Queen Stupid Is Crowned

Update: Just as predicted, Juror #921, Queen Stupid, decided to hold up deliberations this afternoon. The good news is that I wasn't the only one who recognized her stupidity (although by the end it was clear that it was not stupidity but rather mental incompetence). Eleven to one. Yep. Eleven very logical, very certain, very fair people. One squinty-eyed, squeaky voiced, dim-witted doof. And I know someone out there is thinking..... what if that was me holding the lone (right) opinion in the room? Trust me. Queen Stupid was no Juror #8 from 12 Angry Men. No philosophical voice of dissent. No profound insights or possibilities. Nope. No way. No how. Nope. But, I am happy to say, that at the end of the day, truth, reason, sanity, and justice prevailed.

Jury Duty

My jury duty summons arrived about a month ago. Because I'm a history teacher and because I love being entertained by stupidity, I am always excited by the possibility of serving as a juror. This is my 3rd time being called for duty. The first time, I participated too much (i.e. I answered too many questions voluntarily) and got axed. The second time, I had a different strategy--I played it cool, only answering questions directly asked of me by the attorney(s). I don't know if it was my strategy or something else but I was selected to be part of the jury for a criminal case. Woo Hoo!! And, it was a crazy ass trial ---revoked driver's license, outstanding warrants, baby mama drama, gun-toting, gun-shooting, police chase, car crash. Could it get any better? It did. The alleged perpetrator's defense rested solely a dude named "Boo." I'm not kidding. Boo. No real name, no real address, no real phone number, no real nothing. Just Boo. Boo. Well, I was taken to the edge of crazy myself before I was finally able to convince about 3 of the 12 jurors that Boo didn't exist. Can you believe? I couldn't until that day. So, the 3rd time, this time, that I was summoned I assumed that I wouldn't get picked due to my last jury service. But, I was. Criminal case again--armed robbery, stolen vehicle, resisting arrest-- but I can't say anything else because we haven't finished yet. What I can say though is we have at least one juror who's in the running to be crowned "Queen Stupid." Her response to 11, 12, & 13 yr olds having babies...."what's wrong with that?" ugh.

Snow is My Friend, But.........

I love a good ol' snow day off school as much as the next person but the snowy, icy conditions made me feel trapped in the house on Friday. Sure, I did some productive stuff--downloaded some new tunes, played Barbie tea party with the kid (2-games-in-1, my favorite kind!), read the news, watched some funny You Tube videos, ate some Ramen, painted & made art with the kid, took a nap, played Barbie tea party with the kid (again), read some magazines, (you get the idea). But, I wanted out! So, yesterday, I hit the ground runnin'--well, walking, often slowly, actually. After all, I'm no dynamo.

First, to the Humane Society for Grover's med's. Second, to the Goodwill to drop off several bags of stuff (I love giving away stuff for a good cause but I hate that I end up with so much crap to give. Note to self: Gotta curb that waste!). Third, to the Framery in Soulard to drop off some cool art that I bought on Etsy. Fourth, lunch at McGurk's.

Views from our usual booth--outside and in.

We had some family fun making snow art with found sticks on the way back to the car.

And, lastly, Bill and I went to Powell Symphony Hall to listen to some Wagner, Stravinsky, & Strauss.

Eagle Watching

Winter is eagle watching season along the bluffs of the Mississippi River and Monday was a perfect day to go--cold and clear skies. First, we stopped by the Chain of Rocks Bridge along Riverview Drive but the parking lot was locked. So, we drove back about a mile south and parked at the Riverfront Park and walked to the boat slip. Immediately, we spotted two eagles. Very cool.

Next, we drove to the Melvin Price Lock and Dam #26 in Granite City, IL. The eagles are much harder to spot here--lots of visual distractions (museum, locks, gulls, pelicans, ducks, etc.)--but they can be seen. And, we did spot several eagles here as well. As an aside, the Melvin Price Locks are an interesting visit, especially if you're into environmental history or environmental studies. What the locks (i.e. The Corps) have done--regulating, controlling, dictating--to the natural flow and boundaries of the river and flood plan is amazing. That male dominated, imperialist attitude so typified by the Corps has completely changed our relationship to nature. It's really sad actually. But, that's really another post.


