ever get that emotionally involved in the Scottish play, especially compared to the Greek plays it is so reminiscent of.

I find it a worthy challenge to try to make high school seniors see how Shakespeare can speak to them. Luckily, there are SO many resources out there to help. I think I'd like to go back to school and learn more about the Bard - maybe next semester?

Ho, Hum, another pennant

2009-10-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Our town doesn't know how to be a dynasty, but I'm pretty sure we're going to have fun learning.

Could the Phillies become the new "America's Team"? I mean, wouldn't people have just as much fun relating to the Phils as they have had in the past hanging their dreams on the Atlanta Braves or the Dallas Cowboys? We have players with mad skills, sparkling personalities, old-school work ethics, and a genuine appreciation for how much their fans adore them (Howard, Rollins, Utley, Victorino). And while I suspect there are some rather substantial egos, there do not seem to be any divas. The players seem to genuinely like each other, which goes a long way in making them likable to US.

If there was any minor flaw in last year's championship, it was that beating the Tampa Bay Rays didn't have the cachet of beating, say, the Red Sox or the Yankees. The Rays deserved to be there, of course, but beating such a young franchise wasn't as satisfying as it would have been to topple the aforementioned legends. Now it appears that the Yankees will be representing the American League, making this matchup a true marquee attraction.

I loved the somewhat subdued nature of the celebration after the clinching game; of course, they had expended a LOT of emotional energy on that magical comeback on Monday night. I wonder if anyone on the club - coaches or players - had admonished the guys to "Act like you've been there" since, well, most of them HAVE been there. But I'm betting this second championship feels particularly validating to Manuel and his merry men; it proves they were not "lightning in a bottle" or a "flash in the pan" or what other annoying cliche you choose to apply.

I could seriously get used to this.

Three minutes earlier...

2009-09-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

...and I would have missed the whole show! Well, at least I would have missed Act II of the show. Here's my saga:

I was headed to the Phillies game and was alerted by the friend I was meeting that the Villanova/Temple football game would be going on at the same time across the street from the Phillies ball park. (By the way, AWESOME timing for the Inaugural Mayor's Cup, Mr. Nutter!) So it seemed clear that traffic would be hellacious - also consider that MANY schools were off the next day for a four-day Labor Day weekend, so the usual shore traffic would get started earlier. Seemed a recipe for sitting in the car being frustrated. So I decided I'd use public transportation.

Now, for those of you who don't know where I live, it's about 30 miles west of the city. The ballpark and stadium are in the far south part of Philadelphia. So I had to take the regional rail into the city - takes about 50 minutes - then walk the equivalent of about two blocks through the train station to the subway. The subway ride is about ten minutes. Once you get off the subway, you are about a block and a half from the park. Not bad, under normal circumstances.

I drove to the train station and got a nice parking spot recently vacated by a commuter, bought my ticket (off-peak!) and settled onto the train. A few stops later, I realized we were at the VILLANOVA station, and, I swear to you, 300-400 kids (99% of whom had navy t-shirts with V on the front and "Nova Nation" on the back) got on the train. It suddenly occurred to me that we would get to Suburban Station and all these kids and those of us headed to the baseball game would all be trying to get on the subway at once. Then I remembered that there is a TEMPLE stop on the subway and visions of Owl/Wildcat confrontations loomed. But that did not transpire, happily, and I arrive at the park no worse for the wear.

After the game, my son graciously offered to drive me to the train station, so as to avoid the return subway ride. He dropped me outside the station, and I wandered around trying to figure out how to get in the station, but, alas, I could not because they are shooting a movie there. I was directed across the street to an entrance on the sidewalk and hustled, as best I could, toward the train. I rushed to the ticket window and was told they were closed and that I'd buy my ticket on the train. So I went to the gate and found I had missed the 10:15 train by three minutes. There were maybe 20 Villanova kids there, too, and they fanned out to find food and drink. I sat around, exhausted, waiting for the next train - 11:15.

About 11:00 the same 300-400 kids I rode in with were ready to go back to campus. Everyone was standing on the platform and jockeying for position, trying to predict where the doors would open. Smugly, I picked a spot that would get me in the last car. Turns out I was standing right where the door of the last car stopped - but that door didn't open. So hundreds of people were trying to get in four doors of four cars. Once we crammed on, the motor (and air conditioning) cut off and we sat for about 30 minutes while they brought another car. Hello? Didn't they notice these kids came IN to town? Didn't they think they'd have to come back OUT to their campus? Why wait until the last minute to add a car?

Anyway, the result of the waiting is what made this so interesting. It became clear to me that a vast percentage of the kids were freshmen who had just finished their first week of class. I think they were accompanied by residence assistants - there were slightly older students herding them around like camp counselors - but the freshmen were, deliciously, ON THEIR OWN. They were excited: They had just beaten Temple in what sounded like a pretty close game. But what most fascinating to me was the interaction between the students who had, for the most part, just met each other either that day or sometime this week. You could almost see the wheels turning in their heads, trying to figure out how to make the best impression on their new companions. One young man was regaling his new friend with stories of his high school stage crew responsibilities and the near disasters he (apparently single-handedly) averted. The young lady seemed suitably impressed and countered with her band camp stories. I overheard another kid mentioned that he and his posse were prepared, in case of a Temple victory, with a suitable cheer: "That's all right, that's okay, you'll all work for us someday!" Apparently the upperclassmen had already primed their young colleagues on how to adopt the snooty anti-Temple, anti-city game face. Three young women, NOT in the uniform shirt, informed me that THEY came in the city to go to the THEATER, not the game, "not that there's anything wrong with that." It was clear that the play they saw was of a genre pretty new to them and they reveled in their new sophistication. Finally, we arrived at the Villanova station and they all streamed off, leaving the rest of us to exhale and revel in the quiet. A bonus is that they never came around to collect tickets or sell them, so my whole trip cost me $6.75 - much better than the $12 I would have had to pay to park at the Phillies game!

What a wonderful anthropological experience! I didn't get in my car until 1:00 A.M. and was VERY glad to fall into my bed, but I was still kind of chuckling. How truly fresh these freshmen are - and how quickly they'll assimilate into people their parents just might not recognize at Thanksgiving. I'm not sure I'd want to go through those years again, but it sure was fun watching them last night.

Winding down, thinking ahead

2009-08-12T03:54:00.001-07:00

Every year, right after my birthday, I see the new school year looming ahead. I usually have two or three weeks until I have to start listening to the alarm and find something decent to wear - not shorts and flipflops. I go through the class lists, seeing some familiar names - siblings, and, in some cases, CHILDREN of students I've had in the past. I think about those students who will be coming to me, preparing for their last year of public school. Like kindergartners, my seniors are embarking on a year that will prepare them for the next big phase of their lives. I have to strike just the right balance of nurturing and tough love - gradually snipping the strings that provide support so that by April, May, and June, they'll be ready to step confidently out into the world, armed with the skills and confidence they need. But right now, some of them are SO scared - scared of not getting in the "right" schools, scared of not getting in ANY school, scared because they don't know if they WANT to go on in school, scared because they know they need to go right into the world of work and they don't feel anywhere near ready for that.

I think it's harder for these kids than it was for their parents, even though most of them probably have greater financial resources. Life is competitive and HARD. I just have to remember that my job is to help them understand that it is hard and what they need to do to deal with it. If they leave me not needing me anymore, I've done my job well.

Just something about the beach

2009-07-12T09:33:00.001-07:00

Two days after my last day of school, I drove to College Park, MD, to collect my daughter and two granddaughters to spend 15 glorious days with me. Much of that time was spent on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, which was very nostalgic for me. To see my sweet little Lea romping on the same sand that her mama and uncle used to play on made me think about the eternal, yet changing nature of the shore. Yes, of course, I know it isn't literally the same sand - those grains are long gone with the wind or at the bottom of the ocean someplace near or far. And the steps we used to navigate have blessedly been replaced by a ramp that we can negotiate with the utility cart filled with toys, towels, and other necessities of life. But the ocean continuously rolls in, bringing shells and tiny sea creatures, and it creates a new landscape every ten or fifteen seconds. That is what I remember as a child, and as a young parent, and as the parent of suddenly independent young adults. I think of my dear late mother-in-law and father-in-law and how they so enjoyed having their offspring in this special place. I found myself watching Lea play with her cousins one day last week in Stone Harbor and mourning the great-grandparents she didn't get to know, thinking about how delighted they would be to see this next generation loving the beach.

There are other beaches, to be sure, some of which have huge advantages over Ocean City and Stone Harbor (less traffic, no beach fees, less density), and I've enjoyed and will enjoy spending time at those places. Myrtle Beach and Nags Head with another family when the kids were young were especially fun; Rehoboth and Assateague have their own charms. I long to go back to Acadia National Park beach in Maine and Cape Cod, despite the coldness of the surf.

As our lives change in so many ways, we realize that we can't have what we had twenty or so years ago. But we will always have the pictures and other memories to savor - and the eternity of the ocean. And I will always be grateful for that.

The finish line - 2009 style!

2009-06-21T08:29:00.001-07:00

My seniors are, for the most part, at the beach celebrating their graduation this week, and I'm reflecting on the past year. Somewhat like a new parent, I find it fascinating to watch the development over the months. As I was re-reading my daughter's latest blog post, it occurred to me that it is somewhat bittersweet to see these young people go off into the world. Although I don't have nearly the connection to my students as I did with my own children, I do feel somewhat responsible for providing them with the skills to allow them to at least survive, if not thrive, at their next stage of life.

Some kids come to me in September ALMOST ready - they're focused on college or career or the military and they know what steps to take to achieve those goals. Others THINK they're ready, but all they can think about is getting out of high school. Still others believe that being seniors means a year-long vacation before they head off to college or the "real world." Regardless, I am dogged in introducing them to higher level thinking skills and a taste of the wonderful stories that come from every age and every corner of the world. I try to expand their vision and earnestly urge them to sample the unfamiliar. For some, it "takes," for others, all I can hope is that eventually they develop that appreciation for art of all kinds.

I cross my fingers as they step up to claim their diplomas, knowing my reward is somewhere down the line. Next year, or the year after, or sometime after that, I'll hear about some of them and I'm often gratified to see what they've accomplished. But I don't need them to be worldbeaters - just compassionate, ethical citizens.

Best of luck to my 100+ graduates - may all your dreams come true!

Now it's official!

2009-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

After knowing each other for about eight years and being engaged for nearly two, my son and his lovely girl got married on Sunday. I shouldn't be surprised at how well everything fell into place, considering the awesome organizational skills my new daughter-in-law has. I don't know if SHE found any flaws, but from my perspective everything was perfect - dresses, flowers, music, food, and venues. My son looked a little nervous beforehand but utterly enraptured afterward. My daughter and the other bridesmaids looked lovely and my little girls were thoroughly enchanted AND enchanting.

