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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Sitting at the kitchen table...








My new kitchen table was delivered yesterday evening, and I love it. It's a round wooden table with two drop-leaves for space-saving. I don't exactly have a small kitchen necessarily, but the room is the center of the house with three doorways to enter it. With a larger table, one of the doorways, the one to the dining room, would be blocked a bit. I'm not a huge follower of feng shui, but I do appreciate the logical concept that if the house is built so that people may walk somehwere, furniture shouldn't obstruct that. Plus, I think that it's just common sense not to overcrowd a busy room. I love the table the the chairs- the black distressed wood of the pieces picks up nicely with the black in the rest of the room. I never thought I'd have a kitchen with black in it, because I like a bright kitchen; however, I'm enjoying the way the countertops really anchor the room. And, the black wood still gives the room a rustic country feel, not a modern one.
I measured and measured tables for weeks, and then one day I just saw this set at a store on 110 in Farmingdale called Designer's Choice Dinettes and Stools. With tape measure in hand (always) I quickly made sure it would fit and within a week it was mine. What happened to my old kitchen table? It's been pushed into the porch and being used as a computer desk.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Record Store Day

The radio station I listen to these days is 101.9, WRXP. Today they were celebrating the record store: not Tower Records, but the Mom and Pop stores still open today, struggling to make it in a world of downloading music onto Ipods. Remember the days of wandering through a record store-- fingering through hand-written, alphabetized labels. Maybe you'd start at the beginning- ABBA, ACDC, Aerosmith Anthrax, .... or maybe you'd go straight to a certain section to check if they had something a little more obscure? The Dead Milkmen? Violent Femmes? Siousxie and the Banshees? They Might Be Giants? Dinosaur Jr? If music helps people find themselves, there was something about the process of searching through records that just made sense. With each discovery, it felt like my personal collection came closer and closer to expressing who I was. First it was vinyl, then tapes- the transition to CD was difficult for me. Do I replace everything I already own?

Anyway, I have fond memories of record stores- and the days of carrying your music home in a bag. Some of my favorites are Looney Tunes in West Babylon. and Slipped Disc in Valley Stream.

Click here to watch a tribute on YouTube to Slipped Disc.

Trees

















One little walk around the streets of South Farmingdale gave me these images of unusual, beautiful trees. Every night this week driving home from work I'd wished I had my camera in order to capture the colors of the beautiful trees I pass- some so distracting it's almost dangerous to be driving with me. We wait all winter long for them to bloom and when they do, it's spectacular. I don't want to miss it. The splendor of a gorgeous tree is what Joyce Kilmer is talking about in his classic poem. Its first line is part of our consciousness, like so many other words written by fools.

Joyce Kilmer's "Trees"

Monday, April 12, 2010

a color stands abroad on Solitary Fields\ that Science cannot overtake but Human Nature feels


http://poetry.about.com/od/poems/l/blcarewspring.htm

I wanted to write something about Spring because it was so gorgeous today- the tulips bloomed, the breeze was blowing, and the sky was perfectly blue. This is the weather we wait for all year long. I decided I couldn't say it better than poets already have. These are remarkable.

http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/blshakespearespring.htm

http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/bldickinsonspring.htm





Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Extra Credit













Over vacation, my students were given the opportunity to earn extra credit by making something from To Kill a Mockingbird. Last year a student made the Radley tree, to which I contributed a gift of twine and Wrigley's double mint gum. This year, students brought in life size statues of Boo Radley, the Radley house, Miss Maudie's house, and the two soap figurines of Jem and Scout! I have all of Maycomb County in my classroom!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Watching cats watching birds


I like these pictures not only because they feature the most adorable animals I know, but for their symbolism. They all feature two worlds; worlds that can be defined in many ways. They all feature a threshold, a doorway, a barricade. They each offer a glimpse of what is unreachable or at least longed for on the other side. How can we define the two worlds in these photos? Where the cats reside can be innocence, childhood, safety, inexperience, even entrapment, while the world beyond can be interpreted as evil, experience, maturity, danger, or freedom. Take any of their facial expressions and examine what they seem to be feeling, and the worlds change meaning with each different read on their perceptions. Are they resentful of the screen door in front of them or grateful for it? Can cats feel resentment and/or gratitude? I say hell yes.

Curiosity

This shot of Tula enjoying the breeze through the screen door and the view of the outside world seems to say a lot on its own without an entry. Don't you agree? I love how her shadow is captured as well. I like this photo!

Monday, April 5, 2010

To Kill a Mockingbird: a perfect book.


My esteemed colleague Mike Kramer once called To Kill a Mockingbird "a perfect book." It sounds cliche, but it's true: I find something new, feel something new, each time I reread and reteach To Kill a Mockingbird. Perhaps this is the ultimate measure of a great novel. First of all, it's real. It's based on true times and places, real American issues and principles. It's got some of the most hateful content and doesn't shy away from any of it: racism, violence, hatred, ignorance, injustice. And yet, without seeming preachy or sappy, delivers the most inspiring lessons of courage, understanding, fairness, patience and love. I sometimes feel that the world's problems can all be solved by the wisdom of the great Atticus Finch.



This year I find myself especially proud of young Jem. I can appreciate his growing pains: longing to be viewed as a young man instead of always with his little sister. I can appreciate his changing perspective of his father, and I love watching his admiration for him grow.

