Passing: the days of summer as the calendar devolves into a relic of the working year
Still: palpably saturated, oppressive air refusing motion and insulating heavy heat
Passing by one another on the morning sidewalk, two school-aged boys share a moment's handshake and knowing nods.
Still remain the friendships of former years--high school, college--enough to sustain full weekends of reminiscing and talk of present and future.
Passing gradually as a "real" teacher, I feel infinitely more competent and prepared for summer school instruction...
Still, I miss the comfort of "my" school, students, and teachers and await with enthusiasm a non-inaugural year after
passing the remaining weeks of summer at "surrogate" school, then in gloriously un-urbanized South Carolina, and finally in Illinois among the familiarity of locale, family, and the best of friends.
Still: a weekend of relative, welcome calm amidst eastern seaboard roaming, action-packed visits (brother shortly!), and anticipated vacations.
Passing: the mellifluence of an (over)ambitious conceptual entry...
=) KP
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
You know it's summer when...
-Greenmarket produce is actually cheaper (and much more delicious) than the grocery variety.
-Someone pops a fire hydrant. The function I observed was more car wash and less kid sprinkler, but still.
-You get flashbacks (heat stroke?) to the barely bearable heat of my very first month in this 4th floor, non-cross-ventilated apartment.
-You have time for volunteering and babysitting and actually hanging out with friends... So much that you kind of forget this is "vacation".
-You can truly wish teachers and administrators a happy summer and thank them for a fantastic year because your 5th graders have graduated and you will not be returning to the school until September!!!! A note on these 5th graders: Throughout a good portion of the year I found this grade the toughest to engage and relate to, in part because of their bigger class sizes (28 compared to around 20 in every other grade), in part because of my difficulty in lesson/unit planning for older grades. Between a really successful spring concert and a half-dozen graduation rehearsals, I complete the year feeling most bonded to these soon-to-be-middle-schoolers. They stepped up their game for these ceremony songs (and all other procedures for that matter) in a way unseen in the rest of the year. They delivered each piece in strong, clear, projected head voice with expression and pride. Witnessing Miguel and Ashli and Eric (what a voice--who knew!) and others get so INTO the songs in their faces and performances... Mind-blowing. I'm in the right profession. =)
A few long-overdue pictures...
The happy feel-good moments are becoming a bit cumbersome to the flow of the blog... Consider them integrated (i.e., Greenmarkets, fire hydrants, 5th grade pride, unobstructed schools) unless otherwise noted from here on out in your readership.
Love, Hugs, & SUMMER!!!
Ms. Phillips, with pride
-Someone pops a fire hydrant. The function I observed was more car wash and less kid sprinkler, but still.
-You get flashbacks (heat stroke?) to the barely bearable heat of my very first month in this 4th floor, non-cross-ventilated apartment.
-You have time for volunteering and babysitting and actually hanging out with friends... So much that you kind of forget this is "vacation".
-You can truly wish teachers and administrators a happy summer and thank them for a fantastic year because your 5th graders have graduated and you will not be returning to the school until September!!!! A note on these 5th graders: Throughout a good portion of the year I found this grade the toughest to engage and relate to, in part because of their bigger class sizes (28 compared to around 20 in every other grade), in part because of my difficulty in lesson/unit planning for older grades. Between a really successful spring concert and a half-dozen graduation rehearsals, I complete the year feeling most bonded to these soon-to-be-middle-schoolers. They stepped up their game for these ceremony songs (and all other procedures for that matter) in a way unseen in the rest of the year. They delivered each piece in strong, clear, projected head voice with expression and pride. Witnessing Miguel and Ashli and Eric (what a voice--who knew!) and others get so INTO the songs in their faces and performances... Mind-blowing. I'm in the right profession. =)
A few long-overdue pictures...
PS 43's auditorium, "decorated" for spring concerts
This is what it looks like when a kitchen self-destructs.
No more pesky cabinet! Or usable drinking glasses for that matter.
