Memories of Christmas 2007

- Little Sir insisting that his stocking was a slipper, wearing it, and wanting the mate

- Yummy delicious fish feast with fresh marinara and filletto di pomodoro

- An amazing puzzle book from DD for Little Sir on the continents...very cool!

- Nothing burned, ruined or forgotten at dinner. (But I did find out that my dad doesn't like calamari...oops. I never knew!)

- No arguments.

- Time to laugh.

- Time to talk.

- No. One Son's gift to Little Sir of Prince Valiant on DVD. Also, very cool!

- 3 gift certificates from students of mine to Starbucks. (Hmmm...now, I have to think of exactly how to order...soooo complicated.)

- DH surprising me with a gift, after we'd agreed to go shopping together after Christmas for each other's gifts.

- Quiet time to read...books of my own choosing, not homework!!!

Now, if only I didn't always have to pay for the good times. Little Sir woke up around 2 a.m. Christmas morning with a rip-roaring fever. Croup turned into an asthmatic episode, nebulizer and all that. Then went into a stomache virus. Night after night of high fevers. Cranky, cry-y, whiny boy, alternately very snuggly cuddly, "I love you"-y.

No more sickness! I declare 2008 the Year of Health!

Benazir Bhutto

I just had the strangest thing happen to me. I opened Yahoo, and the top news story was today's assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Tears filled my eyes as I read.

Who was she, and why is this important? you might ask.

Part of my job as student teacher in the high school placement, was coming up with regular journal assignments for the kids, based on current events. I had them write about natural disasters in the news, and other things, trying to find stories relevant to their lives here and back home.
My last assignment to them was on women world leaders. I gave them brief bios on Hillary R. Clinton, Angela Merkel, Michelle Bachelet, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Benazir Bhutto...all very intelligent, politically powerful women, all very significant on the world scene. In writing these bios, I had to do a lot of research, then boil it down to bite-sized pieces, on 4 different levels (differentiated instruction.) I learned a lot about them, and gained new respect for each.

This morning, when I read the headlines, I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. This woman, educated in Harvard and Oxford, former prime minister of her country, following in her assassinated father's footsteps, with so much to say, and so much yet to do, recently returned from self-imposed exile, who knew she may be killed for coming back, did so anyway, for the betterment of her Pakistan People's Party, and for her people.

And now she's dead.

You see, 6 months ago, she was barely more than just another name in the news to me. But, in becoming an ESL teacher, I am learning in order to teach my students, to make them more knowledgeable about so much more than just English. I am growing as a person, discovering more about this world of ours, from biology to earth science, geometry to algebra, history to current politics.
Now, I wish I was still in that classroom with those kids so we could have a follow-up lesson on Benazir Bhutto. I hope they remembered what we learned about her, and that when they see or hear her name on the news, it will strike a chord.


So this is what being an ESL teacher is all about, huh?

Bogged Down in Paperwork

I just realized it's been over a week since I've posted anything. I had no idea how time consuming all this certification paper-processing could be. Just when you think you're finished, there's another stack to deal with. Ugh. I just want to clear off my desk already! I have company coming!

My last day of student teaching at Sachem High School East was yesterday. I have some nice photos, and the kids gave me a card that they all signed, and a gift certificate to the teacher supply store. (I also got a Starbuck's gift certificate from Secret Santa!)

I am soooo glad it's over. All in all, both my placements (elementary and secondary) went pretty smoothly, and I met some great professional people and some pretty cool kids, too. There are some who are ESL success stories...like little Vietnamese Tracy who came in 9th grade not speaking a word of English. Now, she's out of ESL, in 12th grade, and taking AP Chemistry and other challenging stuff. She's on her way to a medical career.

But there are others, SIFE kids, mostly, (Students with Interrupted Formal Education) who came with little or no prior educational experience. Some of these are just biding their time in school, bewildered by the work, wishing they were elsewhere. The system as it is now is not doing them any favors. Take the Regents? Are you kidding? Why not just give them a trade...anything...so they can function in the real world.


As in any career, there are real frustrations, and rewarding moments, too. I'm glad I've landed in this profession, and trust I'll have a full-time job soon. Until then, I have time to reconnect with people and catch up on my life. I also have to prepare for the April TESOL convention, where I am going to be a presenter (ugh.)

Happy Holidays, everybody. I hope 2008 is wonderful for all of us!

Done With Grad School!

Yippee! Yay! (You may now envision me singing and dancing.) Last night I had my very last grad. school seminar class at Stony Brook, to finish this degree for certification to teach ESL. I feel like a tremendous weight has been taken off my shoulders. There is still a ton and a half of paperwork to do, things to process, official errands to run, blah blah blah, but one really big item has been crossed off The List.

Graduation is Sunday. It's probably strange, but that ceremony and all the pomp and circumstance does not mean nearly as much to me as the little get-together I had with my friends and co-survivors last night, AND that little piece of paper that's coming really soon saying that I am certified! (no...not certifiable...)

this is me heaving a great big sigh of relief...

Fact For The Day

Just when I thought I was caught up with the latest in whether-it's-a-planet-or-not, I learned something new in our first issue of National Geographic Kids magazine. Here goes... the order of the planets now includes 3 dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, and Eris.) Here is the official order:

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Ceres Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Eris

They're having a contest for a slogan (mnemonic device) to help us remember them. They've suggested
My Very Excellent Mother Can Jump Slowly Under Nelly's Plastic Elephant.

Enter the slogan contest at kids.nationalgeographic.com, and click on planet contest.

Thanksgiving, Part II

Well, just to complete the air travel adventure package, DD's trip back to college was not uneventful. She was fogged-in. The flight kept getting delayed and delayed, and finally cancelled altogether. She got her luggage back (again,) I went to the airport to pick her up (again) and we went home for a 4 hr. night's sleep, got up and out before the sun to be back there bright and early. The lines of people on rescheduled flights was pretty incredible. I've never seen so many people there, before.

But, she is back in college-land safe and sound, back to classes, studying, and waitressing on the side. So life returns to normal (??). Or our version of it.

Home for Thanksgiving

My Dahlink Dawtah is home for Thanksgiving. Her university has one of those extended Thanksgiving breaks, which is lovely, especially since she comes all the way from Florida for this visit!

I had been listening to all those warning shows about the airlines and holiday travel, what to do and what not to do. Well, DD had a great deal...she'd finally logged enough miles with her rewards program to earn a free ticket (yippee!)...so, there were really no decisions to be made. She flew back, we stood by the luggage belt to pick up her bags and...
only one bag. Wait a minute. There were two.
Suddenly, we are aware that several other people have that same look on their faces, and are making the same sort of comments were are. Hey! Look at the luggage carts of people going around...maybe somebody grabbed yours by mistake (or NOT by mistake...that's another whole topic for a later blog.)

Ever notice how many people have BLACK luggage? Makes everything look awfully similar!

So, anyway...the airline's story is that it's the government's fault. Ok. I know we like to blame everything on them...but, this? It seems the feds have to check every piece of luggage, but they have a limited amount of inspectors assigned to each airline, and if not all the bags are examined, then only the approved ones go with the flight. The rest stay behind until checked out, then go on a different plane.

Does that sound stupid to anybody else?

So, the airline gave us 2 options: either we could come back when they called us in several more hours to pick it up, and get a nifty $40 travel voucher for our troubles, or have it delivered to our doorstep for free.
DD wanted the delivery. It was promised (in a later phone call) by 11:30 pm. So, by 12:30 we were in bed and snoozing.

3:30 a.m. I am awake. The porch light shines around the edges of my bedroom blind and drives me crazy. Call the airline again. Get a machine. Leave a message. Is it possible they dropped it off at the wrong house?

Turn off the light. Go back to bed. Get all warm and snuggly and just about to drift off, when...


Knock, knock, knock. It's the luggage delivery guy (parked up on my LAWN.) Here's the bag. What about 11:30??? Yeah, well, that's about when they called him to come get all the bags. God only knows where all those other people live, and where on the list we were.


So, DD is home, safe and sound, with both suitcases.

Another holiday's travel adventure over.

New Advice

I was just talking to one of my student's moms today, and she was telling me her tale of woe concerning her 3 kids' medical issues. It started sounding very familiar. Everywhere I turn, I am hearing stories much like ours, and...if I had stock in Albuterol, I think I'd be a really happy investor right now. After some really horrendous experiences, this mom came to a conclusion, which she shared with me as the advice for the day:

When your child has any kind of medical problem, go straight to the specialist. Call the pediatrician, get the referral (if that's how you have to do it with your insurance), and head straight out...tell them to send it, fax it, phone it, 'cause you're on your way. She saved her daughter's life that way, after 2 pedes said she "just had a cold"...weeks of it...5 minutes with the pediatric pulmonologist and mom's gut feeling was confirmed...the tonsils were so enlarged, the girl was slowly choking to death. Whizz, bang, up to the OR, out they came...and she's ok, now. Other scary stories, too.

So, that's my second-hand advice for the day. I think I'm gonna check out who the specialists we may need are, have their numbers ready, and, if God doesn't choose to spare us from another round of medical problems, we'll be ready.

