Pride Fest 2009

It's that time of year again! Pride Fest! Although we don't generally stick around too long for the actual 'fest', we like going to the parade to show our support and grab some beads and other parade-freebies. Normally, we don't get moving fast enough to get a good spot but this year, with the nice weather, we packed up the water bottles and camp chairs and arrived early. And, we got a sweet spot -- street-side near the northwest corner of Grand and Arsenal. Or, so we thought until we realized that somebody brought a crazy lady to the parade and stood her right behind us. She complained the audibly the ENTIRE time -- about something, about nothing, and about everything else in between! Mostly though, here complaints involved not being able to see. Now, I might have been more compassionate had she been nice about all of this but she was not. So I ignored her as did everyone else in our vicinity. Eventually, she must have even started embarrassing the people who brought her because they started hushing her. I was tempted to turn around and take a look at her, maybe even remind her about parade and public etiquette but before I decided the wind intervened -- divine? karma? I'm not sure. But what I can tell you is that the tent canopy behind us suddenly took flight and clocked her in the back of the head. Her complaining finally stopped but, unfortunately, it was only because she began yelling at the people with the tent. That eventually stopped too but, by that time, she had walked far enough away from us that we could no longer hear her.

Book Review: Death in Yellowstone, Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee H. Whittlesey

Yes, more on Yellowstone. I'll move on soon. I promise.

Review:
No mystery what the book is about; the title says it all. However, word of caution: If you're hoping for a Faces of Death account of death in Yellowstone, this isn't your book. But, if you'd like a tastefully written, historical recounting of the various ways in which people have died in Yellowstone in the last 100 years, then Whittlesey's book IS for you. Lots of interesting information, lots of common sense reminders about life in the the wilderness. Whittlesey says it best:

"While appreciating its (nature) wholeness, we must never abandon a healthy respect for wilderness. Wilderness is impersonal. It does not care whether you live or die. It does not care how much you love it. So while we are loving the Yellowstone wilderness, while we play in it, indeed revel in it, taking it on its own terms and helping to protect it, we foolish mortals must always remember to respect it. For not only can it bite us, but, indeed, it can devour us."

Yellowstone and Teton Vacation 2009

This was an awesome vacation. And I mean that in all sincerity. Going to Yellowstone is all about extreme ranges. Look at this data from our trip. We experienced all of them in 9 days within the boundaries of both Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Weather: Snow, Sleet, Rain, Fog, Overcast, Crystal-Clear Sunshine
Temperature: Cold, Cool, Warm
Flora: Lodgepole Pine, Englemann Spruce, Yellow Monkey Flower, Spring Beauty
Fauna: Bison, Bears, Elk, Marmot, Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, Dung Beetles
Lodging: Historic & Commercial Inns & Hotels, Rustic Cabins, Campgrounds
Congested: Mammoth Main Entry, Old Faithful Area, Other Visitor Centers, Little Used Trails

Extreme ranges. Most definitely. Most definitely awesome. My final word: Go to Yellowstone! I would encourage you to go in June too. The guide book say that in Yellowstone there's July, August, and Winter. I say phooey! Go in June! Avoid the crowds (I hear it's bumper to bumper within the park by July) and the heat and more predictable weather. You can find more of our vacation photos by clicking here.

Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

In The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery examines issues of life and death, beauty and art, philosophy and the human condition, and social class through the observations of the two outwardly misanthrope main characters, Madame Michel and Paloma Josse. Superifically, it appears that Madame Michel (the middle-aged, informally educated, gruff, peasant-stock concierge) and Paloma (an acutely intelligent 12-year old daughter of educated upper class parents) share little in common except geography (they live in the same small, but elegant Parisian apartment building) and routine (they perform their obligations and rituals with self-imposed anonymity and contempt). Yet, through their observations and journals, their inner lives are revealed to be strikingly similar: rich, astute, and painfully and accurately observant of the human condition. As the mystery of each character is slowly revealed and related to one another a little ray of hope blossoms in the novel. The blossom is, of course, bittersweet (darn those French!). My opinion? Definitely, read it. It's a solid 4 star novel -- 5 stars for content and style and 3 stars for the rambling philosophy 101.

