Once a month, or so, I have lunch with a few of my former teaching colleagues...
we "catch up", complain, share our joys and sorrows...
sort of a "Band of Sisters", who have "shed their blood with me..."
[apologies to W.S.]
Only those who have passed through the "fire" together, as we have...
can really understand the bond that such adversity constructs...
Two of us were there in the "good old days"...
the kids were different then...
more respectful of others and themselves...
They seemed to not only enjoy being at school, for the most part,
but also had a better opinion of the school and treated it properly...
One of our group, came on board only a bit later,
and also knew some "good" days...
When the staff, as well as parents and students,
worked together for every ones benefit...
One of our group joined us during my last year as a teacher...
We two "old timers" and she were half of the 8th grade English Department.
We had "fun", despite the mind-numbingly endless-seeming,
series of meetings, district regulations, state testing,
abusive administrators,"rotten kids" and pacing guides
[that taught material 2 months after the district benchmark testing on it]...
So after I retired, every one scattered..
one went to a district high school,
one went to another district middle school
and ultimately, the Bay Area...
one went to a neighboring district,
but stayed with middle school...
and, we became the FFers...
[it's Former F*******ers
or F******* Flee-ers,
depends on the mood...]
We have occasionally been joined
by other former colleagues,
but, mostly it's the 4 of us...
two and a half years later,
and we're still complaining about the same things...
Kids who increasingly "don't care",
parents, who seem to have less and less influence
or control over their child...
Administrators who are brutish and heavy-handed,
because they can get away with it...
and school districts who are under so much pressure,
that details that are crucial, get lost...
One friends' school district requires a benchmark test
to be given before Christmas...SOP...
However, it was noted the year before that some of the material on the test,
would not be covered until February, per the "district pacing guide",
which must be followed...
complaints were made, and noted...
So this year the test arrives, and is exactly the same...and so is the pacing guide...
no one thought it was important enough to fix since last year...
I wish I could chalk this up to "an isolated incident", but it's not...
Before I retired, I saw this kind of carelessness happen an increasing number of times at my school...
and it happens most places, because the Federal NCLB regulations
and the subsequent state "reactions", have so intimidated and over-taxed districts,
that many capable people have gotten fed-up and retired or quit,
leaving, in many cases, much less-experienced people,
often with very little actual classroom experience, in charge...
Some try hard and make a dent, but many are over-matched and give up quickly...
unfortunately, as with all parts of society, education attracts its' share
of incapable, even negligent or lazy individuals, who pillage the system for their own benefit,
bullying, intimidating and destroying the very schools they were charged to protect and serve...
As I listen to my friends tell "the same old stuff" again and again...
I'm so glad I got out when I did...
I used to think that if there was one more minute of brain-deadening
staff meeting, staff "development", department meetings, testing training
[with signed affidavits,please] ....in my life...
ARGH !!!!!
I remember the look on a kids' face when he or she "got it"...
the look of confidence gained in music, art, wood shop, sports...
the relief when you gave them "one more chance" to raise their grade,
the total look of satisfaction when that extra work or "owed" assignment
was turned-in, at the last minute...
it didn't matter that I had a huge pile of make-up work to go through,
it only mattered that some kid felt better about them self, for having done "the right thing"...
Now, they have given up...there are no electives to look forward to...
no concert or game to get ready for...
just an endless procession of homework, tests
and for many, failure and dropping out...
School has become the place they go only to see their friends
or to avoid "trouble" from parents, social workers or a court officer...
for too many, just a prelude to a life, paid for by taxpayers...
instead of the life, filled with promise, purpose and fulfillment
that they might have found within their grasp, with some effort...
All my friends have years to go before joining me in the retired category,
and we will continue to meet for lunch, laugh, talk trash and complain...
It would be nice to live long enough to be able to say, along with them...
"That's what we used to do, it always worked...why did they change it ?"
and be pleased once more, that for many more kids, life can be happy and productive...
...the way it used to be...
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
...the best is yet to come...
...this was a glorious, spectacularly sunny,
late autumn day in No Cal...
the previous days' winter storm with it's darkness,
driving rain and high winds ...gone...
gone, like many of the leaves which now litter the ground,
instead of "hanging on" to the Sycamore trees for dear life,
as they were doing, just a couple of days ago...
If you look to the mountains,
the massive gathering of clouds tells you
that snow is still falling there,
but here...the storm has passed...
The rain pelted away the grime
of the long dry summer and early fall,
leaving behind a shiny, newly polished world
with bright blue skies...
the angle of the late autumn sunlight
making all things glow...
Blustery winds that ebb and flow,
chase fallen leaves to the curb and across the street,
bringing forth a symphony of wind chimes
from back yard and front porch,
only occasionally interrupted by the honking
of the late migrating geese,
who feel they have, perhaps, lingered here too long
and now continue on their way...
As I ran errands, being out & about,
in the invigorating, gleaming day,
but stuck inside my car, the grocery store,
the chiropractors' office,the cleaners...
I looked ahead to the walk I would enjoy through my neighborhood,
which is well-established
and has many cool older bungalows and houses to delight my eye,
as well as the Japanese maples,
Chinese pistaschios and liquid amber trees
who, even after the storm, retain their crown of glory...
the deep reds, yellow-oranges, coppery reds, burnished yellows...
are all the more stunning,
for the thorough cleaning that the storm provided...
But my plans were hijacked, along the way...
and the planned, afternoon walk was delayed
and finally, not to be...
As I watched the red streaks leave the sky
and the darkness wrap itself around my backyard...
