Hello, all! I hope your holiday festivities were wonderful. I love Thanksgiving...none of the Christmas pressure and chaos. Good family, good friends and good food are the only requirements. Not that I don't love Christmas, because I do...but the whole "perfect gift" for everyone is stressful!
On with the show...
1. I finally gave in and got myself a MA license. The actual license came in the mail yesterday. Under "Sex" is the letter M. That's not right.
2. Thanksgiving was small this year--only 15 of us. Still had a great time.
3. The next night, 20 of us gathered in a cafe on 21st Street in NYC to visit with my cousin Amanda and her daughter Yasmin. They are visiting from Sydney, Australia. It's been 3 years since we've seen them.
4. Amanda is 9 years older than I am. She was raised in Australia, but came to live in NYC when I was about 12 and stayed for about 10 years. I definitely idolized her--this cool, Australian who seemed to have all the answers.
5. I want everyone to like me. It hurts my feelings immensely when I think or know someone doesn't like me--even if that person's a bitch. I'm working on this.
6. There is one person at work in particular--she doesn't like me. I don't like her either, and there's a laundry list of reasons why...but still, it bugs me that she doesn't like me.
8. I'm getting better at just ignoring her and focusing on spending my time, energy and lunch hours on people I genuinely like. It seems like a much wiser use of time.
9. Basketball practice starts this week. Our first game is Sunday! I don't even know the girls' names yet.
10. I have lots of Christmas shopping to do, and NO ideas as to what to buy.
11. The weather is making me sad. I hate global warming--I love snow.
12. Because someone asked me today, I'll share my answer with you all too...my favorite names are Conor and Caroline.
13. Now that I've finished waxing my eyebrows, it's time for bed. Don't you just love the completely random information I share with y'all in these Thirteens?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Snow
As school wrapped up for Christmas vacation, Sara spent a morning lesson planning for the first week of January. Her class was down the hall in the gym, practicing their Christmas pageant song and dance. She had decided to take advantage of some peace and quiet. They would be starting a new story in the reading anthology after break and when she flipped ahead, she saw the story's title: Snow Day. The vocabulary words included drift, plow, frost and snow angel. Her classful of 7 year olds from South Central Los Angeles would have little, if any, experience with anything having to do with snow. Sara would try to dig through photo albums over Christmas break and look for pictures to illustrate these otherwise abstaract concepts.
On Christmas morning, Sara woke up to the familiar scraping in her driveway. Out her window, she saw that the world had been blanketed in a thick coat of white. Grabbing her camera, she ran outside to catch the plow in action. Later that day, Sara cajoled her grumpy brother into making snow angels and snapped a snowblower in action. She captured the snow piled up higher than the bumper of her family van and made her brother stand waist deep in a drift.
Back in California, Sara sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle of 8 students.
"How many of you know what a snow day is?"
No response.
"Have any of you ever seen snow?"
Wendy raised her hand slowly.
"My mama took us to Big Bear Mountain. We made snowballs."
"How deep was the snow? How much was on the ground?"
Wendy thought for a moment, "We could still see some of the grass under the snow."
"Can you imagine having so much snow that they cancel school?"
Wendy shook her head, eyes wide. The rest of the group laughed.
Sara pulled out the picturesfrom Christmas morning and passed them around the circle. She explained how snow plows cleared the streets and how people used snow blowers and shovels to clear sidewalks and driveways. She told them about 5:30 AM phone calls that meant you could sleep until 9 and then spend the whole day playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate. Sara had also brought a few pictures of herself at 6 or 7 years old, playing in a snowfilled yard and sledding down the hill in front of the high school. Her kids squealed with delight--the thought that Sara had ever been a little kid was hilarious to them.
After a few snowy stories about life in New Jersey, Sara reviewed the target vocabulary, making each student point out the term in one of her pictures. When she felt confident that the words had become concrete objects, they opened their textbooks and began to read.
On Christmas morning, Sara woke up to the familiar scraping in her driveway. Out her window, she saw that the world had been blanketed in a thick coat of white. Grabbing her camera, she ran outside to catch the plow in action. Later that day, Sara cajoled her grumpy brother into making snow angels and snapped a snowblower in action. She captured the snow piled up higher than the bumper of her family van and made her brother stand waist deep in a drift.
Back in California, Sara sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle of 8 students.
"How many of you know what a snow day is?"
No response.
"Have any of you ever seen snow?"
Wendy raised her hand slowly.
"My mama took us to Big Bear Mountain. We made snowballs."
"How deep was the snow? How much was on the ground?"
Wendy thought for a moment, "We could still see some of the grass under the snow."
"Can you imagine having so much snow that they cancel school?"
Wendy shook her head, eyes wide. The rest of the group laughed.