Next, we drove along the Great River Road to Grafton, IL for lunch at the Fin Inn - an aquarium restaurant. The food was not great nor was the atmosphere. If you're in the area, skip it. On the drive home, we saw more eagles than we could count. If for nothing else that a great scenic trip, I recommend that everyone take the drive along route 3 in IL north through Granite & Woodriver (not so scenic) into Alton, Elsah, Grafton, and as far north as you feel like going.

Hola du Soulard!

Soulard is a historic neighborhood in St. Louis City known for it's French heritage and architecture. In fact, Soulard's Mardi Gras celebration is only second in size to that found in New Orleans. Even more, Soulard has based it's local, regional, and national reputation on it's French-ness. So, the fact that you cannot find French food in Soulard is a peculiarity. Irish, Italian, American, Pub, nouveau cuisine, etc--no problem. And, now, there's even Mexican--who knew? Not me. But who did were our friends from (of all places) New Orleans, Jen and Rob. We met them last night at Chava's. The atmosphere is SW/Mexican rustic. The food and drinks are deliciously Mexican. The photo is a little fuzzy but check out Faith's gang signs. Those dope signs are straight outta Nawr'lens!

Love the Turks

If you're ever in the mood for some super excellent Turkish/Mediterranean food, you gotta try Aya Sofia. Bill and I went tonight and I'd forgotten how great the food is.

Snow Balls at the Maya Cafe

More snow time fun from last weekend's winter weather extravaganza. We met the Morton-Holden's at Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood for Piwacket's rendition of The Emperor's New Clothes. Funny stuff, especially if you're under four feet tall. After the play, we walked up the street and had lunch at the Maya Cafe. Good eats, good times.

Art Hill

When it does snow in the city, Art Hill in Forest Park is one of the best places to go sledding (if you can stand the crowd, the mayhem, the blood & broken bones, etc.). For those of you that actually know me, you know that this is the type of situation that I go to great lengths to avoid--the chaos upsets my chakra. However, for the betterment of the kid's mental and physical development, the Henske Three went to Art Hill for some sledding fun. Plus, as an incentive, I knew we could stop for eats and drinks at the Boathouse. Great burgers, great atmosphere, great views. Needless to say, I survived The Hill. And, I actually enjoyed myself. I'm turning into such a softy in my old age.

Snow Day, or More Reasons to Heart Missouri

We spent the day yesterday in school awaiting a winter storm which, we were assured by the weather people, was on its way. Usually, this means nothing to me. One, because weather prediction is not an exact science. And, two, because the majority of all snow predicted around here usually doesn't manifest. But,surprise, the snow did begin yesterday as predicted. I took a few photos from the car while driving home yesterday afternoon. Then, we went outside this morning to have a little fun.

A Few Reasons Why I (Mostly) Love Missouri

I really LOVE living in South City. The character, the community, the amenities. Wouldn't change it for anything most days. Sometimes, though, I really HATE living in Missouri. Conservatism (in almost every way), urban sprawl (in almost every corner), not in my backyard mentality (in almost every mind), billboards (in almost every scenic highway view), etc. Ugh! Ugh! But, if I wander off the beaten path, which I try to do as often as possible, I'm reminded of why living in Missouri isn't really THAT bad. I was reminded of this again on a recent fossil hunting trip. These photos were taken mid to late morning on an overcast day off of Highway 21 (Lemay Ferry) near High Ridge, Missouri. The road was recently cut and the fossil finding is at a premium. Amid the fallen limestone, I found lots of brachiopods and crinoids, which are typical fossil finds for Missouri.