Book Review: Female Chauvinistic Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy

While this is not a greatly written or very exciting book, it is a great little contribution to the new wave of feminism writing (are we still in the third wave? Or, is it the fourth now?). Basically, Ariel Levy explores in her book, Female Chauvinistic Pigs, two central questions -- #1, What does modern feminism look like and how/why does it differ from that of our parents and grandparents age? #2, Does female raunchy culture compliment or derogate modern feminism? Very, very interesting stuff, especially if you spend anytime around female tweens, teens, and 20's, which, as a teacher, I do. But, probably most interesting to me, because I feel this way too, is that Levy, who plants her feet firmly on the ground that condemns sexual objectification and emulating sex star behavior/attitude/dress/etc as empowering--among other things-- comes to this conclusion: that it's while it's easy to be firmly, ethically, socially, and politically opposed to this new kind of raunch culture as feminism it is culturally difficult to argue against raunch when those who support it make you feel like a square peg. Square peg. Love the song, hate the feeling.

Yellowstone and Teton

We're heading to Yellowstone and the Tetons tomorrow morning.Woo hoo! We'll be gone for two weeks but I hope to post photos and funnies along the way as internet access allows.

Summer 2009

Summer vacation has finally arrived! And while I won't have as much time this summer as I would like to there is still plenty of time for having new adventures and repeating old, favorite ones. Yesterday, we repeated an old fave -- the St Louis Zoo with a few of Willa's friends from school. Good times were had by all. Today, not much planned except a few chores and errands. Woo Hoo!

Crawfish Boil

Some SMOS parent friends (parents of Willa's friend Ava) that live in Benton Park invited us to a crawfish boil in their backyard. Boiling crawfish in the Midwest? That's what I said. Seems a little geographically and culinarily odd to me - but what do I know about boiling and/or eating crawfish? A big nothing except that I hate all things related to touching/cooking/smelling/eating shellfish. That said, who can pass up a crawfish boil? Not me. While I didn't touch the stuff, it was a great time -- great weather, great conversation, great drinks, great fun, and, of course, great hosts.

Another Funny Photo Comparison

My own little Farrah. Well, not quite. But, pretty funny anyway.

Stingrays at Caribbean Cove

There's a new attraction at the St Louis Zoo called Stingrays at Caribbean Cove where, for a $1.50 (for Zoo members) and up, you can have about 10 minutes in the pool area and pet the new stingrays. Last night was the STL Zoo members free preview night so we decided to go. We waited in line for about 20-30 minutes but it was worth the wait. Definitely fun stuff. But, the best part will be catching the rays at feeding time (which seems arbitrarily decided upon by the keepers based on the perceived hunger of the rays) when, for a small fee, you can buy ray food and feed them. Clearly this photo has nothing to do with stingrays but I took it last night and couldn't resist making the obvious art history comparison (The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo). Naturally, Bill is playing the role of God and Willa is starring as Adam. Yes, I'm a geek. Sorry.

Book Review: My Horizontal Life, A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

After forcing myself to power through that mediocre Sloane Crosley book (see previous entry) I needed to be seriously entertained by my next choice. And, hallelujah, I was. Thank you Chelsea Handler. My very limited knowledge of Handler came via my little dirty habit. I watched a few short clips of her show and I was intrigued. Handler was funny, intelligent, witty, and bold. But, I probably would have forgotten about her had I not realized later that she had written a couple of books. So, I decided to start with My Horizontal Life, A Collection of One-Night Stands. One word: hilarious. At the beginning of the first essay, my eyes widened and my jaw hit the ground. The only time that expression left my face, which was actually quite often, was when I was laughed so hard that I nearly became incontinent. Seriously, I would laugh, have to put the book down because I was laughing so hard, pick the book up to start reading again, laugh some more, have to put the book down again (you get the idea). Honestly, this book is that funny. Go read it.