Sara pulled out the picturesfrom Christmas morning and passed them around the circle. She explained how snow plows cleared the streets and how people used snow blowers and shovels to clear sidewalks and driveways. She told them about 5:30 AM phone calls that meant you could sleep until 9 and then spend the whole day playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate. Sara had also brought a few pictures of herself at 6 or 7 years old, playing in a snowfilled yard and sledding down the hill in front of the high school. Her kids squealed with delight--the thought that Sara had ever been a little kid was hilarious to them.
After a few snowy stories about life in New Jersey, Sara reviewed the target vocabulary, making each student point out the term in one of her pictures. When she felt confident that the words had become concrete objects, they opened their textbooks and began to read.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
a twist on the Random 10
Sorry I've been M.I.A.! I'll be better, I promise.
I got this from a friend...I'm looking forward to seeing what your soundtracks are!
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
Opening Credits: Another Horsedreamer's Blues (Counting Crows)
Waking up: Jesus on the Radio (Guster)
Falling in Love: Mercy House (The Nields)
Fight Song: If He Never Said Hello (Linda Eder)
Breaking up: Blister in the Sun (Violent Femmes)
Prom: As Long as You're Mine (Wicked)
Life: After All (Linda Eder)
Mental Breakdown: I Spy (Guster)
Driving: It Happens Every Day (Dar Williams)
Flash Back: The Sweetness (Nerissa and Katryna Nields)
Getting Back Together: Ali Boumaye (Nerissa and Katryna Nields)
Wedding: From Me to You (The Beatles)
Birth of a Child: She's Saving Me (Indigo Girls)
Final Battle: All My Pretty Horses (The Nields)
End Credits: What Do You Love More Than Love (Dar Williams)
I got this from a friend...I'm looking forward to seeing what your soundtracks are!
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
Opening Credits: Another Horsedreamer's Blues (Counting Crows)
Waking up: Jesus on the Radio (Guster)
Falling in Love: Mercy House (The Nields)
Fight Song: If He Never Said Hello (Linda Eder)
Breaking up: Blister in the Sun (Violent Femmes)
Prom: As Long as You're Mine (Wicked)
Life: After All (Linda Eder)
Mental Breakdown: I Spy (Guster)
Driving: It Happens Every Day (Dar Williams)
Flash Back: The Sweetness (Nerissa and Katryna Nields)
Getting Back Together: Ali Boumaye (Nerissa and Katryna Nields)
Wedding: From Me to You (The Beatles)
Birth of a Child: She's Saving Me (Indigo Girls)
Final Battle: All My Pretty Horses (The Nields)
End Credits: What Do You Love More Than Love (Dar Williams)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
slacker
That's me! As our friend GretaJane reminded me last night, I am woefully behind on blogging and commenting. I'm going to try to make up some ground today. As a start, here's my piece from last night's Big Yellow session.
* * * * *
I don't remember learning how to play basketball. I've known how to dribble, pass and shoot for as long as I can remember. Throw that hard, orange sphere at my face and my hands will catch it, instinctively dribbling, spinning and playing mindlessly with it. My mom taught us how to play--she'd played ball in college, coached and reffed for years. At the age of 15, she started to run clinics in the South Bronx for elementary and high school students. Naturally, she'd raised her children with a ball in hand.
My sister and I attended one ballet lesson when I was about 6--Erin was 4. My mom still insists it was our idea. At the end of class, the teacher walked over to my mother and suggested that we find a different activity for Tuesday afternoons. Halfway through ballet class, I'd turned to her and asked for the ball.
When I was 9, my father's best friend began coaching the Fordham University women's basketball team. That summer, he started a girls' basketball camp. My mom signed on as a coach and we spent the next 4 summers playing ball and living for a week or 2 in the Fordham dorms.
When I was 13 years old, I fell out of a chairlift while on a day long ski trip. The 30 foot fall snapped my arm in half. When the orthopedic surgeon determined that surgery to insert stell plates and screw was the only way to stabilize my arm, I didn't flinch. When he followed that with the fact that contact sports were off limits for at least 2 years, I was devastated. High school was just a few months away and he was effectively telling me that I wouldn't see playing time on a field or a court.
A few years later, on the first day of college orientation, I turned around while in line for my ID to find Mary O'Reilly standing behind me. Mary and I had played on the same team one summer at camp when we were about 10. As we waited for our turn for ID photos, we began planning our intramural basketball team for that fall. My skills were rusty at best, but it didnt' talk long for my muscles to remember the mechanics and rhythms of the game.
