Dorking It Up a Notch

Someone suggested I add this as an addendum to my Devo post. It is the email I sent out to my fellow attendees to announce the successful purchase of the tickets. In case you are not familiar with Devo music, there are more than a dozen song references. My brother's reply to this message was that I needed more things to do with my time.

You know, I've got an uncontrollable urge to go to the Devo show. I have to say though it was like working in the coal mine to get these tickets, because the Paramount Theater does not offer much freedom of choice when buying tickets online. They only offer ticketbastard, and we all know that trying to get tickets from them is like trying to twist away some gates of steel. The website would not take my perfectly good credit card, so I was screaming "I can't get no satisfaction with this stupid thing!" Nevertheless, I said to myself "girl U want tickets so you've got to whip it into shape." Then I decided I was through being cool with the technology side of things, so I went with my gut feeling and turned to my mom. She is like some sort of secret agent man downtown, and she got us the tickets! It's a beautiful world we live in and this concert will be a sweet romantic place. You're all such beautiful people, and I think you should all go comb your hair.

Oh Yes It's Devo!

It took all kinds of effort to get the tickets, but it was entirely worth while. We actually got to see a Devo show. My older brother had been to one before, but for the rest of us it was a major first. Now, I know many people are not proud of their 80's music passions, but I am cheerful to admit mine. I love, love, love Devo. They have a quirky, addictive, synth-driven sound, and they have been described at different times as being punk, new punk, new wave, techno, and alternative. They also have a very strange sense of humor which happens to appeal to me. Therefore, the chance to go to this show could not be missed.

Other than being short, the show was everything I could have wished. The opening bad was called "The Punk Band" and they did a very entertaining mix of original songs that parody punk and techno. The line "I don't need no drummer cause I'm a mad programmer" got a good laugh, and the song "Fat girls on bicycles trying to lose some weight" was also pretty popular. We might need some of their CDs.

However, the opening band was really just a warm-up. The crowd went wild when Devo came onstage wearing their traditional yellow hasmet suits. They are certainly older and paunchier than they were thirty years ago, but they have not lost one bit of their goofy charm. They played an array of crowd pleasers such as Girl U Want, Whip It, and many others. Most of the audience was confined to seats, but there was still quite a bit of moving to the music when the classic songs came on. They did not play Beautiful World OR Through Being Cool, but I suppose there's not time for everything. My ears are still ringing, but it was such a great time.

How Old Do You Think I Am?!

The most unsettling thing has happened. A few days ago I went to the mailbox in my usual fashion, and what should I find there? An invitation to join the AARP! Those letters used* to stand for American Association of RETIRED persons! Just how old do they think I am?! I checked to see if maybe it was addressed to the former resident, but no, there was my name printed in the little window. Add to that the letter they included that assured me I was "fully qualified" to be a member and receive their "powerful assistance" on all kinds of things. Yeah, I can imagine the kinds of things they are thinking of: power chairs, prescription drugs, long term care insurance, and so on. Now I am trying very hard to imagine how they got the idea that I was "fully qualified." Is it the magazines I subscribe to? My political affiliation? The way I drive (oh god I hope I'm not THAT bad)? Some form I filled out and accidentally put 1938 for DOB instead of 1978? I really don't remember doing that, but I guess when you get to be my age memory just starts to go.

*A few years ago, the group decided to keep AARP as their name, but stop having it be an acronym because too many of their members were still working.

First Day of School

Wheew! That was the first day of school for the students, and I am exhausted! Even though we ran a short day it still seemed like a marathon. My voice is not used to doing all that talking, and my feet are not used to doing all that standing. The kids were VERY excited to be back. We always hand out their schedules in the gym before class begins, and they get their first look at their classes, their teachers, which electives they got, and (most importantly if you ask them) which lunch they have. To get a lunch different from your best friend is a heartbreaking travesty that needs correcting RIGHT NOW! I do not envy the councilors and the front office in these first few days. They have the task of dealing with all the kids who are certain that serious mistakes have been made. Fortunately, by the time they released us to our classrooms at least a little of the shrill quality was starting to wear off. Well, that or I had just gone a little deaf from being in the huge echoing gym with all of them.

My first class (actually two because humanities is a block of language arts and social studies together) is a "highly capable" humanities class with thirty students. These are the kids who actually had trouble deciding when I asked them to write down five good books they read last year. They are very dedicated, very sweet, and also very highly strung. My job with them is to present interesting challenges, but also to help them keep a sense of perspective. Neither perfection nor ulcers are required to get into a great college.

My next class is a study skills class for kids who have had serious problems being successful in school. There are only nine kids in this class, and the idea behind it is that they get some serious one-on-one attention. I will be teaching them some organizational skills, some basic editing, some reading strategies, and other goodies. However, I think my primary job is to sit on their heads and make sure they do the work.

My last class is made up almost entirely of squirrels. I'm not sure if they are of the native or invasive variety, but they are definitely going to climb the walls. This is another humanities block, and its purpose is to help kids who have demonstrated problems with reading, writing, and other skills. This is supposed to be a class for kids who try hard, but have difficulty with the subject matter and the pace at which it is normally presented. In reality, I also get saddled with a few knuckleheads who just don't want to work. I can handle both types of kids, but the knuckleheads do take up an unfair portion of the time. Luckily, I have an assistant in this class, so I get some help with all the head sitting.

One kid in my afternoon class said "one day down and 179 to go" when the bell rang today. I try not to think about it that way. I can't say I'm ever overjoyed when my vacation is over (who is?), but there are many good and exciting things about being back in school. For example, life is never boring when you are teaching a class full of squirrels.

Oscar Peterson

I was feeling very lucky a few nights ago when we went to see the jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. He is veeeery old, has suffered a stroke, and has had to learn to play the piano all over again. Not only that, he has only limited use of his left hand. You would think that all of this would impact his ability to put on a good show, but this is not at all the case. They wheel him up to the stage, he teeters over to the bench, and you worry that he may slip as he tries to sit down. Then he starts to play and you know why they call him an international treasure. I do not have the correct vocabulary to describe his playing, but let's just say that when he plays "Love Ballad" it is impossible to think about anything else. I must confess that I frequently find lighter jazz to fade into the background, but I was very impressed by this show. I think I may need to go CD shopping.

Would You Like Kim chi With That?

Today on the radio they had the French chef from a locally famous restaurant. He is a very entertaining guy, and he clearly LOVES food in many forms. Since he is a semi-regular guest on the show they have a segment wherein people call and list the contents of their fridge. His challenge is to figure out some tasty recipes to use up the ingredients Of course the people who call in are usually "foodies" so they say things like "I have five Vidalia onions, a leg of lamb on the bone, and three heads of radicchio, and some nice fresh duck fat." He is normally very good at this, but today there was a special list. A man called in with a very strange and limited collection of ingredients that included (if I'm remembering correctly) some "older" Kim chi, eight cups of uncooked white rice, packaged lunch meat, red bell pepper, shredded cheese, and mustard. Instead of just saying "ewww" go shopping he made up a recipe for rice cakes made with little bits of lunchmeat, cheese, and mustard. He suggested the Kim chi would make a nice bed for this concoction and warned the caller not to let the rice get over-done. I don't think any amount of cooking could save this one. Yuck.

Job Description

Every job has its share highs and lows, secret benefits, and unexpected surprises. I'm quite certain that very few young students ever think "oh the fabulous meetings I'll have when I'm a (insert profession here)!" Instead, we all dream about the more glamorous aspects of our chosen career without much real sense of what it will take day in and day out. Invariably it is a bit of a shock when reality hits.

My shock for this year was that I was expected to number, stamp, sort, and distribute 1200 new social studies textbooks. I had about three days of notice, and no extra help (or extra pay for that matter). I did one set of 300 books and then I ran over to my computer and begged for help. Fortunately for my back, I have many wonderful friends, and six willing helpers volunteered their time.

Everyone made their way through horrible traffic to meet me at my school after the workday was over. We sliced open boxes, unpacked the books, numbered them, stamped them, and put them back in the boxes in numerical order. It turns out that seven grown-ups are a force to be reckoned with. What would have taken me at least two days took the team only a couple of hours. Hooray! Now I just have to organize distribution to classrooms and things will be good.

Thanks and thanks again to the volunteers!

Camping With Children Part 2

There are good and bad things about Money Creek Campground. The bad things are the highway and the rail line that sandwich the sites. Most of the trains seem to run at night, so you are jolted awake every few hours by the sounds of whistles and wheels. It started to get pretty comical after a while, and everyone was exceptionally good natured about the whole thing. Fortunately, the campground itself is quite beautiful with huge old cedar and fir trees, and the swimable river off to one side. Another great thing about this place was the buffer between the sites. I love car camping, but not when I can see and hear every little detail of my neighbor's camping experience. We arrived at the campground with plenty of time to set up the tents ("can we get in the tent yet?!" x 1000 repetitions) and get the fire going. Luckily scavenging of downed wood was okay because the kids found the foraging process to be very exciting.