Book Review: I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

When I'm in the mood to read, but I don't feel like reading any of the 18 million unread books that I already own, I head to a bookstore (if I also need an outing) or log on to Amazon.com. On Amazon, I especially love the feature "Customers who bought this item have also bought this." This is how I stumbled across Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake. I was sold on Sloane when I read the review and the book cover which stated a claim something like - if you like Sedaris and Vowell you'll love Crosley. "OMG!" I thought. "I love Sedaris! I love Vowell!" Um, well, I didn't love Crosley. In fact, I didn't even like Crosley. I tolerated her. Here's what I think in a nutshell: The writing was okay and, a couple of times, even funny. Yet, overall, I found Crosley's style and content predictable, unimaginative, and average. Maybe she's more entertaining in real life?

Everyday is Earth Day

Here's my status post from Facebook:

"i do the reduce, i do the recycle. but i need new ideas for reuse. especially for my regular items: aluminum cans, 2-liter plastic bottles, 1-gallon plastic milk jugs, glass beer bottles. suggestions? any good websites?"

If anyone reading this has any suggestions, I'd love for you to post it in a comment. I'm getting really frustrated with the amount of recyclables that I have that I've run out of 'reuse' purposes. Alternatively, if you know of an art project or nature craft that includes any of these items please post that as well.

Sick Day

When I woke up this morning, I felt sick. Well, I didn't feel really sick. It was more like discomfort. It wasn't even serious enough that I should have considered staying home today. But, I did. And, once the seed was planted....well you know where this is going. I wish that I could say that I've spent my day doing those things that people talk about doing "when they get the time" but I didn't. Instead, I've sat here, at the dining room table, most of the day glued to the internet reading the news, the Onion, window shopping on Etsy, browsing for a new netbook, and other activities of equally lame status. Damn internet.

Scanning Vacations Past and Stellina Pasta Cafe

Yesterday, I was so inspired by the completion of the scanning/uploading task with my Isle Royale photos that I decided to make a day of it. At the end of the day, while I didn't win any world record scanning titles, I did get a lot of the work done. Of the photos that I decided to upload, I finished them all but our trip out West. I have a LOT of photos from that trip but hopefully I'll get that done later today. No pressure but if you're interested in taking a look at the photos, click the "My Flickr Photos" link to the right.

On an unrelated note, Bill and I are going to eat at Stellina Pasta Cafe today. My friend Laura and I ate there during Christmas break (I think) and really enjoyed the food. Today, I'm returning for three reasons: to take Bill who has been wanting to try the food, it's spring break and we have the leisure time to do these kind of things, and it's my birthday. Happy Birthday to me!

Spring Break 2009 and Isle Royale 1998

After having read a few Sarah Vowell books recently, I was inspired to organize a spring break trip to Colonial Williamsburg. I had this fantasy that a road trip to a major historical destination might inspire my teaching and/or facilitate the writing of my own Vowell-esque, hysterically observant essay. So, having an innate talent for list-making, I began the planning process. Dates, hotels, iternary - all selected. The problem was getting Bill on board. As much as I tried to convince him of the educational importance and star-making potential of this trip, Bill remained unconvinced. In fact, he even suggested that we start with Silver Dollar City and "build from there." The horror! In the meantime, I kept talking about calling to make the reservations for the Williamsburg trip when a colleague of mine said, "You know spring break is next week." Again, the horror! How did I managed to lose track of the calendar? I really have no clue. So, here I am, spring break week, blogging about vacations -- or the lack there of -- instead of enjoying one. And, as tribute to all those vacations not taken, I am revisiting some of my old vacation memories by finally scanning those old 35 mm film stills that I took before going digital. Here are a few photos from our hiking trip to Isle Royale (IR) in the summer of 1998.