A New Concern

My Little Sir has been prone to different allergies, and has had "allergy-induced asthmatic episodes" in the past, sometimes accompanied by croup. Anyone familiar with this sort of thing knows how scary it is to sit with a small child in the emergency room as they gasp for air and cough their lungs out.

We've been back and forth to the pediatrician in the past few weeks, with what was first diagnosed as "just a cold." We had to go to the emergency room one night, with Little Sir using a nebulizer/oxygen/steroids, etc. Then, the ER doc. prescribed an inhaler of Albuterol, along with an antibiotic, which he said I could use, or not use, at my own discretion, since the x-ray showed no pneumonia so far. (So far???) The ER doc and our regular pediatrician do NOT agree on almost all the treatments. (oh, goody.) Back and forth, back and forth, phone calls galore...thank God, CVS has a drive-through. (What a concept!)

Anyway...long story, shortened...

Talked to another mom of a 4-year-old (this one's in kindergarten.) Her son's been through the same thing...she brought the inhaler (with the spacer...I'm learning all kinds of new skills here...oh, joy...) She said she got a prescription for an extra one to keep at the school nurse's office. When she brought it there, the school nurse opened the closet and showed her BASKETS full of the same thing for many other children in younger elementary grades.

Ok. So...the media tells us about the killer viruses around, particularly the one in Rochester area which manifests itself as an ear infection in little kids, but does not respond to any antibiotic known to work on pedes. Only works with a specific adults-only antibiotic, and the only way to tell if your child has this, is to request the pediatrician do an ear tap. (Ouch.) If not treated properly, deafness results. (Again, oh joy.)

My school mailbox is almost daily manifesting the latest warning from the administration. It MRSA, it's scabies, it's______...you name it.

The "experts" say we are over-run with all this because of overuse of antibiotics, and the viruses just get stronger. The mom I spoke about was wondering if her son's school might have particular environmental issues, as well, as soooo many little kids are sick enough with lung problems to need inhalers...the school nurse said, "Hmmmm...never thought of that. Maybe I should bring it up to the administration." (Ya think???)

It's not my imagination. The bugs are getting stronger and more diverse. The international community does not necessarily agree on how to treat these things. (When we were in Turkey, they seemed to use stronger drugs than we do here (when I brought our scrips back, the pediatrician told me we couldn't even get that stuff here, but that it was really good.) And, my mil was told not to let the U.S. hospital but him on any kind of inhaler (???) because it would cause other lung problems. I asked the dr. here, and he had no idea what I was talking about. (Nothing like discussing 4th hand info...))


So...I am exhausted from running from dr. to dr., dealing with medicines and treatments, making nutritious remedies like chicken soup, herbal teas, honey & lemon drinks, shower treatments, Vicks Vapo-rub...take him outside so he can breathe...no, he's cold...take him in the bathroom with the steamy shower running...make sure you dry his hair right away...
Oh, and DH has been sick with several viruses too (including gastro-intestinal. That's just loads of fun.)

Everywhere we go, wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands...

sigh

Interviews and Other Surprises

Got a call back to another round of interviews, yesterday, which I hear is a good thing. One is a leave replacement (not really what I want...only get sub-pay, no benefits, etc.) and one is a real job opening in Sept.

The same day, I got an email which flattered and terrified me. Let me back up a bit...

Last semester, I had the blessed fortune to bond with 3 other ladies in my program, who had pretty much the same college schedule. 2 are also married mommies, the other an engaged-mommy-wannabe. As this department is especially fond of assigning group projects, we decided to get ahead of the professors and make our own group. (We've all had the horrible experience of being assigned to a partner(s) who does no/terrible work, and have had a stressful time of it, with grades suffering because of it.) It worked out great for us, as our talents compliment each other, and we had a blast working together (at someone's house over wine and cheese...doesn't get any better, right?) Sometimes the kiddies came along and had their own fun time in the other room. Well, one particular project took us months to do, as it counted as 40% of the grade, and was to be part of our professional portfolio...we wanted it to be awesome. We designed a high school math curriculum for English language learners of multiple levels of English proficiency and from diverse first languages. It was very involved, with lots of hands-on, kinesthetic learning, different technology media and translated/adapted texts.

Well, our professor (who, it turns out, is in a very influencial position in this particular discipline's international community) was quite impressed, and instructed the rest of the class that this was the model lesson, what to strive for. She asked us a lot of questions, how we did each phase, and seemed very pleased. Afterward, she took us aside and told us she was on the committee for 2008 international convention, which happens to be in NY this time, and asked if we would present there. Wow! My friend (very quick on the uptake) said, "Sure, if you give us all letters of recommendation!" She said she was already doing that, this was beyond that. Ok ... sure, why not?

I promptly put it on the back burner, and got on with my life, on to the next assignment for the next class, etc. Didn't exactly forget about it, but really didn't think about it. I figured it was going to be a small thing off in a corner room, not so important.

Ha! Well, got an email from the organization, saying our proposal (what proposal???) had been accepted by the committee and that they were very excited about our presentation, blah blah blah...did we need a projection screen, any other tech. devices??? Lots of info, etc.

sigh

so, it's for real.

ok.

I can do this.

You see, I do NOT like being watched, don't
like being front and center, don't like being judged...and here, we will be on display before hundreds of people. Oh, goody.

Procrastinating Again

Ok...I've read everybody's blogs and commented where I found something vaguely appropriate to say. I've cleaned out junk email and done a survey. I went through the mail from the real-life mailbox (mostly junk) and done a load of laundry.

I am tempted to reread the blogs to see if anything new's posted.

I have homework to do and I just don't wanna do it. I just can't make my mind settle into it, much less open the required books, plug in the flashdrive, put paper in the printer, and ink, or anything else required to do this chore. If I was one of my kids I'd get on my case about this. I just don't wanna do it. I know I will be sorry tomorrow.

sigh.

On Posting

Ok. It's happened again. I published a post, and it didn't show up. But then, there it is on the list on the side, but not in chronological order.

I't s On Writing. Can you see it?

White Tornado

Does anybody remember the White Tornado? Not sure, but I think it was an old Ajax commercial from when I was a kid..you'd open the bottle, a white tornado would come out, swoosh around your house, and leave everything sparkling clean in its wake.

When my older kids were little, I'd suddenly yell out "white tornado!", and we'd go scurrying around the house, picking up, vacuuming, dusting, etc. Usually this was when someone was about to drop by, with little warning.

Well, right about now, I'd really like the original kind. With my school/work schedule, and DH & I working opposite shifts, the house is in desperate need of a white tornado to swoop through. I saw a spider in the bedroom this afternoon, in the corner of the ceiling, so I dragged out the vacuum and went to work...did all the ceilings, corners, etc. in the house. Then, I saw how dusty it was behind the dresser, so DH & I started dragging everything out, shaking stuff outside, cleaning behind everything, etc. with the windows wide open. (It was one of those gorgeous sunny days.)

I feel so much better about my bedroom, now. And I'm outta time...the real life schedule is back, and the rest of the house is still waiting to be rescued.

Where is that white tornado, now that I really need it?

Re-Discovery of Blegchhh!

"How is student-teaching going?" you ask. Well...I am in a kindergarten for now...going to a high school placement soon. I love the school I'm in, my cooperating teacher is great, the relationship between teachers is wonderful and supportive, there is a strong home/school connection and much outreach to the parents/community. I have survived my initial official observations, and have more to come. I have submitted my resume (which I am constantly revising) to some districts, and went on my first job interview yesterday. There is definitely light at the end of this particular tunnel (and it is NOT a train.) All looks well.

But...

I am also re-discovering Blegchhh. Yes. Blegchhh. That is the official term (which I have just invented) for the feeling one gets while working with very small people, who are as yet naive to the social graces of:
covering one's mouth when one sneezes
covering one's mouth when one coughs
using a tissue, when appropriate (as opposed to one's sleeve, or someone else's...)
discarding said tissue in an appropriate container
WASHING ONE'S HANDS THOROUGHLY, so as not to spread icky germs

These same small people are quite affectionate, and not averse to giving spontaneous hugs and kisses, thereby further spreading icky germs.

Blegchhh has been invading my psyche and my personal space. I am aware of its particular greenish cloud out of the corner of my eye, creeping up on me. As these small people, and others, around me in this new work environment complain of headaches, tummy aches, fatigue, and a general feeling of malaise, I have an almost uncontrollable desire to swallow large doses of Vitamin C, echinacea and goldenseal, and whatever else they put in those Airbourne tablets. (I do find that sparkling beverage a bit nauseating, but better to chug it down, and have eight ounces of prevention, so to speak, then massive doses of DayQuil/NyQuil and other OTC remedies later.)

And now Blegchhh has invaded my home. Even though I have been faithfully scrubbing my hands with soap and hot water after every "small people" session, and after touching doorknobs and other public items in the workplace, and regularly using the antibacterial gel in my totebag, my poor DH and Little Sir are down with symptoms of the not-so-niceness I've been hearing complaints about. I was up at 3:30 a.m., dispensing preventions and cures, and then started a big crockpot of homemade chicken soup, with lots of vitamin-rich veggies.