It is easy to forget how exciting things are to children. We adults get soooo jaded, but they seem to enjoy every little detail. The tents, the fire, the special cooking, special foods, lanterns and candles, singing around the campfire, and all those things that seem like such common parts of camping. We also had a few other entertainments planned to keep the peace. Little niece got to play with all the playdough she wanted (there is no carpet to worry about in the woods!), and we also had a set of Velcro mitts for playing catch with a tennis ball. The most popular entertainment was definitely the Madlibs. We had "A Trip to the Farm" and "Science Lab" to start, but the most popular one by far was "How to Ride the School bus." Both little and big niece were nearly falling off their chairs with the humor of it all. We learned that you should never talk to the hippo or throw princesses while the bus is in motion. We wrapped up the evening with roasting marshmallows. This was a very popular activity, but there were a few tricky moments when a little person would forget themselves and hot sticky marshmallow went waving around on the end of its sharp stick. Beware the stick!

On Saturday morning we headed out for hiking at Bridal Veil Falls. Little niece and I had the same opinion of the steep and rocky trial, so we spent most of the trip brining up the rear. She is such a tiny little person that piggyback rides are not difficult to give, and she got more and more of them as the trail went on. Big niece, on the other hand, was not having any assistance of any kind, and she was actually the one to set the pace. By the time we reached the top we all agreed that the view and the falls made the trip entirely worthwhile. We all dangled our toes in the cold mountain water, and some people even took off their pants and went wading. Big niece and I agreed that we do NOT take our pants off in public thank you very much!

On the whole, I would say that our camping expedition was a huge success. We were not put off by freight trains or helicopters (oh I left that bit out didn't I? It was loud.) and we managed to enjoy almost every moment. By the time we were heading home on Sunday the nieces were getting a bit crabby with each other, but they were SO well behaved for almost the entire weekend. Having the two of them along made the whole camping experience seem fresh and new (not that I was tired of it, but you get the idea) and I hope we will have time to do it again soon (maybe in a slightly quieter place?).

Camping With Children Part 1

Last weekend we went camping with my nieces who are five and eight. It was the "second best thing in the world after Disneyland" according to my elder niece, and I have to say that I concur. Okay, maybe not the second best time in the whole world, but still pretty darn good fun. We all met up on Friday afternoon and headed out to Money Creek campground on highway 2. I found this place by looking at reservable campgrounds in Washington State, and then finding one that had two free sites on the correct weekend. In short, I had no idea what we were really getting into. Nevertheless, we were all pretty cheerful with what we found when we arrived. But I get ahead of myself.

First, there was the packing part. Packing for a camping trip is usually a mad dash for me. I find it both thrilling and anxiety inducing to try and get all the required bits and pieces together in one place. We are so used to having all our comforts that it can be kind of tough to remember all the things will really be needed. Food is a good example of this. It is easy to remember that you need to buy some cans (keep in mind that we are car camping, so cans are just fine thanks) of chili if you want to have anything to eat. However, it is also easy to forget that you will need a can opener to get at that chili. I once carefully packed all the ingredients and materials required to make pancakes (including the butter and the whisk and all that) only to find that I'd forgotten to pack any forks. You get the idea. Therefore, I spent most of Friday morning running around trying to figure out what I might be forgetting. The elder niece vacillated between making fun of me and bouncing off the walls with excitement. She got extra excited when we went shopping for a new tent (we didn't know how to fit two not-so-little girls into our two person dome). We found one with, get this, two separate rooms! Add to that it's apple green color, and you've got something very special as far as an eight year-old is concerned.

Splendiferous green tent in hand, we moved on to packing the rest of the car (save the nasty anti-car camping rants for someone who cares please). Ice chest, sleeping bags, and all the rest went in and we headed off to meet up with the rest of our party. It only takes a little over an hour to get to the campground, so we also had time to stop along the way and buy a few essentials. These included a disposable cameras (we forgot the good camera) chili-cheese Fritos (mmm chili-cheese!) and a Strawberry Shortcake kite (little niece was captivated by its glory and it only cost $1.50). Finally, in the early evening, we made it to Money Creek.

Part 2 shortly

Happy Birthday Mjo

Happy birthday to our friend Mjo who turned 30 last week! Going to that party certainly reminded me of how close I am to that same milestone. Somehow, the idea of being 30 is sort of a shock. When you hit your 20's it's sort of like being an adult with training wheels. No one is surprised if you still behave like a child every once in a while. Once you hit 30 though there can be no question that you are a grown up. It's not that I fear being responsible or even sober(not that you are required to be serious); it's just that I can't quite see myself as a 30 year-old. I'm quite certain that I was 12 just a little while ago! I suppose it's going to happen no matter what, and I will just have to get used to it.

Kayaking the Duwamish

M and I love a good Kayaking trip, so when our friend P suggested a trip along the Duwamish we jumped at the chance. This is, perhaps, the most industrial part of the Seattle waterfront, and it is quite famous for having been badly polluted. However, we were not put off, and I'm glad because it was an amazing trip. We started out in a nice calm area near Alkai, but before the thing was over we were weaving our way in among the huge cargo cranes and massive cruise ships. The tugs were both amazing and a little scary because of how quick and maneuverable they are. We were SO tiny and slow compared to all the other things out on the water.

To Work or Not to Work

That is the question. Today we met at school to continue our planning for the upcoming year. There is no doubt that by working now we are saving ourselves a lot of effort later, but still, summer is only going to last a few more weeks. I could go in tomorrow and get a whole slew of useful and important things done, but would I be better off sitting on my bottom in the backyard? Tough to say for sure (I know that’s a fragment, but I just couldn’t help myself). The Stop and Smell the Roses Crowd (SSRC for short) would definitely say that a sunny day should never be spent inside, and besides stress is bad for you. Then again their own argument can be used against them. The Nose to the Grindstone Crowd (maybe I should call them The Deferred Gratification Crowd?) would probably argue that stress IS bad for you and that is why I should go to work and save myself from future stress. What do you think? Is it better to get your sunshine even if it costs you later? Or should more people get on with IT to avoid pressure down the line?

Produce at Last!

Sure, we've eaten quite a bit of lettuce from the garden already. However, the first cucumber seemed like a much bigger deal. Growing lettuce the way we did feels like a sort of a cheat. You plant the wee lettuce plants in the garden box, add water, and eventually you pick leaves off the big lettuce plant. The cucumber, on the other hand, came from tiny plants, grew into big plants with lots of leaves and nice trailing tendrils, grew flowers which turned into teeny tiny little cucumbers which grew into big spiky cukes. Wheew! Then I went out and whacked it off with a knife! Ha! Ha! (and people say vegetarians are wussies) It tasted very good, and I think we might even do some pickling if all those flowers live up to their potential. I LOVE my little garden.

Back to Work

Yesterday was my first day back to work since we went on break at the end of June. We spent two days writing a curriculum schedule for the whole year, and unit plans for the individual subjects. Since we weren't getting paid I was not surprised that only 6 of the 20 teachers decided to attend. However, it turned out that fewer cooks was really a very good thing. We were able to plow through a huge amount of work without much, ahem, debate or digression. Meetings that are actually useful and highly productive are SUCH satisfying things, but they are just so incredibly rare. The other 14 people will be back with us by the end of the month (not even they can avoid contract time!), so we will have the fun of hearing them complain about the things we did and did not include in the plan. I will have to restrain myself when I have the urge to say "oh, well it's too bad you couldn't attend when we decided that in August."

Oregon Coast

Okay, I've been waiting and waiting to post about the trip to Oregon so I could include the pictures. However, as the pictures are still not available, I am giving up on them and posting about our trip anyway. Otherwise I will forget all the pertinent details.

Right after we left the fair on Sunday afternoon we headed over to the Oregon coast for a little relaxation on our way back to Washington. The coast is only a little over an hour away, so it was not a big undertaking. It was hot and sticky in the valley, but as we got over toward the coast it was misty and clouded and the temperature was at least 20 degrees cooler. That was perfect as far as I was concerned; cool and misty is how the coast should be. We came first to Florence and then headed north to Yachats. The Overleaf Lodge is my new favorite place to stay on the coast. It is clean, beautiful, and located right on the water, so you can actually hear the serf at night. The best part is that it isn't very expensive. I only wish it wasn't quite so far south from us because we won't get to go back very often. I love, love, love the bluffs and craggy rocks of the Oregon coast. The waves CRASH into the shore and the spray flies over you. We have none of this delicate lapping along the sand like some places. We also stayed in Cannon Beach on our second night, but that place was just fair, so I wouldn't want to recommend it. I really want to resolve to go to the coast more often.