I hurried to finish my tasks,
determined to catch some glimmer of the day
that had been so perfect...
I finally stepped out into the deepening gloom,
pulled the collar of my jacket around my neck,
against the now, cold wind...
and I started my walk...
Down a darkening street, the headlights of commuters,
hurrying home, in the distance...
The trees and sky, once radiant,
now dull and thickening with the night...
No stars yet, but street lamps are on...
the old fashioned kind that look like something out of England...
I spy a cat across the quiet street,
making its' rounds before dinner...
but not much else...and then, I see it...
as I come around one of the quaint curves, there it is...
illuminated by the street lamp it towers over,
a liquid amber tree,
an intense golden-orange, with some red...
it is in what would be,
the shadow of a much larger tree, during the daylight,
and even though it would have been colorful and pretty then,
now, in the spotlight of the street lamp,
surrounded by gathering darkness,
it is breath-taking !
I realized that I had been standing there,
transfixed by the beauty of this sight...
I blinked my eyes and continued on...
as I rounded the final corner and head back
down my street towards my house,
it is now fully dark...
Christmas lights twinkle, headlights flash in the distance,
lights in houses, beckon...
calling me inside, out of the cold chill,
to evenings' pleasures and it's chores
and to ponder the greatness of a creator
who gifted me all day with such beauty,
only to crown it with a surprise I could never have expected...
After I had given up the idea, of walking in the splendor,
but went walking anyway,
that's when I saw the most awesome sight
of the entire, spectacular day...
Praise be to God, the Giver of all good gifts...
late autumn day in No Cal...
the previous days' winter storm with it's darkness,
driving rain and high winds ...gone...
gone, like many of the leaves which now litter the ground,
instead of "hanging on" to the Sycamore trees for dear life,
as they were doing, just a couple of days ago...
If you look to the mountains,
the massive gathering of clouds tells you
that snow is still falling there,
but here...the storm has passed...
The rain pelted away the grime
of the long dry summer and early fall,
leaving behind a shiny, newly polished world
with bright blue skies...
the angle of the late autumn sunlight
making all things glow...
Blustery winds that ebb and flow,
chase fallen leaves to the curb and across the street,
bringing forth a symphony of wind chimes
from back yard and front porch,
only occasionally interrupted by the honking
of the late migrating geese,
who feel they have, perhaps, lingered here too long
and now continue on their way...
As I ran errands, being out & about,
in the invigorating, gleaming day,
but stuck inside my car, the grocery store,
the chiropractors' office,the cleaners...
I looked ahead to the walk I would enjoy through my neighborhood,
which is well-established
and has many cool older bungalows and houses to delight my eye,
as well as the Japanese maples,
Chinese pistaschios and liquid amber trees
who, even after the storm, retain their crown of glory...
the deep reds, yellow-oranges, coppery reds, burnished yellows...
are all the more stunning,
for the thorough cleaning that the storm provided...
But my plans were hijacked, along the way...
and the planned, afternoon walk was delayed
and finally, not to be...
As I watched the red streaks leave the sky
and the darkness wrap itself around my backyard...
I hurried to finish my tasks,
determined to catch some glimmer of the day
that had been so perfect...
I finally stepped out into the deepening gloom,
pulled the collar of my jacket around my neck,
against the now, cold wind...
and I started my walk...
Down a darkening street, the headlights of commuters,
hurrying home, in the distance...
The trees and sky, once radiant,
now dull and thickening with the night...
No stars yet, but street lamps are on...
the old fashioned kind that look like something out of England...
I spy a cat across the quiet street,
making its' rounds before dinner...
but not much else...and then, I see it...
as I come around one of the quaint curves, there it is...
illuminated by the street lamp it towers over,
a liquid amber tree,
an intense golden-orange, with some red...
it is in what would be,
the shadow of a much larger tree, during the daylight,
and even though it would have been colorful and pretty then,
now, in the spotlight of the street lamp,
surrounded by gathering darkness,
it is breath-taking !
I realized that I had been standing there,
transfixed by the beauty of this sight...
I blinked my eyes and continued on...
as I rounded the final corner and head back
down my street towards my house,
it is now fully dark...
Christmas lights twinkle, headlights flash in the distance,
lights in houses, beckon...
calling me inside, out of the cold chill,
to evenings' pleasures and it's chores
and to ponder the greatness of a creator
who gifted me all day with such beauty,
only to crown it with a surprise I could never have expected...
After I had given up the idea, of walking in the splendor,
but went walking anyway,
that's when I saw the most awesome sight
of the entire, spectacular day...
Praise be to God, the Giver of all good gifts...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
...quick, before I forget, more about, ME ...
....I saw the original road company production of both "Hair" and "Jesus Christ, Superstar", in SF, in the 60's
....Hair was a happening...groovy, man...
.... JC,Superstar was life changing.....I still get "tingles"....
....I have known a "number" of cats in my life...6943 is a number, not the right one, but a number...
....I have a weakness for Greek food, with Mexican showing up strong too...
....a looong time ago, Kareem Abdul Jaabar stepped on my foot...
this was "money" when I taught jr high boys in the late 80's "...
....a H.S. classmate of mine was on the same USC team as OJ Simpson...Freddie was a fullback....this used to be "money" too, before OJ went on his white Bronco ride...
....Freddie was fortunate, several other classmates of ours came home from Viet Nam in boxes....
....I used to play "Taps" at local military funerals in H.S.for the V.F.W. [ Viet Nam was 'heating up' ]...
a cadet unit would fire the gun salute...my friend, Santos was the ranking cadet officer for the squad and a fellow band member, he played tuba...