This was an awesome week-long trip! We drove to Grand Portage, MN and took the 3 hour ferry ride to the island. Beautiful forest, beautiful lake, beautiful views. IR is a protected International Biosphere Reserve, as well as a National Park, so backpacking and camping etiquette is strictly enforced. It also meant that backpacking and camping were only permitted along designated trails and sites. What made this often grueling was that you had to hike the distance that the NPS told you to in order to get to the designated campsite for the night. Because of the ferry schedule, I think that we got an midday start the first day, forcing us to quickly high-step it to the approximately 7 miles that we had to do to get to the first campsite. We made good time on this nearly flat, mostly shaded trail so I was undaunted by the subsequent days hikes that called for hiking a few 9 and 11 mile stretches. At times, it was really tough hiking too--sandy beaches, rocky terrain, steep inclines. I think I cried at least 5 times the second or third day when we essentially had to hike uphill all day on loose, rocky paths, and little protection from the sun because we were out of the forested area. Miserable but so worth it in the end.

Vin de Set

Bill and I decided to try Vin de Set because of the positive reviews it had received from both friends and critics. The reviews held true. Good food, great wine, great atmosphere.

Here's the scoop:
We arrived a little early so we headed to the bar for drinks. I ordered a Malbec (if it hasn't already acheived "it" status among local hipster wine drinkers I predict it's on its way) but the bar guy, I think, winced. When I asked about it, he offered me a wine tasting. Fast-forward and I'm drinking a big ol' glass of Cabernet Franc from Cali. Very smooth. Very alcoholic. Very delicious. After a few drinks we made our way to the dining area, where we had the opportunity to sit outside in the covered, heated rooftop dining area. Wasn't expecting that option in mid-March but we went along with it since part of the point of coming to Vin is the rooftop dining experience. And, the roof did have a nice view, one that I suspect is better under more natural, more appropriate alfresco weather conditions.

On to the food:
We started with a delicious baked brie with roasted garlic and apricot and walnut chutney. Bill ordered steak and frittes, which he called "delicious" and gave a big two thumbs up. I ordered the sirloin burger w/roquefort bechamel & angel hair onions. It was very tasty too even if the cheese, and I hate to criticize cheese because it is really the most perfect food, was a little too rich for the burger (maybe that's a French culinary preference). We finished by sharing a vanilla creme brulee, which was good, but not memorable.

The assessment:
In fact, the last sentence of the last paragraph sums up my assessment of Vin--that the food was good, but not especially memorable. But, here's what's also very important to remember: food and ambiance work in tandem. Great food can be made bad by a bad presentation or environment (example: The Tin Can near Tower Grove Park--good food that registers bad because of its bad environment). Conversely, as in the case of Vin, good food can be made great by the presentation or environment. I'll fondly remember the Cabernet Franc and the view of the rooftop dining area and the great fun that I had with Bill. And, because of those positive memories and associations, Vin's good food gets thrown into the mix and becomes great too.

Weekend Preview

There's a lot going on for us this weekend. Tomorrow night is our St Louis Symphony Orchestra night. The orchestra is performing Beethoven "Pastoral" Symphony. The SLSO description begins, "Beethoven's treasured sounds of the woods...." Music and woods. Sounds promising. Throw in a little moss and some woodland fairies and it might be perfect. Tickets are still available for both the Friday and the Saturday show if you're interested.

On Saturday, we're heading to COCA for Willa's ballet class and then to Bill's Mom's house for her annual St. Patrick's Day dinner (for lunch). She's the only Polish person that I know who prepares corned beef better than the Irish. Later, we'll have dinner at Vin de Set in honor of our 9th wedding anniversary which we officially celebrated on March 11th. We've not been to Vin before but have heard good things about the food and rooftop dining area (obviously not be experienced tomorrow night). The menu looks promising and while I haven't fully decided on what to order, I'm leaning toward the trout. I love trout.

Sunday is wide open at this point. I suppose the weather might determine what we'll do for the day. Might be a good day to work on the garden. Or mulch. Or just play Tetris.