And today is my daughter and her husband's anniversary. I'm so thrilled about how happy and in love both my children are. They deserve it - and I'm blessed to have two more children to enrich my life - not to mention the granddaughters.

All in all, I'm a very lucky woman. And I DO still believe in love.

Home Stretch

2009-05-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is both the most stressful and most promising time of the year for me - the end of the school year. While I'll be sad to lose my classes, I'll be happy to see them off to the next part of their lives. And while I am glad to have a break from grading papers and working every night on plans, I don't think I'll be that satisfied just cleaning and doing yard work all summer. I'm really hoping gas prices stay reasonable - then I might just take a trip to nowhere!

When things finally turn green, I feel peace - well, a kind of peace. I sure hope that grows along with the leaves and flowers.

Life goes on, but...

2009-04-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

So much has been said about the late Harry Kalas that I feel poorly equipped to add anything besides what my kids have already written. I confess to being a passionate but technically ignorant fan. I can't distinguish between the various breaking balls - heck, I'm happy I recognize that it IS a breaking ball. So I don't worry too much about some of the analysis - I do, however, like thinking about the strategy, and Harry and his colleagues always did provide me with that kind of commentary. But, like my daughter pointed out so eloquently, Harry was the voice, not just of the Phillies, but of summer itself and the feelings we get from watching, talking about, and reading about baseball. Yes, it's related to the beach, taking twilight walks around the neighborhood, and going to Rita's for a water ice, too. But hearing that warm voice on the first spring training game from Florida is what reminds me that a seemingly interminable winter is on its way out. And now we won't hear that voice live anymore.

It seems the Phillies are going to use Harry's homerun call over the PA system for every home dinger - I'm not entirely sure how I'll feel about that. But I'm really happy that I bought the highlights and full World Series games from last season, just to hear his voice tell us about that wonderful run.

Why is it we feel so close to folks like Harry and his late running buddy Richie Ashburn? All I know is that it feels like another door closing on a large part of my life.

A week with the princesses

2009-04-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

The best thing that ever happened to me, hands down, was having my kids. I enjoyed them at almost every stage and now that they're young adults, I love hanging out with them. They grew up close to each other and remain so, and they've both chosen wonderful partners to expand their circle (and mine). I am grateful every day for all of them.

But getting to be with my granddaughters is just priceless - I crave being with them and hate to leave them after a visit. Observing their development is fascinating and every milestone is such an experience. Lea adds to her vocabulary on what seems like an hourly basis, and her thought process and logic are almost palpable. She recognizes cause and effect, knows colors and shapes, and, best of all, has figured out that Mimi will come almost immediately when she summons me.

And Susanna is working on figuring out her world - taking in all the sights and sounds around her, trying out all her body parts (she seems determined to roll over already), and smiling and laughing in response to goofy gestures and funny noises. She has a sweet nature and doesn't even flinch when Lea "loves" her a little too vigorously. I can't wait until I hear her little voice call my name.

My daughter and her husband are amazing parents. They have infinite patience and, despite their profound lack of sleep, unbelievable endurance and resilience. They deal with the inevitable challenges that come with a two-year-old and a newborn with wisdom and humor. I am humbled by how well they handle everything - much better than I did, I confess.

It was a great week - taking Lea to school, going to the museum, reading, and just plain being together. And even though I lament the distance between us, I feel fortunate to able to see them as often as I do. Thank goodness for e-mail, webcams, and blogs.

So, should I really eat that?

2009-03-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

For about six months, I neglected my health - eating badly, not exercising, not sleeping enough. Now I'm going to the gym at least every other day, making a green smoothie every morning, and TRYING to get enough sleep, and it seems to have an effect. I'm not expecting to lose ALL the weight I need to lose right away; my ultimate goal is to be at my ideal size/weight/shape by Christmas. Short-term, I want to look fabulous for my son's wedding in about seven weeks; might have to have a hair makeover to do that.

So, here's my dilemma: I decided to let my hair revert to its natural color after my daughter's wedding three years ago. It took about a year and that in-between stage was pretty grisly. Now, I'm wondering if I should put some color back in - maybe a light brown - and whether that might make me look better. But the prospect of going through that growing out stage is pretty daunting.

Still, those wedding pictures will last a long time and I want to look fabulous for any number of reasons.

Is there a REALLY temporary color that I could get rid of if I didn't like it?

Happy Spring!

2009-03-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

It's cold, but it IS spring, so all's right with the world. Two weeks from today is the first day of spring break and not too long after that is the end of the third quarter at school. Not to get too ahead of myself, but it's only nine weeks to Memorial Day weekend and my son's wedding. This week we found out that my daughter-in-law to be got her first choice for her residency - an appropriate validation of all she's achieved - which is, wonderfully enough, closer to ME!

So I have painting to do, and I REALLY have to work on my classroom. But I'll find a way to enjoy the great outdoors, too.

Almost spring!

2009-03-16T18:09:00.001-07:00

Just a few more days until the first day of spring - not that this guarantees great weather, but at least there are more warm days than not-so-warm days in the offing.

One harbinger of spring is PSSA testing - don't get me started on how irritating this can be!

But the bulbs are coming up and the grass is starting to green up. And I watched a pre-season baseball game yesterday.

Can it be that only two weeks ago we had a snow day?

Hang in there everyone - it WILL be wonderful soon.

It's almost that time again!

2009-02-24T17:22:00.000-08:00

The end of February has very, very little going for it EXCEPT that it means baseball season is coming. I have tickets for April 27 - just over two months from now. Over the weekend I watched parts of the World Series games - still SO much fun!

Can you ever get enough of being World Champions?

Now I can brag about my grandCHILDREN!

2009-01-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

I remember that I really felt like a mother when I had my second child. I don't know what that was, exactly. Maybe it was just that I had to be more efficient and deal with the interaction between two kids as well as my reaction to one or the other.

I don't think having my second beautiful granddaughter makes me feel more like a grandmother - Lea did that for me very well. And since I don't have primary responsibility for them, I won't have to deal with the inter-child dynamics too much. Of course, she's only been here for a day and a half, so I don't really know WHAT grandmothering two little girls will be like, except HEAVEN.

Welcome, Susanna! You are a very lucky little person - and we are blessed to add you to our large and loving brood.

The beginning of something better

2009-01-21T17:29:00.001-08:00

Honestly, I don't believe there is any good reason to rehash the last eight disastrous years, but I'll just indulge myself for a moment. No, it was not all George Bush's fault, but he displayed a sense of arrogance and hubris unjustified by his intelligence or performance. I was disappointed when he won the first time, devastated when he won the second time.

Almost a year ago, I became an Obama volunteer. I can't pretend that I was always sure he'd be nominated or elected, but I always, always trusted in his integrity and intelligence. Tuesday I was so moved - beyond what I expected. I know he'll make mistakes, but he is not coming in braying about having political capital (which he does) and a bulletproof majority in Congress (which he almost does). This man doesn't owe his career to a bunch of Washington insiders - he chose his Cabinet based on qualifications, not entitlements.

I am a happy, proud American today!

In the deep midwinter...

2009-01-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

Dang, it is COLD!!! And it isn't even really MID-winter - not even to the end of the first month of winter, officially. I know all the global warming naysayers love to point to this cold and say, "See? SEE? Where's your global warming now, Al Gore and all you wimp tree-hugging environmental liberals?" But, you know, the depleted ozone layer means heat gets OUT as easily as it gets IN!

I find myself in a bunker mentality: once I'm in the house, I tend to stay there, even though it means I have very little social life. I read, watch TV, grade papers, and cuddle with the cat - sometimes with a nice glass of wine and some nuts and cheese (or, I confess, something a tad less healthy). I let Max (the aforementioned feline) out - he's back in, oh, about 30 seconds. I think that should be a pretty good indicator of sensible winter night-time behavior.

The place I'm thinking of moving to will allow me to walk to things in good weather, but I think it will also be a nice place to nestle in with lower energy costs and NO snow removal responsibilities!

I know I'll complain in the dead of summer when I just can't get cool, but right now I love to fantasize about being in Florida or Puerto Rico!

Here is what makes winter fun!

2009-01-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love the flakes coming down around Lea - do you remember when you WANTED it to snow?

And how cute little girls are when they get their first babydolls?

Welcome, 2009!

2009-01-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

2008 had many highs and some lows - of course, the two big highs were the Phillies World Series championship and Barack Obama's election. But there were other highs, including

- My AP class of 08 kicking serious butt on the exam
- News that I'm getting a new grandchild
- Spending loads of time with my kids, including five days of having Lea all to myself
- Celebrating my baby sister's 50th birthday
- Attending my dear friend Renee's son's wedding with my own terrific son

Lows - ah, why bring them up here? I have a steady job, wonderful kids, healthy (for their age) parents, terrific sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, and good co-workers and friends. So what if the economy is not so hot - we'll manage to get through it somehow.

Here's to making new friends, cherishing old ones, caring for others and ourselves and the country and the planet, and being happy to be alive.

It's 65 degrees? Really?

2008-12-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong - I love that I can go outside without a bunch of layers, and it was not fun the other day trying to free my car from its blanket of ice - but isn't it just too weird for it to be this warm on December 28?

I can remember such awesome snowfalls in my youth, and even a couple when my kids were at home, but I'm wondering whether my grandchildren will get to experience something like that in their lifetimes. I know, I know: "Be careful what you wish for" but still, this warmth seems so unnatural.

Of course, one of the reasons I'm eager to move is so I won't have to do snow removal anymore. So maybe I should wait until I DO move before I do my snow dance!

I won't let this bother me, but...

2008-12-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

So I got a web cam for my daughter and her family. Yesterday, we tried it out for the first time, and I got to see my two-year-old granddaughter and my daughter and my son-in-law, their cats, and their Christmas tree. The baby was excited at first to see me - we chatted for a while, and then her attention seemed to wander. Finally, she turned to her mother and said, "Turn Mimi off."

What an age we live in. They live about eight hours away and I can talk to them any time I want, and now I can SEE them. So now, we're at the point when my granddaughter can think of me as a television show that she can turn on and off. But it's fun to be able to see her face to face.

I love my back room!