....after I went off to college, Santos joined the Army, he was one of those who came home in a box... I don't think I could have played for that one...
....a few years ago, we lost a dear friend and chorister at the church...at her service, the choir circled her casket and sang...that was hard too,,,
....last summer, I bought a niche in the columbarium at the church, it's nice to know where I'll be...
....Mom had a grave site all set with a stone engraved for both she and Dad, everything but her death date...
....She had her picture taken by it.... now you can, perhaps, better understand my weird sense of humor...it's probably heredity...
....I believe that everything happens for a reason...if God is in control of your life...
....other than under those circumstances, that "saying" has no point of reference that makes sense to me....
....in 1977, I toured with a Christian musical ministry,
"Continental Singers"...the ministry continues today...
....I was gone almost 3 months across the US, through France, East & West Germany, [ 1977,Cold War...] , Poland and Holland...
....I was very briefly in East Berlin....[on the underground train]
....we sat for hours, surrounded by machine guns and barbed wire, while our bus was searched and passports were checked...6 separate times...[in & out of : East Germany, West Berlin & Poland]
....entering East Germany, a large soldier with an AK 47 strapped to his back and a very large German shepherd dog, on a short leash, boarded our bus, walked up and down the aisle and pawed through our belongings, looking for contraband...
....this happened in a small "courtyard", surrounded by 20 ft concrete walls with barbed wire and machine gun emplacements in every corner...[this was NOT a "photo op" moment...]
....one night in Poland, a few of us girls slept on bags of straw...[rolling over was painful...]
....most of the guys slept on straw too, in the barn, with the cows...
....food was in short supply during our 4 days in Poland...most of us girls gave our meager rations to the guys, but even then it was less food than a regular McDonalds hamburger...
....since we stayed with families under most circumstances, feeding us was a real sacrifice for them...
....because of this situation, we were "treated" to a gourmet meal [by their standards] at a restaurant one evening...
....they were not "regular" portions by any standards we were used to, but it was twice as much as the Polish people usually had for a meal...
....there was a mystery meat "cutlet" [probably pork], potatoes & cabbage...
....and dill pickle soup [big chunks of pickle, "swimming" in a milky sauce]...I passed on that....
....in Urk, a Dutch fishing village on an island, we would be offered smoked eel [the local delight]...I managed to avoid that too...
....did I mention that the smoked eels were about 10 inches long and were whole ? [eye, spiny fins, teeth...]
....I'll never forget the hundreds of young people in Poland, many of whom walked 20 miles through the mountains to see one of our concerts...
....I'll also never forget the sound of a couple of hundred Dutch fishermen, singing hymns with full throated zeal, during their Sunday services...
....I know I'll never forget Auschwitz, we went through it one afternoon...
....the Russians , who liberated it, hated the Nazis, so they left as much of the horribleness as possible...
....there was a room, behind glass, floor to ceiling.....
just hair...piles of it... all of it, bluish grey...
braids, long and wavy, short ,curly...
cut from the heads of victims of the gas chambers and saved to stuff mattresses...
....the gas chambers had marks in the concrete where people clawed to get out...
the ovens were barricaded with flowers...some fresh...some withered...
....and pictures...I looked up at one of a train being unloaded, people being herded to their death...and one young girl was looking at the camera...we made "eye contact" across the decades, and as I wondered how she must have felt, a group of tourists moved quickly through... being caught up , I was herded, despite my efforts to get away, along with them, into the gas chamber...panicking, I made for the nearest exit...it was the oven room...
.... when I returned to the Chicago area after tour, the Neo Nazis were planning a march through an area that had about 8ooo Holocaust survivors...after being at Auchwicz, I had no choice...I had to join the effort to keep the Neo Nazis away from there...we were successful...they chose to march on the South Side instead and got beaten up by angry African American residents there...
....traveling across the US, things were usually less dramatic ...
....the church potluck was our usual dinner...
....mac & cheese, Kentucky Fried Whatever, chili mac, green bean casserole, tamale pie, jello mold, mystery casserole, ah , indigestion...
....of course, there was that night in Texas when we had barbeque...whooey, that was good...
....and the home made peach ice cream in Georgia...
....and that night in Mississippi, when a tornado missed our church by about a half mile....
....and the canoe ride, down a wild river near St Louis that took us through country that looked like "Deliverance"...
....that evenings' concert was performed by about 40 extremely sun-burned individuals...
....during this tour, I developed the ability to get on a bus and be asleep within minutes...very handy then...
....later, as a jr high music teacher, who often went places with a whole lot of kids, on buses, I would quickly learn to "break" that habit...self-preservation...
....I was closer to that group of people on that tour then, than I have been, with any other group, at any other time in my life, until recently...
....I never expected to find that "Heaven on Earth" again...at least not on "this side"...
....I'm excited for the journey, grateful for the "second chance" and humbled by the unending power of the God who brought us all here for this adventure...
....Hair was a happening...groovy, man...
.... JC,Superstar was life changing.....I still get "tingles"....
....I have known a "number" of cats in my life...6943 is a number, not the right one, but a number...
....I have a weakness for Greek food, with Mexican showing up strong too...
....a looong time ago, Kareem Abdul Jaabar stepped on my foot...
this was "money" when I taught jr high boys in the late 80's "...
....a H.S. classmate of mine was on the same USC team as OJ Simpson...Freddie was a fullback....this used to be "money" too, before OJ went on his white Bronco ride...
....Freddie was fortunate, several other classmates of ours came home from Viet Nam in boxes....