Luxury

Okay, there can no longer be any kind of doubt that M and I are members of the bourgeoisie. We are the bloodsuckers who live a life of luxury on the backs of the poor proletariat. We are the yuppies who consume and consume and consume without creating anything of value ourselves. We are members of the western military industrial complex. The proof? We have air-conditioning--- and it works.

Sorry, sorry, that was a political science joke (half truth). The really big news is not about our bloodsucking ways, but the fact that it was 97 degrees outside yesterday! 97! That is just not something we are used to in the Pacific NW. For us, anything over about 85 is cruel and unusual. Most of us are like frogs; we like cool slightly damp places with just a touch of sun now and then. All I could do was lay around and read. Today, on the other hand, we've cranked the air-conditioning for the first time. I don't mean to brag, but aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that feels good. Because it's partly cloudy you could almost imagine that it was a 70 degree day, but all you have to do is step outside to realize that the heat, and more importantly some humidity, are still out there. I think I'll just stay inside today and enjoy the ill-gotten fruits of Capitalism.

Sea of Beads

Lacey Washington is just not a place where a person expects to land. However, if you join the air force or you really, really enjoy beading, you just might end up there. We went down last week so DW could revel in the beadiness of it all. Tucked away a few miles off the freeway is THE WORLD'S LARGEST BEAD STORE (or so they say). The title is well deserved; it is a massive warehouse JUST FULL of beads.

If you are standing in the doorway of the place, and you try to see the people on the other end, you would have trouble making them out. It is that huge. It contains beads from all over the world with all sorts of different qualities. Big, small, sparkly, shiny, matte, and ALL kinds of different shapes. I think I saw about 10 different varieties of banana beads alone. Don't all people need a necklace made of radishes and skulls? Perhaps you would rather a bracelet made of wiggly rubber beads?

M and I only spent a little time there before we headed off to the state park to kill time. DW was VERY happy with the selection, and doubly happy to find that much of it was on sale. She came away from the store with a sizable box of beads to sell in her store. Now I can say I've been to Lacey and I didn't even have to join the air force to do it.

Uninspired

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been fairly uninspired for the last few weeks. Summer is very, very wonderful, but there has not been as much relaxing (or blogging) as I had hoped. Why can't one ever be allowed to rest on the proverbial laurels? It seems like there is always something that needs doing, and I am not just talking about the dishes. Fortunately, I finished my stupid on-line class today (at least I hope I got it all off okay) so now the only thing hanging over me is the curriculum stuff for next year. I know I should be getting gobs of things done what with all the free time, but somehow the motivation is sort of floppy and anemic (if you know what I mean). Perhaps August will be more productive. I think I need a nap.

By Way of Explanation

Several people have pointed out that my entries about the Oregon Country Fair are missing more than a little back-story. I do apologize. I tend to forget that several different circles of friends read this blog, and not everyone is intimately familiar with all the details. M, R, and my old friend B know all too well what goes on at the fair, but for everyone else a small history lesson.

My parents moved from California to Oregon in the 1970s. They were fleeing the general ickiness of Los Angeles (I couldn't agree more!), and they thought that Oregon was a very refreshing kind of place. Having worked in silkscreen print shops in California (they met in one) printing seemed like a good business. I am not sure of the exact year they first went to the fair, but it must have been over thirty years ago. They took t-shirts in a number of different designs and sold them in a booth along the Long Tom River (I am not making that name up; you can check it on maps). In these first few years it was called the Oregon Renaissance Fair (or something like that) but it soon got sued by the California Renaissance Fair and had to change the name.

My parents' original booth fell into the river one winter, so we were relocated to a new section of the loop, and we have been in that same spot for more than twenty-five years. Booths consist of semi-permanent structures (the framework stays) made mostly from wood. There is a commercial portion out front and a hidden camping portion at the back. Vendors must try to avoid displaying "unnatural" looking things such as plastic. Virtually the entire fair is run by committee, so there are LOTS of exceedingly silly rules. One of my favorite overheard quotes ever was from one stoned hippie to another "dude, the fair used to be all about yes, yes, yes, but now it's just about no, no, no." Fortunately, the rules combine to make things work with such a huge group of people.

Fair family (staff, vendors, entertainers, etc) usually make up more than 5,000 people. Visitors are welcome during the day from 11am to 7pm, and the attendance is usually so good that they have to cap the number who can come. Most years 18,000 people PER DAY visit the fair. They come to eat as much as they can hold (there are more than 200 different food booths last time I checked) listen to music (there are more than ten different stages), look at the crafts, and just sort of soak up the, ahem, unusual atmosphere. Where else might you be accosted by giant chickens while looking at a topless woman painted blue?

Many people associate the fair with stoned hippies, and they do attend, but the bulk of people are just there to have fun. Allow me to just grab my goody-two-shoes from the closet. Ah, there we are now I've got them on, and they are just SO comfortable. I have never done drugs at the fair (or anywhere for that matter), and I really don't think I ever will. Drugs are bad m-kay. If you are not familiar with the fair this will seem like a digression but trust me it's not.

Moving on, the booths are all situated along a pedestrian-only path that is just barely wide enough for service vehicles. Only the very patient (or the very stupid) drive their goods in. Most people just park their cars outside the loop and haul stuff in by hand or by carts. This is a very heavy job, and it usually takes several people several hours to get everything unloaded. Once everything is in, we begin to set up the camp in the back and decorate the booth at the front. We use fabric (and this year a carpet) to decorate, and we hang t-shirts by size. When finished, the booth should look bright and welcoming with lots of fascinating merchandise. We can print just about anything on the t-shirts that is not under copy write. We've done dragons (very successful), medieval woodblocks (somewhat successful), and quotes from Ben Franklin (not very successful). Every year it is a challenge to think up something new.

Even with all the above, I think I can safely say that it is impossible to really describe the fair using words. Even pictures are only so helpful. It is a very unique experience to say the least. Some people love to visit, others can't stand it, and never want to go back. I am looking forward to my 27th visit next year.

It Lives!

Despite all the toing and froing about the mechanic and the tow truck, my car is once again fixed! What was the matter? Shock of all shocks! The car was flooded! After the nice-but-slightly-dense mechanic believed it for himself it took hardly any time to get things cleaned out and running nicely again. Of course "fixed" and "running" are relative terms, and you never know when things may change for the worse. Either I need to buy a new car or take some extensive courses in auto repair. Nevertheless, I am once again an independent person, and I cannot complain about that.

More Fun With Cars

To borrow directly from a clever friend of mine--- Welcome to my pity party!

We got home from our trip this afternoon. I pushed to leave Portland early so I would have plenty of time to call the mechanic, renew AAA, and wait for the tow truck. In other words, I had accepted the situation, and I was prepared to deal with things. If only it could have been that easy. The mechanic, it turns out, is on vacation for the next two weeks (his entire shop that is) so I have no one to do the work. I had another recommendation from a friend, but when I went online to vet them I found an entire webpage devoted to how awful they are. Okay, next plan, I did some more research and found a place with good ratings and a AAA recommendation. They actually answered their phone AND they said that, yes, they do work on rotary engines. Sure, they are going to charge me $100 just to find out what is wrong (hello! It's flooded!) but at least they will do the work. Next, I called AAA to request the tow. My favorite (oh my god! I have a favorite towing company!) and most reliable towing company was "experiencing delays" and they would have to farm it out to someone else. The someone else came without calling first (bad towing manners), backed the car out crooked (bad towing technique), wanted me to steer it up the ramp (bad towing policy), and then failed to secure both sides with straps (bad towing mojo). In short, I was not impressed, and I missed my regular guys. Oh well, supposedly it survived the trip, and they will get started with "the diagnosis" (I told you IT'S FLOODED!!!) tomorrow. I really hope the car gods are finished having a laugh at my expense.

Oregon Country Fair

Free WiFi is a beautiful thing! I'm sitting on the rough wooden benches in the back of our booth at the fair. The drum tower is in full swing, the noodle booth is frying up a storm nextdoor ("One chicken MURGI!!!"), there is tye-die everywhere, and the parade should be passing by soon. We are not making loads of money, but fortunately we don't care that much any more. We are having a wonderful time, and I will be sure to post more later (with pics is hope).

4th of July

"Mere vaporing and boasting become a nation as little as a man. But honest, outspoken pride and faith in our country are infinitely better and more to be respected than the cultivated reserve which sets it down as ill-bred and in bad taste ever to refer to our country except by way of deprication, criticism, or general negation. We have a right to be proud of our vast material success, our national power and dignity, our advancing civilization, carrying freedom and education in its train. But to count our wealth and tell our numbers and rehearse our great deeds simply to boast of them is useless enough. We have a right to do it only when we listen to the solemn undertone which brings the message of great responsibilities — responsibilities far greater than the ordinary political and financial issues, which are sure to find, sooner or later, a right settlement." - Henry Cabot Lodge, Americanism

Happy 4th of July! My deep, dark secret is that I think this is a truly great country based on profound ideals. This nation has, dare I say it, effected positive change in a thousand different quarters, and it can be a very real force for good. If you bring up these ideas in front of most people they practically fall over themselves to remind you about all the ugly and tragic things connected to this country. I am fully, painfully, aware of the darkness- thank you very much- but I refuse to submit entirely to those who would do nothing but disdain.