Gorgeous Wave Hill (of septuagenarian-oriented Mozart concert fame)
A few of my proud, deserving 5th grade graduates
PS 43 in all its stately, UNOBSTRUCTED (just in literal time for graduation) glory!!!!!
The happy feel-good moments are becoming a bit cumbersome to the flow of the blog... Consider them integrated (i.e., Greenmarkets, fire hydrants, 5th grade pride, unobstructed schools) unless otherwise noted from here on out in your readership.
Love, Hugs, & SUMMER!!!
Ms. Phillips, with pride
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Fresh Start
PS (As in pre-script): Here's the sermon I referenced last blog. If you can make it through the extended exposition on the migration patterns of geese it really does all tie together. =)
Inspired by the blog of Miss Emily DeLong, I decided to switch up the design a bit... Like just about everything else in my life (particularly shoes and coats), I wish I could draw what I wanted it to look like and then magically have it appear that way, but alas, I'm not savvy enough to venture beyond templates and colors. Still, a change is refreshing.
Speaking of refreshing change, I need some. Though I've been foot-busy (as opposed to brain-busy) in my first week of summer vacation, I feel a little restless funk sprouting within me... I'm definitely ready for some new projects. These might include:
*Starting curriculum planning for next year
*Collaborating to jumpstart and lead social justice initiatives within my church's young adult group--I'm leading a "Food & Fellowship" (our bimonthly get-togethers centered around a discussion topic) in July on service and volunteering as well as participating in a joint committee between the young adults and the church-affiliated (though confoundingly not directly supported by the church) community outreach organization that funds the efforts of a variety of services and programs for underserved groups in New York City, I'm very excited about the opportunities that await me in the coming months.
*With all the service-/volunteer-related talk, I figured I should actually get back into volunteering, something I've let slide over the course of the school year. I have a few food pantry/soup kitchen type projects I'm looking forward to in the next few weeks, so that will be energizing. I have yet to find a volunteer-ready organization in my neighborhood, however... If I could find one that didn't require an hour of travel I think I'd be more likely to continue participating come fall.
*Painting and/or redecorating--In all likelihood, the latter half of this initiative probably won't happen. I only have so much space and furniture can only fit in a room so many ways. But with the very likely prospect of remaining in my apartment another year, I think a multi-wall paint job could be a fun way to rejuvenate the space and make it more my own. Details to follow...
*Running--The weather of late has been weird and unpredictable... Combined with my train hopping to graduation rehearsals and babysitting gigs and summer fun activities, I have not been running as frequently as I would like. That's changing--I know from experience that a large part of this spirit restlessness could be fixed with some consistent aerobic activity.
*New and delicious recipes--ideas, please!!
Happy Feel Good Moments
*Free half-pizza from Planet Fitness, my gym. Irony never tasted so delicious.
*Wave Hill Park--Free Mozart concert (of whose attendees I was the youngest by roughly 40 years), beautiful gardens, exploring a completely new part of the city... This is what summer's about, kids.
*I get to play "good cop" at the 5th grade graduation rehearsals, which is awesome.
*A subway guitarist interrupted his regularly-scheduled Latin music to play "Old McDonald" for an enthused toddler.
*FIGMENT Art Festival--a free, gigantic collection of participatory art exhibits/installations/performances. Most unique and thought-provoking attraction: Unseen Dances.
Love, Hugs, & Links!
Kate
PS: I have lived in this city for over a year. Over. A. Year.
PPS (or is it PSS?): A tangent of the FIGMENT experience--reintroduction to the wonder of Dippin' Dots.
PPPS: I sang at a piano bar for the first time. "On My Own," for simplicity's sake. Fun stuff...
Inspired by the blog of Miss Emily DeLong, I decided to switch up the design a bit... Like just about everything else in my life (particularly shoes and coats), I wish I could draw what I wanted it to look like and then magically have it appear that way, but alas, I'm not savvy enough to venture beyond templates and colors. Still, a change is refreshing.