....I used to play "Taps" at local military funerals in H.S.for the V.F.W. [ Viet Nam was 'heating up' ]...
a cadet unit would fire the gun salute...my friend, Santos was the ranking cadet officer for the squad and a fellow band member, he played tuba...
....after I went off to college, Santos joined the Army, he was one of those who came home in a box... I don't think I could have played for that one...
....a few years ago, we lost a dear friend and chorister at the church...at her service, the choir circled her casket and sang...that was hard too,,,
....last summer, I bought a niche in the columbarium at the church, it's nice to know where I'll be...
....Mom had a grave site all set with a stone engraved for both she and Dad, everything but her death date...
....She had her picture taken by it.... now you can, perhaps, better understand my weird sense of humor...it's probably heredity...
....I believe that everything happens for a reason...if God is in control of your life...
....other than under those circumstances, that "saying" has no point of reference that makes sense to me....
....in 1977, I toured with a Christian musical ministry,
"Continental Singers"...the ministry continues today...
....I was gone almost 3 months across the US, through France, East & West Germany, [ 1977,Cold War...] , Poland and Holland...
....I was very briefly in East Berlin....[on the underground train]
....we sat for hours, surrounded by machine guns and barbed wire, while our bus was searched and passports were checked...6 separate times...[in & out of : East Germany, West Berlin & Poland]
....entering East Germany, a large soldier with an AK 47 strapped to his back and a very large German shepherd dog, on a short leash, boarded our bus, walked up and down the aisle and pawed through our belongings, looking for contraband...
....this happened in a small "courtyard", surrounded by 20 ft concrete walls with barbed wire and machine gun emplacements in every corner...[this was NOT a "photo op" moment...]
....one night in Poland, a few of us girls slept on bags of straw...[rolling over was painful...]
....most of the guys slept on straw too, in the barn, with the cows...
....food was in short supply during our 4 days in Poland...most of us girls gave our meager rations to the guys, but even then it was less food than a regular McDonalds hamburger...
....since we stayed with families under most circumstances, feeding us was a real sacrifice for them...
....because of this situation, we were "treated" to a gourmet meal [by their standards] at a restaurant one evening...
....they were not "regular" portions by any standards we were used to, but it was twice as much as the Polish people usually had for a meal...
....there was a mystery meat "cutlet" [probably pork], potatoes & cabbage...
....and dill pickle soup [big chunks of pickle, "swimming" in a milky sauce]...I passed on that....
....in Urk, a Dutch fishing village on an island, we would be offered smoked eel [the local delight]...I managed to avoid that too...
....did I mention that the smoked eels were about 10 inches long and were whole ? [eye, spiny fins, teeth...]
....I'll never forget the hundreds of young people in Poland, many of whom walked 20 miles through the mountains to see one of our concerts...
....I'll also never forget the sound of a couple of hundred Dutch fishermen, singing hymns with full throated zeal, during their Sunday services...
....I know I'll never forget Auschwitz, we went through it one afternoon...
....the Russians , who liberated it, hated the Nazis, so they left as much of the horribleness as possible...
....there was a room, behind glass, floor to ceiling.....
just hair...piles of it... all of it, bluish grey...
braids, long and wavy, short ,curly...
cut from the heads of victims of the gas chambers and saved to stuff mattresses...
....the gas chambers had marks in the concrete where people clawed to get out...
the ovens were barricaded with flowers...some fresh...some withered...
....and pictures...I looked up at one of a train being unloaded, people being herded to their death...and one young girl was looking at the camera...we made "eye contact" across the decades, and as I wondered how she must have felt, a group of tourists moved quickly through... being caught up , I was herded, despite my efforts to get away, along with them, into the gas chamber...panicking, I made for the nearest exit...it was the oven room...
.... when I returned to the Chicago area after tour, the Neo Nazis were planning a march through an area that had about 8ooo Holocaust survivors...after being at Auchwicz, I had no choice...I had to join the effort to keep the Neo Nazis away from there...we were successful...they chose to march on the South Side instead and got beaten up by angry African American residents there...
....traveling across the US, things were usually less dramatic ...
....the church potluck was our usual dinner...
....mac & cheese, Kentucky Fried Whatever, chili mac, green bean casserole, tamale pie, jello mold, mystery casserole, ah , indigestion...
....of course, there was that night in Texas when we had barbeque...whooey, that was good...
....and the home made peach ice cream in Georgia...
....and that night in Mississippi, when a tornado missed our church by about a half mile....
....and the canoe ride, down a wild river near St Louis that took us through country that looked like "Deliverance"...
....that evenings' concert was performed by about 40 extremely sun-burned individuals...
....during this tour, I developed the ability to get on a bus and be asleep within minutes...very handy then...
....later, as a jr high music teacher, who often went places with a whole lot of kids, on buses, I would quickly learn to "break" that habit...self-preservation...
....I was closer to that group of people on that tour then, than I have been, with any other group, at any other time in my life, until recently...
....I never expected to find that "Heaven on Earth" again...at least not on "this side"...
....I'm excited for the journey, grateful for the "second chance" and humbled by the unending power of the God who brought us all here for this adventure...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
..."lives with cats..."
Early Native Americans had the right idea...
give a person the name they earn
by the way they live or who they are...
Can you just imagine how easy
getting to know someone might be
if their name was so "telling"...
so revealing... ?
"pain in the neck', your boss,
wouldn't even have to pretend to be nice...
and "can't keep a secret" would be,
always, out of touch... [if you're smart...]
that adrenalin junkie friend of yours,
was pegged early on as "runs with scissors"
while a late bloomer might still be known as
"stays home alone"...