Rockwoods Reservation

When the weather was as nice as it was this past weekend, you just have to get out of the house and do something outside. Saturday was a bust for some reason but we headed out to Rockwoods Reservation on Sunday, even though some potentially bad storms were in the forecast. Glad we took the chance. Aside from a few raindrops and some wind, it was a gorgeous day.

I hadn't been to Rockwoods before Sunday but one of the first things that I noticed about the terrain was how much it reminded me of the Mark Twain Forest in the Ozarks. Way back when, a few times a year, Bill and I would go canoeing on the Eleven Point River, which runs through the Mark Twain, and/or hiking along the Big Piney Trail, which is also located in the Mark Twain. The Eleven Point is a beautiful, spring-fed, cold little river that everybody has to canoe at least once in their lifetime. In fact, a portion of the Eleven Point is designated a National Wild and Scenic Riverways System. But, I digress. Here are some photos from Rockwoods this weekend.

Just a Little Promo: Noises Off

Dando, my super friend, great actor, fab drama teacher, and awesome director, has been putting in some extremely long hours (her norm--she's such a fabulous person/teacher!) with the kids in producing the play, Noises Off! It debuts tomorrow might, March 5 at 7pm at the newly renovated MRH auditorium. I would encourage catch a show if you can.......watching her direction and the acting of the kids is always a wonderful experience. If you can't make it tomorrow night, you can also catch it on Friday, March 7th, or Saturday, March 8th. Both are at 7pm. The address is: MRH H.S., 7539 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO 63143. Hope to see you there!

Dinner at the Triumph Grill

Bill and I are probably like some of you out there: we don't go out to eat often so, when we do, we end up hitting the same old, but favorite, places. For us, those rare restaurant nights out are just so precious that we're kind of reluctant to potentially waste one by experimenting. But, we're always open to trying new restaurants when we have dinner plans with friends, which is what we had last night. Bill and I met our friend Laura for dinner at the Triumph Grill, which is located on Olive near Grand Center and SLU. Another relative locational tidbit is that the Triumph sits across from the Moto Museum. Thus, the name Triumph, as in the Triumph Motorcycle. The moto influence on this place should be noted before you go. No, it thankfully doesn't have "moto" inspired dishes on the menu. But it does have a sophisticated moto decor, which I think will limit the clientele, I hypothesize, to three main groups of people here: SLU kids (although it seems too expensive to be the usual beer and burger hangout), arts people (with clubs, the Fox, and the Symphony all within walking distance it's the perfect before or after dinner/drink spot), and, obviously, moto people.

If it occured to you to be worried about the statement about the clientele, don't. Not a problem. Wish I could say that for the dining my experience though. Since I'm not a food critic I'll keep my comments short. It wasn't a fabulous dining experience but it was an okay one. I left with two chief compliants, but they're important ones. First, our waitress was terrible. Very forgetful. Too "in-your-face" at the beginning of the evening and too "where-the-hell-did-she-go" by the middle and into the end. My rare burger was horrible too. Did I mention that I ordered it prepared medium-well? I actually sent it back to be cooked more, which I hardly ever do. And, I'm very convinced of this, they cooked only the edges to fool me into thinking that the whole thing had been cooked to my liking. Why? When I bit in, it was still rare. Perhaps had the lights been dimmer or had I had more wine ....... On the other hand, Bill and Laura had perfectly pleasant experiences with the Cowboy Steak and Shrimp Risotto. Overall the Triumph was just so-so and the menu and atmosphere not nearly interesting enough to give them another try.

It's Been a Slow Newsday

To my very small, but hopefully faithful, group of readers, I offer a heartfelt apology for not keeping the blog as up to date as I had intended to when I started this lil' hobby back in the day.

Just in case you're curious......a couple of major problems have recently slowed me down.

#1 an enormously busy work schedule has resulted in an almost a complete lack of content to write/photo about
#2 my 8 year old laptop has recently gone into its final stages of life.