Speaking of refreshing change, I need some. Though I've been foot-busy (as opposed to brain-busy) in my first week of summer vacation, I feel a little restless funk sprouting within me... I'm definitely ready for some new projects. These might include:
*Starting curriculum planning for next year
*Collaborating to jumpstart and lead social justice initiatives within my church's young adult group--I'm leading a "Food & Fellowship" (our bimonthly get-togethers centered around a discussion topic) in July on service and volunteering as well as participating in a joint committee between the young adults and the church-affiliated (though confoundingly not directly supported by the church) community outreach organization that funds the efforts of a variety of services and programs for underserved groups in New York City, I'm very excited about the opportunities that await me in the coming months.
*With all the service-/volunteer-related talk, I figured I should actually get back into volunteering, something I've let slide over the course of the school year. I have a few food pantry/soup kitchen type projects I'm looking forward to in the next few weeks, so that will be energizing. I have yet to find a volunteer-ready organization in my neighborhood, however... If I could find one that didn't require an hour of travel I think I'd be more likely to continue participating come fall.
*Painting and/or redecorating--In all likelihood, the latter half of this initiative probably won't happen. I only have so much space and furniture can only fit in a room so many ways. But with the very likely prospect of remaining in my apartment another year, I think a multi-wall paint job could be a fun way to rejuvenate the space and make it more my own. Details to follow...
*Running--The weather of late has been weird and unpredictable... Combined with my train hopping to graduation rehearsals and babysitting gigs and summer fun activities, I have not been running as frequently as I would like. That's changing--I know from experience that a large part of this spirit restlessness could be fixed with some consistent aerobic activity.
*New and delicious recipes--ideas, please!!
Happy Feel Good Moments
*Free half-pizza from Planet Fitness, my gym. Irony never tasted so delicious.
*Wave Hill Park--Free Mozart concert (of whose attendees I was the youngest by roughly 40 years), beautiful gardens, exploring a completely new part of the city... This is what summer's about, kids.
*I get to play "good cop" at the 5th grade graduation rehearsals, which is awesome.
*A subway guitarist interrupted his regularly-scheduled Latin music to play "Old McDonald" for an enthused toddler.
*FIGMENT Art Festival--a free, gigantic collection of participatory art exhibits/installations/performances. Most unique and thought-provoking attraction: Unseen Dances.
Love, Hugs, & Links!
Kate
PS: I have lived in this city for over a year. Over. A. Year.
PPS (or is it PSS?): A tangent of the FIGMENT experience--reintroduction to the wonder of Dippin' Dots.
PPPS: I sang at a piano bar for the first time. "On My Own," for simplicity's sake. Fun stuff...
Monday, June 7, 2010
Summertime...
And the living is indeed easy! I have just experienced my first weekend since August without any lesson planning or bulletin board making hanging over my head... It's awesome. I completed a massive apartment clean-through on Saturday, hosted a get-together Saturday evening, attended church (with a marvelous, this-is-why-I-choose-this-church-as-homebase type of sermon; link to come but enjoy an equally as pleasing one from last week here) and brunch, and then made an afternoon out of unplanned clothes shopping with a friend from church. H&M is dangerously inexpensive, btw.
For the moment, June has remembered it's not August and temperatures in the 90s have subsided to pleasant summer 70s, so the outside is much more fun. Ran this morning, walking to the Bronx tomorrow for a free Mozart strings concert, enjoying a packed Wednesday of school stuff, lunch with Meghan (Hey, Meghan, I'm coming for lunch Wednesday), Buddhist meditation in the evening... I. Love. Summer.
Happy Feel-Goodery of the Week:
*A successful and lightly bittersweet last week of classes included several of my most non-participatory students fully engaged--singing, volunteering answers, the whole shebang. I do not know what happened.
*There's a conductor on the A who makes additons like, "Have a beautiful day and a very pleasant evening," and "Each and every one of you is beautiful. Thank you so much for choosing to ride with us," to her standard/mandated announcements. Great way to end the day!
*After sharing her summer travel plans involving Honduras and Peru, Yasmine is beyond impressed that I get to spend part of my summer in... South Carolina!!!!!!