Instead of Who's on first,
What's on second, etc....
it would be "all hit, no arm" on first
with "scrappy slap hitter" on second...
Instead of calling my cat ,"Sneaky Pie",
it would have been... auh...
ummm.... hummm....uhh...
well, I guess not every theory is fool-proof....
give a person the name they earn
by the way they live or who they are...
Can you just imagine how easy
getting to know someone might be
if their name was so "telling"...
so revealing... ?
"pain in the neck', your boss,
wouldn't even have to pretend to be nice...
and "can't keep a secret" would be,
always, out of touch... [if you're smart...]
that adrenalin junkie friend of yours,
was pegged early on as "runs with scissors"
while a late bloomer might still be known as
"stays home alone"...
Instead of Who's on first,
What's on second, etc....
it would be "all hit, no arm" on first
with "scrappy slap hitter" on second...
Instead of calling my cat ,"Sneaky Pie",
it would have been... auh...
ummm.... hummm....uhh...
well, I guess not every theory is fool-proof....
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
...if I only had a brain...
...it's a start, and a good one at that...
the kitties behaved...well, for them...
pestering to be petted, wanting our lunch,
...the "usual stuff"....
I have always appreciated the "craftsperson" at work...
I watched "This Old House", to watch "Norm"...
during this episode of "the Money Pit", I have seen
several craftspersons at work on my house !
Today, it was even more special because my very dear friend,
Mz Minka was the crafty one to watch...
I do OK painting walls, but I get tired of details
[my new right brainedness {is that even a word ?...}]
The skilled artisan is ever vigilant for the details...
and, they say, "God, is in the details"...
well, the ceiling and walls of my "hall" look wonderful...
there are NO little white paw prints on my wood floors,
[ splatters, drips or spots either...]
Sneaky Pie did climb up the ladder behind Mz Minka,
but promptly left without causing a problem...
I have NO clue as to where the paint on Lacys' nose came from,
but we spotted it and "removed" it without turmoil or trauma...
Now, if only I could figure out how to get pictures
from my camera to my computer...
[ I need a USB 2 plug and I have only USB 1??? ]
oh, well, one of these days ...
on that note, I'll close...
I'm getting ready to watch the conclusion of "Tin Man" on TV...
I'm really enjoying this series and can't wait until it's available on DVD...
I'm not sure why I like the character "Glitch" [Scarecrow...] so much...
perhaps I identify with the momentary lapses... anyway, I think that's it...
I'm not sure.... perhaps it will "come" to me if I just relax....
Oh ! no, that's not it...hummm... oh, well...
Oh, look ! a kitty ! ....
the kitties behaved...well, for them...
pestering to be petted, wanting our lunch,
...the "usual stuff"....
I have always appreciated the "craftsperson" at work...
I watched "This Old House", to watch "Norm"...
during this episode of "the Money Pit", I have seen
several craftspersons at work on my house !
Today, it was even more special because my very dear friend,
Mz Minka was the crafty one to watch...
I do OK painting walls, but I get tired of details
[my new right brainedness {is that even a word ?...}]
The skilled artisan is ever vigilant for the details...
and, they say, "God, is in the details"...
well, the ceiling and walls of my "hall" look wonderful...
there are NO little white paw prints on my wood floors,
[ splatters, drips or spots either...]
Sneaky Pie did climb up the ladder behind Mz Minka,
but promptly left without causing a problem...
I have NO clue as to where the paint on Lacys' nose came from,
but we spotted it and "removed" it without turmoil or trauma...
Now, if only I could figure out how to get pictures
from my camera to my computer...
[ I need a USB 2 plug and I have only USB 1??? ]
oh, well, one of these days ...
on that note, I'll close...
I'm getting ready to watch the conclusion of "Tin Man" on TV...
I'm really enjoying this series and can't wait until it's available on DVD...
I'm not sure why I like the character "Glitch" [Scarecrow...] so much...
perhaps I identify with the momentary lapses... anyway, I think that's it...
I'm not sure.... perhaps it will "come" to me if I just relax....
Oh ! no, that's not it...hummm... oh, well...
Oh, look ! a kitty ! ....
Monday, December 3, 2007
...anticipation
...it's almost time...
I've been scheming for quite a while now, [years, in fact...]
about what to do regarding the obvious need to repaint my living/dining room...
color choices were childs' play compared to the actual preparing of the space for paint...
Since I've discussed paint selection and all that angst before
[Blog of 10/19, "...is red by any other name..."],
I'll skip that here...
The jumbled piles of Mom's stuff/my stuff/clutter etc have been moved from the rooms
[with thanks to J, Mz Minka & Mr. Greenthumb]
The boxes of furniture [ to be assembled] and household necessities have been "dealt with"...
[with thanks again, to the "usual suspects"...]
The walls, trim, woodwork and ceiling have been [mostly]
cleaned, scraped, sanded, spackled, patched, mended, re-sanded, wiped, primed and re-sanded...
The remaining "stuff" is stacked against one wall, "out of the way" [I hope...]
It's now "painting time"... and since J's still "on vacation",
Mz Minka will be adding "My Walls" to her already impressive portfolio...
[I realize some may not take me seriously, as I am so often snide, so to you I say, check-out "Gigi's Pastels" at Mz Minka's... it is quite impressive...]
ah, anticipation ...
the little painty paw prints running across my hardwood floors...
corraling the culprit and cleaning the paint off said "paws"...
all the while,being called ugly names in cat, getting scratched and bitten...
oh wonderful, now there's blood spatter on the freshly painted walls....
