This update is roughly 3 weeks overdue, will surely leave out important life happenings, and may not be entirely coherent or well-structured. Welcome to concert season.
I feel as though I should just plan the year's programs up-front, in the summer, and avoid all the unproductive stress and vague sense of foreboding that swing in about a month prior to these relatively inconsequential (in the grand scheme of things) concerts. I experienced the same anxiety around Thanksgiving, so I should know that all will be memorized, the kids will pull off a professional showing, and the parents and teachers will just be thrilled that there's a music program in the first place. But with three weeks to go and so much more to rehearse and organize...
Maybe I should start interspersing the Happy Feel-Good Moments now...
[Angel, age 4, has been fervently trying to communicate something to me, first by calling out my name incessantly then by waving his hand until it looks as though it will fall off]
"YES, Angel--what is your question?"
"I didn't have a question."
"Ok, what did you want to tell me?"
(Long pause; he clearly has lost all memory of original intent)
"...Rainbows..."
Mmm much better on the stress levels... =)
So my parents visited, and it was awesome. I love love love showing people around the city (hint hint hint...), especially when they have no interest in the touristy stuff. Yes, we went to a show--Next to Normal--fantastic--but other than that brief glimpse of Times Square we dwelt among the locals, wining and dining our way through Manhattan. Way fun, and a great respite from the chaos of... well, you know. =) We won't mention that part of life any more.
Another HFGM for your reading pleasure
A few weeks ago a very well-mannered and poised 5th grader from PS 75 (one of the schools at which I have subbed) approached me on a weekend train to say hi and tell me he missed me. This after a 2-week subbing stint in January. I. Love. Teaching.
In other news, I really feel like I'm beginning my role as "active participant" at my church. Between steady attendance at young adult events (and services for that matter) and a few opportunities for minor leadership, I finally am comfortable taking a little ownership in this community. In general, I tend to take a little while to warm up to a new atmosphere, but once I feel I can put my personality out there my involvement snowballs and suddenly I can't remember that time I was too timid to speak more than a few words. Let's hope this follows suit...
And rounding off the HFGMs of the last... MONTH (seriously, another one on Saturday??):
I scored free Columbian rice at a street fair by being discerning and maybe a little adorable. Mm, the sweet taste of handouts.
I've been taking to running along the Hudson River for the gorgeous views and relatively light traffic... Part of the route runs next to the highway, where I recently encountered a fledgling trombonist practicing his scales. On the side of the highway.
Apparently Tork and I should simply plan our "dates" at the 190th A train station, where we randomly encountered one another for the SECOND time in 6 months despite neither of us actually claiming the stop as our own.
And last but certainly not least, this quote:
"I want someone who will be monogamous and nice to his mother. And I want someone who likes musicals but knows to just shut his mouth while I'm watching Lost. And I want someone who thinks being really into cars is lame and strip clubs are gross. I want someone who will actually empty the dishwasher instead of just taking out forks as needed, like I do. I want someone with clean hands and feet and beefy forearms like a damn Disney prince. And I want him to genuinely like me, even when I'm old. And that's what I want."
Watch out Liz Lemon, we're after the same dude.
Love, Hugs, and ...Rainbows...
=) Kate
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Where to begin...
The problem with having so much fun in over two weeks that you forget to blog is you have a lot to blog about after those two weeks... If crunched for time, I suggest reading one section a sitting. =)
Waverly: Rejuvenation. Comfort. Perspective.
And to think, I wasn't planning on visiting until summer... now I'm trying to organize my summer so I can visit again in a few months! The weird part of being back on campus is that it didn't feel weird at all... It's as if I had just returned from a break; no flooding nostalgia, no conspicuous changes... Wartburg remains pretty much how I left it, minus my graduating class. But really I got to see a lot of them too, and what a treat! It was refreshing to chat at length in the Res and Kdit with friends I had spent the last four years getting to know and love--those 4-hour fishbowl-style conversations just don't happen as often after college. It was exciting to hear stories of jobs and grad school and future plans and the general transition to being adults (are we there yet?). Also, $3 beer outside of happy hour. All in all, a highly successful trip. =)
Libertyville: Respite. Expanse. Cleanliness.
After my Iowa road trip, I spent the remainder of my break back "home" (I'm trying to condition myself to say "Libertyville" instead of "home" these days), enjoying the suburban oasis in my year of urban living. Whether I was jogging the neatly arranged neighborhoods or enjoying the warm night air over fire and wine (that's how we do "roughing it"), I was struck by the contrast of environment. Waverly didn't throw me because the population is so small; North Shore boasts a high population more (but not exactly) comparable to a city, so the differences are more acute. I experienced strong Tanzania flashbacks the whole week... At first I thought it was merely the smells of suburbanites lighting up their barbecues to celebrate the weather--in the villages everything is cooked over fire--but in discussing the nostalgia with my mom I discovered it was simply the space. I could more or less see a horizon in any given spot in town. Buildings are spread out, trees are more homogenously dispersed. Not quite Africa, but certainly not New York either.
New York: Energy. Ease. GREEN.