As a result of the latter, I've been spending a lot of weekend time frantically transferring photos, music, and anything else of value to the external hard drive hoping to protect my stuff and to buy some time. And, while I am lucky to have a sweet school district Mac that I can use in the mean time, it's ultimately not mine so I'll have to stop (mis)appropriating it at some point.

Okay, I guess it's clear, since I'm writing, that I feel the need to provide an update even though I have no pictures. In a nutshell this: Willa turned 4, we enjoyed the holidays, we survived a barrage of children's birthday parties (Willa's present of choice? A Barbie, naturally!), had fun with a few snow days, went to The Rep for a few more shows, went to the Symphony for a few more shows, planned our two week summer vacation to Yellowstone and the Tetons, saw Seinfield at the Fox (thanks Monica!), and went to Bloomington, IL for my niece's birthday party. Not too shabby!

Snowy Day in St Louis

When I was growing up, my sister and I went to private school so a day off school due to weather was a very, very, very rare thing. And, when it did happen, we were inclined to believe that a miracle of great proportions had just occurred. Now I know better. The district where I now teach, a public school district, had also prided itself on very rarely closing for weather. In fact, one crazy snowy slippery day last year we were the only school in St Louis that remained opened. Maybe the super thought that we would win a prize. We didn't. So, imagine my surprise when I got the phone call last night that school was canceled for today. Even Willa, who now goes to private school, got the day off too. I wish that I could say that we packed the day with fun-filled activities but it ended up being a lazy, trying to stay warm kinda day. Which, in my book, is good every now and then. But, by three p.m., I needed to get out. So, I packed up the car with long put off returns from Christmas and headed around town. I made my way to Crestwood, to Sunset Hills, to Brentwood, to Richmond Heights, to Kingshighway & Arsenal, and then back home. A three hour tour. Not exactly fun, but just what I needed. The good news is that I get a chance to do it all again tomorrow. Looks like I get another day off.

Making History

This is a day that we will all remember.

In the last few days, I've listened so many times to Dr King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech. I cannot remember a time when hearing his speech hasn't caused me to tear up. It's one of the most moving speeches in history because of its sentiment, its eloquence, and its power imagery. Naturally, Dr King's speech is even more powerful this year. Especially on this day. Inauguration Day.

I woke up this morning very exciting about what is about to happen today. And the tears came again. I wasn't alive to watch when man walked the moon or when Kennedy was shot or when Civil Rights protesters had food thrown on them at while protesting (peacefully) at lunch counters in Greensboro. But I am alive today to watch this moment and it makes me feel full of energy, full of hope, full of possibilities, and full of pride. It's a moment that somehow I knew I would watch, I just wasn't sure what it would look like or when it might happen. But I knew that it would.

So as emotional and powerful and historical this day has been for me, I started thinking about what it would feel like to be President Obama - Waking up, knowing that you are about to become the President of the United States, the first Black President of the United States. I cannot even image what he felt this morning.

This is a day that we all will remember.

Happy 50th Revolution Anniversary Cubans! Happy 2009 Yanks!

Cubans: Happy 50th Anniversary Revolution! You're still communist, admittedly not as bad ass and scary as you once were under Fidel. But your access to free and decent health care does put some of the rest of us to shame. And, while we're shaming--kudos to your high literacy rate and access to higher education. But, what's with the twenty dollars a month and censorship? I just can't get on board that flotilla. Come on Raul, keep those freedoms and liberties a comin'!

2008. Where to start?

Family: Glad to report that there were very few unhealthy and unhappy moments in 2008. In regard to the nuclear family.....Bill and I celebrated anniversary number eight in March and seem poised to make it, happily, to anniversary number nine. Great guy, great person, grateful everyday that I met him. Willa started the year as a quasi-independent, inquisitive, sweet-natured three year old. Mostly still is. She ended her stint in day care at Kindercare in July (so sad.... especially because Kinderecare had been part of our lives since Willa was seven months old!). Took her first two summer camps at COCA (without knowing anyone) and loved them (*have you ever seen a penguin come to tea, take a look at me, a penguin you will see.....penguins attack! penguins begin* thanks for the quirky summer tune COCA!). And, in August, began her first official year in pre-k at SMOS.