The ideals of this country allow me, a young, unmarried woman, to be more than the chattel of my father or my husband, to study where and what I want and as much as I choose, to earn my own living based on my own merits, to choose my religion (or lack thereof), my philosophies, and opinions, and to talk about them as little or as much as I like, to read and write and think freely, to associate with anyone and everyone, and finally, to vote with reasonable assurance (don't start with me!) that my ballot will be counted.

You may argue that these rights are available in many places around the globe, but my point is that this was not always the case. The United States is responsible for assisting in the propagation of these ideas, and I think that cannot be other than a very good thing. Therefore, happy 4th of July; long live the republic! Down with the monkey's butt!

Fair Prep

In three days we are heading down to the Oregon Country Fair. This will be my 26th fair since I was born, and my family has been attending for more than 30 years. Yes, it is a hippy fair. Yes, there are people there who don't wear too many clothes. Yes, there are people who drink or smoke things while there. Yes, many people there are overly fond of patchouli. However, I have never done any of these things at the fair, and yet I still manage to have a great time.

First, you get to spend some time with at least some of the family. I hardly ever get to see both my brothers at the same time let alone for several days on end (they are nice even if they do tease me ALL the time).

Second, it's a little world all to its own, and so you don't really have time to think about all the other stuff like your job, world affairs, or traffic on 520. You hardly even remember that 520 exists.

Third, its great fun to stroll around with M and other people and look at all the crafts, shows, and strange people.

Forth, it is actually kind of entertaining to run a tiny business for a few days. We always spend some time conferring about what will sell, and which colors to buy, and how many people might want.

Fifth, the FOOOOD! This place is by no means gourmet. Instead, it's more like a wide variety of street food. For any meal you can choose between falafel, phad thai, gumbo, or greek salad just to name a few. Sometimes I find myself jonesing for a Tia Supreme burrito in the middle of winter.

Sixth, it's tradition! I love the way this event doesn't change much in character from year to year. It really is like a little world, and you can imagine that you were never really away from one year to the next.

Viva la peach!

Dead Car

Ack! I have gotten used to the fact that my car, at 16 years old, is not exactly reliable. However, I also thought I knew at least some of its foibles, so I could try to avoid doing anything that would annoy it. I know, for example, that it is more likely to flood in cold weather, so I try to minimize the risks of flooding during the coldest months of the year (very short trips, parking overnight on a hill, not starting it for long periods). But this is July. Surely, based on all I have learned, I should be safe in July (are you laughing at me already?). Yesterday I decided to take out the lawn mower which is located in the corner of the garage. Due to garage configuration, this means I have to back the car out first. Normally I get M to help me push it out so I don't have to start it, but M was at work so I started it up, pulled it out, and turned it off again(oh the humanity!). I then went off and mowed the lawn. A couple of hours later I came out to drive downtown, and, you guessed it, the car would not start. Even though it is July the car is well and truly flooded. Now it needs a flatbed ride to the mechanic who will clean it out and get it running again. I am getting to know my mechanic and my tow truck driver REALLY well, and it sucks (not that they aren’t guys and everything).

This is the part where sane people are saying "but this car is old, old, old, why can't you get a new car made in, say, the last decade? Then the problem would be solved." Yes, a new car would certainly ameleorate the reliability problem. There is just one fatal flaw with this plan; I am REALLY attached to the old car. It is cute, it is sporty, it goes like a top (when it goes), and my brother gave it to me when I was a penniless college student. I LOVE this car. If I could just shrink it down to toy size I would keep it on my bookshelf and be happy. However, the science is just not keeping up with me on this one. The only thing to do is bite the bullet, sell the old car, and buy some new, non-exciting, non-special, something. At least the next time I need a new car I won't mind so much.

Nightmare Over

Good news! (be warned, this post is going to be full of !!!) I just got the transcript that I PASSED my Professional Certification course! The horrible, frustrating, humiliating experience is over, done, finished! Hooray! True, the teacher did have the nerve to give me a "B" even though I did all the required work (I honestly believe she wanted to stick it to me for being difficult) but I don't care because it's OVER!!! Of course I will not believe that it's truly over until I receive the new license from the state (the university now has to send my application to them). It takes the state over twelve weeks to process teacher license applications, so that will be a while. However, I don't really mind because the only thing I have to do now is waiting. No more essays, no more digital pictures of things you can't read, no more tormenting from the world's most clueless instructor. Hooray!

Garden #1

I've been meaning to post these pictures for the last several weeks. M and I built the box based on a plan we hashed out on the back of an envelope, and we used raw cedar because I wanted it to last without being pressure treated (Just not a nice flavor for baby lettuce). No, we did not use ties on corners. No we did not dig in one end to counteract the slope of the hill. No we did not use stretcher bars to prevent eventual splaying of the boards. In short, it was not exactly a professional job. Nevertheless, I was thrilled with the way it turned out because we actually went out there and built it instead of just talking about how we really should.

It only took about 7000 bags of steer manure and planting mix to get the thing close to full, but we did eventually get there. We planted lettuce, onions, and three varieties of tomatoes in the box itself, and we planted pumpkins, zucchini, and cucumbers in big pots. Last, but certainly not least, I planted a whole collection of flowers along the edges.

The most exciting flower discovery (for me anyway) was marigolds from the nearby nursery. Not just any marigolds though; these are my all-time favorites. Safari Reds are not just any old marigold with color all over the place willy-nilly. Perfect.

Summer Calm

At 9:47 this morning our school let out for the summer. Kids were delirious and skipping and whooping down the halls. Teachers were very decorous, calm, collected. We went outside and stood in a line to wave goodbye to the busses, and then WE whooped and skipped down the halls. I LOVE my job, and I LOVE my summer vacation too. Everyone should get long vacations. I think we would be a happier country if we had more respect for the value of quiet time.

The first thing I did when I got home was sit in the shade of our big cedar trees and said NOTHING to ANYONE. It was wonderful. Then I went inside and took a nap, and that was pretty wonderful too.

Roses

When we came to look at the house the first time, it was November. Still, I noticed the rosebush growing by the front door. At that time, of course, it was nothing but a few leaves and lots of leggy stocks, but I did have a passing thought that it might be pretty in bloom. Well, time makes all the difference it seems. I am thoroughly enjoying the rainbow sherbet (minus the green) colored roses now. The started out almost all yellow as buds, but the longer they bloom the more they deepen through orange and into pink. Not overly much scent, which is sad, but at least we get a feast for the eyes.

School Pride

My kids made me so proud the last few days. I'm a bit like a mother hen all puffed up over her chicks because they did such a great job. A few days ago we had the trivia competition in our school. Now my class is supposed to be sort of a "TLC" class for those who need it, so some people don't expect much from them. However, I know that they are incredibly capable when they choose to be, and the trivia competition was no exception. My little team answered 7/10 questions correctly and they got sixth place over all! They were up against gifted classes, advanced math classes, and all sorts of others and they still got sixth place! My hands hurt from clapping when we were done.

The next day was our field day, and things got even better. In the water relay (spoonfuls of water from the beaker, across the track, into the empty beaker) we had strategy, we had finesse, we had awesome players, and we had 20 cc's MORE than any other team! Next came the over under game (medicine ball + line of kids over head and under legs until it gets to the end- repeat) and we got fourth place. Dodge ball (I don’t' need to explain that one right?) was not so good (I think we got 8th), but then there was the tug'o'war (I really don't need to explain that) and we kicked butt. There were kids sliding around and falling all over the place because no team could stand against ours. They pulled four rounds one right after another, and they did not even come close to being beaten. My voice hurt from screaming. They were walking on air when we heard the announcement that they got the overall win. It feels great to get a little success sometimes, and it was certainly a good way to head into the summer.

How I Live Now

I try not to spend too much time on book reviews because I could probably write a whole blog on the subject. However, when I run across a really GOOD book I feel compelled to say something. My really good book this time is called How I Live Now by Meg Rossoff. I would not suggest anyone read this book aloud to their ten year-old, but for teens and adults it's a GREAT read. The story is about an emotionally troubled girl from New York who finds solace by visiting her cousins in the English countryside. Sounds idyllic and sweet, and it is, but it stops being a children's book when the girl falls for one cousin, and an unnamed enemy invades the country. Normally I am not a huge fan of the whole "lovers divided by a horrible war" storyline, but here it is compelling and actually bittersweet. This is not a cheerful "beach read" type of book, but it is definitely worth a look.