Blegchh is not going to win, here! We will triumph!

The Pink Panther

I have been reading blog entries and other things about writer's block (or "blog block" as "Six" calls it.) I don't exactly have writer's block...I have started several things, blogs, lesson plans for my portfolio, papers for college, and otherwise, but am having trouble finishing what I've started. So, we have drafts, works in progress.

But, I have been thinking...one of the things I love about having a 4-year-old is that I get to experience things I loved as kid all over again. I loved the Winnie-the-Pooh books, movies (especially the relationship between Tigger and Roo), and other paraphanalia. I liked slinkies and coloring books, building with blocks, dressing up in all kinds of costumes. And my favorite character was the Pink Panther.

Now, originally, if I recall correctly, he started out as a cartoon character who dragged the credits across the screen for the Peter Sellers movies (the real "Pink Panther" was a diamond.) I was really little, and probably saw the movies from the backseat of the car at Flanders Drive-In, and most likely fell asleep before the movies were over. But the Henry Mancini theme song really caught me, and my parents got a Mancini album, which we'd play on the hi-fi. (yes, I am dating myself, here.) Mom would put on a stack of records, and we'd dance around the house. My dad and I had a special little Pink Panther dance we would do. I loved it. Then, the Pink Panther got his own cartoon slots, which developed into a show, and so on.

Well, I was looking for something to keep Little Sir 4-Year-Old busy at the doctor's office, and found a Pink Panther coloring book. He loved it, and we have spent many happy moments sitting together going through that book. I am not the world's best artist, but I can color more-or-less in the lines, so we do ok.

Now, what is it about the Pink Panther that I love so much? It's definitely the music, without a doubt. But what else? He never speaks, but gets one-up on the bad guys, just like Road Runner. He's clever, a little sneaky, and knows how to get back up after being clobbered. Now, if I was taking some psych. class or something, maybe I'd do some sort of paper analyzing all this. For now, I'll be non-academic for a change, and just color with Little Sir. (Hey, do you know how many different versions of pink there are in a Crayola crayon box?)

On Writing

Sometimes I get the itch to write. The death of Madeleine L'Engle, one of my favorite authors, has made me want to read any of her books I never got to, and re-read old treasures. I am currently reading Certain Women. It makes me think of so many characters from my life that I would love to put on a page, to save my memories of them, saving a part of them forever. Even if nobody other than me ever reads it, it would be worth the effort.

So, who would I write about? My maternal grandmother and my mom, without a doubt. They were such rich, unique characters, I could fill volumes about them. Does anybody remember Thyra Fere Bjorn's books? She wrote Papa's Wife, Papa's Daughter, and others in that vein. I'm not sure I'd write exactly that way, but sort of.

There are others who should get at least a chapter of their own...people who have had tremendous influence in my life, who have been there for me in a crisis, at a crossroads, without whom I may have made disastrous choices. (Dr. Z is at the top of that list!) Others, were just really good friends in times of awful pain. Some have been good friends who've made me laugh, who've made me see my life more clearly because of the pain in their own lives, who've made me feel more valuable, because they needed me, and who have shared different facets of my life, those little areas of my life that make me "me."

And it wouldn't be all women. Some men would be there, and some children, as well. I definitely would not have survived some of the most awful things in my life, if my children were not there for me to hold it together for, and to give me perspective when I needed it most. Some of the choicest bits of wisdom has come to me "from the mouths of babes."

At the very least, I should start writing this...jot down notes, outlines, lists, about specific people and what they have meant to me. At this stage of my life, it might take me a very long time to even finish one chapter, but I think just the writing of it will do me a world of good. Remembering one's blessings is a wonderful thing.

Surgical Woes

I thought I broke a tooth, or a filling, and called the dentist. He fit me in right after school. DH was on his way to work, and I figured he'd give me some temp. thing and reschedule a real appt.

Uh uh. I broke a top wisdom tooth. Yup. 'Way back there. One I'd had a root canal on. It was nice and brittle, and the roots were rotted. Great. It took him over 2 hours, contorting my head, face and neck in all impossible positions in a wrestling match with this impossible thing. Turned into a major deal. I got told, yet again, that my mouth is really small, and difficult to work in, and too small for all the teeth I have. (Yes, I have not been accused of being a big-mouth in a realllly long time.) And my teeth, even in this state, are really strong with deep roots...so, hard to remove. I am an enigma to myself, yet again.

All this wondrousness was experienced with Little Sir sitting looking on, working on his new Curious George puzzle & coloring book. (Had I known this was gonna happen, I'd've gotten a sitter, or made DH stay home and/or come with me!) I was very conscious of not letting all my emotions and physical discomfort too evident, so as not to scare this 4-year-old away from dentists permanently.

The simplest things can turn into such a mess with me. Happens all the time.

So now, half of my face is swollen and distorted, my throat hurts, can't swallow, can't talk, and even with Tylenol 3 w/ codeine, I am in serious pain. (Makes ya wonder what I'd be like without it.) I hope tomorrow is better, but I'm sure my neck will need some help,even after the mouth heals.

Here's the tip of the day: Take good care of your teeth, and they'll take care of you.

By the Way...

By the way...I did find my Martha Clara post...it isn't in sequential order, date-wise, but if you look along the side column of entry titles, it's there ... from Sept. 24. I don't understand this, but such is the Mysterious World of Technology.

A Tribute to Fresh Tuna

I just had a wonderful dinner, and thought I'd share...

Bought enough fresh fish Sunday to take us through the middle of the week. (I hate supermarket shopping, and do as little of it as possible...do the farmstands and fish man, instead, whenever I can.) Tonight's entree was fresh tuna. I came home around 8:30 p.m., exhausted, and not energetic enough to make anything elaborate. I threw Little Sir (who barely touched his dinner at the babysitter's) in the tub, then threw the fresh tuna steaks in a frypan, lightly buttered enough to not stick, then generously sprinkled teriyaki over them. When half-way done, I flipped them over, and threw some frozen peas in with them. A true lazy woman's dinner. Made a quick salad, grabbed Little Sir, dried him and handed him p.j.s, put fresh Portuguese bread and grape juice on the table and "Voila!" I was done.

I thought my last minute-thrown-together-dinner was delicious, but then, I was so hungry and tired, I was past caring. Little Sir, on the other hand, is about the pickiest eater I've ever seen. He devoured everything on his plate. Then he asked for a banana for dessert. I am a happy Mama.

There's enough left over for DH's dinner tomorrow. (He is working the night shift.) It just doesn't get any better than this.

???

I don't understand this. I have tried 3 times to post an entry...it says "published successfully", like always, but I can't see it. Can you see an entry about Martha Clara?

I Survived!

(Again to the tune of Frere Jacques...)

I survived (I survived)
I'm surprised (I'm surprised)
I didn't screw up anything
None of the students acted up
Prof. was pleased
So was I

Observations

Oh, help! I have my first official ESL observation Friday morning. I wish I could've chosen which class to be observed, but I couldn't. The beginner group, which often greets my prompts and questions with blank stares, is the one. I am stressing, I am stressing. Must have the perfect lesson plan to submit. Must include the ELA and content area standards appropriate for their grade level. Must satisfy INTASC, be culturally sensitive, be cognizant of linguistic backgrounds and incorporate appropriate second language acquisition tools. Must display proper classroom management skills. In short, I must teach in such a way as to get the best academic response and production from these kids.

Can we sing? (to the tune of "Frere Jacques"):
I am nervous (I am nervous)
Yes, I am (Yes, I am)
So much to remember
There's so much at stake here
I hate being watched
I hate being judged


sigh

Martha Clara

This past weekend, we decided to drive out to Greenport for the Maritime Festival. We couldn't get an early start, because I had to work until 1 pm, so we figured we'd just head east, and if anything else caught our fancy along the way, we'd stop. The destination wasn't particularly important, just time together, DH, Little Sir and I, outside on a gorgeous early autumn day.

We stopped at a few farms to check out their wares, bought a 50 lb. sack of Yukon Golds (I think they've got to be the closest American potatoes to the reallly good yellow Turkish potatoes we had this spring), 25 lbs. of tomatoes, some basil, nectarines, corn, and a few green tomatoes for frying. We looked at corn mazes and hay rides, but they didn't exactly thrill us. So, we kept going. Then we saw the cattle.

Martha Clara Vineyard has a mini-herd of Highland cattle that demanded our attention. I have never been a cow-lover, but these creatures really interested me. Perhaps it hearkens to the Scottish blood in me, seeing creatures equipped to deal with brutal Highland winters, with their gorgeous long furry auburn coats and horns that could do some real damage. I don't know, but something deep and ancestral was touched.

DH fell in love with the donkeys (he used to ride them in Turkey as a little boy, and has a soft spot in his heart for them.) Little Sir went for the sheep and goats, as they were a little more his size, and less threatening. There were beautiful draft horses, the color of white/grey marble, majestically pulling the hay-wagon. The alpacas (llamas) were sweet, docile as deer, but friendly, looking for free handouts, with coats I could imagine spun into blankets and sweaters.