2008-12-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

I spent last evening swaddled in a blanket, lying on the couch in the room of my house that we have never quite decided what to call. We built this about 17 years ago - it is a large (25x14 feet) room, surrounded on three sides by glass, with skylights and a pitched roof. Sometimes we call it a sun room, more often, just "the back room." It is a wonderful room in all seasons - in the summer it's my beach house; in the spring I can watch the trees burst into green; in the fall I see those leaves turn; it's just about perfect for watching the snow fall. At Christmas, it's especially fun. I have the three large windows surrounded with strings of white lights (originally used on the outside of the house) and the tree is up and lighted. Last night, the weather outside was truly frightful, and not in the fun way - cold, driving rain, relentless wind. I was supposed to go into Philadelphia with a friend to listen to music, but the combination of the weather and a persistent cold and laryngitis led me to beg off. Instead, I took a hot bath, wrapped myself in a blanket, and hunkered down with a glass of Shiraz, a bag of pistachios, and the newspaper and listened to the radio. It was lovely. Tonight, after a pretty long day - an away basketball game this afternoon followed by a productive shopping foray - I'm doing about the same thing. It's a bittersweet time - I probably won't be sitting in this room next Christmas - but right now my old cat, Max, and I are enjoying the lights and the music.

Just two more school days until vacation - and I'm watching two great films - Rashomon and Wuthering Heights! Good times!

Happy Trails, Pat the Bat

2008-12-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Like a white shark has to swim to survive, a championship team has to constantly retool to maintain its edge.

Still, I will miss Pat Burrell. I felt very maternal towards him - even to the extent of wanting to scold him for his terrible chewing tobacco habit. I remember my dear mom and my dear late mother-in-law at a Phillies game in 1977, saying about "Deep Count" Wayne Twitchell, "Don't boo him - he's doing the best he can, bless his heart." I felt that way about Pat. I took such pleasure in his triumphs and felt actual pain when he struggled. And I especially love that he never, ever, reacted to negative feedback from the fans and the press.

We were just watching some of the World Series games on DVD and I felt pangs of regret seeing Pat's many highlights, knowing I'll be watching him in another uniform next year. I'm very happy that his last at bat as a Phillie was a double that ended up to be the winning run of the last game of the World Series.

Good luck sweetie. And, yes, bless your heart.

Hey! It's winter - prime time TV watching time!

2008-12-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the Writers' Guild knew the effect their strike would have on television programming. As a result of their first stoppage, we now have reality shows ad nauseum. The studio executives found out they could put crap on the air in the form of reality shows (my apologies, The Amazing Race) and insipid, greed-enabling game shows instead of quality dramas and comedies that don't insult our intelligence AND PEOPLE WOULD EAT IT UP!

When I heard that Jay Leno was leaving the Tonight Show and Conan O'Brien was taking over, I thought that was a good thing - more edgy, less Borscht Belt. Now I hear that Leno is going to be on five days a week at 10:00 p.m. So that's five fewer hours of produced programming a week. So, we lose ER, which regained its stride after several lame years. Instead of finding good new dramas, we'll just let Leno keep making the world's unfunniest jokes and bring on actors who unashamedly shill their latest projects.

I know, it's sad enough that I care about this. I guess I just miss The West Wing and a couple other shows like Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere. Bruce Paltrow must be spinning in his grave.

The calm AFTER the storm...

2008-11-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

...or maybe more like letdown. In the past month, my beloved Phillies won the World Series, my candidate won the Presidential election, my firstborn celebrated his birthday, my boys soccer team won the state championship, and my firstborn grandchild celebrated her birthday. While we have Thanksgiving and Christmas and a NEW grandchild to look forward to, I still feel like it will be hard to top the last 30 days for excitement and thrills.

So maybe it's time to hunker down and spend some more quality time on my job, if that is possible! I am back to waking up in the middle of the night with some new, improved way to teach a concept or a piece of literature or a research technique. I am also determined to get into better shape - not that a wedding coming up in May has ANYTHING to do with that!

Winter can be grim if we let it, but we can also use the time to retool and contemplate the future.

You think you know how you are going to feel...

2008-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I started working on the Obama campaign since before the Pennsylvania primary; for the last couple of months I manned the front desk of the local headquarters every Monday night. Some days I felt like there was no way he could lose; other days I was not at all sure. But this "project" has been part of my life since the beginning of the year. I went to a rally in Wilmington in February and that sealed the deal. Since then, I was fixated on the idea that this man could deliver us from the embarrassment of the last eight years.

At the same time, I found myself thoroughly engaged with the Phillies, and the tension on both fronts grew until it was almost unbearable.

My evenings were monopolized by MSNBC and Comcast - my late nights by The Daily Show and Baseball Tonight. I was grateful to have two manias - if one got too intense, I'd just switch to the other.

When the Phillies finally popped the cork the 4th time (clinching Eastern division, beating the Brewers, winning the NLCS and, finally the World Series) this fall, I was, naturally, thrilled. But I found I was somewhat detached - I knew that the OTHER thing was a whole lot more important. I kept being insanely happy - watched all the post-game stuff and read the newspaper accounts - but at the same time felt that the anxiety had not dissipated. I spent the following weekend (post-Series, pre-election) with Paige, Brian, and Lea, and we all were kind of on edge - tap, tap, tapping on three different laptops. We kept looking at polls and blogs and sites and you name it.

I drove the seven and a half hours home from Virginia and couldn't bring myself to turn on the radio, since just about you can get along I-81 is AM conservative talk shows. So I listened to CDs. I got home and watched the SNL Prime Time special and found myself unnaturally annoyed by the protracted Amy Poehler take off of Hillary Clinton and, especially, the REAL Sarah Palin's appearance in which she threatened to revoke NBC's license when she became Vice President. She was supposed to be joking, but I swear she looked and sounded like she thought she could actually do it!

Tuesday morning I went to the polls early - 6:45 - and waited in line for about 40 minutes. I started freaking out a little at the prospect that it might rain and discourage people from voting. I worked all day and avoided the media, and then reported to the staging area to do last minute canvassing. I was sent to a townhome community to encourage supporters to vote and ran into several people just coming home from the polls. The excitement was amazing! I finished my assignment and chose to go home to wait it out, rather than hang around the office. But I couldn't just sit and watch returns, so I did my usual 7:00 Scrubs reruns. I kept switching back and forth and finally homed in on MSNBC and, later, Comedy Central. Once Pennsylvania, then Virginia, then Ohio went in the Obama column, I felt confident. And when they announced that he had won, I let out breath that I had apparently been holding for several months. I felt like the country now had a chance to redeem itself.

And you know something else? Wednesday morning I also had resurgence of Phillies euphoria and re-read the stories without the angst of the election and IT WAS FUN!

Now the work REALLY begins. The promises need to be addressed and it won't be easy.

But I feel GREAT!

Just...WOW!

2008-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't know how I was going to react when they finally won. After all, it had been 15 years since the Phillies were IN the World Series and 28 years since they won it. So much has changed in my life since then, and this time I didn't have children to tend to or worry about, so I found myself very, very deeply infected with Phillies fever. Since about the beginning of September, I was gauging my mood (for the most part) on the results of the previous night's game. Wins made me euphoric; losses put me in a funk for hours. I know it probably isn't the healthiest way to live, but for me, this year, baseball kept me from spending all my energy on my job.

I don't know why I did this, but I started clipping the news articles at the beginning of the NLCS and put them on the wall outside my classroom door. As a result, my workplace looks like a teen-aged boy's bedroom. It's corny, but I have taken a huge amount of pleasure from doing this. I watched some games with my kids, some with my kids' friends, some alone, and for resumption of the last game last night I went to a neighborhood bar/restaurant to watch with a friend. It was amazing - a key pinch hit, a HUGE double play, an incredible deke and throwout at home, what might very well have been the last hit for Pat Burrell as a Phillie, and, finally, the stupendous bullpen, anchored by Brad Lidge. It was surreal - and the satisfaction I felt was unexpectedly calm. I was WAY more fired up when they won the National League. But I think the pleasure I feel will last for a while - at least a couple of days.

I like the way this makes the city - the extended metropolitan area - feel. Sure, there were some knuckleheads doing stupid things, but, in general, people enjoyed themselves thoroughly and joyfully. Maybe it would be fun to win year after year, but would it be so wonderful if it became commonplace?

Now, if I can just feel this good next Wednesday morning....

The calm before the storm

2008-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

My team is going to the World Series. I have a few days to catch up on my sleep before Wednesday, when I know I will feel that racing heart rate.

I bought a couple of shirts - a Burrell one for myself and a Victorino one for my partner in crime at my job. I am trying to figure out where to watch the games Wednesday and Thursday - a Meetup group is getting together in two different places for the two away games - I think maybe my first born will join me to watch Saturday's game.

I know, it's just baseball. A lot people I am friends with don't understand my passion for it. But it has been a part of me for over half my life, and it's something I share with my kids and others in my family. I also know it isn't pure, but somehow it seems like a throwback to a kinder, simpler time. I keep thinking about the late, great George Carlin who compared baseball to football, saying that baseball is played in a "park" and includes "sacrifices."

I'm watching the ALCS and wondering which team I want to win, but it really doesn't matter. My team is going to the World Series and I'm just going to enjoy it.

You gotta love the old fat guy!

2008-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Matt Stairs comes up, dare I say it?, big.

And Shane Victorino for NLCS MVP!

I'm exhausted.

An almost perfect day!

2008-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

I say "almost," not because there was anything inherently bad about it, just that I want to leave some room for an "absolutely" perfect day.

My son and I got to share probably my best live sporting event ever. I went to a playoff game in the 70s, but they lost. So this is, for now, the top of the mountain.

I know I probably got better views of things at home Thursday night, but I was screaming all by myself. Being in the stadium with 45,000 other fans is a completely different experience. I have never been around such sound - it actually made me feel like my heart was obeying the rhythm of the crowd's chant of "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!" As my son says with much more detail and eloquence in his blog, it sounded like a jet engine about three miles south at PHL. And, after Lidge got Nomar to swing and miss, I felt the anxiety drain out of me and I was left with a feeling of exhaustion and well-being.

Saturday I cut out every single photo and article and headline concerning the first two games and today I went into school and constructed my shrine to the Fightin's outside my classroom door. I know I have a lot of kids who are fans, so I'm hoping it will keep up the momentum.

Part of me says, cautiously, "They've already done so much more than last year, so this is gravy." But the greater part is saying, "No, this is not enough!"

By this time next month, both league champions and the World Series champs will be decided, as will a slightly more important competition. I would truly love a parade down Broad Street; I won't lie. When the Phillies won it all in 1980, I was preoccupied with an almost-one-year-old (the aforementioned son), and, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I was probably not as stoked about it then as I am now. I loved Schmidt, Bowa, Boone, and Luzinksi, and, especially, Garry Maddox. They were all older than I was and kind of heroes. Now I love Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and even the seemingly unencumbered-by-the-thought-process Brett Myers, but they are the age of my kids and I revel in their accomplishments as would a proud parent.