[hopefully not arterial spray...with apologies to Dr.Z ]
the fluffy cat tale, dripping with paint...
that accompanies it's owner to make a nest in the leather chair...
starting down the ladder and finding at least 3 cats sitting on the steps below you..
none of whom "wish" to move, even when encouraged...
trying to contain an entire, newly opened, $40.00 can of paint
that is spreading,quickly, over my hardwood floors...
"discouraging" feline participation in the "cleanup" of said paint spill...
I have a book..."Why Cats Paint" and "driving me crazy" is not in the text...
It is supposed to "fill a creative" need...
A form of "play", if you will...
Some of the cat "paintings" have sold for $$$
And yet, somehow, I just know that any similar activities around here will "cost me"...
Still, it is that tang of the yet unknown... the desire for improvement...
the "active" waiting period coming to a close...
it is "hope"... "the feathered thing that sits in your heart..." [apologies to E.D.]
and this is the time of year for it...
So I say, "bring it on, kitties !" ... Mz Minka and I are ready for you...
We know your ways, your stealth moves... and we are equal to them !
"We don't need no stinkin' dropcloths ! " [sorry, Bogey ...]...
well, I don't think we do...
I do have a couple of new dropcloths...[I threw the ones the cats peed-on away...they really stank...]
they are over there, by the giant bundle of paper towels...
and the "Goof-Off"...
next to the paint cleaner and the sponge mop & bucket...
no, under the masking tape...next to the wet/dry vac...
yeah, there... on top of that pile of rags...
I've been scheming for quite a while now, [years, in fact...]
about what to do regarding the obvious need to repaint my living/dining room...
color choices were childs' play compared to the actual preparing of the space for paint...
Since I've discussed paint selection and all that angst before
[Blog of 10/19, "...is red by any other name..."],
I'll skip that here...
The jumbled piles of Mom's stuff/my stuff/clutter etc have been moved from the rooms
[with thanks to J, Mz Minka & Mr. Greenthumb]
The boxes of furniture [ to be assembled] and household necessities have been "dealt with"...
[with thanks again, to the "usual suspects"...]
The walls, trim, woodwork and ceiling have been [mostly]
cleaned, scraped, sanded, spackled, patched, mended, re-sanded, wiped, primed and re-sanded...
The remaining "stuff" is stacked against one wall, "out of the way" [I hope...]
It's now "painting time"... and since J's still "on vacation",
Mz Minka will be adding "My Walls" to her already impressive portfolio...
[I realize some may not take me seriously, as I am so often snide, so to you I say, check-out "Gigi's Pastels" at Mz Minka's... it is quite impressive...]
ah, anticipation ...
the little painty paw prints running across my hardwood floors...
corraling the culprit and cleaning the paint off said "paws"...
all the while,being called ugly names in cat, getting scratched and bitten...
oh wonderful, now there's blood spatter on the freshly painted walls....
[hopefully not arterial spray...with apologies to Dr.Z ]
the fluffy cat tale, dripping with paint...
that accompanies it's owner to make a nest in the leather chair...
starting down the ladder and finding at least 3 cats sitting on the steps below you..
none of whom "wish" to move, even when encouraged...
trying to contain an entire, newly opened, $40.00 can of paint
that is spreading,quickly, over my hardwood floors...
"discouraging" feline participation in the "cleanup" of said paint spill...
I have a book..."Why Cats Paint" and "driving me crazy" is not in the text...
It is supposed to "fill a creative" need...
A form of "play", if you will...
Some of the cat "paintings" have sold for $$$
And yet, somehow, I just know that any similar activities around here will "cost me"...
Still, it is that tang of the yet unknown... the desire for improvement...
the "active" waiting period coming to a close...
it is "hope"... "the feathered thing that sits in your heart..." [apologies to E.D.]
and this is the time of year for it...
So I say, "bring it on, kitties !" ... Mz Minka and I are ready for you...
We know your ways, your stealth moves... and we are equal to them !
"We don't need no stinkin' dropcloths ! " [sorry, Bogey ...]...
well, I don't think we do...
I do have a couple of new dropcloths...[I threw the ones the cats peed-on away...they really stank...]
they are over there, by the giant bundle of paper towels...
and the "Goof-Off"...
next to the paint cleaner and the sponge mop & bucket...
no, under the masking tape...next to the wet/dry vac...
yeah, there... on top of that pile of rags...
Sunday, December 2, 2007
...some more "stuff about me" [because there is soooo much...
1... I am the oldest of 2 children...
2... I have a "younger" brother...
3... for those who care, I'm a Libra/Scorpio [cusp !] with Taurus rising
4... ditto,I am a "Rat" person, my number is 9, my coloring is "Autumn"
5... I can NOT stand black licorice... red ...eh...it's ok...
6... I consider any "organ" meat to be "cat food" [liver = YUCK ! ]
7... I like road trips and I can enjoy them alone...
8... I have had a couple of perfectly nice dogs...
9... I am currently "staff" for a collection of cats...
10...I prefer #9 to #8, which qualifies me for medication ASAP...
11...I once told my mom [ a long time ago...],"Someday, I'll have as many cats as I want , and you can't stop me !"[a VERY long time ago...]
12...Somewhere, right now, my mom is laughing at me....
13...I was the "Cat Lady" at my school...[NO !...] [ stop laughing Mz Minka...]
14...I still have some of the felines to prove it...
15...I believe every word of "The Impossible Dream"....[Man of La Mancha...]