An Inconvenient Truth

On Friday we went with some friends to see Al Gore's new documentary An Inconvenient Truth. I was prepared for the fact that this movie would be grim, and I was completely correct. Al and the movie do a great job of convincing us that their really is a problem and it really is serious RIGHT NOW! The effects of global warming are already happening, and if things continue as they are, it will get much, much worse.

The part that I did not expect was the humor and real feeling that Al Gore actually managed to include in his presentation. The wooden one was no more. You can tell that he really does care about what he is saying, and that he wants his audience to care too. If he had only displayed one tenth of that warmth on the campaign trail he might have carried more states that could not be co-opted by a Bush. Al Gore claims that "100% of the profits will go back in the education campaign" so go see the movie if only to have better ammunition against the doubters.

World Cup Madness

The World Cup games are a big deal here in middle school. While adult Americans do not seem to care very much about soccer (unlike those in the rest of the world) kid Americans are big soccer fans. After all, millions of them are dedicated soccer players themselves, so this is a big event. We have a deal in my classroom. You can turn on the game during passing times to check the scores and watch a few minutes, but when the bell rings that TV needs to be off. Mostly this works very well and the big fans are very grateful for the chance. Earlier this week, however, we had a problem.

Germany was playing against some other team (hey I never said that I was a fan) and the score was zero to zero. They had sixty seconds of overtime. Germany moved the ball down the field. Germany made a beautiful pass towards the goal AND... Zap one of the girls turned off the TV. Her timing could not have been more perfect. The fans went absolutely mad. The poor girl had no idea what she'd done because she was just trying to follow the rule and turn it off before the bell. Amid cries of anguish, the TV was immediately switched back on and we were saved by the miracle of replay. Wheew! Otherwise, I'm afraid they might have become hooligans and tried to burn some cars.

Summer Madness Cont.

Monday we collected the textbooks and other materials that the students have been borrowing all year. We collect the books and look them over for damage that was not there in the fall. For example, if your book was brand new in the fall but it is now covered in mud and curse words, we tend to give you a fine. Also, if we gave you a book in the fall, and you do not have the same book to give back to us, you are fined for replacement cost. You would not believe how many kids try to turn in somebody else's book as their own to avoid the fine. We do check numbers against our records so that never works. Today the bookkeeper announced that we have 264 outstanding fines totaling almost $12,000! If they don't pay, they don't get a yearbook or a report card. There are going to be some cranky parents in town tonight.

Also, I heard a great one in the hall last week. A group of girls was standing in a semi-circle around another girl who was clearly have a "moment." Center-of-attention girl was clutching a paper and yelling "It's just the stupid endocrine system! Who needs a stupid Endocrine system!" I can only guess that she did badly on a health test.

Avian Flu

This morning I found in my box an exciting discovery. The state of Washington has decided to offer a sober warning to all educators about the threats of Avian Flu. A glossy eight page packet tells everyone about "preparing for the pandemic" and "knowing the risks." We all must be aware that "Flue pandemics DO happen" we did have 1918 after all! The next great flu outbreak may be "just an airplane ride away." In fact, airplanes are one of the reasons that we are MORE at risk now than we were in 1918. Also, there are a lot more people alive now, so clearly our risk is EVEN HIGHER! We must all hide tuna fish and powdered milk under our beds! (Too bad if you’re a vegan I guess) Other things we must do:

---Learn how to treat fever and lung conditions since hospitals will quickly become overwhelmed and possibly even shut down
---Figure out how to keep kids from going insane if the quarantine lasts more than a few weeks
---Figure out how to get fresh water and cook food for six weeks or more
---Realize that the 1918 pandemic lasted 18 MONTHS!!!
---Stock the usual supply of radios, candles, medical kits, and extra clothes
---Keep an extra supply of all medications (how do you get those out of your doctor?)
---Convince your boss to let you just not come in to the office for the duration
---Not leave the house for any reason
---Realize that "hundreds of thousands in your community could get sick AND DIE" (emphasis added)

It does get a bit annoyed when health officials take the alarmist tack on these issues. Some people say that their frantic warnings have been effective in battling diseases in the past. The simplest way, some argue, for health agencies to get more money is to have the public clamoring in fear of the latest thing. Do the health workers really BELIEVE that bird flu is coming? Who knows, but it doesn't seem overly likely.

Slate, among many others, scoffed at the idea of a bird flu pandemic based on the belief that the virus in not likely to mutate enough for human to human transition. As things stand now, a bird can give it to another bird, and a bird can give it to a human, but one human cannot give it to another. Therefore, if you don't go around hugging chickens you should probably be okay. There is always the chance that the virus might mutate enough to make the leap, but odds are very much against.

Then there is also the argument that we are worried about a pandemic which MIGHT kill 10 million if it were REALLY bad. Given the fact that AIDS and other diseases are currently killing that many and more each and every year; it seems kind of odd that we would focus only on the flu. Perhaps it would be more humane and productive to send our tuna fish and powdered milk to Africa. In reality, however, this is not simply about the number of possible deaths. In truth we are worried about the possibility of AMERICAN deaths. NIMBY, it seems, is alive and well when it comes to American attitudes about health.

All in all, it is a good thing to be prepared for all sorts of disasters. We should all have fresh water, canned food (please not tuna?), and other essentials stored away against the worst. However, we can do this without going into panic mode. Threats of "The Big One" only work for so long before people start to get jaded. One day the government may actually have a real wolf on its hands, and it will need people to take notice.

100th Post!

Wow! I can't believe we're to 100 already! It certainly doesn't seem like that many. If you're still a loyal reader then you must either be very dedicated or have a high tolerance for the mundane. I am under no illusions about the quality and interest level of most posts, but it is fun for me to do the actual writing. Being a teacher means correcting a lot of other peoples' writing and doing hours upon hours of writing instruction, but you rarely do much creative writing of your own. This blog gives me the chance to natter on about whatever's going on at the moment and not worry too much about structure or format or word choice. Three things I apologize for:

--- Excessive and gratuitous use of parenthesis (I just can't help myself!)
--- Lame humor (I can't help myself there either)
--- Over use of the compound sentence (I will work on this)

I really do appreciate the comments I've gotten on many of the posts. Getting feedback on your writing (positive or negative) is almost always a good thing. I don't have any plans to stop, so count me in for another 100. Contrary to the opinion of most 7th graders, writing really is fun.

History of Washington

Whew! Blogger's been down for such a long time. It felt really strange not to blog for five days. Over the course of the last few months I have definitely gotten used to doing a little writing every few days.

Here at school we are all trying to wrap our minds around the new curriculum we are supposed to teach in 7th grade next year. The state has decreed that we must radically change our focus, so we are trying to become experts in our new areas of study. Instead of modern geography of Washington State and Asia (I know, odd pairing, go figure) with a little history, we are now supposed to teach the history of the world from 600-1600 plus Washington history to the present. Oh yes, and we are not supposed to include North American history EXCEPT for Washington. We have given up trying to understand their logic. We find it is easier just to nod and smile because complaints get you exactly no where.

As if all this were not enough, we recently discovered that the district miscalculated a little when it built the most recent school, and we are now in a major budget crunch. The end result is budget cuts across the board and that means most of our planning time has disappeared. We are now supposed to plan a year's worth of new curriculum in, get this, THREE HOURS! In reality it will take dozens upon dozens of hours to get the job done, so we will just have to do the work for free. Fortunately teachers are used to doing lots of unpaid overtime, so it won't be that much of a shock. We're not trying to play the martyrs here; that is simply the way things are.

But I digress. The point I was trying to reach before I got off on my little pity party was a really good book. I have this silly belief that teachers should be experts in the areas they are teaching, so I've been looking around for books to help us "bone up" (insert rude joke here if you like) on the subjects. In my searching I came across The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive History by Carlos Arnoldo Schwantes. This is a book I read for a college class and it really is a great way to become familiar with local history. Suddenly all the street names have meaning, and you can understand why the I-90 is built that way. It also recounts the story of the native peoples, the history of nuclear energy in our area, and the forest policy that is still used in the state forests. In short, if you want to understand the region, this book is a very good choice. Of course it is over 400 pages long, but we're all grown ups who can handle that right? Well, maybe not R, who claims he can't read, but certainly everyone else ;)

X-Men

When I was about ten, my brothers and I were given a box of old comics. We spent many happy hours reading our way through Superman, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, MAD, and The X-men. I loved them all, but the X-men were definitely my favorite. They all had different powers, Professor X knew everything, and they were all just so incredibly COOL (especially if you were 10).