*I received flowers and the cutest-ever book of "Thank You/I love you and music" notes from one of my first grade classes... And then more flowers and a card from a fourth grade class. If that's bribery, I'm eatin' it up. =)
*All three Kindergarten classes chose to listen/dance to African Children's Choir over a previously grooved-to funk song... and then they all sang along to the Swahili the best they could. My work here is done.
It's June, kids--ENJOY IT!!!
KP =)
For the moment, June has remembered it's not August and temperatures in the 90s have subsided to pleasant summer 70s, so the outside is much more fun. Ran this morning, walking to the Bronx tomorrow for a free Mozart strings concert, enjoying a packed Wednesday of school stuff, lunch with Meghan (Hey, Meghan, I'm coming for lunch Wednesday), Buddhist meditation in the evening... I. Love. Summer.
Happy Feel-Goodery of the Week:
*A successful and lightly bittersweet last week of classes included several of my most non-participatory students fully engaged--singing, volunteering answers, the whole shebang. I do not know what happened.
*There's a conductor on the A who makes additons like, "Have a beautiful day and a very pleasant evening," and "Each and every one of you is beautiful. Thank you so much for choosing to ride with us," to her standard/mandated announcements. Great way to end the day!
*After sharing her summer travel plans involving Honduras and Peru, Yasmine is beyond impressed that I get to spend part of my summer in... South Carolina!!!!!!
*I received flowers and the cutest-ever book of "Thank You/I love you and music" notes from one of my first grade classes... And then more flowers and a card from a fourth grade class. If that's bribery, I'm eatin' it up. =)
*All three Kindergarten classes chose to listen/dance to African Children's Choir over a previously grooved-to funk song... and then they all sang along to the Swahili the best they could. My work here is done.
It's June, kids--ENJOY IT!!!
KP =)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Memorial Day: Remembering my glassware...
Every summer I've been in New York, I've suffered at least one glass casualty... this summer the tally climbs by 11... So my kitchen cabinet fell off the wall. Yep. Just fell down. Also, I was in front of it. Good thing it was the one with... all the glasses... After a brief few minutes of shock, checking for injuries (minor knuckle grazes thankfully the extent), and bewildered staring, I was able to clean up all the remains (and the busted cabinet) with surprising rationality. Then my super came and remedied the issue by drilling in screws of appropriate length in appropriate studs--two measures that the last super had failed to account for. He continues to drill (and nail gun!) as I blog. Love my super. And the fact that I have a super whose pre-paid job it is to fix things like this... Yet another reason to leave "home ownership" off the lifelong to-do list.
An eventful finale to an eventful few weeks--my concerts are done!! They went well although the upper grades suddenly decided they wanted to try stage fright... With some post-dress rehearsal discussions and my feverish attempts to look like a goof while conducting, they got past it and delivered a solid concert. The littl'uns--ease breeze. They don't know the meaning of stage fright. Love it.
Overnight at Meghan's, followed by a refreshing church service and summery walk through Central Park, finished grades, CRASH!, glass/etc. cleanup, caprese-and-blogging-as-mental-distraction... Maybe dinner as well. And cookie baking! For my teachers. And me. And possibly my super because he's awesome.
Full disclosure: my happy feel-good journal has not received its deserved attention in the last week. Concert exhaustion wipe away a lot of memory capacity at the end of a day. So know that I experienced much happiness, it just wasn't all recorded. A few that made the cut:
*Someone has moved a real piano into an apartment on the 2nd floor and has been playing, at least on one occasion, beautiful repertoire. All the more reason to continue taking the stairs!!
*Celebrated the end of the first dress rehearsal day by dedicating 4+ hours to the Lost finale and related reading/viewing. Worth. It.
*One of the 1st grade song involves sign language on the refrain; when they finished the piece in dress rehearsal one of the 2nd grade classes watching gave sign language applause. Neat.
*We had to run 100 more program copies for the lower grades concert--And we started with 50!!