Whatever happens, it will all be decided by Mischief Night at the latest. Less than a week later, we elect a new President. It's no secret which candidate I support - I respect John McCain's service to the country, but we need a completely clean slate. Things are pretty bleak right now, and it will take the effort of every citizen and leader to help undo the mess that was created by people of both parties, but mostly out of greed. For the first time in my life, I'll be voting for a candidate younger than myself. That's an interesting milestone - makes me feel a little old, but I trust this man to find the smartest people in America to help him lead us.

My next grandchild is due on Inauguration Day - January 20, 2009. I fervently pray that he or she comes into this world healthy, above all, but beyond that, into a world of optimism, where we can dare to hope for the best.

Including a World Series championship in Philadelphia.

Moving on...

2008-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

...to the NLCS.

What a pleasure to see the Phils move on, thanks to my personal favorite, Pat Burrell.

I know that he probably won't be back next year, and I probably can't argue with the logic, but I'm hoping he continues to have a good post-season.

And how about that Joe Blanton? Nice to see your number 4 pitcher looking so good.

Kind of takes the sting out of the Eagles' lame effort today.

GO PHILLIES!!!!

Breathing again!

2008-09-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

They did it.

I didn't jinx them.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the bench play today and WIN.

I slept like a baby last night.

This is the lot of the Phillies fan.

I love this game!

Not yet ... not saying NUTHIN' just yet!

2008-09-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

You know what I'm talking (not talking) about.

Seriously. What are these people thinking?

2008-09-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, first of all, does the McCain campaign really think that putting Sarah Palin on the ticket automatically garners women voters?

Second of all, doesn't he remember what Karl Rove did to him? Oh, wait, yeah, he probably did!

Third of all, how completely idiotic do these people think we are? Doesn't the fact that everything politicians say is saved forever on tape mean anything to them? McCain makes crass jokes about Hillary Clinton and, worse, Chelsea Clinton, and the DEMOCRATS are sexist? He uses the crudest of all possible profanities directed AT HIS WIFE and accuses Barack Obama of some kind of perversion by taking a plan that would WARN CHILDREN ABOUT PREDATORS and putting it in a sleazy negative ad.

My friends who live in other countries are flabbergasted at the thought that Americans would seriously consider voting for someone who avoids talking about issues and insists on throwing out falsehoods instead. They can't believe that he chose a completely unqualified running mate after meeting her exactly ONCE and then calling her his "soul mate."

You know, eight years ago, I seriously thought I might have voted for John McCain, because he appeared to be truly a maverick, as opposed to GWB. Would he have been a better President than George Bush? Who knows? But when I see the pathetic transformation he has gone through to gain the support of the party, I'm thoroughly disgusted.

Is Obama the perfect solution? Of course not. Who is? But he is smart enough to know how to seek out the right people to advise him. McCain is being advised by Karl Rove, who has been charged with contempt of Congress and is one of the most nauseating characters in the history of American politics.

I love this country; I really do. But I think we deserve better than this. Mr. McCain suffered for a couple of years in a Vietnam prison camp - I'm sorry for that. But it doesn't qualify him for being President. He was a less than mediocre student at Annapolis and would NOT have become a Congressman without that unfortunate camp experience. He grew up the privileged son and grandson of admirals, a man who came home to a wife who was no longer attractive to him because of horrific car accident. He betrayed her with other women, including beginning a relationship with his current wife while still married to the first one.

Let's see: Senator Biden lost his wife and baby daughter in a car accident, commuted every day from Wilmington to Washington to maintain a stable home for his sons, and has been married to his second wife for 30+ years. Senator Obama and his wife are clearly devoted to each other. But the Republican party calls themselves the defenders of the family and marriage. Right.

Give me a break. I'm grossed out beyond words.

He really IS at a farm!

2008-09-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

I did something tonight I have never done before. I turned over a pet I had for a couple of years to another family. I had seriously mixed feelings about this; over all, I think it's a good move for all concerned. Hank wasn't able to go outside, which he loves, and he was miserable. The new family has a horse barn and needed a mouser, which Hank is very good at. Max, my old guy, will have more peace, and I won't have anybody chewing on my lampshades (I hope none of the other guys take up that habit!)

But I still felt like kind of a quitter. I don't like that feeling, even though I know he and I will both have a better quality of life.

History!

2008-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Barack Obama accept the nomination of the Democratic Party as their candidate for President. I'm watching him and his wife and Joe Biden and his wife and I feel like there is a chance for this country to regain its position as a true world leader.

Intelligence. Dignity. Passion. And, dare I say it, the ability to speak in a way that can inspire Americans to take up the challenge of making the country great again. I never again want to be embarrassed by the arrogance and intractability of an administration that believes we should be the world's policemen. How wonderful to have a chance to vote for such leadership!

Think before you make fun of that weird kid...

2008-08-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

You know that gangly kid in third grade? The one with big ears who couldn't sit still and had a bit of a speech impediment? If you were one of the ones who made fun of him, prepare to be somewhat abashed.

He now owns over a dozen Olympic gold medals.

Michael Phelps's story is a great testament to hard work and perseverance, but it's also a tale of overcoming childhood rejections and loneliness. His mother, a great story in her own right, told of how Michael was an outcast among his peers because of his somewhat odd appearance and hyperactivity. I wonder how those classmates feel today.

As a teacher, it breaks my heart to see kids who don't fit in. I could tell them that high school isn't the be all and end all, but they wouldn't believe me. While it's happening, it DOES seem like the end of the world. As a parent, I tried very hard to make my kids understand that all people are gifted in their own way and that we might not readily see those gifts in themselves and others.

Phelps was determined to achieve, despite (or perhaps because of) his being "different" from his peers. But it isn't revenge - it's just determination!

Let's try to remember that we see that goofy kid who isn't "cool."

Freecycle.com ROCKS!

2008-07-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm SO glad I discovered this. I've been weeding out stuff - my son came last weekend to help me - and I have many things that are no longer useful to anyone here but still useful items. Someone clued me into this spot and it makes it SO much easier to part with things. I found a home for a computer monitor, some old lamps, a foot locker, my son's old golf shoes, his old Playstation I, and his Miami Dolphins Starter jacket (I'll never forget the odyssey we went on to find that for him when he was around 12!). AND I scored a jogging stroller for my daughter and have the possibility of a double stroller and a webcam!

It makes me feel good that I can de-clutter without filling up the landfill any more than necessary. Now to go through the mountains of books that no one will ever read again (or maybe EVER)!

Yay for recycling - 2008 style!

Stuff

2008-07-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

While I was emptying a desk today (so that I could give it to the campaign headquarters of my favored candidate), I came across a lot of papers and pictures I hadn't looked at for a long time: my kids' test scores and report cards, records of my now defunct business, correspondence between a former employer and me when I was trying to get him to pay me what he owed me, owner's manuals for my kids' first bikes, a Super 8 movie I made for one of my first grad classes in the 70s, a couple of trophies, my will, the paperwork for buying two houses, and a lot more.

People collect a lot of stuff over 20 years. It's fun to find and hard to part with. But I'm drowning in it and it HAS to go!

I would LOVE a dumpster for a week or so!

A master of words

2008-06-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

For ten years, I was a sportswriter. For me it was a chance to combine my love of sports, my love of writing, and my love for my children and desire to pursue a job that allowed me to spend maximum time with them. I tried to write with passion, humor and dignity, and I modeled my work after some of those journalists I admired: Bill Lyon and Frank Deford come to mind in terms of print journalists.

But one of those I most admired was ABC Sports' Jim McKay, who died this morning at age 86. He had been retired and in failing health for some time, and, to tell you the truth, I kind of thought he had passed a while ago. You know how that is - you hear about the death of someone who had been out of the limelight for a while and you think, "I thought he/she had died a long time ago." Anyway, I am watching some tributes to McKay on ESPN and they remind me of what a truly gifted WRITER he was, not just a broadcaster. He started in the newspaper business (all the great ones do, in my opinion!) and, of course, this news background served him so admirably in 1972 in Munich. I'll never forget coming home from one of my first days of student teaching and seeing my roommates sitting around the TV, stunned. McKay handled this horrible scene with such sensitivity and grace.

Those of us who truly love sports look at icons like Jim McKay and Keith Jackson as keepers of a trust - they understand our passion and share with us their own without making it all about them.

Let's hope this generation of sports journalists can appreciate this responsibility.

Here we are - three generations of wild women!

2008-05-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here are Mimi, Mama, and Lea getting ready to go for a walk in Abingdon.

Just don't say they aren't fun to watch!

2008-05-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today the Phillies won 15-6 - after two disappointing losses Friday and Saturday and a lackluster starting performance by Cole Hamels.

Just loving baseball this year.

Reminding me a lot of 1993, God help us!

Happy Mother's Day to all...

2008-05-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

...and to all a good day!

My mother is amazing - she does WAY more every day than I do and she's been retired for decades. This year she turns 80 and it reinforces to me even more that 80 is not nearly as old as I used to think it was - or, in fact, as it is these days. She volunteers at the hospital and for hospice patients, she works in the hospital's consignment shop, she participates in book groups, greenhouse maintenance, and marketing the wonderful place she and my dad live in. I'm in awe of her energy and feel inspired by it - yesterday after I visited her, I came home and started stripping wallpaper in my bathroom!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, and to my daughter, who is celebrating her own Mother's Day. And to me - I have a whole day to contemplate my mega-redecorating projects and grade papers. But it's a beautiful day and I don't have any more five days weeks until September!

What can be better than May?

2008-05-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, school ends in JUNE, but there is something I truly love about the month of May.

The anticipation of the end of school activities is sweet. The trees are continuing to burst forth with leaves and, in some cases, blossoms. One that stage is over, all we have is green, which is, of course, wonderful. But right now seeing all the dogwoods and other blooming trees is joyous to me.

As a Phillies fan, this May has begun with great promise after an uncharacteristically successful April. So far, the team is showing everyone that last year's finish was not a fluke. When you can be in first place with no Jimmy Rollins, a just-getting-on-track Shane Victorino, and a slow-starting Ryan Howard, you know you have a team you can get behind.

When I make that phone call to Comcast to start up the cable in Ocean City, I do a little dance of joy, mentally putting myself in that sweet little house watching baseball or even just the weather channel.

Finally, in May I can look forward every school day to walking down the stairs and out to my car at the end of the day and putting down the top on my convertible. It's like a baby vacation every afternoon.

Welcome to May and all its promises!

And Pat keeps on rolling, but how 'bout that Utley?