16...Yes, I was in between my 1st 2 years of college,in No Cal, during "The Summer of Love"...I have the "60's" in my DNA...sigh...
17...No, I have never tried "drugs"...unless booze counts...[SoCo & root beer, ugly...]
18...We used to go to SF, cruise the Haight and laugh at the "freaks" and "Hippies"
19...I had a Navy surplus pea coat,bell-bottom,button fly jeans,desert boots,a black turtleneck and love beads,man !
20...I used to listen to LOUD Jefferson Airplane or Doors when I felt "edgy"
21...Most of the time, Simon & Garfunkle,We 5,Glenn Yarborough and Rod McKueon poetry, can you dig it ?
22...Incense & candles burning,strobing Acid Rock posters...beads, The Prophet[Gibran]...I did most everything but drugs...
23...Funny, I don't remember doing homework, must have...I have the degree and it doesn't say "Cracker Jack"...
24...No 'open dorm' then, definitely NO co-ed dorms...had to be in the dorm by midnight, no booze in the rooms,21 or not...
25...Yeah, that worked well...everyone, including me drank whatever, whenever and smoked like a smoke stack [cigarettes were $.25 a pack...]
26...Yeah...dinosaurs roamed the still cooling crust of the earth ["sorry " to all scientists for the obvious paradox...]
27...Oh, and...[I'm REALLY sorry about this,,,] gas was $.35 per gallon [for premium]
28...The Christmas season began after Thanksgiving, not in October as it does now...
29...I did NOT have a cat in the dorm...[verboten]
30...I did have a hamster [briefly, until he died from "hamster diesus fastus"...] also veboten , but easier to hide...
31...I tried computer dating...too many operating system incompatibilities...
32...I got my ears pierced in the dorm: ice,vodka and a big needle were "involved"...
33...Freezing my ears with the ice hurt REALLY bad...
34...So did the infection I got in my 'newly-pierced' ears...
35...I loved dangly earrings, until I noticed one of my teachers, an older lady, whose pierced ears looked like something from National Geographic...a cautionary tale for would be Hippies...
36...My first car was a '55 Chevy... I used it to get to music jobs as a sophomore... also the liquor store, ah, popularity !
37...I belong to a national music "fraternity" [then, sorority], Mu Phi Epsilon...
38...Also National Spurs [a service society] which may be defunct now...
39.. Because we got "PE" credit for it, a friend and I took, Individual fitness [ go to weight room, play with weights ], then we would go to the Burger Shop and have "individual fatness"...the 2nd one worked, the 1st one, not so much...
40...I used to make "Gregorian Chant" posters for my fellow musicians...I "ironed" the parchment to age it...if I wasn't careful, the vents on the steam iron would leave an "iron" print...not too authentic...
41...I used to do acrylic paintings of meadows with daisys, little kids and other Hippie crap...everyone "loved" them...
42...I would get these Hallmark-type books and copy the prints.... pure dreck
43...I went through a "collage" period...colored tissue paper, spray glue,magazine pages...big fun ! ...and SO "heavy"...man...
44...I used to know ALL the lyrics to ALL the songs from "Man of La Mancha" [ my most favorite "show", ever ! ]
45...I wore out the original Broadway Cast recording of # 44
46...I have played "in the pit" for "MoLM" 3 times along with what seems like 672 other musicals, 312 Operas & 47 Ballets...
47...I have played "The Nutcracker" [ ALL of it, not just the $%^$# suite] 97 times...want to hear page 13 ?
48...On stage, I was "Butterfly's" mother in the opera, Madama Butterfly in a Music From Bear Valley production...
49...I have also "played" trumpet for said opera, 15 times...at least...
50...My favorite line [in English]... " and your father ? " [trumpets : "da, da, dah "] "DEAD ! " ... cracks me up each time...
51...Most memorable performance of Butterfly ?...during a concert version: the first trumpet player got food poisoning and was off stage barfing during the final act...we passed the parts over and sight-read...
52...Most "interesting" performance...when I had food poisoning and kept from being "sick " until after the gig...
53...When I was in Chicago, I played a solo at a band concert, the music was in water-based ink...it rained...the notes ran...
54...I once turned a page during a performance to find the music upside down....
55...A horn player, during an orchestra concert, turned the page to find the inner pages missing...
56...She faked it, the conductor was pissed... he would have been really mad if she had stopped the performance....
57...I once "held" up a drunken horn player during a concert...
58...I have fallen asleep during looooong rests in concerts...I have never fallen out of my chair...
59...My stand light has "gone out" during a show, leaving me scrambling to find light before my next entry...
60...I played a rehearsal in an orchestra the day after having the top joint of my right thumb amputated...
61...I had a malignant melanoma under the thumb nail...I thought it was a nail fungus
62...I am a cancer survivor [March 2000 ]
63...I was always ambidextrous, but mainly right handed [ left brained ], Now I have become even more ambidextrous & right brained to boot...though I'm still mostly right handed... unless I need a thumb...
64...Necessity is the "mother" of adaption and now, I think more "outside" the box....
65...And I think that's it... for now...
2... I have a "younger" brother...
3... for those who care, I'm a Libra/Scorpio [cusp !] with Taurus rising
4... ditto,I am a "Rat" person, my number is 9, my coloring is "Autumn"
5... I can NOT stand black licorice... red ...eh...it's ok...
6... I consider any "organ" meat to be "cat food" [liver = YUCK ! ]
7... I like road trips and I can enjoy them alone...
8... I have had a couple of perfectly nice dogs...
9... I am currently "staff" for a collection of cats...