Now the movies have come along, and I find that I still have a very soft spot for Professor X, Wolverine, Storm, Jean, and the rest. The newest movie is just as a comic should be; exciting, action-packed, and generally bigger than life. Is it full of deep contemplation about racism, homophobia, or isolation? Not really (probably less than the other two movies) but that's okay because it's fun. I went into the movie feeling very tired and worn out from the day, and I came away feeling energized by the show. At one point the Golden Gate Bridge flies off it's moorings and sweeps over to land at Alcatraz. That was fun to watch no matter how unlikely, unreasonable, or impossible it might be. In short, if you are willing to check sizable chunks of your brain at the door then this is one highly entertaining movie.

More on Tea Shops

R and P very kindly commented on my last post to suggest other tea shops in the greater (very much greater in the case of Snohomish) Seattle area. Both of them are correct that there are options when it comes to buying tea at least. My current favorite is certainly a place in Seattle called Teacup. Located in Queen Anne, this shop seems to have a version of bankers hours, so it can be little tough for a working person to get there. However, if you can manage it, they have a fabulous selection of imported French-blended teas.

When I was in college I acquired an unnatural passion for tea and for two varieties of French-blended teas especially: Plein Lune and Marco Polo. Unable to find these anywhere else, I have been forced to import them from Oregon whenever possible (Oh please Auntie D would you bring me a little tea? Again?). For years I have looked all over the internet, tried teashops, and catalogs and no one has ever even heard of these teas. Then M took me to teacup. Have they heard of these teas? Oh yes of course, they've heard of it, they carry the competitor's teas. If I like Marco Polo I should try this one. Mmmmmm.

Thus far I have tried:

Crème Brule Gray (Sweet, rich, and GREAT with milk and honey)

Afternoon in the Park (Floral but not overly sweet also great with milk and honey)

Silk Road (Spicy with a fragrant, heady aroma and, you guessed it, great with milk and honey)


I am absolutely going to work my way through the Damman Freres line of teas a few at a time. Judging by the first three it should be a very pleasant experience. There may no longer be a Sassy teahouse to visit with groups of ladies, but at least I can now make a far better cup of tea at home.

No More Sassy

R is right, Sassy Teahouse in Redmond is no more. The message on their website simply says they've closed and thanks everyone who was a patron. It always makes me wonder what happened when a business that seems successful closes without explanation. Was this just a hobby business and the owner got bored? Was the business not successful enough to cover high rents or other high costs? Was there some personal problem? Did they lose their lease? Unique places like that one are few and far between in our world of Starbucks, Safeway, and The Gap. Luckily Redmond-area residents still have Victor's to fall back on when they want something a little less ordinary. Victor's is, by no means, the same kind of fancy little tea shop, but at least they do not have that same same cookie cutter feel of one of the chains. Why do so many people prefer the totally consistent and totally boring to the more unique and unusual? I guess it's all about pleasing the largest number of people which often means appealing to the lowest common denominator.

Materialist Bliss

Note: This is slightly old news, but the pictures are too cute to waste!

One of the things M and I noticed when we bought the house was what must have been an original microwave. After 25 years of use, the thing was not working so well anymore. Heating would still occur, but since there was no turn table all of the heat was concentrated into a single nickel-sized spot. This machine had the amazing ability to practically burn a whole in your pizza while leaving the rest completely frozen. Not very useful for much. Also, shortly after we moved in I attempted to make one of my favorite microwave treats: The Pappadam. However, not only did the pappadum remain flat and lifeless (not crispy and bubbly good) but the microwave actually managed to break the plate in two! It was sort of cool the way it split along a strange and wavy line, but at the same time it did not bode well for the health of our dishes. Thus we went microwave shopping. I could describe the shopping experience, but it is better just to hold an image of Home Depot in your mind (did you know that they don't work on commission like the people at Sears? We've only been told that about 700 times), and you pretty much have it. We came home with a Magic Chef (I've never heard of them either) over stove model. M, clever person that he is, decided to save the installation fee (more than the cost of the actual microwave) by installing it himself (see pics below of installation process). This is not what I would consider an easy job (I am not a very handy sort) but he managed to do it with a minimum of cursing, banging, trips back to the hardware store, or injuries. Low and behold, we have a working microwave! It heats evenly, it has a defrost setting, it doesn't make ominous clicking noises, and (drum roll please) it makes lovely crispy pappadums! Hooray for M and Magic Chef!

Oh Sure NOW the Sun Comes Out

Tut, tut it looked like rain (to quote Pooh Bear) ALL weekend. In fact, it didn't just rain on Saturday and Sunday, it poured buckets. I had big plans for my garden, for hiking, for just looking out the window and seeing pretty sunshine. Of course now that we are back at work the sun is out there shining away. There is barely a cloud in the sky, and I think it may even be warming up a bit. Sometimes life is just not fair.

To-Do List

M's mom, DW, is coming from South Africa to visit us this summer. She will be staying with us for most of the month of July, and we want to make sure that she gets to see some of the best bits of Seattle and Washington in general. Obviously one month is not enough time to see and do everything, but we want to do as much as possible without causing tourism burn-out. So far, we have created a working list of possibilities. Any comments/suggestions would be most welcome:

Things We Might Do With D (in no particular order)

1. SAAM
2. Salumi (but only if Grandma is making Gnocchi)
3. San Juan Islands
4. Pike Place Market
5. Mount Rainier
6. Mount St. Helens
7. Olympic Peninsula
8. Vashon Island
9. Lavender Festival
10. Bellevue Botanical Garden
11. Sassy Teahouse
12. Tiger Mountain Bus Trail (and/or Lake Tradition)
13. Kubota Garden
14. Canoeing in the Arboretum
15. Vivace
16. University District
17. MOHAI
18. Washington State Historical Museum
19. Discovery Park
20. A Good Sushi Place
21. Farmers' Market
22. Cafe Flora (M suggested this one, so I cannot be accused of choosing things for myself!)
23. Teatro Zinzanni
24. Oregon Coast
25. Portland
26. Mariners Game
27. La Connor
28. Leavenworth
29. Ikea
30. Green Lake
31. The Zoo
32. Trek Wildlife Park
33. The Aquarium

Hiroshima

As we come to the end of our Japan unit it is time to read about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since our textbook gives all of 3/4 of a page to WWII, I supplement with the novella Hiroshima by Lawrence Yep. The view of modern Japan given by our textbook is not exactly flattering (well, to be fair, they did some pretty awful things between 1900 and 1945) so I like to try to give a little balance about the actual bombing. This little book is told from a combination of perspectives including two fictional young women on the ground, the pilot of the Enola Gay, and various others. It tries explaining what happened on the airplane, inside the bomb, inside the blast area, and in the surrounding city. The books are written for a young audience, so the style is very simple, but the simplicity only makes it more effective. The kids really do sit and listen (more silently than any other time during the year) and then the discussions that follow are always interesting (nuclear winter, the SALT treaty, Mutually Assured Destruction, The Cold War). Once again, I am amazed by their ability to concentrate when they really try. I think everyone should read this book at some point. Every year I wait to see if I will get flack from parents because the book is told entirely from the "dovish" perspective, but so far it has never caused any trouble.

Reduced History

Years ago, when I was enjoying my annual participation in The Oregon Country Fair (No, I have never done any type of drugs there) I happened across a stage show that would later become quite famous. While standing in line for the bathroom (no kidding) I caught a portion of a show put on by The Reduced Shakespeare Company. I was completely hooked by the shorter and shorter (and sillier and sillier) versions of Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet being put on by the company. By the time they finished, they were doing each play in under a minute, and the results were hilarious. Imagine my surprise when I found an ad for this very same show being done in a major concert hall. It seems I wasn't the only one who liked thought Polonius' ultra-quick death scene was funny.

Once the Shakespeare show became a comedy staple, the company decided to try its hand at other types of shows. "Shakespeare" was followed by "Great Books," "the Bible," and even a Reduced Shakespeare Christmas. Of course, not all of these can be as good as the original, but many of them were still very funny indeed. Therefore, with some trepidation but also hope, M and I went to see The Complete History of America (Abridged). We found it to be an incredibly vaudevillian-style of show with lots of quick summarizing, stand-up jokes, water on the audience, and men in drag playing really ugly women. Some of it was pretty funny (anagrams of famous political names--- Spiro Agnew = Grow A Penis--- I guess you had to be there) and some of it was just sort of funny (a sketch about short men joining Washington's army because of a misunderstanding about "minute" men) but over all it was worth the trip. Next time, I want to see All the Great Books because I bet Jane Eyre done in one minute or less is a very strange thing.

Two Totally Unrelated Food Things

First things first. Last week M and I went to Andre's Eurasian Bistro for a quick bite before a show. We thought that a little over an hour should be plenty of time to get a nice dinner as long as we skipped the appetizers and desserts. We were especially confident since there were not very many people in the restaurant. The waiter cam e quickly to take our order (without writing it down), brought us our drinks (yummy ginger lemonade I must admit) and then, nothing. Thirty minutes later we still had only drinks. The waiter apologized, but the food still didn't come. Eventually we saw plates and! He served us two completely wrong dishes. Neither of us got anything close to what we ordered. We objected to the completely wrong food, the waiter said "oh, sorry about that. I'll check with the kitchen." At this point we were just about out of time, so we called the waiter back and asked him to just bring the bill. Just a few minutes went by and the bill actually came. However (there had to be a catch) while the drinks were comped, the food was still on the bill! M went over to talk to the waiter and pretty soon we just got to leave.