There is an art shop on the premises, with some paintings in different styles for sale. There are also wood works of varying sizes, apparently made with an electric saw, that are truly amazing. Giraffes, over 8 ft. tall, horses, a bear, a mermaid, and a life-sized bull-dog grace the shop, and are definitely worth stopping by to look at.

Knowing that it is a vineyard, they surely have a wine tasting room, and all that goes with it, but we were having so much fun outside, we never went in. They had live music, with lots of picnic tables outside, where people had brought coolers and were enjoying the gorgeous backdrop to their lunch/dinner.

We eventually did make it to the Maritime Festival, but it was disappointing. It really wasn't much different than all the other street fairs we've been to on this Island of ours. There were some pirates wandering around, scaring little kids, then giving them rings. There was the carousel, which is marvelous (NOW I understand the phrase "the brass ring"!), and the marina is lovely, and of course all the shops, and walking through the village (as parking was scarce), we got to see lots of houses circa 1820 and older).

What a lovely day to be out and about. I wish we could have 3 months or so of this weather, with extended foliage-watching time. Ahhhh...

Introductions

My last post, about trying Chinese bubble tea, sparked comments that have brought back lots of memories. Tonight I am having broccoli rabe, or rapini, one of the later adult additions to my personal list of favorites. Working in Italian restaurants, I saw it as a staple veggie on the menus, and decided to try it several years back. It's like broccoli in shape and color, but unlike it in its bitter kick. Broccoli's ok, and cauliflower, too (sorry, Natasha), but broccoli rabe is something special...saute it lightly in garlic and olive oil, serve it over some penne, sprinkle a little parmesan on top and Presto!...you have one of my favorite all time dishes that Number One Son likes, too.

It also makes a wonderful side dish for, or accoutrement to, chicken francaise. Mmmm...

Also, an adult discovery for me, is homemade Manhattan (Long Island) clam chowder. I discovered it a few years ago, when I bought a big basket of seconds tomatoes from a local farm, and was trying to figure out what to do with it. I discovered that if you grate the tomatoes, simmered with onions and garlic, add steamed clams and their broth, add some basil and whatever other herbs you like, spicy or not, adjusted to your own personal taste, and you have one incredible pot of soup. And it's not expensive. Great to make batches of and freeze for cold winter nights to come!

The same base can be used with other shellfish for chowders, as well as just veggie chowder, or with chicken or beef/veal/lamb...you name it. Sooo much better than using canned tomatoes!


Broccoli rabe is starting to come into peak season, so check it out. Tomatoes are at their cheapest and best now, too, available in 15 lb. boxes, etc. from the local farms. Get them before the frost comes!

Bubble Tea

Have you ever tried bubble tea? I first heard of it from a fellow grad student/ESL tutor, who raved about it. Then, it popped up in a Buster Bunny DVD we borrowed from the library for Little Sir. It is a Chinese beverage, served hot or cold, and comes in many flavors...almond, taro, mango and other fruits, your typical milk tea, and some that resemble latte/cappuccino. You can get it "with bubbles" or "without." The "bubbles" are tapioca beads, like pearls. You are supposed to drink and eat it with a very wide straw through which the beads can be drawn.

Wednesday evening, I was running a little early to my seminar at Stony Brook, so I popped over to Jasmine, a restaurant in the Wang Center, and bought one. I chatted with the sweet girl, a Chinese barista, also a student at Stony Brook, who gave me lots of info. about the drinks as she prepared mine. I noticed a container of small mango pieces, next to the tapioca beads, that could be substituted for the tapioca in a drink. I thought I might try that next time.

Well...I got my drink, paid for it, and scurried across campus to my class...
While waiting to cross a street, I took my first generous slurp. The liquid portion was pleasantly tasty, and my initial reaction was positive...
then, a split second later my senses registered the sticky globs of yuck sitting on my tongue. I didn't want to bite down on them, and get it stuck in my teeth, so I gingerly pressed one to the roof of my mouth, testing it that way.

Wallpaper paste.
Yup, that's it. Wallpaper paste. The beautiful black pearls in the bottom of my drink tasted like wallpaper paste. Thank God, I'd grabbed a few napkins, and quickly spat them out into one. I then lifted the straw to try to drink the liquid without getting any tapioca in my straw. This was a pretty tricky endeavor, resulting in a few accidentally slipping past, causing me to repeat the napkin process.

Once in class, I toyed with it a bit more, then finally gave up. As much as I hate to waste things, this had to be disposed of. Enough was enough.

I emailed my friend, the bubble-tea-raver. She said her first experience was pretty much the same (she never told me that before!), but she tried again, other flavors, and now she loves it. It's a special treat that she sometimes shares with her 8-year-old son.

Maybe I will try to enhance my intercultural experiences again and attempt a different flavor, perhaps with the fruit. But I think my tapioca bead days are over.

I Did It!

I survived my first kindergarten ESL lesson! Student teaching started the day before school actually began, and mostly I've been observing and helping out a lot. My assignment for the elementary part of the certification process has been to a kindergarten ESL teacher. (I've already satisfied the adult teaching requirements, and high school comes next. When I'm done, I'll be licensed to teach ESL pre-K through adult...it's pretty comprehensive.) As I have been used to teaching mainly 5th grade and up, except for my one-on-one private music students, I was really scared of teaching the little ones.

We started by administering the LAB-R, which is the test all incoming students must take if their parents indicate on their home language questionaire that a language other than English is used at home. That, in itself, was a real learning experience. Forget your preconceived notions of what an ESL 4 or 5-year-old looks like. This particular district had entrants which were fluent in Russian, Indonesian, Urdu, Farsi, Ashanti, French-Creole, Italian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Korean, Chinese, and a lesser amount than I expected of Spanish.

I have a 4-year-old, and he has quite a few friends, so I have a pretty good idea of what 4 and 5-year olds really know. I was blown away by some of these kids whose parents had checked off the boxes that said "speaks, reads and writes English only a little." Well, many of them did have some difficulties with speaking English as fluently as their American-born peers, but their reading ability was way above the average English speaker's. When interviewed, they indicated fluency in their first language, including reading and writing...and you have to realize that the Korean, Chinese and Russian kids are doing this in a different alphabet (or in nonalphabetic characters)...as are the ones with Arabic-based languages. Amazing.

Of course, there are those who barely speak or understand English, and who have no literacy at all in their first language. This is sad, but not representative of the ESL population as a whole. Just to see how far their education thus far had progressed, I experimented with the advanced group (1 Spanish-speaking 4-year-old, and 1 Korean and 1 Russian speaking 5-year-old.) Since they whipped through the lesson for the day, all about apples, we continued into math (counting, adding, charting the results of our survey) as ESL has to also teach English skills in all the content areas. I couldn't believe their skills were equal in that, too.

There are a lot of challenges, teaching a linguistically diverse, multi-proficiency population of students...but so far, I'm finding it very rewarding.

Madeleine L'Engle and Luciano Pavorotti

The beginning of September marks the passing of two greats in this world. In a world where bland mediocrity is hailed as artistic greatness, both of these heroes represented true genius, in and out of the public spotlight. Although very different on so many planes, L'Engle and Pavorotti were giants in their encouragement of quality education, and in providing an environment for true thinking. They were examples of what we are capable of, and where very few, sadly, choose to go.

I could write pages of blog entries about each of them, but nothing I could say would express who they truly were. In my life, these two will be sorely missed.

Unexpected Free Time

After a particularly stressful week, coming at the end of a terribly stressful month, I had a busy day scheduled. There really wasn't much room for additional emergencies thrown into the mix, and I was trusting the Almighty that He'd deemed my quota of such things FULL.

The phone rang at 7:15 this morning, after I'd showered and dressed to go to my first appointment. It was a mom cancelling our 2 hour session (she has 4 kids, so I teach them back-to-back.) That was followed by another cancellation call...these people had emergencies of their own...perhaps the universe was still desperate to disperse the back log of crises, but at least they weren't being distributed in MY direction...for a change.

Ok. So, I was ready to face the world, but had nowhere to rush to. What to do with this unexpected bonus of free time? Don't waste it! Well, first and foremost must come a cup of tea. Ahhhhh...yes. Then sit and savor my lilies for a few minutes, while I waited for the kettle to boil. (DD gave me a huge bouquet of various shades of pink lilies for my birthday, just before she went away to college...sniff...) These lilies only had a few open blossoms when she gave them to me a week ago, and had a lot of really tight buds. Now, they are an absolute riot of deep burgundy, dark maroon, pinks, mauves, some with curly white-tipped petal edges, some with smooth edges, with orangey-yellow pollen dust and dark green foliage. There are 21 fully-opened blossoms right now, with others still waiting to show their true colors. And the fragrance! Sooo beautifully pungent, spicy and sweet, almost cinnamony, and not allergy-inducing (which is always a plus!)

Tea made, I settled in front of the computer to take care of odds and ends of paperwork for school and business. The morning quiet was lovely...DH worked a late shift last night, coming home in the wee hours of the morning, so I'd let Little Sir stay up really late...they could both sleep in a bit.