Yes, everything is green and blossoming here, seemingly overnight!! I left New York with bare trees and pale green grass patches; I return to find the city in the midst of a spring revolution. I am always, always, always in a better mood when the weather is beautiful, so thanks, New York, for making spring concert season much more bearable. By the way, the second time through the concert machine is a LOT easier than the first. Although still stressful and time-sensitive, I feel slightly more confident this time around. Slightly. On a teaching-related note (pretend I'm not a music teacher so that doesn't have to be a pun), I learned on a visit to my organization's office that my boss is trying to negotiate me a full-time, Department of Education teaching position at MY school next year! And if not that, then "definitely" (his words) the following year. He's a highly idealistic kind of kid so I'm not banking my future on it, but it's still an unexpected surprise! That revelation added to a pretty successful interview for a summer job earlier in the week (I'll know just how successful it was in the next two weeks), and I'm generally feeling good about being back.
Happy Feel Good Moments of the past 17 days (Oof.)
*It's hard to stay mad at a naughty fourth grader when he breaks into the Queen of the Night aria.
*Girl on the street to her little brother marching determinedly to a beat in his own head: "Do you realize you're the only one stomping like an idiot??"
*I saw Manhattan from the air for the first time in two years--I've had a knack for flying on overcast days I guess. But good news: I can locate my school, apartment building, and former Staten Island sublet from hundreds of feet above.
*You know you're driving in small town Iowa when you pass a man riding a tractor on the sidewalk and a giant inflatable Easter bunny on the lawn.
*They just don't make vocal harmony like the Wartburg Choir in elementary school... =)
*Pad Woon Sen: the new Pad See Ew.
*Eggs blowing up on the stovetop is always a good time.
*The nectarine I had accidentally left on my kitchen counter for the duration of break was not, in fact, moldy and bug-infested upon my return as I had imagined. So I ate it.
*One has not enjoyed life to the fullest until one witnesses 20 kindergarteners grooving to a funk version of "This Land is Your Land".
Aaaaand, debt to blog: paid in full.
KP =)
Waverly: Rejuvenation. Comfort. Perspective.
And to think, I wasn't planning on visiting until summer... now I'm trying to organize my summer so I can visit again in a few months! The weird part of being back on campus is that it didn't feel weird at all... It's as if I had just returned from a break; no flooding nostalgia, no conspicuous changes... Wartburg remains pretty much how I left it, minus my graduating class. But really I got to see a lot of them too, and what a treat! It was refreshing to chat at length in the Res and Kdit with friends I had spent the last four years getting to know and love--those 4-hour fishbowl-style conversations just don't happen as often after college. It was exciting to hear stories of jobs and grad school and future plans and the general transition to being adults (are we there yet?). Also, $3 beer outside of happy hour. All in all, a highly successful trip. =)
Libertyville: Respite. Expanse. Cleanliness.
After my Iowa road trip, I spent the remainder of my break back "home" (I'm trying to condition myself to say "Libertyville" instead of "home" these days), enjoying the suburban oasis in my year of urban living. Whether I was jogging the neatly arranged neighborhoods or enjoying the warm night air over fire and wine (that's how we do "roughing it"), I was struck by the contrast of environment. Waverly didn't throw me because the population is so small; North Shore boasts a high population more (but not exactly) comparable to a city, so the differences are more acute. I experienced strong Tanzania flashbacks the whole week... At first I thought it was merely the smells of suburbanites lighting up their barbecues to celebrate the weather--in the villages everything is cooked over fire--but in discussing the nostalgia with my mom I discovered it was simply the space. I could more or less see a horizon in any given spot in town. Buildings are spread out, trees are more homogenously dispersed. Not quite Africa, but certainly not New York either.
New York: Energy. Ease. GREEN.
Yes, everything is green and blossoming here, seemingly overnight!! I left New York with bare trees and pale green grass patches; I return to find the city in the midst of a spring revolution. I am always, always, always in a better mood when the weather is beautiful, so thanks, New York, for making spring concert season much more bearable. By the way, the second time through the concert machine is a LOT easier than the first. Although still stressful and time-sensitive, I feel slightly more confident this time around. Slightly. On a teaching-related note (pretend I'm not a music teacher so that doesn't have to be a pun), I learned on a visit to my organization's office that my boss is trying to negotiate me a full-time, Department of Education teaching position at MY school next year! And if not that, then "definitely" (his words) the following year. He's a highly idealistic kind of kid so I'm not banking my future on it, but it's still an unexpected surprise! That revelation added to a pretty successful interview for a summer job earlier in the week (I'll know just how successful it was in the next two weeks), and I'm generally feeling good about being back.
Happy Feel Good Moments of the past 17 days (Oof.)
*It's hard to stay mad at a naughty fourth grader when he breaks into the Queen of the Night aria.
*Girl on the street to her little brother marching determinedly to a beat in his own head: "Do you realize you're the only one stomping like an idiot??"
*I saw Manhattan from the air for the first time in two years--I've had a knack for flying on overcast days I guess. But good news: I can locate my school, apartment building, and former Staten Island sublet from hundreds of feet above.
*You know you're driving in small town Iowa when you pass a man riding a tractor on the sidewalk and a giant inflatable Easter bunny on the lawn.
*They just don't make vocal harmony like the Wartburg Choir in elementary school... =)
*Pad Woon Sen: the new Pad See Ew.
*Eggs blowing up on the stovetop is always a good time.
*The nectarine I had accidentally left on my kitchen counter for the duration of break was not, in fact, moldy and bug-infested upon my return as I had imagined. So I ate it.
*One has not enjoyed life to the fullest until one witnesses 20 kindergarteners grooving to a funk version of "This Land is Your Land".
Aaaaand, debt to blog: paid in full.
KP =)
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