Work: I finished my first full year at my now no-longer-new job. Glad that I survived but wished that I didn't have to go back. Now, I'm glad that I did. May not be the best building admin but I have great colleagues, great kids, and great professional opportunities.

The Rest: Didn't win the lottery but can't say that my life is any less rich. In fact, its pretty decent. I've had fun blogging more this year (even if I'm the only person reading this thing!). Gotten reacquainted with some old lost pals from as far back as elementary school. Have my health (or at least I think so!). Have my sanity (on most days). Can't complain. Well, unless I give it some thought.....

St Louis Symphony Orchestra Presents The Wizard of Oz

In the last year or so, the St Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) has been designing new programs and series in an effort to attract new audiences into Powell Hall to support the musical endeavors of the SLSO. If you haven't checked out what they're doing this season, please click here. I guarantee that you'll find something that fits your style.

One of these new SLSO series is called SLSO Presents. As part of this series, the SLSO was performing the The Wizard of Oz score live while simultaneously showing the movie. I immediately bought tickets since my kid LOVES Dorothy Gale and all of the Oz characters. She's only recently turned 4 yet we've already spent two Halloweens, two birthday parties, and countless other unofficial opportunities dressed as Dorothy.

On Sunday, Oz day arrived. We brought along the grandmas and headed to Powell hall on North Grand. Here are some highlights.

Theatre for the Kids

In some ways, teaching and acting are one in the same: you get into character, learn your script, and perform, sometimes to an appreciative crowd, sometimes not. It's precisely for that reason that I thought I could never love teaching and, now, that I do.

Don't get me wrong. Acting, as in the real art of acting, is not in my blood. But, I do love going to the theatre. Bill and I have had season tickets at the St. Louis Rep for almost 10 years now. At least once a season, we'll see something at the Fox or the Stray Dog Theatre or the Muny too. While we mostly see productions intended for older audiences, we started attending children's theatre and kid-friendly productions too when Wee Willa was about 18 months old. In case you're wondering, Willa's first show was The Wizard of Oz.

Last year, we bought season tickets for the Piwacket Theatre for Children which performs at the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood. Piwacket is professional theatre that is informal and family-friendly. Each Piwacket production brings to life a classic, yet popular tale that everyone remembers from childhood (with a strong character education make-over). You and your kids will both give Piwacket a thumbs up because fidgeting, walking around, talking, and bathroom breaks during the production are not just acceptable, they're the norm.

If polished is more your style, then I would recommend the Imaginary Theatre Company. The Imaginary is the Rep's traveling theatre company for kids and they come home to perform a few times during the year. Like Piwacket, the Imaginary brings to life classic children's tales using simple sets, a few props, and great acting. Unlike Piwacket, the Imaginary's story selections, adaptations, and productions are a bit more sophisicated (think Robin Hood rather than Jack and the Bean Stalk). And, unlike Piwacket, the productions are not interactive, you have to sit in a real theatre seat, and talking, coughing, bathroom breaks, and the like are discouraged. But, did I mention that it's more polished? Previously, we've seen The Velveteen Rabbit and The Ant and the Grasshopper. Yesterday, we saw The Little Fir Tree. In addition to the polish, the Imaginary offers an opportunity to create art and crafts before the show and a chance to meet the actors/characters for photo ops and autographs afterward.

The only company that we haven't had a chance to see yet is the Metro Theatre Company but we've heard great things about them. In fact, I think that a wife of colleague of mine is an actor with this company. Any others that I've omitted?