When his father was being threatened by the angry mob in front of the jailhouse, Jem shows passive resistance. I love his strength to say "No, sir" repeatedly each time Atticus asks him to return home. I admire his new found bravery and his respectful defiance; the ability to disobey when a greater principle emerges. Chapters later, after the guilty verdict for Tom Robinson is announced, Harper Lee writes a most powerful line, "It was Jem's turn to cry." I want my kids to read this line with as much magnitude as she intended it to have: it's about a child's witness to blatant injustice. God, what an important, timeless, gorgeous book.

And then there's Boo Radley- or more respectfully, Arthur. The lessons taught through this character are endless: don't judge others; give people the benefit of the doubt; there is goodness in all people; everyone deserves respect, etc. The beauty of human beings is celebrated in the final pages of this novel when we discover it is Arthur who saves Jem and Scout from their attacker, Mr. Bob Ewell, Atticus's foil. As we close the book, the symbolism of the mockingbird should stay with every reader for the rest of their lives, which in my humble opinion, improves the world.

Unsolicited advice: I'm not your problem to "fix"


There's something really unpleasant about help that is not asked for. Think about it. If someone close to you feels compelled to school you about your life, without your express request for assistance, it must mean that your "problems" as they see them are glaring at them in neon. It inevitably makes the person on the receiving end feel defensive and insecure. Not fun.

I looked on a few psychology websites about the subject and my reading confirmed things I'd suspected, but didn't have the language for. For one thing, when this happens, it is usually more about the weakness and lack of control in the person offering the advice. One particular life coach, Elizabeth Scott, (MS in psychology) said it's about the person's need to feel needed; his way of feeling helpful and like "the teacher" in the situation. This type of advice also very narcissistic, she claims, when a person condescends to thinking he can solve your problems for you in one fell swoop. The advice giver can also gain a feeling of dominance over the person he is "correcting" and enjoy being the one in the right pontificating about another person's wrongs.

These are all potential explanations for unsolicited advice, all of which are negative places. It can be positive and altruistic, but then, would I really be blogging about it? On the other hand, I guess I would have something to write about if a person were to show her genuine concern about another human being in a respectful way. That would really be something.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Cats on holiday...

In a three floor house with many nooks and crannies to nestle into, each of my cats has his or her favorite spots for refuge. Maggie can be found any time of the day under the dining room table on one of the broad chair cushions, hoping to grab some zzz's in peace. She's either there or in the quiet guest bedroom upstairs- away from it all and loving it.

On a day like today with blue skies and sunshine, Buddy of course is moaning for the outdoors. Here he is, donning his cone of shame as usual, as well as a green striped onesie I customized for him, as per the vet's suggestion. He's my baby.




During the hours humans are awake and active, Tula is sound asleep. (And vice versa). Her squinted eyes reveal her reluctance to participate in a photo shoot. Happily, I caught her on a window sill whereas her usual spot is the bed.

Phil, who spends 95% of his life on our king size bed, is equal parts curious and "scaredy." Here, he is looking out at the world from behind the glass of the front door: a threshold he will never dare cross. His eyes in this particular photo strike a balance between inquisitive interest and sheer panic.... for the world beyond his home and daddy's safe embrace.


The colors of spring!





All that rain may have done some good. I cannot wait to see flowers bursting all around. While I love the crisp, cool look of a blanket of snow, and trees sprinkled with white, I long for lush green lawns and bright colored flowers to surround me. The tree in front of the house is just starting to bear its buds.

George Costanza (a.k.a.: You can't eat anything anymore)


Over the years my dieting habits have paralleled those of none other than George Costanza of Seinfeld, so I feel compelled to dedicate this entry to him. Well, maybe only in title.
It's really inspired by the scone. They say you are what you eat, and it occurred to me as I broke apart the bread/cake the Scottish innocently term the"scone" that this is what I would be if I were a food. It's bumpy; it's lumpy; it's got an uneven tan! (Ha). It's got imperfections, but yet it's beautiful just the same. (Aw). But most like me, it's oh, so satisfying. (Ooh).

George has declared himself off bread more often than I can count. And so have I. It's hard to avoid one food group, as many of us who tried the Atkins diet before have discovered. Don't get me wrong- bacon tastes great, but I don't want it with a side of bacon. When you're avoiding bread, your burger comes on another burger. Instead of pasta your standard side dish becomes a cheese omelette! The bread you're instructed to avoid seems so harmless next to the roladin on your plate.
You also wouldn't believe where hidden carbs lie! Carrots, fruit, your coffee, yogurt. So, all of the things you'd normally deem healthful and harmless, are deadly on Atkins. But you can chew on beef jerky all day long. I cold only last two months on this ridiculous system.
Back to George. He also likes peanut butter, and was caught eating Jerry's right out of the jar. He used his fingers- yuck- I prefer a spoon. My grandmother Mellek loved peanut butter, my father loves it, and so do I. The nutritionist likes it, too. However, I do remember my bio teacher from high school calling it "the most fattening thing you can eat." Damb you, Mrs. Lidowsky! I think of her every time I pierce open a new jar! Uggh!
Anyway, join me as I raise my reusable, microwavable, dishwasher safe, coffee tumbler in a salute to the scone. It's bread, it's cake, it's delicious!