Paperwork done, I checked the clock...the library was open by now, so I thought I'd pop over and do my printing there, to keep it quiet. Also got to do my library errands, including entering the raffle for the adult summer reading club (maybe I'll win dinner at a restaurant!)

Now, I'm all done, and I still have some time before my next commitment.
Unexpected free time is a wonderful thing.

Just a General Announcement...I Am Not Ready To Go Back To School!!!

Aaaaaack!!! This unseasonably cool spell we've been having is making me realize just how numbered my days of summer are. I still have so much school prep. stuff to do, and I still didn't get to do all the obligatory visiting I'd planned on, before I drop off the radar Sept. 5th.

Everything was going pretty smoothly, before my father-in-law got so sick. Since then, it's been like dominoes falling down, one after the other after the other. Every time the phone rings, I cringe. Not another crisis! No more emergencies! No more cars breaking down, no more additional paperwork requests from school, no more "oops, your daughter's financial aid didn't go through" emails, no more "You HAVE to deal with this IMMEDIATELY!" envelopes in the mail. Not another call to cancel and reschedule an appointment, just when I've got my whole calendar making sense. No more. Enough.

I want some more bubbles and beach days. Actually, I think I need a few. Or two. Or, I'd even settle for one.


sigh

Bubbles and The Beach

It has been a week since we lost my father-in-law. From the horrible days preceding his death, trying desperately to get him to the right doctor, the right hospital, and all that, to now, life has stopped in the normal sense of things. But, in a strange way, it has been a new beginning.

I find I mark time...Before he died, and After he died. It is one of those significant milestones, like my mom's death in 1998.

Since his death, my husband has been in the traditional 40 days of mourning, which, among other things, means no t.v. Now, for me, this is no tragedy. I don't really like t.v., anyway, and cancelled the subscription to the cable-giant-conglomerate years ago. I just borrow videos/DVDs from the library weekly for Little Sir 4-Year-Old, and sometimes one for us. But it is quieter without it, and I find we talk a whole lot more. More than we've talked since before we got married...another milestone, by which I mark time. I remember DH and I talking for hours and hours, on the phone, face to face, about absolutely everything...and sometimes just sitting companionably together quietly.

Today, after a loonnng day doing research at Stony Brook, my first real day away from DH and Little Sir, I came home to a hot late afternoon. Little Sir wanted to blow the bubbles we'd bought yesterday, and so we did.

What is it about blowing bubbles, exactly? It is so incredibly relaxing. My dad taught Little Sir to catch the bubbles with the bubble wand, and then re-blow them. Sometimes this makes them into big bobbling bubble-clumps, and sometimes into teeeny tiny singles. Little Sir is always delighted by this, and chases them all over the yard, losing them eventually under the huge maple, or up through its leaves, depending on the wind.

When he'd had enough of the bubbles, it was still early enough to catch a little beach time before the sun set, so we trouped off. At the bay, there was a little tidal pool, just beginning to refill with the incoming tide. In it, we found lots of tiny little bait fish, and one teensy green crab. Little Sir jumped the mini waves, ran through the foam, and wading out waist-deep. It was absolutely delightful. We found a few hermit crabs, tho' not the horseshoes I was looking for. The teacher in me made sure not to miss the opportunity to point out the different types of seaweeds, sea lettuce and eelgrass, and DH just sat and absorbed the peace.

It was one of those Kodak moments...a snapshot of life, that is so infinitely precious. Bubbles and the beach...bring peace.

Taking A Little Time Out

I regret to say that I'm going to take a break from this blog for a fews days or so. I will probably still read everybody's else's, and any comments here, but won't write much.

Friday I got a call from my Dear Husband while at work. He was sobbing, having just learned that his father was dying. I came straight home, and the following 48 hours were a whirlwind of long distance calls, trying to assess the situation in Turkey, and figure out what to do next. So many decisions to make, regarding doctors, hospitals, money, etc.

By Sunday evening, things seemed to be looking up. We had researched what medical information we'd been given on the internet, and had a better idea of what we were facing. It looked like a difficult haul ahead, but not an impossible one. DH had hopes of Little Sir having many happy memories still to come with his Dede (deh-deh), Turkish for "paternal grandfather."

We started the arduous process of trying to cut through legal and international red tape, so DH could be with his father through this. Step by step, we tackled item by item.

Then DH was awakened early this morning with an awful feeling in his chest. He called Turkey, and learned his father had just had a heart attack. Shortly thereafter, my father-in-law died of a cerebral aneurysm.

I am asking for prayer for our family, and for the difficult days ahead. Also, I am asking for prayer for my husband, that he be allowed to visit with his family and be there for the appropriate mourning ceremonies, and be allowed to return here afterward. I realize the wheels of the immigration system run exceedingly slowly, but some Divine Intervention would be greatly appreciated right about now.

Thank you.

The Resting Post

Sometimes in the busy-ness of my life, Nature takes me by surprise, and puts it all in perspective. Right outside my kitchen window, that overlooks the sink, there is a gate in the fencing, leading to the backyard. Directly in my line of vision is one of the fenceposts to this gate, and it seems to be a resting post for my little feathered friends. Sometimes, a catbird will call from that post, sometimes a cardinal. Chickadees, blue jays, titmice, doves, various wrens and sparrows all take a turn to stop at the resting post, and look into my window.

This morning, in my slightly-running-lateness, I caught a robin staring at me, having recently fluffed himself out, sitting on the resting post. He seemed inquisitive, wondering at my scurryings. To him, the whirlwind of my thoughts would be insignificant. None of my problems have any relevance to his life at all.

If the Almighty can take care of a little one such as this, and this little one can be so unconcerned by the big issues of life that plague me, then perhaps I need a mental, attitudinal adjustment. All my worrying and scurrying makes for stress, which is nothing but destructive.

To that end, I am taking a note from the resting post, and finding resting time, myself.

Technologically Challenged

It is no secret, to those who know me, that I am technologically challenged. I am currently struggling with trying to post pics of our schoolbus RV on Ebay. I was able to get some on from a file on my desktop, but others, that I'd emailed as an attachment, from a digital camera, I can't seem to get from my email to desktop, to then transfer to Ebay.

This is so frustrating. Any advice?

A Very Profound Question

On this very hot and humid afternoon, I am pondering a question with my Little Sir-4-Year-Old. "If I were an African animal, which one would I be?"

He is very definite in his decision. He would be a lion. "Aslan" is the Turkish word for lion (which C.S. Lewis wisely used for the name of his great Lion), and Little Sir loves Aslan, as well as lions in general. Sometimes he says his name is "Simba". (I wonder what that means, and from which language?)

Or maybe, we should extend it to other continents, because Siberian tigers are very, very cool, and so are huskies (no pun intended.) Then again, I am also partial to black leopards from Java and black panthers from India (I LOVED Bagheera, as a child, from The Jungle Book)...(yes, there is a definite preference for the feline theme, here.)

And then there are dolphins.

And horses.

So, I ponder this very profound question, and now pose it to you. If you were an animal, which one would you be...and why?

The Electric Company & Isaac Hayes

There must be something in the air, because I see a common theme developing here. First, I happened upon DVDs of the original Electric Company episodes (The Children's Television Workshop, 1972 - 1985) a couple of days ago. I wanted to share these with Little Sir, and we got a real kick out of them. A young Bill Cosby, together with Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Gene Wilder, and a host of others, made learning to read different, interesting, and fun. Even now, looking back at all the retro 70's clothes (and that HAIR!), and music, and the dancing to the music, there is great value in the work they did, and it's still lots of fun to watch (yes, even for adults.)

Then, I heard Terry Gross' interview with Isaac Hayes, reminiscent of the same time period, on NPR today. (This Fresh Air show was from 1994, I think.) I'm sure everyone has some recollection of Isaac Hayes...the name must ring a bell. Remember Shaft? He wrote that theme song (very, very cool.)

No? Don't remember Shaft. Ok. How 'bout Superfly or I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka from the late 60's, early 70's? The music to those would be Isaac's also. Also very, very cool.

Actually, Isaac defined "cool". Remember The Blues Brothers? Well, "Soul Man" was co-written by Isaac Hayes, as well as "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay." In Terry's interview, she asked Isaac how he came up with the idea for "Soul Man", and he told the story of the Detroit riots, and how the song was born from that time. Terry also asked how the Shaft theme was born, and his detailed, instrument by instrument, sound by sound, feeling by feeling, description of its composition was wonderful. Remember that wah-wah guitar sound? Well, we have Isaac to thank for that, bringing it into mainstream music.