2008-04-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

I dare not say anything. That's all I want to post right now.

Pat. Burrell. Rocks.

2008-04-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Two homers today - slugging percentage of over .900! Imagine Pat with a fast start! He hasn't cooled off from last year, so let's all get on the Pat the Bat bandwagon.

Come ON, guys!!!

2008-04-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's probably too early to get upset, but it has, for the most part, NOT been a stellar first week of the baseball season for Phillies fans. Errors? ERRORS? And whatever is the opposite of clutch hitting.

But my boy Pat the Bat is off to a pretty good start. So shut up, already Burrell bashers.

ARGHHHHH!!!!!

And yet I still watch and cheer. It's a sickness.

Spring?

2008-03-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's officially spring, and there are some greenish tinges to the trees, but I'm impatient.

I'm always this way in late March/early April: tapping my toes, waiting for the dead looking trees and thatch-y grass to brighten up. It makes me think about primitive man and how he must have wondered after every winter whether the sun would warm things up again. How excited he must have been to see those first little buds!

Not that I'm eager to cut grass, but in a way, I am. I'm not a big gardener, but I'll probably plant at least some impatiens (but not until after Mother's Day, you know) - maybe I'll stick some pansies in the urns on my front porch. And when I can open the windows, I'll be one happy camper!

And it's just hours until the Phillies open their season, which is the best indicator of spring there is!

I should have let my cat make my picks.

2008-03-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't think even my old senile cat could have chosen as badly as I did for the first 16 games. My upset specials all went down the tubes - okay, I accept that Temple lost, but I thought Kentucky would do MUCH better. I thought Georgia would continue to work off the adrenalin from last weekend. Yikes. I've NEVER done this badly so early!

Go 'head for yourself, Ryan Howard!

2008-02-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because I just finished a strike and tend to sympathize with labor over management, but I say "Well done, mediators!" Yep, it's a lot of money and seems like everyone ought to be able to live on $7 million, but some times you need to overpay. Forget that you think Pat Burrell is overpaid - certain players need to be taken care of - Utley, Hamels, Howard, and Rollins for sure. I don't want to lose any of those guys, even if they occasionally have a slump. Actually, I like Burrell, too!

I can't help it - these people make me happy for half the year!

Not sure that it's fair, but happy day, anyway!

2008-02-14T03:02:00.000-08:00

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law celebrates her birthday today. Sharing her day with the biggest celebration of love of the year is a mixed blessing, I am sure. It makes it easier to remember, but it kind of robs you of TWO days of being all that to your honey. Sorry she and my son won't be together for this special day, but I know the love will transcend the miles. Can't wait to get rid of some of the hyphens (soon-to-be)in our relationship - what a great young woman she is. Happy day, Holly - and maybe think about cardiology?

I've been a little distracted...

2008-02-14T02:58:00.000-08:00

...and neglected to post my birthday greetings to my son-in-law, Brian. As I mentioned, the name Brian came in a close second to Eric when our son was born, so it was meant to be that Brian became my "second son." What a wonderful gift he has been to our family - so much that we can forgive the nearly-unforgivable - he's a Mets fan. I know his gift arrived yesterday - just in time for the pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. So enjoy, Brian, and just watch J-Roll rack up the hits and steals as you relive that special 2007 season.

Back to School!

2008-02-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

This was a very difficult time - but it seems like we have a tentative contract and we're back to school tomorrow.

I know a lot of people are angry, and I wish there was another way to settle these things. I'm just hoping it is all worth it.

On strike

2008-01-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

So I just finished my second day of picketing; figure I walked about seven miles each day up and down the sidewalk in front of my school. I'm usually one of those people who doesn't like confrontation, but I feel strongly about this. The teachers in our district have been paid less than their peers in comparable districts and our board doesn't care. They think because they get loads of applicants for every opening that they can low-ball us.

I hate it. But I'll keep it up as long as I have to.

Tagged - now let's see it I do it right!

2008-01-12T05:21:00.000-08:00

My daughter knows me better than just about anyone, so she knows this is right up my alley. Of course, she also knows that one book would fit into several of these categories, so it is a major deal for me to choose which one.

One book that changed your life: I had to think about this for a while, after I decided that To Kill A Mockingbird belonged in the "books that made me cry" section. In high school, it was Wuthering Heights; in college, probably The French Lieutenant's Woman or The Fountainhead. Recently, I think the book that continues to reshape me is Tim O'Brien's Vietnam "is it a novel or is it a memoir or is it something else entirely" The Things They Carried. This war happened while I was in my young adulthood but I never really understood what it was like for those who went there until I read this - and I don't want to act like I know NOW, since that would be somewhat presumptuous for one who WASN'T there, but at least I have a better idea. Of course, as an English teacher, I hope that MANY books change my students lives: Siddhartha, Frederick Douglass's Narrative, Kaffir Boy...I could go on and on.

One book you have read more than once: Centennial by James Michener - I read it, then watched the mini-series, then read it again...and again. This was when I was home a lot with a lot more unassigned time, but I was just fascinated with the way that part of the country has evolved and how cool Western people are. I tried other Michener books and none ever grabbed me like this one.

One book you would want on a desert island: An anthology - something with poetry, shorts stories, essays and plays. I'll check my shelves at school - maybe one will be THE one.

One book that made you laugh: I also picked Al Franken, but it's Lies and the Lying Liars that tell them. I can hear his voice (albeit with that SNL smarmy character) and, of course, I am 100% in agreement in all of his assessments. Oh, wait, maybe I like the Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot more. Whatever. Franken cracks me up. But it was hard to pick between this one and a couple other satires - Jon Stewart's America comes to mind. And there's always Candide - crazy stuff from Voltaire.

One book that made you cry: I taught To Kill A Mockingbird for many years (and miss it so much) and near the end, Scout takes Boo Radley by the hand and escorts him home. When she watches him walk in his house and close the door, she says, simply, "I never saw him again." Gets me teary every time. This is my FAVORITE book of all time. Everyone should read it. Everyone. Period

One book you wish you had written: Any of Jonathan Kozol's books on the disgraceful inequities in the way children live in this country, particularly in terms of public education. I first read Death at an Early Age in college; most recently I was terribly affected by Savage Inequalities.

One book you are currently reading: Does teaching count? I'm doing three of my favorites right now: Siddhartha, A Doll's House, and J.B. I love watching kids react to these for the first time - especially some kids with Siddhartha. I am seeing connection with a text from some kids who haven't shown any before. My AP kids are doing the two plays and I love listening to them read aloud with passion and nuance. (Sometimes I really love my job!)

One book you are meaning to read: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - One of my students did her research project on him and read the ending, which, rather than spoiling it for me, makes me want to read it even more. Summer assignment for sure!

Okay, now that I've been tagged, I'm tagging Eric - in between driving truck and looking for someone to take him in, I'm certain he'll enjoy thinking about this.

This is getting on my last nerve...

2008-01-10T12:52:00.001-08:00

We have been working without a contract since September, and last night we set a strike date of January 29. This is, fortunately for seniors especially, after midterms and second marking period grades, but it still will stink if we end up walking. There are two scheduled negotiation sessions before then, so, cross fingers for us, please!

What a year!

2007-11-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful baby I have ever seen made me a grandmother a year ago - and she's even more beautiful at a year old! Happy Birthday to sweet Lea Campbell Johns (a few days late!)

Happy Birthday to my firstborn

2007-11-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Twenty-eight years ago today, I didn't get to vote, since I was kind of busy getting ready to give birth at this very time of night - 8:43 p.m. - to my precious son. I also missed covering a couple of football games the next few weeks. Today this sweet boy is busy - covering elections as a newspaper reporter. Am I proud? Oh, yes.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Finally fall!!!!

2007-11-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like an endless summer - and, to be absolutely candid, I really enjoyed that - we are now having crisp fall weather. I went out and bought long sleeves and sweaters in response, kind of a delayed back-to-school shopping spree. One fun thing about having fall come late is that it isn't too long until Thanksgiving (which is the earliest it can be) and, ultimately, Christmas.

I was selling tickets to the football game Friday night and had my little space heater in my booth - one of my favorite fall experiences. High school football is still one throwback to the last century - the pageantry of the band, the cheerleaders, the parents of the band, cheerleaders, and players, the oldtimers who haven't missed a game in 50 years.

Of course, fall means leaves on the ground and I have yet to bring out the rake. I think my strategy this year is to wait for ALL of them to fall and then rake them all. It might be a tough job, but I'll only have to do it once.

Just Shut UPPPP!!!!!

2007-10-17T18:48:00.001-07:00

I did it - I jinxed them.

Never again will I remark on the Phillies until after they've won the World Series.

But at least other people have fallen into the Rockies buzz-saw.

Does that make us feel better?

Now it can be told...

2007-10-01T13:40:00.001-07:00

It's pathetic how superstitious and, let's face it, pessimistic I am when it comes to baseball.

I mean, I'm a mature woman, with two degrees, and I hold a responsible position in the community. I've raised to children to responsible adulthood, I pay all my bills on time, and I keep a fairly respectable home (don't look too closely).

But when it comes to the Phillies, I'm completely irrational. The evidence is insurmountable.

Exhibit A: After last Wednesday's win over Atlanta, I went on line and bought tickets for Thursday's game. We arrived and I started getting nervous. Even when the scoreboard showed 6-0, I was a wreck. When it went to 6-3, I started with the nervous twitches and incipient nausea. I literally could not stay in my seat for the top of the ninth. I retreated to the concourse, saw Brett Myers serve up a Jeff Francouer homer and felt myself hyperventilate. I paced...I stole glances at the TV monitor and surreptitiously peeked between security guards to see Myers on the mound (to the left of the guards) and the batter (to the right of the guards). With a man on and the tying run at the plate, I was filled with dark thoughts. But Myers struck out the last man and the game was in hand. We already knew the Mets had lost, so that meant that, for the first time all season - for the first time since April of 2005 - the Phillies owned a share of first place. I finally breathed.

Friday night I had to work selling tickets to the high school football game, and when I got in the car, it was still 0-0, with Cole Hamels doing his best Steve Carlton impression. They won the game, the Mets lost, and we were in sole possession of first.

Saturday afternoon, I "watched" the Mets game - and my little animated guy on the computer kept showing me three up and three down (I didn't catch that Dan Uggla walked and then was out on a double play. I thought John Maine was throwing a perfect game). Then our game started and Adam Eaton gave up a run in the first inning. I was morose. I was ill-humored. I was pretty much a dark cloud wandering around the house.