Movies and the Mall

The Henske Three has officially started Winter Break! Yes, that was a resounding woo hoo that you just heard. Friday night and Saturday were filled with parties, wedding, and other activities but yesterday was wide open--but it was ~10 degrees! Good day to see a movie.

We picked The Tale of Despereaux, which was not showing nearby but was playing at the AMC in Crestwood Mall. I'm not a big fan of malls in general but I especially hate Crestwood Mall. Sorry, but it's true. Too many turns to get to it. Too poorly designed (how long is that mall?). Too boring: no unique stores; no reason to go.

Which brings me to the point of this entry. Have ya been to Crestwood Mall lately? Obviously, I'm no regular but, in the last year or two, I've had to go to there a couple of times. Business was really creeping along back then but nothing like yesterday. Seriously, not even a small crowd on one of the three last shopping days of the season! And, it was a weekend day! I'm guessing, aside from employees, there were maybe 30 people in the entire mall. No lie. And it was cold in there. I'd wager that the management company, whoever that is now--Crestwood is no longer a "Westfield Shoppingtown"--quit heating the mall to save a few bucks. Probably a good decision considering that there are only about 20 mall stores left.

Oh yeah, The Tale of Despereaux was a great little film!

Book Review: Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins by Steve Olson

The main point of Olson's research can be summarized into one simple but enormously important sentence: Race is a social construct. If you'd like to know why or you disagree then I urge you to read Olson's book. Its well researched, well written, and well worth the time.

Winter Break Art from the Dutch and Reflections from the Grind

Hendrick Avercamp, Winter Landscape, late 16th century, Oil on wood

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Hunters in the Snow 1565; Oil on panel

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap 1565; Oil

From Pieter to Rubens to Rembrandt, I love the art of the Dutch. At the end of every first semester, as I embark a short, but necessary, reprieve from the grind, I'm always reminded of the lovely 16th and 17th century winter scenes done most exquisitely by the Dutch. Aside from the evocative appeal of the Dutch landscape, I'm not sure what else it is that beckons me back each winter.

So, here I sit tonight, on the eve of the eve of the winter solstice, studying those Dutch Masters. And, I realize that sometimes it's difficult not to get caught up in the past. That, sometimes, reflection must occur, even if you don't like to go there. And, I rarely do.

That said, this is what I think:
I eliminated the complaining and the whining and got right to the heart of that meat, which is where I realized that I've had a really great year so far. Minimal stress (unless you count arguing with Welker about religion...the guy self-admitted knows nothing), minimal frustration (well, kids are still children even if they stand taller and bark louder than you), and minimal regret (as in I'm glad that I took this job). Not perfect, but what ever is?

I can also say that, thus far, these things have made me extremely happy, appreciative, and bowled over with tears, joy, and pride: helping Dando cast 2 plays, spending another 1/2 year with the kids in my Lunch Crew (go Class of 2009! Good Luck Brandon!), working diligently, writing some of the best damn curriculum that I've ever seen (yeah, I'm boasting), being able to moderate real, thought provoking debate from "underprivileged" kids who can *surprise* use words like globalization, unilateralism, and coup d'etat and know what they mean (well, at least most of them), having the respect of my colleagues (the ones that matter), and forcing myself to rise above the shit so that I can admire the beauty and artistry of what the kids do and I do everyday (sometimes tough to do). And, trust me, this is the short list.

Bloggin' Blah's

Since starting this blog in 06', I've never been at a loss of an adventure, an opinion, a photo, or any other reason to blog. But lately, I find myself with a serious case of the bloggin' blah's. I have suspicions why this is so, but I'll keep them to myself for now. In the mean time, here is a photo of two of my three favorite mammals.

Pony Cake and Presents

12:04 pm, December 08, 2004. Willa Katherine Henske was born. 4 years ago today. Happy Birthday Willa!

Prop 8, The Musical (Funny, Funny Stuff)

I removed the video because it's all over the internet now. But if you haven't seen Jack Black and his Hollywood crew doing Prop 8, The Musical it is very entertaining. To watch it, click here.