Andre's Eurasian Bistro = bad, bad, bad

The second food thing is not nearly so annoying. I often read the food blog Vegan Lunchbox. While I am not a vegan, I do respect the amount of effort and attention this woman gives to making lunch for her son. Some might say that she has a little too much time on her hands (and they might be right) but the other day she really got a little overboard. She used Seventh Day Adventist cooking techniques to create The Magical Loaf Studio. The purpose of the studio is a way to invent new (tasty?) varieties of vegetarian meatloaf. I cannot say that I have actually made any of the magical loaves, but I will get right on it just after I finish grinding my own flour and making my own fruit leather.

Giggling Your Way to Freedom

One of the most enjoyable things for many teenagers is the opportunity to be sneaky. In my experience, they love to feel that they are "getting away" with something regardless of what that something may be. Since pulling the wool over authoritative eyes is just plain fun for so many of them, it is not surprising that the Underground Railroad simulation was such a huge success.

In the 8th grade, the State of Washington has determined that kids should study American history. The rough estimate time period for this history is about 1796-1865. One major unit during this course is about slavery and the economy of the Deep South. Of course there are many possible ways to teach this material, but our 8th grade team has opted to do something a little different (and, in my opinion, much better) than the standard textbook, notes, test format. First the kids read non-fiction accounts of slave life, and also textbook chapters about the politics and economics of slavery. Next, they do a research project to get an in depth look at different figures of the anti-slavery movement, and they write an essay identifying the contributions of this figure. Last, but not least, they get to take part in a simulation.

The simulation is basically a game in which the kids play the role of slaves who are trying to escape from bondage in the south (their classrooms) and make their way to freedom in the north (the upper sports field). They must trust the good will of conductors (other students) and station masters (teachers) along the way, and they know that bounty hunters (the principals and councilors) will be actively searching for them at all times. They must follow a map, visit the safehouses (indicated by a secret sign), and collect tokens to prove that they've made the whole journey. Above all, they must not get caught or else they have to return to their plantations and do hard labor (real work such as scrubbing desks or weeding flower beds).

I am a huge fan of simulations, so when the 8th grade team asked for volunteers to play station masters, I jumped at the chance to help. My classroom door proudly displayed the secret sign (a quilt square with a red center) and I explained the whole thing to the students in my classes. On the day of the event, we did not see anyone for quite a while, but about half way through 1st period a group of slaves and their conductor burst in looking for a place to hide. We quickly hid them away in the closets and under tables, and just as we did, the bounty hunter arrived. The bounty hunters (working hard to be serious and mean-looking) searched the room and grilled the kids. We kept saying that we didn't know anything, but the bounty hunter was in no mood to believe us. He caught one of the kids hiding in the closet because they had the unfortunate need to giggle uncontrollably. Nevertheless, the others managed to keep silent, and they were not discovered. It was really quite a sight. Kids were darting silently through the halls, ducking into classrooms, and even climbing out of windows (in classrooms where the teachers were dumb, in mean kind, enough to allow it). This is an experience like nothing else and they love it. The most surprising part (to me anyway) was the fact that they really didn't abuse the privilege. Not one kid landed in the office for being out of bounds, harassing others, or any other crime that they might have been tempted to commit.

All throughout the day, groups of slaves and station masters came through our classroom. My students did not get overly much done since they were always on pins and needles about when they next group might come. However, we had some incredible discussions about racism, the practice of dehumanizing others, the power of cultural influences, and the effects of fear on the human mind. Teenagers are famous for being apathetic, lazy, and even stupid, and frequently they do display these unfortunate traits. However, when you really catch their interest in something real and serious, it is amazing just how sharp they can be.

Haiku Baby

Every year around this time my classes study Japan. We go all the way from pre-history to the modern era, but the bulk of our study is focused on the Heian period through the Tokugawa Shogunate (roughly 700s to 1800s). We study the maps, learn the history, debate the politics, and even play a Risk-like game about the warring states period. The kids LOVE the game, and we manage to tie all the other pieces of instruction to it through rewards and punishments of rice. The kids are broken into castle groups, and their goal is to take over the all other castles and become shogun of all Japan. We have a huge map of the provinces on the wall with color-coded pushpins to represent armies. Rice is the primary currency, and the kids are constantly looking for ways to get more so they can expand their armies. This week, one opportunity to earn extra rice came with our study of haiku poetry. We have a section in our textbook explaining the form and giving some famous examples by Basho. We went through this section carefully, and then they had the chance to earn extra rice by writing and performing their own Haiku. They should be 5 7 5 and they should be at least sort of about nature. Here are a few examples (some are better than others:

Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
The leaves of autumn look red
men fall the same way

Blue skies are the best
We can see the sea from here
We love the sand dunes

Horses thunder down
soldiers fall like raindrops
Horses wander free

Butterflies flutter
I see the sun shine on me
Breezes flutter too

Talent Show

Last Friday was the annual school talent show. We had 23 acts all told, and it took more than two hours of sitting in the bleachers to get through them all. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun time for everyone, but the bleachers do get sort of hard after a while. Still, we had a good time, and the kids cheered and clapped for each other all the way through.

We started out with a tiny little sixth grade boy who did sound effects. We got the squeaky door, the jungle scene, the train engine, and a few others. He was pretty good for an amateur, and the audience was completely silent (a real mark of respect for a middle school crowd) for the performance.

Another great act was a group of three students who played a classical composition for three violins. Given that our school often ranks #1 in the state for middle school orchestra programs, it was surprising to no one that they were really good. It's really impressive the way they always look so serious and dedicated when they perform. I am reminded once again why music is good for the whole kid.

There were, of course, a few of the more "challenging" (to borrow the phrase from R) performances. There were several pairs of girls who chose to sing veeeeery high-pitched songs that were really not within a range they could comfortably manage. We did actually have to cover our ears on one song when the performer went for a high, high note. One girl did sing a show tune wearing a fabulous white wedding dress ('80s?) and you just had to give her credit for, I don't know, gumption? Then again, any kid who will get up in front of 1000 of their peers deserves some credit.

By far the crowd favorite was a boy who solved a rubik's cube. He first asked someone else to randomize it for him, and then he proceeded to solve it in 1 minute 12 seconds. The audience went absolutely bonkers. Rubik's cubes have fallen so far out of fashion that many kids aren't really familiar with them. This was a truly amazing feat as far as they were concerned. They cheered, they clapped, they yelled. I am fairly certain that the solver will not ever forget that experience.

It was definitely one of the better shows we've had here at school, but I think I may still have a flat place on my bottom.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mothers' Day to all the mothers out there. Someone once said that mothers are the people (or at least they should be the people) who cheer you on and tell you your wonderful even when the rest of the world is unimpressed.

Julia Sweeney

Note: I have tried for a week to write this post. I almost just gave up because the thing was just not coming together. However, I really, REALLY loved this show, and I really wanted mention it. Therefore, sorry for the quality (and the rambling) but at least it's here.


Have you ever had that experience where you have an idea in your head and it makes perfect sense, but when you try to explain it to another person it just comes out as nonsensical babble? Perhaps not (depending on your level of elocution) but it happens to me fairly often. Now, I know what you're thinking, a teacher should be clear at all times. In the classroom I do a pretty good job on that, but when it comes to more esoteric topics, I often have trouble laying things out clearly. That is why I was so excited by the things Julia Sweeney had to say in her show "Letting Go of God."

When we first saw the ad for a show by Julia Sweeney (of Saturday Night Live fame) and Ira Glass (of NPR fame) we thought it sounded like an interesting combination, so we bought tickets without really knowing what we might get. What we did get was a very intelligent and also hilarious look at Julia's struggle with religion and spirituality. I have seriously tried several times to write a summary of her show, but it just isn't happening. Her timing and delivery were such an integral part of things that it just doesn't seem to work in text form (or maybe I'm just a lame writer) Suffice it to say that she illustrated her true and honest attempt to have deep faith, but she could never quite get past her own doubt. Blind faith turned out to be really hard to maintain when she took a good, hard look at the things she was being asked to believe. When this show comes out on DVD (in June?) I would highly recommend it to anyone who has ever been troubled by these kinds of doubts.

In the end, this show took my opinions about religion, summed them up, cleanly refuted any opposition through careful research, and then added perfect comic timing, and bitingly funny commentary. It was a beautiful experience. Now if only she would do the same for my views on politics, relationships, the environment, food, child rearing, school funding, health and fitness, textbook selection, the economy...