Smile

One of my favorite photo pastimes is taking photos of people taking photos. I especially like taking photos of people taking photos of me. Sometimes that isn't possible. Believe it or not, I'm not always that entertaining or photo-worthy. But, either way, I'm usually satisfied when the opportunity to take a photo of someone taking a photo arises. Over the holidays, I managed to get a few for the collection. These are Bill's brother John. John was the unofficial photographer for this year's Christmas at the Henske's so it was a fairly easy getting these shots.

Ice Skating at Steinberg Rink

We met Dona and Paul at Steinberg Rink on Friday night. I've always been a big fan of ice skating, not as an aspiring Oksana Baiul but as a form of fun and fitness. When I was 13, 14, and 15, I spent lots of time ice skating during the fall and winter months. However, I've only been sporadically since then so my stamina and skill has suffered greatly. Anyway, Friday was warm and it also happened to be the first day of Winter break for a lot of us so Steinberg Rink was super super crowded. More 13 to 16 year old kids than you could count. Throw in a bunch of love birds and some doting, photo-taking parents and grandparents and you got yourself a mental image of Steinberg on Friday. We skated for an hour and decided to leave for dinner and drinks at the Boathouse.

What You Lookin' At?

Well, I don't know about everyone else but this is what I've had to look at the last few days. Apparently, cats, even 20+ lbs, massive, prehistoric-sized cats--like ours--don't maneuver too well in the snow. So, the normally I-only-come-in-for-my-4-squares-a-day Lil' Man has opted instead to chill indoors these past two snowy, wet, cold days. And, out of all the places that he could have had to relax peacefully, he's picked the dining room table across from my computer to snooze. What bothers me more than the inappropriate location and the incessant licking/grooming and the mounds of cat hair/dander is how he sleeps. One eye open. Sometimes two. But always suspicious. And always ready to strike. I just gave myself goosebumps. Yes, he's that scary.

And, if you're interested in seeing 3 hours of a day in the life of our other normal-size, more stable cat, Bernice, follow the link. Don't worry--it's time lapsed so it's only a 3-minute video.

Happy Boston Tea Party Day

Today is the 224th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. I'm not sure how, or if, one should commemorate the event but dumping my Crystal Light Raspberry Instant Tea (yeah, it's crap) into the Mississippi River just somehow didn't feel right. So, we took down the recycling instead, which, as it would happen, is a dumping event of sorts anyway. I also took these photographs along the way.

Willa Katherine Henske

Born 3 years ago. Happy Birthday!

Momma Mia!

Andrew, one of my favorite 20th Century Studies kids, works at Imo's Pizza which is across the street from MRH. During privileged lunch, he ran over and made the "Andrew Special" and brought it back to share with his friends. Since I was gracious enough to let them eat in my room, Andrew was gracious enough to offer me a slice. Delicious!

Wrap This Up

The kids just finished a study of immigration and migration and had to demonstrate some level of mastery by completing a final project. So what you see here is a sample of what I watched for a week. It's always fun in the beginning to watch their little minds and fingers wrestling, interpreting, constructing. But, after 4 days, the good times are over and I'm ready to move on to new territory. I think some of them feel the same way.

Reunited Cause' It Feels So Good

Former members of the St. Louis Team Henske reunited in Chicago the weekend before last. Included in the count was the leader, Mom Henske, and all 6 Henske children, their spouses, the kids, aunts, uncles, and, rumor has it, a stray dog or two. The reason? The youngest, Joe, tied the knot. While no decent photos of the groom or his new bride were taken, a few were submitted representing fan fave Team Henske from South City.

California Here I Come!

A few colleagues and I had an opportunity to attend a curriculum writing workshop in Newport Beach, CA. While the workshop was mostly uneventful, we did take advantage of the free trip to the West Coast. It was mild weather--about 65 degrees and overcast each day--so walked around town hitting the local hot spots (Fashion Mall, Balboa Island (pictured) and the Pacific Ocean). The last night, we took a cab to Laguna Beach for sightseeing, a Thai dinner, and a run to Ralph's.