Sunday, I went to church, then to school to do a little work, mostly to keep my mind occupied. I got in the car, timing it so I would be home in time for the first pitch, vaguely remembering that the Mets game would start a half hour earlier. I listened to the announcers kind of go through scenarios for the post season, weaving in the Padres/Rockies possibilities, and they said something about "if the Phillies were to lose today, they'd have a one-game playoff tomorrow." I thought, "Wait a minute! They're ignoring the possibility of a Phils loss and Mets win. Finally, I hear, just as I pull into my driveway, that Tom Glavine gave up 7 runs in the top of the first and was now out of the game. Did I hear right? I ran into the house and the information was confirmed. The fans were berserk from the first pitch on and it was actually kind of fun to monitor the Mets game on the computer as I watched the Phillies - my biggest hope was that the Mets would finish first so that when we won, it would be officially time to celebrate.

I watched a bit of the post-game fun, but left for a family thing, euphoric on my half-hour trip. The buzz hasn't left yet. And, while I'm sure I won't feel this way for long, I'm so happy I wouldn't be THAT upset if they lost in the first round. No, that's wrong. I wouldn't be THAT upset if they lost in the NLCS. The World Series?

Hey, if you're going to give up your superstitiousness and pessimism, why not go all the way? After all, the only time the Phillies won the World Series, my first-born child was nearing his first birthday. This year, my first-born grandchild is nearing HER first birthday. Karma? Perhaps. It's just plain fun right now.

Isn't technology grand?

2007-09-19T01:55:00.000-07:00

I recently began learning about how to use Moodle, described as a "course management" tool that allows a teacher to present all kinds of wonderful content and interactive stuff on line. I'm using it with my Creative Writing club and the possibilities are endless. I'm able to set up forums for the students to post their work and have their peers give feedback; they can have threaded discussions to talk about anything from how to be published to their favorite words to use in writing poetry.

It makes me wonder, though, if we lose something when it is so easy to interact online. When we had our first club meeting on Monday, I watched over 20 kids sitting at computers tapping away like mad and NO ONE WAS TALKING even thought they were in the same room. What's good is that these kids are doing what they love - writing creative prose and poetry - and this gives them a "community" to share their interest. I'm going to have to make an effort to get them to TALK - for real - at our meetings. We'll have small group discussions, based on genres (they love fantasy).

Part of me doesn't want to contribute to having kids sequestered in their rooms communing with their keyboards, but the other part of me feels good about kids finding an outlet for their passion.

Happy Birthday to my baby

2007-09-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Labor Day always signals the beginning of school, but also the celebration of my daughter's birth. This year she turned 26 - I can hardly believe it! Hope it was a great one, Paige. I can't imagine a sweeter place to spend a B-day than the Smokies.

Love you, MOM

Adding to the family - Part II

2007-08-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

While it seems like she's been part of our family for a couple of years, last night it became more official: my son proposed to his girlfriend and she accepted. When he called, we were with my parents, sisters and spouses, and my dad's reaction when he talked to my son: "I think you got the better end of the deal." I prefer to think they BOTH got lucky - as did we! A new daughter for us, a new sister for my daughter, an aunt for my granddaughter - all good stuff. Don't know any details, but I'll have to borrow the book on being the mother of the groom I gave my friend Karen when her son was getting married. I hope it gives me better advice than the old, tired saying: "Shut up, show up, and wear beige."

Congratulations, Eric, and best wishes, Holly!

Read my first Harry Potter book!

2007-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, it was pretty repetitive, since I saw the movie based on the first book, but now I'm ready to move on to uncharted territory. My son tells me if I read Books Five and Six, then I'll be good to go with Seven. I'll see if I can crank through those two and then savor the last one.

On another note - I HATE ANTS!!! Not as bad as fleas (see Mountain Mama's blog) but annoying nonetheless. This is at the beach - they get on any fragment of food left out - including the cats' food - as well as toothbrushes (yechhhh!) We had an exterminator, but apparently the heat and humidit embolden these little creeps and they laugh - LAUGH, I say - at the various treatments that have worked in the past. So Saturday we'll spray the dickens out of the place so the renters won't be carried off!

I guess the Zen approach is to acknowledge that they have a right to exist, but they just skeeve me out so much.

Another book for nerds

2007-08-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs. He worked his way through the Encyclopedia Britannica and wrote commentary on a variety of topics in alphabetical order. He intersperses personal experiences with fun facts that we all appreciate on Quizzo night. Don't buy it - just get it from the lbirary.

A great book for nerds

2007-08-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, it may not sound like an exciting topic, but I bought a really cool book - If You Catch An Adjective, Kill It - by Ben Yagoda. Believe it or not, it's a truly entertaining treatment of the parts of speech; the chapter on articles (a, an, the) is really fun. Understand, of course, that I believe that everyone in the English-speaking world should read Strunk and White's Elements of Style; perhaps I believe that if enough people read this book, the language will be saved.

Anyway, go to the library and get Yagoda's book if you can.

Okay, do I need to read Harry Potter?

2007-07-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

I'm kind of embarrassed that I've never read even ONE word of ONE Harry Potter book. I've seen two of the movies and enjoyed them, but I think I have been a bit snobbish about not reading them and I'm ashamed of that. When I see how many people, including many of my students and members of my family, enjoy reading this series, I guess I should rethink my position. I have a week at the shore coming up, so I think I'll hit the library and get a couple. I'm told I need to read at least the first one, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh ones. Any other feedback?

I tend to get obsessed with series. As a kid, I read every Nancy Drew I could get my hands on (as did my daughter, who also sucked up Babysitter Club books like a milkshake). I think you start to feel as if you actually know these people. At one point I was working my way through the Sue Grafton initial mysteries (A is for Alibi, etc.) and felt like I'd recognize Kinsey Milhone if I met her on the street. My friend Cathy is hooked on Lisa Scottoline, who incorporates a heroine from Cathy's high school. So who am I to pooh-pooh Mr. Potter and Ms. Rowlings?

At the very least, I am grateful that the Potter series has encouraged kids to read. This is how people got hooked on Dickens and some other pretty important authors, after all, with series in magazines.

I'll report on my progress!

Awesome in the true sense of the world!

2007-07-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's late Sunday night and I'm exhausted, but I just want to say that the Rocky Mountains are breathtaking in so many ways. First the Grand Tetons, then Yellowstone, and finally Glacier National Park - each one amazing in its own right. Our first afternoon in the mountains and we saw, in a space of three minutes and maybe 500 yards, a mother bear and two cubs, a mother moose and her calf, and a herd of elk. Yellowstone is an eerie place, with hot mud and steam bubbling out of the earth, and, of course, Old Faithful. After saying "Wow!" about a hundred times a day, we never thought anything would outdo these two places, but I have to say that those who say Glacier National Park is the most beautiful place on earth have a point. Anyway, I'll add more later, but here are a couple of pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katec810/ReallyTrulyAwesome

Calling all blog experts

2007-07-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I love this picture and want to put it on my profile, but the URL that it was assigned is too long. Any suggestions, oh you expert bloggers out there?

What's up with this?

2007-07-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

So it was brutally hot for several days in June - enough to put the air conditioning on, which I hate. Now I've been at the beach since last Friday, and it's been downright cold at night; had ONE typical July beach day, but the others have been so cool and windy we didn't really want to stay on the beach too long. But the baby loved having her blowup pool down there, so that was a success!

Endings and beginnings

2007-06-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about being a teacher is that there's always a starting gun and a finish line. The school year is over, although I still have two workshop days, which I really love. Grades are in, books are counted, stuff is put away so they can clean my classroom, and I've processed all the graduation projects that were put in my mailbox. I have established some modest goals for the summer, and I intend to catch up on sleep.

Then, there's the Sopranos' finale. Of course, I was pretty disconcerted by the quick cut to black, but I have to admit that I liked it better as I reflected on it. I watched it again last night and picked up on some details that made it even more intriguing. What is it about these guys that makes us kind of like them, despite the fact that they killed people, often in a grisly way.

And I know it's not an end, but the series finale of Lost was quite interesting. It's rather fun to dissect these things six ways from Sunday, and it makes for some great next day debriefings at work. Flashback? Prequel? Whose funeral?

We attended a wedding of a young woman we have known since she was about two and a half years old, and it was a really lovely experience. What made it particularly fun was seeing a bunch of other kids we've also known for most of their lives. They have grown to be accomplished, confident adults, and it was a pleasure to watch them dance and laugh.

I got accepted by Princeton!

2007-05-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Made you look!

Actually, here's the truth: my AP English Literature curriculum/syllabus has been certified by the College Board, which is, after all, located in Princeton, NJ.

I wasn't worried that it wouldn't be, although we have heard some horror stories. Still waiting to hear if my colleague at our other high school has HERS (identical to mine) accepted. Don't laugh - it's isn't necessarily a slam dunk. We already know of instances where teachers at the same school submit the same paperwork and some are accepted and others sent back for more work. But I cannot imagine she would get someone reviewing hers who wouldn't pass it.

What it means is that we can keep calling our course AP - regardless of whether or not the kids take the test. And I don't have to do it again unless I switch schools or we drastically change the curriculum. I feel good because 19 of my 23 took the test. Now I just have to wait until July to find out how they did! I had to remind them (and myself) that the scorers are human beings and thus have human foibles and frailties, so this isn't the be-all, end-all assessment of their worth as people.

Goodbye "Girls"

2007-05-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Guess this is the best place to say "So long" and "Thanks" for "Gilmore Girls." I just watched the last episode yesterday (taped it and didn't watch even a minute until yesterday). I have to say I got just a tad bit misty, but not out and out teary-eyed. Here's my take on it:

Loved - the whole Emily suggesting Lorelei add a spa to the inn as a ruse just to make sure they stayed close, then Lorelei saying, "Let's talk about it at Friday night dinner." Kelly Bishop was perfect in her reaction. I just love that actress - hope she gets another gig, but I'll never get past her as Emily. I loved Richard's comments to Lorelei - I am happy that the three of them seem like a family at last.

Loved - Luke sewing all that stuff together (although I seriously don't think it's physically possible for him to have done that). So sweet. Remember when he made her a chuppa for her wedding to Max that didn't take place? He has his faults, of course, and Lorelei mentioned that - "I need someone who shows how he feels" or something to that effect. But he is a great guy, overall, and sometimes so painfully sweet in spite of himself.

Loved - Sookie and Luke planning the party together (remember when he was filling in for her while she was supposed to be in bed and she was actually upstairs at the inn?) - although I think Melissa McCarthy was a little transparent in that scene - more the actress than the role - but still nice. And, oh man, how about that speech by Taylor?

Loved - Luke saying, "I just like to see you happy" and then the kiss. Not too much.

A little disappointed in the farewell of Rory and Lane - wish it could have been more - but you can't have everything.