This interview made me wanna go rent the videos from this genre...and get Isaac's CDs again. For a flash back to the past, check them out. You'll be glad you did, I'm sure.There was a lot going on in my life during some of those years, some very traumatic, but I remember this music and some of this work as happy times in the midst of the pain. In the second half of my summer, I plan to check out some of this stuff...we're gonna get the rest of the E. Co. DVDs from the library and watch them, I'm gonna find Shaft and Superfly, Isaac Hayes' music, and also those Bill Cosby stand-up routines. My all-time favorites were Noah ("Noah..." "Yes, Lord..." "How long can you tread water?") and his pieces about his babies. I remember laughing 'til I had tears rolling down my cheeks, every time I heard the records (yes, I said "records"...those black vinyl things you put on a turntable actually held music and speech before rappers' scratchers discovered others uses for them)...even when I knew what line was coming next!

I didn't plan on this particular trip down Memory Lane this summer, but down I'm going...
Wanna come?

Sound Symphony Orchestra

Tonight, Little Sir and I went to the Sound Symphony Orchestra concert on the riverfront green behind the East End Arts Council. (A word to the wise...these concerts are advertised as all starting at 7:30 pm, but this is not always necessarily so. A previous concert started much later, and tonight's was already in full-swing at 7:15...the portable sign posted on the green said "7 p.m.") The orchestra played a nice variety of music, from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky to Cole Porter. The guest vocalists on Porter pieces left something to be desired, but they covered their mistakes well (forgetting lyrics, etc.) with cute jokes, and were likable enough.

The highlight of the evening was a 13-year-old guest solo violinist (Abby something...didn't catch her full name) from Shoreham-Wading River school. She was absolutely amazing...seemingly a better musician than those seated in the orchestra. She had apparently won an "honorable mention" in the Sound Symphony's competition. One can only wonder what the winners sounded like. I hope to find out more about this young player, and see her pursue her musical career. Whatever else she decides to do with her life, she has already proven what dedication can accomplish.

All in all, with the perfect coolish summer evening, under a gorgeous bright moon, it was an lovely way to spend a Friday night with my favorite 4-year-old. We both enjoyed ourselves immensely. Anyone looking for a nice night out, free of charge, where you can bring, or not bring, the kiddies...check these concerts out. There is a new feature every week.

Pee Wee Sports

I grew up on my parents' stories of playing stickball in the streets of Brooklyn and Baldwin. My mom idolized the Brooklyn Dodgers, knew all the players' names and their stats, and went to every game she could. She even went bike riding with one of them. The stories fascinated me, and I wanted to play ball, and to be able to watch a team with the same intimate connection the people of Brooklyn had with their home team.

But it just wasn't like that out on Eastern Long Island.

When I was a kid, the only organized children's sport I was aware of (outside of school) was Little League baseball, and that awareness came only in 4th or 5th grade. And it was only for boys. I remember being fascinated by it when I heard of it, and yearned to be able to play. My dad bought me a bat, ball and glove for my birthday and he played with me out in the yard...but it wasn't the same. I wanted to be on a team.

Later, I heard from the City kids about CYO basketball, but there wasn't any out here near us, until I was really too old to start. The little of basketball I learned was from these City kid neighbors, who moved in the summer after 5th grade.

In gym class, starting in jr. high, we were taught organized sports, and I loved the challenge of the competition. I wanted to win! But that was a far cry from the real thing, and when I was finally old enough to try out for a JV team, I found my skills woefully lacking. Kids who'd come from Catholic schools were great at basketball, and girls with older brothers had more opportunities at baseball (preparing them for softball) than I'd had. I did end up playing several JV and Varsity sports, but never was on any kind of championship all-star team, with the thrill of compiled victories. I actually settled into gymnastics, volleyball, field hockey and track, where my lack of childhood play-time wasn't inhibiting. It was fun, but lacked that certain something I was looking for.

For No. One Son, Little League started with tee-ball, for both boys and girls, and he played with all the seriousness and fierce determination a focused 5-year-old can muster. He played all the way through "the majors", often on strong teams, basking in the glow of victory. DD was chomping at the bit on the sidelines, and when her turn came, she played just as hard as her older brother did. As the boys and girls were separated out into softball and baseball later on, she was disappointed at the lack of serious competition on the girls' fields. Too many of her teammates were fancy little sissy-girls, lolling about in the outfield, too afraid to break a fingernail to attempt catching the ball. She looked on longingly at her brother's games, seeing that the determination these players had was mostly missing in her league. How can you have any real competition, when half the players aren't even trying to win? She got quite frustrated, and turned her athletic eyes to other outlets.

When DH found I was pregnant with Little Sir, he was thrilled at the prospect of a little soccer (futbol) player in the making. He showed him his favorite team's colors on the day he was born, and the televised games and following commentary seemed a constant backdrop to his babyhood.

We have checked out the various sporting opportunities, trying to make sure he doesn't miss out on any, as soon as he's old enough. The first was Pee Wee Family Sports...a sampling of basketball, baseball and soccer, for the 4-5 year old set, this summer.

Little Sir 4-Year-Old had his very first basketball and baseball classes at Riverhead Town Rec. Dept.'s Pee Wee Family Sports this week. There were about 30 little ones, with their grown-up partners. This was fodder for the likes of Candid Camera, or America's Funniest Home Videos. Most of the little ones had never run laps before (picture the first 5 minutes with a few tripping and falling, crying to their mommies on the sidelines, and others looking at them a little confused and now-scared.) Then, the idea of listening to the Coach's instructions was a challenge..."How can I possibly pay attention to this big man boring me to death using words I don't even understand?"...when looking on at all the other little kids was much more interesting. After the detailed lecture on "How To Dribble a Basketball", the little ones got to actually DO it. Ah yes...30 4-year-olds, most of whom have never even really noticed dribbling before, trying to manage that unruly orange sphere, which keeps trying to get away from them.

Then, after about 10 minutes, which had most of the parents in hysterics, the Coach
told the kids now they had to use only their right hands. Right hand? Which is that? An interesting exercise followed...then only the left...THEN...when it couldn't possibly have gotten any more confusing for them...they had to alternate...right...bounce...left...bounce...right...bounce...

Oh, yeah. Then came the passing drills...bounce pass...chest pass. More basketballs gone wild.


The following day was more of the same, just with a little more control on the little ones' parts.

Today was the first day of baseball. Now, I am not in charge so I am not going to comment on what I think they are doing wrong, BUT...it is very difficult for a little child to catch a hard, smooth plastic ball with a glove, when that ball is too big to fit inside the glove. 'Nuff said. After about 15 frustrating minutes, little ones and their grown-up partners starting drifting toward the shade, and several left early.

Little Sir had fun. He loves basketball and baseball. But so far, it has been a lot more fun in our front yard, where he actually gets to shoot at the basket, and throw and catch a ball that fits the glove, and is the right consistency. And hitting the ball and running the bases is absolutely the most fun of all.

Can't wait to see what next week brings.

Shakespeare in the Park

Little Sir and I were supposed to go to the Shakespeare Festival held at Suffolk Comm. College's Riverhead campus on Thurs. night...but I forgot. I had it all planned, then went brain dead around 5 pm. Little Sir wanted something to do, and I was running on empty creativity-wise, so we copped out and got a video from the library (which was just o.k....nothing to write home about.) Realized it in the morning. We had plans for a kids-included-barbecue with friends I'd made at Stony Brook for Fri. nite, so that bumped Shakespeare to Saturday.

I wasn't sure how DH would take Shakespeare. He has enough trouble with modern day English, let alone all the "thee"s and "thou"s, but he was game, so off we went with our blanket to sit on.

The stage was set in the center quad, and was beautifully done. We loved the gorgeous costumes, and the props just right. Most of the talented cast played several roles. Their version of The Merry Wives of Windsor proved that Shakespeare is timeless, fit for any audience. Little Sir and DH laughed spontaneously in all the appropriate places, and both enjoyed themselves immensely.

Afterward, and today, DH commented several times how good it was, and that he was surprised how much he liked it. He loves history, and the clothes and all from that period, but was intimidated by the dialogue. Even though he didn't understand every word (it moved a bit fast for me, at times, too!), it still translates well.

If you ever get the chance to see the Long Island Shakespeare Festival, by all means, go! You don't have to be an English Literature scholar to be delighted by the experience.

Ok, Call Me "Crazy", But...

Ok, call me "Crazy", but I just opened my mail and found a sale flyer for one of the drug store chains. It said, "Back To School Sale."

Am I the only one who thinks this is rushing things just a bit? I'm all for getting a bargain on notebooks and stuff...but I am not ready to think about this!!!

There's Halloween costumes with the back-to-school clothes, Christmas decorations put on sale with the Halloween candy, Valentines put out right after New Year's, and Easter stuff comes out almost simultaneously with Valentines Day. Do we really buy more this way?

Home Front

My Dahling Dawtah (otherwise known as DD) tried posting a comment on this blog, as did LunaChick...both have had troubles. For some reason the blog won't let them. If you can't post here either, and know my email address, please write me.

DD remembered the name of that WWII t.v. series I mentioned (she has a mind like a steel trap and remembers song lyrics and all kinds of details of things I forget.) It was "Home Front". I think I'll see if it's available on DVD. If I find it, I'll let ya know. It was wonderful.

Swimming Upstream

Little Sir and I had plans to go to the concert at Agawam Park in Southampton last night, but it was cancelled, due to "inclement weather". It was to be a Celtic band I've never heard, and I was looking forward to it. Celtic music, and all things Celtic, hearkens to the Scots-Irish blood in me.