The Promise

On Sunday a friend of ours organized a trip to see the new Chinese movie The Promise. Reviews for the movie were mixed, but since it looked so beautiful we were excited to see it for ourselves. I was definitely not disappointed. Costumes, sets, cinematography, actors- everything was lovely in the extreme. Add to that, it was a fairytale, and you have something I enjoyed very much. My particular favorites were the sea goddess (be sure to notice her floating crown) and the fighting scene around the bird screens (if you see the movie you'll know what I mean). Some people complained that the computer-generated graphics were not convincing, but I really was not bothered much about that. Some reviewers actually complained that the fighting and some other elements were not realistic enough which I thought was pretty laughable. You would think the frequent use of magic and the superhuman strength would tip people off to the fact that the story is supposed to be just a wee bit outside the normal boundaries of reality.

Book Committee Redux

Yesterday was a VERY good day. Be warned, I am about to shamelessly toot my own horn.

Some people may be familiar with my other book committee experience (Shot Down and Pissed Off) and may remember that it was not a happy one. To sum up, I was the lone hold-out against the favored social studies text book, and I lost out to the crowd. However, I was not about to let that scare me off of the rest of the committee work (that would be letting them win!). Therefore, I signed up for novel selection committee as well.

While the social studies textbook committee took almost an entire year and much piloting to make a choice, the novels were given barely two months of consideration. This turned out to be a very good thing for me because I came to the first meeting with a list of books I thought we could use. No one else was prepared for things to move so quickly, so my selections formed the core of our candidate list. We did all go away and read the books on the list, and then, yesterday, we got back together to come to a decision.

Now the only sticking points were a few people who wanted to include science fiction (Hello! We're supposed to connect to the history curriculum. You know, the stuff from 600 to 1600!) and the people who wanted to bring an existing book down from the gifted program. The first group were dealt with pretty easily since they wanted something that clearly didn't fit with our goals (that didn't stop them last time, but in this case things were more clear cut). The second group were a little tougher to quell. They wanted to take a book that we currently teach in the gifted program and assign it to all students. I said that we should not do this because the book was too hard for the average kid. However, I could not back up my claims based on reading level alone because this book scored a 7 on the standard level test (about 7th grade level) just like one of the books I suggested. Once again, I came prepared.

It turns out that the reading level given for most books assesses only the complexity of sentences and vocabulary. Thus, a book with a very complicated plot can get a low score just because it uses small words and simple sentences. Knowing this, and with the help of our librarian, a few of us from my school managed to find another scoring system (you can find it on Amazon.com under "concordance") that takes other factors into account. Using this scoring system we discovered that the book from the gifted class scored a 9.3 (about ninth grade level) while the book I suggested scored a (wait for it!) 6.8! What do you know! Objections cleared, we were ready to move on.

My main goal for this committee was to get at least three decent books on the required list. In the end, we managed to agree on FOUR. Remember, it is tough to find books that suit our particular corner of world history (the world from 600-1600 minus North America, but also Washington state history). While these are not the best books I've ever read, they are at least decent which is more than I can say for some books I've taught. I am quite pleased with the combination of literary quality, historical content, and readability. In the end we chose Ghost Canoe, Catherine, Called Birdy, Beduins' Gazelle (spelled that way for some reason), and The Kite Rider. Now all we have to do is figure out how we want to go about teaching them next year.

Tazo

Some web designer (or several) out there deserves an award. One of my favorite mainstream (as opposed to boutique or specialty) tea companies is Tazo of Portland. Imagine my pleasure when I happened across the official Tazo website. Imagine my even greater pleasure when I discover that this is one cute website. Take some time, learn about the teas (my favorites are Citron, Awake, and Passion) and be absolutely sure to have your leaves read by THE GREAT ORACLE. Just make sure you have the sound on so you can appreciate his own special language.

Formatting

Yes. I admit it. I fight with blogger over formatting all the time. Sometimes I win, and sometimes I don't. What can I say. I appologize for all the bumps in the road.

The Wonders of Pittsburgh

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we recently went to visit my younger brother at his university in Pittsburgh. We really enjoyed the trip, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Pittsburgh is really a pretty interesting place. One of the best parts about it is that it used to be a hub for the steel industry. Now steel itself is not very interesting, but the huge amounts of money produced by the industry did lead to some very good things. In the past, when a town was filled to the gills with the super-rich, charity was a natural outcome. Pittsburgh is the lucky recipient of two universities, many parks and gardens, museums, music venues, libraries, and at least one fantastically detailed dinosaur statue.

After the dinosaur, one of the more striking examples of philanthropic fervor is on the University of Pittsburgh campus. The Cathedral of Learning was built in the early part of the 1900s to look like a cross between a medieval church and a castle. It features some very elaborate stone carving, beautiful stained glass windows, and many perfectly medieval details. One visitor summed it up by saying that Harry Potter could have been filmed inside. In keeping with the castle theme, the interior features two huge fireplaces, a massive common room with vaulted ceilings, and several giant wooden thrones. As far as we are concerned, my little brother is the king of Pitt (hey, we hardly know anyone else there) so we made him sit in the throne and look regal. I think it is especially funny that his shirt says "ego" (his shirt really says Oregon, but happenstance made it funnier) because he does get a little bit of a big head sometimes. Who would have thought that my round baby brother would turn out to be brilliant and handsome :) Anyway, if you ever get to Pittsburgh be sure to visit the Cathedral of Learning. It's both strange and cool enough to be well worth the trip.

Botanical Garden

Last Friday we went to the Botanical garden with some friends. Being a garden fanatic, I love to visit this place. One or two visits a year will not cut it either because the garden changes SO much over just a few weeks. During the spring and summer I try to fit in a visit at least once a month. On this trip we saw how the spring flowers are really starting to pass off and the summer buds are just beginning. In other words, goodbye tulips and daffodils, hello marigolds and roses. The pics below are just a very few of the lovely ones we got on this visit. We also have a great one of geeks beneath a tree. M is doing is best to look really regal and intelligent.

Locked Down

Friday was supposed to be the day when we got back to normal after the end of WOSL. We were going to take it easy, watch a movie, and have a cookie to celebrate. By 8:30 in the morning we were laying on the classroom floor in the dark. The doors were locked, the blinds pulled, and we were doing our best to keep silent. We'd been locked down by the principal and we had absolutely no idea why. The whole idea of locking down a school comes out of the very few and very famous incidents of school violence that have taken place in the last decade. Columbine, Springfield, and others have done much to change the view of school security. Now, whenever the smallest thing happens, schools get locked down "just to be on the safe side." Of course, laying there on the floor we had no clue as to what might be happening. Was there a danger IN the school, or just some concern in the community? The kids (and I) really wanted to know why, but it is hard to get news from that position. The hardest part was that the kids were not remotely afraid. If they had been afraid they might have huddled quietly, hoping to avoid detection, in the corner. As it was, they thought this was some sort of amusing game, and then as time went by, some sort of mean joke. They were NOT good at being quiet, and they did NOT want to stay on the floor. Then again, it was tough to blame them as the time dragged on.

For the first 45 minutes or so, we played telephone as quietly as possible, next we tried pass around conversations (on paper and pencil), then we played connect the dots in pairs, and finally we started "toss the question." In the middle of all this the kids would ask me repeatedly if I knew anything, how long I thought it might last, and what they could do to amuse themselves. In the beginning, one girl asked why we had to lay on the floor in the dark. This girl has participated in many drills over the course of the year, so she should know this already. However, I gathered together my patience and explained that this was the school's way of keeping us safe just in case something dangerous might be out there. They all seemed to accept this, and we went on trying to be quiet. A little while later, another kid crawled over to me to ask if we would still be going to lunch on time. Again, I gathered my patience and explained that unless the lock down were over, we wouldn't be going to lunch on time because standing up and walking down to the lunchroom would, you know, defeat the purpose of the lockdown. This news caused furious whispering and many complaints of imminent starvation. Eventually, however, I got them quieted down with promises of left-over cheezits at lunchtime. Some time during the third hour, another child raised his had and asked "Miss L when it gets to be 2:06 (the normal end of the day) they will let us go home won't they?" I counted to ten before answering.

Finally, almost three hours after we went into lockdown, we were allowed to sit up and watch a video instead of lying on the floor. Officially we hadn't been released, but the police were confident enough to allow some flexibility. I handed out cheezits and cookies when lunchtime rolled around. Then, almost four hours into the whole thing they finally declared the lockdown over, and we could return to what was left of our normal school day (including full lunch by the way). Why, might you ask, did we have to do all this? Because a man, a grown man, decided to wander up and down the road outside school waving what appeared to be a rifle. They never found the man, but his "rifle" was actually three soda bottles taped together and painted black. If they find him, I think his punishment should be to lie on the floor in the dark for four hours times 982 for all the people who were forced to be part of his "prank."