The last scene in the diner - absolutely priceless.

Although the writing certainly suffered this year with the loss of Amy and Daniel (we GG aficionados refer to the Palladinos by their first names), this was iconic for me and my daughter. She got me watching when she was in college, and during the time she was back here, it became a ritual for us. The characters were likeable, the story line believable, the writing witty and with just enough esoterica to keep me interested - I mean, references to Oscar Levant, Proust, and 80s pop music all in the same episode?

Things I really loved over the course of the show:

Mrs. Kim - she cracked me up, especially when she got involved in Hep Alien's tour. While she could have been cartoonish, you "got" her - how great was Lane's wedding episode?

Paris's meltdown at Chilton graduation when she announced she had not gotten into Harvard - a classic Paris moment.

Luke in so many ways, but one I really loved was when he went to the Renaissance Faire thing that Liz and T.J. were working - I loved how he was with his sister and, even more, with Jess. And later with April. I know Scott Patterson was often annoyed by the typecasting, but I totally could get him and Lorelei

Emily - particularly when she found the letter her newly-dead mother-in-law had written saying she wished Richard had married Penilyn (what kind of tight-ass WASP name is that, anyway?) - probably Kelly Bishop's finest hour, although I did enjoy the "kayak/canoe" analogy she made after Richard's heart bypass surgery.

Stars Hollow - seriously, who wouldn't want to live there? Loved all the "events" in the town - especially the living art tableau thing

Things that got on my nerves:

Kirk - although the episode when the middle school did "Fiddler on the Roof" and he was Tevya was in my top ten episodes. He just bugged me most of the time.

Logan - never really trusted his character and it truly showed through in the penultimate episode last week

Lorelei/Max - I think it might have been because the actor had played a wolf (or something like that) in a previous TV movie or miniseries - just kind of a creepy thing

Lorelei/Christopher - although I confess that it was probably a necessity - she had to get it out of her system - I just never cared for the actor at all

What I'll miss most:

Talking to my daughter about it the next day.

Good luck to everyone involved in "Gilmore Girls" - it was a wonderful experience that never made me feel I'd been patronized or "taken" - ever!

Catching up with this 'n that

2007-05-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged - probably no one reads this anyway!

1. I'm so glad spring has finally arrived - it's SOOO much more pleasant to get in my car for work in the daylight. I look forward to the end of the day, too, when I can put the top down for the ride home - like a mini-vacation.

2. Went to my first Phillies game of the year last night - Pat Burrell had two homers and Cole Hamels pitched well. Just love going to the ball park. I really hope the Phillie fans start treating Burrell a little better.

3. Had a nice dinner at "Pif" before the game - a cozy little BYOB in South Philly - (thanks, Brian and Paige). I just have to say that BYOBs are such a wonderful concept - you can have a really nice bottle of wine without paying a premium for it and spend your money on great food. Oh, and while we were in there, some anti-foie gras demonstrators did their thing outside the restaurant - but they were gone before we came out. I actually thought about getting the foie gras, but opted instead for a warm goat cheese, arugula, and pine nut salad and saved room for dessert - pot de creme. Had a nice shrimp with lobster roe sauce entree, too. Just enough.

4. The AP English Literature test was Thursday - kids seemed pretty happy with their performance. Most of them have other AP tests - I will be glad for them when next week is over.

5. I want to do something about the whole graduation project system - I'm sick of it being just something to get through. It's supposed to be an accomplishment, but we don't treat it like that. When I run the schools, it will be something to celebrate.

6. Graduation is in less than four weeks, so I have to get on my letter writing. I have 64 seniors this year to write letters to and I try to make them as personal as I can.

Finally, LOSTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! Just when I'm about ready to bail, they crank up a great one. I'm pretty sure Locke will survive, but beyond that I'm completely baffled. Can't wait until next week.

And, farewell to Gilmore Girls. I know the time had come, but I will miss those ladies and their assorted friends and lovers. I was pretty glad Rory declined Logan's proposal, since it showed what a self-absorbed person he is. I have always hated when people propose in public places - makes it so awkward. Last night at the ballpark a guy did it - she seemed okay with it, but I've seen times when the girl looked SO uncomfortable. And I really don't know what I want to happen with Luke and Lorelei. I will definitely be taping it so I can save it for posterity.

Days like this are perfect...

2007-04-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

We've had a couple of amazing days - gorgeous weather after some truly dismal stuff. I put the top down on my convertible several times - like a mini-vacation!

And the Phillies are starting to look like a professional baseball team, too!

I often wonder how primitive people felt when spring finally came - like they couldn't be sure, but now their faith has been vindicated.

I got on MySpace

2007-04-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

I'm probably the oldest human being on MySpace, but a friend suggested that it would be a better way to communicate with my family than this blog. I'm not sure how to manage it - but they said it's very good for posting pictures and it's in real time - I guess that's an advantage. I don't want to lurk or be beset with my students, so I may very well exit from it if it isn't the thing for me. Any suggestions?

It's spring break!

2007-04-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

I went outside barefoot yesterday - it was wonderful! Of course, it's supposed to yucky again this weekend - hopefully the last yucky weather until, like, November. The other wonderful thing is that it's the last quarter of the school year - the time in which I solidify everything I've been teaching all year. I write letters to every one of my seniors to be opened the morning of their graduation day, so I start on those now. Some are easy to write; others nearly impossible. I can always find something positive to say, but I really try to write a different letter to each kid. Certain groups of kids you know are going to compare their letters, so you have to be sure not to repeat any of the good stuff.

The Riches....ca-razy!!!

2007-03-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I saw the second episode and it doesn't disappoint. I feel a need to talk this up, because not everyone looks at FX network, which has a couple of great shows, including this one. It's fresher than The Sopranos and keeps you wondering what the heck is going to happen next. You can't help but fantasize about being able to just take over someone else's identity. Eddie Izzard is very good and Minnie Driver is unlike I've ever seen her - of course, she is so versatile - from Muriel's Wedding to Good Will Hunting to Phantom of the Opera to this.

Tomorrow is the first day of spring, as well as Lea's four-month birthday. Can't wait to see all my kids in ten days - spring break!

Are you kidding me?

2007-03-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I had the air conditioning on in my car - would have put the top down if I didn't have so much crap in it.

Yesterday, it started raining, then turned to sleet (they sent us home from school early) then turned to a kind of snow - like the kind they make at ski areas. It's so hard that I didn't even leave footprints when I went out to get the paper!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - almost spring.

Ides of March observations

2007-03-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

1. We finished out "high stakes" testing today - FINALLY and should have "normal" schedules from here on out - unless we get a freak snowstorm or something. The kids hung in there, but this thing has dominated our school's operations for over a month! We did feed them breakfast the last three mornings and gave them plenty of pep talks. I do believe that no child should be left behind; I really do! I just wish there was some other way to ensure this.

2. It was so darn beautiful yesterday - near 80 degrees! Had the windows open last night and nearly was catapulted out of bed by a thunderclap at 2:30 a.m. that sounded like it was right outside my window. The thing reverberated for about 30 seconds, it seemed. My heart was pounding and it took me a while to get back to sleep. But it was still great to sleep with the windows open and the cats seemed to like it, too.!

3. Um, Drexel? You made all of us who complained about you being left out of the Big Dance look a little bad with that opening round HOME loss in the NIT. I will assume it was disappointment and letdown.

4. Has anyone seen "The Riches"? Wow. It is on FX on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. (I think that will be its regular slot), which means it can have more profanity and sex than regular TV but not as much as cable. It is really kind of amazing and I don't really think I can do it justice here - before I saw it, I read that it was sort of Sopranos-ish, and it is, but it is quirkier and has Eddie Izzard (sans makeup and accent) and Minnie Driver (sans classy British accent and glammed-up look) as, well, to be honest, GYPSIES (they refer to themselves as "Travelers" but they live in sort of a commune of RVs and tents). The first episode left me kind of breathless...yeah, it's one of those "you hadda be there" deals. Do yourself a favor - if they replay the first episode, WATCH IT!

5. Baseball in just about two weeks - have I mentioned I cannot WAIT for this season?

6. Finally - the Ides of March has kind of been co-opted by "Pie Day" at our school. 3/14 - get it? The math people get to have fun with actual pies - kids walking around with all kinds of goodies. There just really isn't a snack that goes well with the Ides of March - Caesar Salad just isn't a "treat" you can share in English class, is it?

Spring springs in less than a week! Whoo-hoo!

Open Windows

2007-03-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing better! I walked out of school today and it was close to 80 degrees! If my back seat didn't have so much junk in it, I would have put the top down.

Came home and opened family room and bedroom windows - I will get to sleep in fresh air tonight. Of course, it will all go away in a day or two - supposed to be only in the forties on Friday.

But I'm enjoying today.

Now, this is better!

2007-03-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Flirting with 60º today and promising up to 70 by Wednesday! Nearly all the little piles of snow are gone from our place, although the mountains in the parking lots are still hanging in there. Guess I need to clean out the back of the convertible in case the urge to put the top down becomes too tempting.

And in other news...

Add my voice the chorus - either add to the field or get rid of the automatic berths in the big dance. Drexel and Syracuse are better than at least a third of the teams in the draw. Hard as it is to agree with Dick Vitale, he nailed it.

And add my sentiments to those who mourn the loss of John Vukovich. He is what makes baseball different from the other sports. He was a reliable, if not spectacular player who knew the game and how to deal with the people who played it. He was tough on the guys, but they respected, nay, loved him for it. And when he coached third base, I didn't cringe like I did last year. He was a throw-back and he'll be missed.

And to chime in with my son - how does television support reality crap and not give Studio 60 a chance to cultivate an audience. There is a veritable honor roll of wonderful shows that in today's market wouldn't make it. I miss shows with an edge that doesn't involve profanity. I love that Gilmore Girls makes references to Oscar Levant as well as contemporary bands. I loved Sports Night and still miss the early days of West Wing. Maybe Sorkin wasn't on top of his game (yet) with Studio 60, but, to paraphrase some lame bumper sticker "A bad day of Sorkin is better than a good day of "Deal or No Deal"

Anybody see "The Lives of Others"? This won the Oscar for best foreign language film and, while I still think Pan's Labyrinth probably should have won, it was GREAT! I heard an interview with the filmmaker who said that the muted colors were on purpose because during the Cold War, East Germany couldn't get the bright blue and red dyes for clothes.

And I did adore "The Queen" but I just love Helen Mirren in anything. I need to go back and rent stuff she was in as a young actress. Prime Suspect was THE BOMB!!!

Side note: I'm having severe Lea withdrawal - just in case anyone was wondering!