We went to the library instead, and got movies: "Blues Clues" for Little Sir, and Swimming Upstream, for me. I love true story movies, especially ones with a sports theme, where the underdog triumphs in the end. Swimming Upstream is the story of an Australian (yes, that again) kid who discovers his gift for swimming, ends up a national champion with a full scholarship to Harvard. It's a great story, but rated PG-13 because of the alcoholism and some pretty violent family scenes. Because of those scenes, it's not appropriate for little ones.

For the littler ones, I have to say Blue's Room: Shape Detectives is quite good. So many little kid movies are tooooo silly, or cloying, or patronizing, or, from the other end, exhibit behavior I do not want my little one to emulate. This one has 4 episodes in it, one about shapes, and 3 with more advanced themes of "weight and balance", "mathstronauts", and "words."

I give both movies my official "Thumbs Up"!

Sounds like Summer to Me

I have been awakened a few days in a row by our neighbor's free-ranging chickens and roosters who seem to like our yard better than theirs. Whoever said that roosters crow at sunrise never lived where I do. The roosters crow whenever they darn well feel like it, over and over and over...the best is when they do this call-and-response thing from one end of the yard to another.

There also seems to be a buzz-saw contest going on on our street, because you can hear them dueling from either side of our driveway at first light. All kinds of power tools join in up and down the block...there's no discrimination, here.

After listening to raccoons duking it out in our yard around 3 a.m., with no amount of my turning on the outside floods, or making banging, clanging sounds out the back door discouraging them in the least, I muttered nasty things about them as I tossed and turned. They, being nocturnal, and not at all bothered by my lack of sleep, waddled off into the brush when they were just good and ready. I dragged myself to work this morning, looking like a "before" picture in a makeover contest. Why lack of sleep effects even my hair, I have no idea.

A few days in a row of this, and I might consider Sominex (do they still make that? I remember it from ads on Grandma's Lawrence Welk Show when I was little.)

Now, after a delightful afternoon at the beach, Little Sir and I have showered and are in the middle of making dinner from our farm stand excursion purchases. My eyes are starting to close on their own, and I still have commitments to meet. As I wait for the corn to boil, I'm typing this, with all the house windows closed, so Little Sir won't have an allergy fit...in the background is the whirr of DH's new lawn mower. Ah, yes...sounds like summer, to me.

Looking for a Tip from Those More Experienced

It is common knowledge that I am technologically challenged (hey, it even took awhile for me to get the hang of this blogging thing!) I am putting this out there, looking for help from those of you more gifted than I in this area. I am looking for information on a particular house in Riverhead that I believe to be at least 100 years old. I went to the library, and didn't get much, other than a lead on how to find out taxes and zoning. I Googled the address, "old homes", "Victorian houses", and other such in Riverhead, and have found nothing. Looking for whatever historic background I can get on the house, that I might not get from the current owner (seller).

Guess What I Found?

Little Sir and I were at the Riverhead Library this evening, reporting on his books for the summer reading program, when the nice library lady (Denise) gave me a pen to write with. I always look at such things to see what's written on them, and, low and behold, what should it say? Why, I was the holder of a gen-u-ine, authentic NorthForkParents pen! I couldn't believe it! I asked her where she got it from, and she said someone had dropped off a whole box of them with the donations. Hah! Of course, this led to a discussion of this worthy group, and all its attributes. Such a little thing, but it made my evening.

The Snowy Mountains Scheme

As well as having a life-long fantasy about Alaska and the Iditarod, I have had one about Australia. As a young adolescent, I read a lot of books about Australia, and fiction set there, and saw my "true" life there, living the tough life on a farm. I was particularly interested in the Snowy River, and envisioned myself galloping along on horseback through the countryside.

When The Man From Snowy River came along, I watched it, and the series that followed, loving every minute of it. It was one of those things my Mom and I shared. The Man from Snowy River, Avonlea, Brooklyn Bridge, and another WWII period-piece series set in the States that I can't remember the name of now (the theme song was "Accentuate the Positive"...anybody else remember it, from the late 80's, early 90's, I think???)...these we would sit together and share every week...and I can't see anything like them without wanting to call her up and see it with her.

Recently we borrowed Snowy from the library, a series that looks like it was aired on the Disney channel or BBC, set in 1949. It is historical fiction, showing what happened to the little towns and communities when Australia started the Snowy Mountains Scheme...a plan to make Australia even more independent, by changing the direction of this mighty river, through the mountains (mostly underground), using 16 major dams and 7 power stations, providing vast amounts of hydroelectric power. (see the website for info...it really is fascinating. http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/snowyscheme/) Being a teacher, I am always interested in history, and how specific events affect the people. A large percentage of the work was done by migrants, mostly European people displaced after the destruction of their homes and towns from WWII.

We've seen the first 2 discs so far, and I plan to watch more tonight. Like all series, it's a bit soap-opera-y, but I really like it, and give it my official thumbs up.

Check it out, and let me know if you love it, too!

Music at the Coffee Shop

My life seems to revolve in circles. People will be in my life for awhile, then sort of phase out as our paths separate, then the paths will merge again, or run parallel, so we can still see each other, even if we're not actually involved in the same things at the same time. Like links on a necklace-chain, the circles touch, then are separate, then touch again as the chain slides around, all linked in one big loop.

Early this a.m., I decided to make a rare trip to the coffee shop on my way to work. There was a guy standing at the counter that I have known on and off through different musical connections, and haven't seen in several years. As I asked him about a band I know he used to play in, his job with sound systems and other things, we caught up a bit. Then I asked, "Are you playing anyplace locally?" the coffee shop lady said, "Yeah, right here, tonight!"

So...after work and dinner, Little Sir and I went back to the coffee shop for live music, which we enjoyed very much. Little Sir, always the active participant, played air drums and air guitar along with the band. We saw some other old friends from musical circles... and... Natasha! In the flesh! Blog world touches reality! I thought it was her, from her beautiful picture, and then saw the guy she was with and knew it was them. I introduced myself, and it was very interesting...I have never met someone in real life that I only knew from their writing before. It's like you know them, but yet you don't know them...a sort of estranged closeness. Not sure how to word this. It reminds me of a friend of ours who met his wife online. They communicated for awhile before they met in the flesh...she lived in New Zealand and came to NY to meet him...and they got married soon after. I wonder what they felt like, those first few hours after actually meeting each other.

After that, Little Sir and I went off to find a good parking place near Riverhead Raceway to see the fireworks (and be able to exit quickly afterward.) They were fun, as always. I love fireworks. It doesn't matter how old I get, they never lose their fascination for me.

It was a very nice end to a very nice day, indeed.

Eight Below

I know it's the beginning of summer, but sometimes I like to watch off-season flicks. I have wanted to see this one ever since I saw the previews for it, and just never did. As a child, I had a fascination for huskies, Alaska, Inuits, and all things related. I had a fantasy of being in the Iditarod.

Well, that never happened, and I never got a husky (most of my life, I've lived places with "no dogs allowed," or other life-things prevented it,) but the fascination still remains. For those not as behind the times as I am, Eight Below is a Disney movie (with real people) based on a true story of a guide's dog-sled team. I get so emotionally involved in things like this. I know, it's corny, but I do.

Anybody who has a soft spot for animals, the snowy lands, or just a good story, check it out.

Summer Firsts and Lasts

It's the beginning of the firsts:
first swimming lesson ever (for Little Sir), and first class of the summer,
first time at South Jamesport Beach,
first of No. 1 Son's men's softball games of the summer we've gotten to attend (they won!),
first week of Dear Daughter's internship,
first week of the summer music lessons (always so much more fun, after the stress of preparing for NYSSMA and everything,)
first of the lilies to open in the yard,
first of the summer clam dishes I like to cook,
first water-gun battle between Little Sir and Papa (grandfathers are the best at teaching this stuff!)...



And the lasts: we've been eating lots of strawberries, always afraid it's our last quart (I've noticed the prices on the North Fork are considerably lower than E. Quogue...3 qts. for $9 , as opposed to $5 a qt.),
last of free off-season parking at the beach,
last week of the school-time schedule and on to summer schedules for us all.


Time to truly pack away the cooler weather clothes (only leave out some sweats for chilly night outings) and get back on the exercise routine (I actually lost weight on vacation...and gained some of it back during R & R! Not fair. I will be a leaner, healthier me, come September!)


Still looking for a tandem bike, if anybody knows of one...haven't had much luck yard saling...people are selling tons of things I have no need for.


And still trying to sell our converted schoolbus/RV...anybody know someone who might be interested? It's fully self-contained and gorgeous on the inside...sad for it to sit in the driveway when someone could be enjoying it.

Happy summering!

Stony Brook Idiocy and Beauracracy At Its Best

I have been keeping up with LunaChick's blogged Stony Brook struggles (University, that is) with her chosen discipline, with a very sympathetic eye. Or is it empathy? That particular institution has a way of making life difficult, way beyond what is absolutely necessary.