*One year after graduating (this weekend!), and I walk the halls of my New York City public school after the final concert of the year sporting post-concert flats, a shirt tucked into a skirt, and a lanyard keychain ("I <3 Music", of course) around my neck. From student to full teacher in 365 days. Wow.
(Exact quote)
*"I am able to recover from and appropriately clean up after a cabinet full of glass decides to detach itself from the wall. No signs of concisssion yet. Except I just wrote 'concussion' like that..."
(Really, I'm ok.)
Love, Hugs, and Cheap, Replaceable Glassware,
KP =)
An eventful finale to an eventful few weeks--my concerts are done!! They went well although the upper grades suddenly decided they wanted to try stage fright... With some post-dress rehearsal discussions and my feverish attempts to look like a goof while conducting, they got past it and delivered a solid concert. The littl'uns--ease breeze. They don't know the meaning of stage fright. Love it.
Overnight at Meghan's, followed by a refreshing church service and summery walk through Central Park, finished grades, CRASH!, glass/etc. cleanup, caprese-and-blogging-as-mental-distraction... Maybe dinner as well. And cookie baking! For my teachers. And me. And possibly my super because he's awesome.
Full disclosure: my happy feel-good journal has not received its deserved attention in the last week. Concert exhaustion wipe away a lot of memory capacity at the end of a day. So know that I experienced much happiness, it just wasn't all recorded. A few that made the cut:
*Someone has moved a real piano into an apartment on the 2nd floor and has been playing, at least on one occasion, beautiful repertoire. All the more reason to continue taking the stairs!!
*Celebrated the end of the first dress rehearsal day by dedicating 4+ hours to the Lost finale and related reading/viewing. Worth. It.
*One of the 1st grade song involves sign language on the refrain; when they finished the piece in dress rehearsal one of the 2nd grade classes watching gave sign language applause. Neat.
*We had to run 100 more program copies for the lower grades concert--And we started with 50!!
*One year after graduating (this weekend!), and I walk the halls of my New York City public school after the final concert of the year sporting post-concert flats, a shirt tucked into a skirt, and a lanyard keychain ("I <3 Music", of course) around my neck. From student to full teacher in 365 days. Wow.
(Exact quote)
*"I am able to recover from and appropriately clean up after a cabinet full of glass decides to detach itself from the wall. No signs of concisssion yet. Except I just wrote 'concussion' like that..."
(Really, I'm ok.)
Love, Hugs, and Cheap, Replaceable Glassware,
KP =)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Rain Day!
Yep, they cancel school for wetness here... Oh, how I wish that was true. No, due to a teacher meeting/prep issue that I don't entirely understand, my Tuesday classes this week are moved to Friday, giving me a peculiar "second weekend" to recover from a grueling... one day of teaching. Actually, I'm digging it--I have a lot to catch up on for school and life and today is the perfect day to get things accomplished (she boldly asserts at 9am). It's rainy, so I won't be tempted to play outside, and it's Tuesday, so I'm not Friday-exhausted. And I don't have shows to watch this early in the week. This no-TV thing is not quite working as well as I'd imagined for productivity... I keep finding new and fabulous shows to watch on Hulu or Netflix...
Things that need to happen today:
*Programs (this one's almost done, I just have to enter in the Spanish translations that one of my teachers so graciously provided. So that's another one--*Write a thank you note.)
*Drawing little stage diagrams on teachers' dress rehearsal/concert cheat sheets with class blocking and entrances and exits and such
*Cleeeeeeeaning... Maybe this should be first so my brain will feel cleaner too
*Tackle a chunk of assessment entry (as in, I've already collected the data, I just need to enter it into a spreadsheet, which takes much longer than one would care to think). Teaching would be a lot easier without this learning accountability thing...
*Exercise. Less appealing with the weather, but Idol performance night at the gym sounds adequately motivating...