In 2 weeks, I'll begin coaching my own team of 7th and 8th grade girls. I've never had to coach a team all by myself and I'm already racking my brain, trying to remember drills for practice and different offensive sets for games. I've been told that the girls don't have a solid foundation of basic skills, so I've been making lists of the drills I can remember that are designed to teach the basics of passing and rebounding, the art of the free throw and the mechanics of a lay up. Thanksgiving weekend will be spent discussing strategy with my mom and coming up with offensive plays that we can call "Holy Cross," "Syracuse" and "Duke." I'm planning a Saturday afternoon or two when I can bring my girls to watch the HC women play so that they can see what a tight zone defense actually looks like.
I'm not looking to win the league title or even have a winning record (though that would be nice!). In the end, I want to create an atmosphere for the girls to have fun, hopefully learn a little and laugh a lot. And honestly, I can't wait to be back on a court with a ball in my hand helping to make that happen.
* * * * *
I don't remember learning how to play basketball. I've known how to dribble, pass and shoot for as long as I can remember. Throw that hard, orange sphere at my face and my hands will catch it, instinctively dribbling, spinning and playing mindlessly with it. My mom taught us how to play--she'd played ball in college, coached and reffed for years. At the age of 15, she started to run clinics in the South Bronx for elementary and high school students. Naturally, she'd raised her children with a ball in hand.
My sister and I attended one ballet lesson when I was about 6--Erin was 4. My mom still insists it was our idea. At the end of class, the teacher walked over to my mother and suggested that we find a different activity for Tuesday afternoons. Halfway through ballet class, I'd turned to her and asked for the ball.
When I was 9, my father's best friend began coaching the Fordham University women's basketball team. That summer, he started a girls' basketball camp. My mom signed on as a coach and we spent the next 4 summers playing ball and living for a week or 2 in the Fordham dorms.
When I was 13 years old, I fell out of a chairlift while on a day long ski trip. The 30 foot fall snapped my arm in half. When the orthopedic surgeon determined that surgery to insert stell plates and screw was the only way to stabilize my arm, I didn't flinch. When he followed that with the fact that contact sports were off limits for at least 2 years, I was devastated. High school was just a few months away and he was effectively telling me that I wouldn't see playing time on a field or a court.
A few years later, on the first day of college orientation, I turned around while in line for my ID to find Mary O'Reilly standing behind me. Mary and I had played on the same team one summer at camp when we were about 10. As we waited for our turn for ID photos, we began planning our intramural basketball team for that fall. My skills were rusty at best, but it didnt' talk long for my muscles to remember the mechanics and rhythms of the game.
In 2 weeks, I'll begin coaching my own team of 7th and 8th grade girls. I've never had to coach a team all by myself and I'm already racking my brain, trying to remember drills for practice and different offensive sets for games. I've been told that the girls don't have a solid foundation of basic skills, so I've been making lists of the drills I can remember that are designed to teach the basics of passing and rebounding, the art of the free throw and the mechanics of a lay up. Thanksgiving weekend will be spent discussing strategy with my mom and coming up with offensive plays that we can call "Holy Cross," "Syracuse" and "Duke." I'm planning a Saturday afternoon or two when I can bring my girls to watch the HC women play so that they can see what a tight zone defense actually looks like.
I'm not looking to win the league title or even have a winning record (though that would be nice!). In the end, I want to create an atmosphere for the girls to have fun, hopefully learn a little and laugh a lot. And honestly, I can't wait to be back on a court with a ball in my hand helping to make that happen.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
1. I have to work for part of this weekend.
2. Before I help with a black tie event Saturday evening, I'll be getting a haircut.
3. I'm not sure how much of a haircut I'm getting.
4. I love taking pictures. (I'm sure this shocks you all!)
5. This week, I bought some frames and ordered some prints...soon, they will be on my walls.
6. My blank walls are driving me crazy.
7. I'm going to Denver from Tuesday until Saturday for work.
8. While I'm there, I'll visit with a friend from home--I haven't seen her in 4 or 5 years.
9. My cousin Amanda is coming in from Australia for Thanksgiving.
10. She's bringing her 6 year old daughter, Yasmin.
11. Amanda is quite ill, but hopefully I'll get a good visito or two in with her and with Yazzie.
12. My cousin Hannah will be home from South Carolina too.
13. It's time for bed.
2. Before I help with a black tie event Saturday evening, I'll be getting a haircut.
3. I'm not sure how much of a haircut I'm getting.
4. I love taking pictures. (I'm sure this shocks you all!)
5. This week, I bought some frames and ordered some prints...soon, they will be on my walls.
6. My blank walls are driving me crazy.
7. I'm going to Denver from Tuesday until Saturday for work.
8. While I'm there, I'll visit with a friend from home--I haven't seen her in 4 or 5 years.
9. My cousin Amanda is coming in from Australia for Thanksgiving.
10. She's bringing her 6 year old daughter, Yasmin.
11. Amanda is quite ill, but hopefully I'll get a good visito or two in with her and with Yazzie.
12. My cousin Hannah will be home from South Carolina too.
13. It's time for bed.
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