So darn cold again!

2007-03-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Are you kidding? Zero wind chill tonight. Sounds like the roof is blowing off! I don't even want to take the trash out - it'll end up in Delaware or something!

It was fun to see some baseball on Sunday, though. Hope, as they say, springs eternal.

Not sure I'm liking the idea of the early Daylight Savings Time - it was just starting to be a bit brighter in the morning.

I really can't wait until the end of the month for Spring Break.

Ah, things have to get better...

2007-02-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

It's finally the end of February...which is a good thing. I'm feeling kind of discouraged, but that often happens this time of year. I know that getting enough sleep would probably help. And I'd also like to see my students get more sleep. My first period seniors have a tough time staying awake - guess I need to be more inspiring.

I just have to chip in my two cents.

2007-02-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

I keep reading all kinds of media reports on the state of schools and the impending re-certification of No Child Left Behind. The latest article I read was concerning the fact that despite more students taking harder courses and getting better grades, they are (according to standardized tests) learning LESS. The response to these reports is to indict schools for slacking off and not teaching the skills the kids need. Remember, EVERY school in each state is rated the same way

Now, here's my issue: I started school 50 years ago this September. I went to a VERY small school - in fact, I was in a classroom with about 30 kids in grades one, two, and three. My teacher was experienced, but her training was pretty rudimentary - she taught us reading, arithmatic, and social studies - history and geography - but not much science. Our art education was limited to tracing out seasonal images on construction paper and pasting things together. We had an itinerant music teacher who came twice a week. I did fine - learned to read, do math, etc. and was successful in high school and college. Today, our teachers are much better trained and we have better resources. What is it, then, that is making our kids less able to perform? And is it true across the board?

Here is my observation at my own school, which is considered by those who know it to be good:

1. The top kids are better prepared - enormously so - than were the top kids 30 years ago. I teach AP English and I'm blown away with how well they think and write. They are getting recognized at an early age and challenged all along the way. These kids encounter great literature and are encouraged to think and write about it in different ways. I feel strongly that they will do well in college and in life
2. The kids with learning problems are getting resources that they weren't getting 30 years ago. Teachers know how to recognize kids with special needs and address those needs or find the resources to help them. This didn't happen 30 years ago - those kids dropped out with the school's blessing, since they didn't really know what to do with them. These kids are much better prepared to deal with life than they would have been in my time.
3. The kids who don't fit into either end vary wildly. Most of them are good, solid students who pay attention, learn to take notes, read their assignments, work on their writing, and come to class ready to talk about what they've learned. But, on the other hand, many of my "average" students DON'T do what they are supposed to do - they don't read, they don't work on improving their writing, they don't want to expend any intellectual energy on ANYTHING. They don't care if they learn anything at all.

We have been dangerously close to not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) because some of our kids didn't score well on a high stakes test. We have given them a ton of tutoring and some of them still don't score at proficient or advanced, which is the criteria for whether or not we are "on the list". For some, it's because they don't take the test seriously since it doesn't have an impact on them individually - they know that it rates the SCHOOL rather than the student, so they don't worry too much about it. For those kids, we pull them aside and retest them, emphasizing that they will KEEP taking the test until they score at proficient or advanced. Most of them finally get the point and squeak out a score that is acceptable. But it sure doesn't measure their learning. It is this group of kids that I think are most different from the way kids were 30 or 40 years ago. In my wildest dreams I would never have considered not doing work assigned to me. I would never have just not handed in a paper and taken a zero for it. Yet I just collected papers from my juniors - level one (college prep) kids - and out of 37 kids, ten just plain did not do it. Is this my fault as an educator? I don't live at their houses to make sure they do their work. What happened to parents insisting that homework be done - checking that it IS done (especially if the kid has a history of not doing the work), and maybe even (dare I say it) grounding the kid until he shapes up? I think parents have to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they are doing their part. Do they stop reading to and with their kids once the kids have learned how to read in first or second grade? Do they get and read a newspaper? Do they read books in their homes and give books as gifts to kids and encourage them to read for pleasure? Or do they just let the kid spend hours playing video or computer games? News flash: spending time on the computer, even if they are "reading" text on it, does not contribute to the kind of learning those high stakes tests measure. Just because they are on the computer doesn't mean it's educational. I believe that most of these kids COULD easily score proficient or advanced if they had a "culture of learning" in their homes.

But some hard news here - some kids will NEVER be able to score proficient or advanced on these tests. In this country, we provide EVERY child with free and public education. And we can help every kid reach his potential and find ways to be successful that do not translate into performing well on these tests. As irritated as I am about losing all this time - for my juniors it's about nine school days - 5% of the school year - I feel sorrier for my colleagues in learning support who are working with the kids who don't learn the same way everyone else does. The irony is that current research focuses on different learning styles and how important it is for us to recognize this and capitalize on each kid's strengths, and then we subject every kid - from the valedictorian to the kid with the most severe learning disabilities - to the same testing. I know some kids who are very bright and can discuss themes in literature very well, but they have problems in traditional reading and decoding and would score very poorly on those tests. Just as some of us are more physically gifted, some people are gifted in more traditionally academic ways. Not every person is suited to college; many people are highly gifted in skills that are not measured in these tests and that's not fair. If a person can learn a skill that is valued in society - trades like carpentry, plumbing, painting, and electrical work, services like child care and hospitality work, and so on - he or she can be a successful citizen. It makes no sense to say that the school has failed a child if these skills are recognized and encouraged, regardless of how well he performs on a state-mandated test.

Are we concerned with EDUCATING our children to live in the world productively? Or we just TRAINING them to respond to a test?

Oh, I love my work - I just freakin' hate my JOB sometimes.

I'm officially an empty-nester

2007-02-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 27 years I haven't had one of my children within easy access (within three hours) or what they would call in their respective geographic worlds (Kentucky and far southwestern Virginia) "hollerin' distance." When they were both in college, I could actually go there and have lunch with them and be back the same day. When one was five hours away in Newport News, the other was in Jersey - again, lunchable distance. When that one went ten hours away, the other was within an hour and, later, within three minutes. Now, as of last weekend, they are both over eight hours away. Not exactly lunchable.

But it is, as all the books and experts tell me, the way it is supposed to be. We are supposed to give our children roots AND wings, right? I prefer the roots, but I understand the need for (and thrill of) wings. Maybe I'm just a little jealous that I didn't see more of the country before settling "back home" where I started. I still think where we live is pretty perfect - within three hours of NYC, DC, the beach, and skiing - but part of me wishes I had gone off to Boulder or Butte or Baton Rouge and found out and appreciated how other Americans live. It wasn't until I got a job that allowed me to travel a bit that I realized how cool that would have been.

Luckily, I enjoy driving. And the drive to either place isn't HARD, just long. It isn't particularly scenic (unless I choose to take a more scenic route, which will always be longer) but it's pretty stress-free, unless you count desparately trying to find the local NPR station on the radio!

So all of my after-school and weekend activities have come to a grinding halt: no more girls basketball, my choir concerts are tonight and tomorrow night, and I won't be seeing my granddaughter for five weeks. I guess I'll just have to clean my house for a change. And do yoga. And read the piles of books I have to wade through.

Two of the most beautiful words in the English language...

2007-02-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

SNOW DAY!

We were set free two hours early yesterday - last night they told us we'd be coming in two hours late - then this morning around 6:00 they called of school altogether. Although it wreaks havoc on my just-recently-updated syllabus, it comes at a very opportune time - my daughter and her husband need to load the truck for their move tomorrow. However, right now, GETTING the truck will be an adventure in and of itself.

FEBRUARY is the cruelest month!

2007-02-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry, T.S. Eliot, but April is NOT! It's been brutally cold for the last week or so - and, while I enjoy a brisk winter's day, unrelieved days in single digits and teens get old fast.

Speaking of Eliot (you knew I was going somewhere literary with this, didn't you), my AP students read The Waste Land and then created their own versions. Simply fabulous! I wish I could take some credit for this, but it is simply their own talent and great preparation by my colleagues. My goal is that they feel confident in their writing so that when they get to college that is one less stressor on them.

I must echo the sentiments of my son - Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth are stupendous movies! I'll also put in a plug for Volver, with Penelope Cruz. The Departed should win at least one Oscar - very compelling. I'm looking forward to seeing the two Iwo Jima movies and The Queen.

Over the hump

2007-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

The school year is just about half over.

I gave four of my five midterms last week - results were mixed, but pretty accurate based on what I perceive to be my students' effort and abilities.

Now we're on the downslope. I have a student teacher starting on Monday, and that should be interesting. He is not a straight out of college guy - has spent some time teaching in private school in the South and currently works at a local branch of our state's major university. He realizes that if he wants to make any money at all in this field, he needs to be certified for public school. So I hope I don't mess him up TOO much!

It will be nice to be able to pull my kids out of the classroom to work with them while he's teaching the rest of them. Also, I will have time to look at papers.

Also, if I'm sick, I'll be a lot less reluctant to call in and stay home!

Hey - how about ONE snow day? Maybe on a Wednesday?

Just asking,

Back to School

2007-01-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

It wasn't easy, but we started back up Tuesday. I really, really wish our school was on the same kind of schedule as colleges: finishing one semester with midterms before Christmas break, then starting a new one after a nice break of two or three weeks. I'd really be willing to start in the middle of August to accomplish this.

Just finished discussing "A Doll's House" by Ibsen with my AP class. Such an interesting premise - a woman who does what she believes to be the right thing to save her husband's life (and face), just to be treated like a plaything. When everything comes to a head, she realizes she is drowning and has to leave to save her own life. It was outrageous in the late 1800s - even today the idea of a woman leaving her children gives us pause.

Tomorrow we start "J.B." - a play in verse by Archibald MacLeish based on the Book of Job. I asked the students to do a little bit of web search to see what they might find about it. We'll see.

Have you ever read "All Quiet on the Western Front"? So amazing. Such a universal story. I didn't expect to like it so much. Every leader in the world should be forced to read it before being sworn into office. It wasn't until I went to England and Ireland that I realized what a terrible war World War I was. My students seem to like it (as much as they like anything that requires reading).

In 12 school days we'll be halfway done the school year. Midterms two weeks from tomorrow.

Okay, the TWO most beautiful babies in the world!

2006-12-31T08:19:00.002-08:00

Lea and Alex at six weeks (more or less)

We got to meet young Alexander Lewis Davilas Ferguson on Saturday (he is just two days older than Lea) and he is such a sweetie! We can't wait to see these two on the beach!

I'm getting better at this!

2006-12-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

I tapped into my techno side - so try this link!

New Album 12/28/06 9:37 PM

Does this work?