Happy Feel-Good Moments (Something else I need to stay on top of... The current trend involves approximating memories after realizing I haven't written anything for several days)
*For a while I didn't have an iPod (the story involves a forgetful music teacher, shady construction workers, and the school reimbursing me for a stolen iPod), but I still needed to enjoy the weather and run outside... I actually now prefer running without music. Quite enjoyable.
*My music theatre club loves Pippin, which is great because I love Pippin.
Jennifer (out of breath from a full "Magic to Do" run-through): "That was FUN!"
*I have had two students in the last two weeks share original songs (more like lyrics but it's a start) with me. Way cool.
*Between helping to decorate/cook for a young adults event at church and feeling more and more like a "veteran" at coffee hour and brunch, I'm really starting to feel substantial connections to my church community.
*When you feel like no grade is going to be prepared for the concert, all you need is one class of rockstars to turn your thinking around.
*The highway trombonist returns... this time practicing riffs much more complex than the octaves he was drilling last I jogged in on rehearsal. Great improvement, sir!
*At my request, the professor who leads Wartburg's May term NYC trip (who sadly is leaving Wartburg next year!!) came to meet with my principal about including PS 43 as a partner school for field experience... It was surreal to have Dr. Fiene and Dr. Delucchi (my principal) in the same room sharing laughs and setting up logistics that will very likely lead to Wartburg students being in my school this time next year... Awesome.
*With the arrival of my high school friend Tim to the "neighborhood" (15 minutes on the train), I realized I have quite a few close friends in the area... interesting as many New Yorkers label anything above Central Park as the "boonies" of Manhattan. Seriously, I don't really know anyone who lives BELOW 110th...
Love, Hugs, and Productivity!
Kate =)
Things that need to happen today:
*Programs (this one's almost done, I just have to enter in the Spanish translations that one of my teachers so graciously provided. So that's another one--*Write a thank you note.)
*Drawing little stage diagrams on teachers' dress rehearsal/concert cheat sheets with class blocking and entrances and exits and such
*Cleeeeeeeaning... Maybe this should be first so my brain will feel cleaner too
*Tackle a chunk of assessment entry (as in, I've already collected the data, I just need to enter it into a spreadsheet, which takes much longer than one would care to think). Teaching would be a lot easier without this learning accountability thing...
*Exercise. Less appealing with the weather, but Idol performance night at the gym sounds adequately motivating...
Happy Feel-Good Moments (Something else I need to stay on top of... The current trend involves approximating memories after realizing I haven't written anything for several days)
*For a while I didn't have an iPod (the story involves a forgetful music teacher, shady construction workers, and the school reimbursing me for a stolen iPod), but I still needed to enjoy the weather and run outside... I actually now prefer running without music. Quite enjoyable.
*My music theatre club loves Pippin, which is great because I love Pippin.
Jennifer (out of breath from a full "Magic to Do" run-through): "That was FUN!"
*I have had two students in the last two weeks share original songs (more like lyrics but it's a start) with me. Way cool.
*Between helping to decorate/cook for a young adults event at church and feeling more and more like a "veteran" at coffee hour and brunch, I'm really starting to feel substantial connections to my church community.
*When you feel like no grade is going to be prepared for the concert, all you need is one class of rockstars to turn your thinking around.
*The highway trombonist returns... this time practicing riffs much more complex than the octaves he was drilling last I jogged in on rehearsal. Great improvement, sir!
*At my request, the professor who leads Wartburg's May term NYC trip (who sadly is leaving Wartburg next year!!) came to meet with my principal about including PS 43 as a partner school for field experience... It was surreal to have Dr. Fiene and Dr. Delucchi (my principal) in the same room sharing laughs and setting up logistics that will very likely lead to Wartburg students being in my school this time next year... Awesome.
*With the arrival of my high school friend Tim to the "neighborhood" (15 minutes on the train), I realized I have quite a few close friends in the area... interesting as many New Yorkers label anything above Central Park as the "boonies" of Manhattan. Seriously, I don't really know anyone who lives BELOW 110th...
Love, Hugs, and Productivity!
Kate =)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Blog=Metaphor for Life?
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
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
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