10...I prefer #9 to #8, which qualifies me for medication ASAP...
11...I once told my mom [ a long time ago...],"Someday, I'll have as many cats as I want , and you can't stop me !"[a VERY long time ago...]
12...Somewhere, right now, my mom is laughing at me....
13...I was the "Cat Lady" at my school...[NO !...] [ stop laughing Mz Minka...]
14...I still have some of the felines to prove it...
15...I believe every word of "The Impossible Dream"....[Man of La Mancha...]
16...Yes, I was in between my 1st 2 years of college,in No Cal, during "The Summer of Love"...I have the "60's" in my DNA...sigh...
17...No, I have never tried "drugs"...unless booze counts...[SoCo & root beer, ugly...]
18...We used to go to SF, cruise the Haight and laugh at the "freaks" and "Hippies"
19...I had a Navy surplus pea coat,bell-bottom,button fly jeans,desert boots,a black turtleneck and love beads,man !
20...I used to listen to LOUD Jefferson Airplane or Doors when I felt "edgy"
21...Most of the time, Simon & Garfunkle,We 5,Glenn Yarborough and Rod McKueon poetry, can you dig it ?
22...Incense & candles burning,strobing Acid Rock posters...beads, The Prophet[Gibran]...I did most everything but drugs...
23...Funny, I don't remember doing homework, must have...I have the degree and it doesn't say "Cracker Jack"...
24...No 'open dorm' then, definitely NO co-ed dorms...had to be in the dorm by midnight, no booze in the rooms,21 or not...
25...Yeah, that worked well...everyone, including me drank whatever, whenever and smoked like a smoke stack [cigarettes were $.25 a pack...]
26...Yeah...dinosaurs roamed the still cooling crust of the earth ["sorry " to all scientists for the obvious paradox...]
27...Oh, and...[I'm REALLY sorry about this,,,] gas was $.35 per gallon [for premium]
28...The Christmas season began after Thanksgiving, not in October as it does now...
29...I did NOT have a cat in the dorm...[verboten]
30...I did have a hamster [briefly, until he died from "hamster diesus fastus"...] also veboten , but easier to hide...
31...I tried computer dating...too many operating system incompatibilities...
32...I got my ears pierced in the dorm: ice,vodka and a big needle were "involved"...
33...Freezing my ears with the ice hurt REALLY bad...
34...So did the infection I got in my 'newly-pierced' ears...
35...I loved dangly earrings, until I noticed one of my teachers, an older lady, whose pierced ears looked like something from National Geographic...a cautionary tale for would be Hippies...
36...My first car was a '55 Chevy... I used it to get to music jobs as a sophomore... also the liquor store, ah, popularity !
37...I belong to a national music "fraternity" [then, sorority], Mu Phi Epsilon...
38...Also National Spurs [a service society] which may be defunct now...
39.. Because we got "PE" credit for it, a friend and I took, Individual fitness [ go to weight room, play with weights ], then we would go to the Burger Shop and have "individual fatness"...the 2nd one worked, the 1st one, not so much...
40...I used to make "Gregorian Chant" posters for my fellow musicians...I "ironed" the parchment to age it...if I wasn't careful, the vents on the steam iron would leave an "iron" print...not too authentic...
41...I used to do acrylic paintings of meadows with daisys, little kids and other Hippie crap...everyone "loved" them...
42...I would get these Hallmark-type books and copy the prints.... pure dreck
43...I went through a "collage" period...colored tissue paper, spray glue,magazine pages...big fun ! ...and SO "heavy"...man...
44...I used to know ALL the lyrics to ALL the songs from "Man of La Mancha" [ my most favorite "show", ever ! ]
45...I wore out the original Broadway Cast recording of # 44
46...I have played "in the pit" for "MoLM" 3 times along with what seems like 672 other musicals, 312 Operas & 47 Ballets...
47...I have played "The Nutcracker" [ ALL of it, not just the $%^$# suite] 97 times...want to hear page 13 ?
48...On stage, I was "Butterfly's" mother in the opera, Madama Butterfly in a Music From Bear Valley production...
49...I have also "played" trumpet for said opera, 15 times...at least...
50...My favorite line [in English]... " and your father ? " [trumpets : "da, da, dah "] "DEAD ! " ... cracks me up each time...
51...Most memorable performance of Butterfly ?...during a concert version: the first trumpet player got food poisoning and was off stage barfing during the final act...we passed the parts over and sight-read...
52...Most "interesting" performance...when I had food poisoning and kept from being "sick " until after the gig...
53...When I was in Chicago, I played a solo at a band concert, the music was in water-based ink...it rained...the notes ran...
54...I once turned a page during a performance to find the music upside down....
55...A horn player, during an orchestra concert, turned the page to find the inner pages missing...
56...She faked it, the conductor was pissed... he would have been really mad if she had stopped the performance....
57...I once "held" up a drunken horn player during a concert...
58...I have fallen asleep during looooong rests in concerts...I have never fallen out of my chair...
59...My stand light has "gone out" during a show, leaving me scrambling to find light before my next entry...
60...I played a rehearsal in an orchestra the day after having the top joint of my right thumb amputated...
61...I had a malignant melanoma under the thumb nail...I thought it was a nail fungus
62...I am a cancer survivor [March 2000 ]
63...I was always ambidextrous, but mainly right handed [ left brained ], Now I have become even more ambidextrous & right brained to boot...though I'm still mostly right handed... unless I need a thumb...
64...Necessity is the "mother" of adaption and now, I think more "outside" the box....
65...And I think that's it... for now...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