I have a new chapter in my personal saga. The department states you must have 75 days of student teaching to complete your certification. These 75 days must be completed by the end of Stony Brook semester. Now, their semester begins before the K-12 school year calendar begins, so this is a challenge, but our professor has lectured us on being responsible, not taking any sick days, blah blah blah. Ok. Well, I had my interviews with my 2 assigned school districts, during which I was given a school calendar. There are only 70 school days from Sept. 5 to Christmas break. The head of the department from my first assigned district kindly offered me a position in their summer ESL program, which happens Aug. 20-30. Even tho' it's only a few hours a day, this seemed a good fix, so I emailed my professor to confirm.

I just got the email back from my professor, who snottily informed me again, how I need to be professional and responsible in attending my assigned school, not taking off any time for myself, with insinuations to that effect. And no, that school-run summer program can't count...of course, I could volunteer my time if I wish. I'll just have to figure out how to make 75 days out of 70 (oh...and the days have to have at least 5 hours...so what do I do with early dismissal? More snottiness answered that point, as to my responsibility, or lack thereof.)

Is this what they call being between a rock and a hard place?

Summer Begins

Early Friday a.m., after our power walk with the jog stroller, Little Sir and I headed to Indian Island to renew my Green Key. Their computer was not behaving, so it took a really long time...and I forgot...they take your picture. Oops...I look absolutely dazzling with my hair in a sweaty ponytail, sunglasses on top of my head, face a little too red, no mascara. But, the camera was set in such a way as to take in part of the office, so, unexpectedly, Little Sir is in the picture too, wandering around looking at the flyers in the background.

Friday evening was lovely. Due to hecticness on my students' lives' part, I was off, so Little Sir 4-Year-Old and I were lazing around the yard, enjoying the early summer coolness...then, I remembered the free summer concert series behind the East End Arts Council. So...we headed off.

There's a restaurant with a boardwalk that goes into that back parking lot, and they had a live band playing. As we were early, we hung out there a little (though not too long, as unfortunately, it's a bar and not good for Little Sir, and I felt silly hanging out in the parking lot below.) The band was really good. I don't know who they were, but I was enjoying them.

Long Island Sound Chorus (Sweet Adelines) began their concert on the green, on Riverhead Town's portable stage. The singing was beautiful, as they always are. Then, dark clouds started rolling in...with a rainbow spliced through it all! The wind picked up, then half the parking lot had pouring rain, and the other half was in bright sunshine! Very strange.

We packed it in early, went to the library for a new stack of books and flicks, and headed home.

Saturday, we have a graduation to attend, and then some quiet family Sunday plans. Nice start to summer.

Spider-Man

Just so my education is well-rounded and complete, I have recently acquainted myself with Spider-Man. Yes, I know. It's a bit out of character. I have never been the super-hero, comic book type, but it was necessary.

While in Turkey, Little Sir was introduced to Spidey by a cousin (apparently they had a pirated copy, of 3, as it's still in theatres here...had Turkish subtitles.) Of course, I am a conscientious parent and wanted to see what he was watching, so watched it, too. He became hooked...caught in the web, so to speak. Suddenly, he was jumping all over, shooting webs. Well, as there were elements to the story I didn't understand, I decided to be a good student, do my research, and view S-2 and 1...in that order. I know this is unconventional, but since I saw 3 first, it seemed logical. Number One Son, seeing Little Sir's new interest, gave him 1 & 2 as birthday gifts, and we have spent part of our R & R watching them. Little Sir has also acquired a Spider-Man suit, complete with hood, for appropriate viewing (Little Sir PARTICIPATES in movies...he rarely just sits and watches...he is part of the experience...the couch becomes a building to be jumped off of, webs are shot into corners of the ceilings, appropriate sound effects are made, etc.) He has reinforced his love of the name "Peter"...he often introduces himself as "Peter"...first it was Peter Rabbit, then Peter Pevensie, then other Peters in books we'd read together...now, Peter Parker.

As there are portions a bit too intense for him (and for me), we use the fast-forward button to skip scenes that may be nightmare-inducing (we've used this technique for years, so the kids can enjoy lots of movies that are otherwise great, but have some scenes I don't want them to see until they are older.)

I feel my life is complete now. I have viewed the whole saga. I do not feel the need to follow up with the series of Superman and Batman films, or others of the genre. This is representative enough. I can safely enter the public school classroom now, knowing, without a doubt, that I am now fully qualified to understand the pre-pubescent mind.

Fathers Day

As my dad had a pretty packed day of his own planned, we decided to catch up with him in the afternoon, in between his appointments. That meant we could be leisurely at home...woke up 7 ish, as the body clock does...I snuck out for my exercise walk while they were still sleeping (then got a call on my cell from Little Sir..."where are you?" in a slightly whimpery voice...he has been a little insecure since we got back, wanting both of his parents in the same place with him at all times.) We had breakfast and watched the last of the video footage I made while in Turkey...this way, DH is part of the trip, too, gets to see who and what we saw. We just lazed around, just being together, 'til mid-afternoon, picked up the last of the fresh items for the local food basket for Dad (homemade jams, a cool-looking local vinegar, lots of fresh stuff), and headed to his house.

After our visit, we decided to check out the beach, and ended up at Meschutt in Hampton Bays. I knew it had been pretty hot all day, but was surprised how warm it still was at 5pm. We weren't prepared for swimming, and I'd thought the water would still be too cold. Apparently, it wasn't. The parking lot was almost full and the water still had lots of swimmers. We rolled up Little Sir's pants, to dip in toes. He is usually a tentative beach bather, happy to play along the edges, collect crabs and shells and splash around. Well, he wanted to GO IN...all the way. As we couldn't do it with him, in jeans with no towels or anything, we stripped him down to shorts and hovered with just our feet in. With the live band playing in the background, up at the boardwalk cafe, it was delightful, making us want more...looking forward to summer!

We stayed until the gnats drove us off, and headed home for a summery dinner...corn on the cob from the farmstand, fresh salad with lots of greens, tomatoes and scallions, and fresh clams in my garlicky white sauce over rigati (tiny rigatoni). The corn was actually beautiful. As I was husking it, the white and yellow kernels shone with a luster like pearls, and it was sooo good. I love fresh corn. The salad was just right, and the clams were perfect...salty, sweet, not sandy at all. For dessert, we had strawberries and watermelon. Perfect.

I am now absolutely ready for summer.

Post-Travel R & R

I read, in Shape magazine, that you shouldn't plan to arrive home from vacation the day before you have to go back to work. If you do, many of the de-stressing benefits you had gained may be wiped out. They advise giving yourself a cushion of time to re-adjust, get unpacked, laundry done, house back in order and all that, before you dive back in.

I, unintentionally, have followed this advice. I had planned on going back to teaching (which I do privately), and dealing with Stony Brook stuff after one day back, but everybody else's schedule hasn't worked that way. Graduations, Regents, communions, etc. have everybody running in circles and don't have time for a music lesson...so, I am slowly getting back in sinc with my real life here.

I am amazed at how tired I have been. I don't know if this is part of jet lag...by early afternoon I have no energy at all. Little Sir and I have done the bare minimum in the afternoons, and have borrowed a few videos from the library to just vegetate with. We eat a light dinner and go to bed early (DH works the 3pm-12 shift.) I am slowly getting the house back the way I want it (which includes a long-delayed Spring cleaning...while it's still Spring!) Maybe I felt this way before (this is my 3rd annual trip overseas...normally they're only about 10 days, tho'), but I always broke the Shape rule and dove right back into college and work the day after coming back. Maybe I was so busy, I didn't give myself time to think and even realize that I was tired. Maybe it's the pollen, which makes lovely greenish clouds in my shady backyard whenever the wind blows, and has clogged my screens...one more thing to do. Maybe it's being lazy, not actually having a strict schedule to adhere to. I don't know.


I am proud to announce that I have finally completely emptied the tote-bag-full of mail DH had saved for me, and more or less dealt with all of it. I have read all my back issues of local newspapers that he saved for me, and have digested the school districts news and how it affects us (we both work in more than 1 district.) I cleaned off the top of the microwave, which somehow had become a storing place for prescriptions and other medicines this past semester...tossed a lot. I've cleaned the lighting track over the kitchen workspace and replaced bulbs (after 2 trips to Home Depot.) I have made healthful meals from the odds and ends of veggies that were left in the frig, and visited our local farm for fresh produce (yay STRAWBERRIES! As good as Turkish produce is, I missed our L.I. strawberries...they just taste better to me.) I worked almost a full day Saturday, and have half-way tackled my summer lesson schedule, which I really can't finish 'til all the students' parents get back to me...I like to make my schedule geographically sensible, as well as workable for all those involved (I drive from house to house teaching, mostly.) I have dealt with the recyclables that had been stored in the shed, and have been properly creeped out by the gypsy worms that have tried to decimate the big maple out back...evidence of them is EVERYWHERE. Yuck.

Ok. That's enough effort for now. DH is enjoying soccer on t.v. as part of the Father's Day celebration. I'm ready for a nap.