Wills and Wars

And now, the tale of the Three Trips Up North in One Week...

The first trip was to a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale for a small gathering of GVSU alum. The Athletic Director and his wife were in town for a conference/vacation, and a few alum were invited to have dinner with them. There were only four of us, but it was a lovely evening and it was great to hear about all the great stuff happening back in Allendale. I had scallops and mashed potatoes, and they were so good. I mean, I LOVE a damn scallop. And I love a damn Laker. :)

Toward the end of January and the beginning of February, a theater company called Shakespeare Miami does a production, for free, in local parks and venues. This year's show was A Midsummer Night's Dream and my good friend The Aussie was in it, as Robin Goodfellow, everyone's favorite mischief-making fairy, also called Puck. I actually saw the show twice, once in Pinecrest Gardens, former home of Parrot Jungle, and once up north in Hollywood with coworkers and Team Weaver. This was trip #2 for the week.

We had a little picnic, a little wine, and watched a little fairy mayhem ensue. The show was well done, an adequate amount of glitter without being over the top, and there were even some "special effects" that were fun. It made me realize just how crap our version of the play was in high school. Ahh well, you know better you do better, I guess. Free and well-done Shakespeare is still free and well-done Shakespeare, so yay.

Trip number three marked a day I'd been waiting for for a long time: The Civil Wars concert! When I found out they were coming to FLL, I was so excited! Plus, tickets were only $25, which is awesome.

The band sounds just as good live, if not better, than they do on Barton Hollow. The duo, made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White, haven't been around that long, but they sound like they've been singing together forever. Here's what we saw while we were waiting.

The two aren't married (to each other, anyway) but their voices marry perfectly. They have great musical chemistry as evidenced by this picture. Here they are, huddled around one mic and one guitar. :)

Just after the show, the group was nominated for several Grammy's AND we found out that Joy was actually pregnant with her first baby! How awesome! She is so darn cute when she sings I can't even take it. And JPW isn't bad on the eyes, either. He's like if Jonny Depp and Jack White from The White Strips had a baby. A hot, guitar-playing baby.

The duo sang every song I wanted to hear, including my favorites, BRILLIANT covers of "I Want you Back" by the Jackson 5 and "Disarm" by The Smashing Pumpkins.

Here's a little video of them singing one of their own songs, "I've Got This Friend."

This band is my newest obsession. Their music is just so... pretty. It's soothing and kinda sad, but just so beautiful. A while back I made my journalism class watch this music video, for their song "Poison and Wine" and write a review of it. I don't think they loved it as much as I do.

Teenagers. Bless.

Much love!

Hello, 2012

Going and being home for Christmas break is always strange and wonderful.

I don't feel like my life is in Holt Michigan, anymore. I mean, it's NOT in Holt, Michigan any more. Few friends still live there, and when I go I'm transported back to my high school days staying at my parents house and sleeping in a twin bed. Only now, they have cable. In both scenarios I don't have a car so mobility is a problem. Not that I'd drive much, anyway because I've sort of forgotten how to drive in anything but sunshine and rain.

But I love being in Michigan. A big part of my heart is still there and most of the better parts of who I am are there, too. Plus, with a little creative scheduling and very nice parents, I managed to see quite a few people.

It wasn't nearly as snowy as I wanted--I think it was near 50 when I first showed up. I felt like I brought the Miami weather with me--and brought the Michigan weather back to Miami, unfortunately--which no one in Michigan was mad about. A little snow fell here and there, and I certainly spent a good deal of time being cold, so I guess it felt a little bit like Christmas. Downtown Lansing even looked a little festive.

Hello Capital City!

And here's the snow on our bush in the front yard, from later in the break. I thought it was pretty.

Winter wonderland, indeed.

I spent a good deal of Christmas break, as I said previously, watching rented movies and Netflix. I saw several "classics": The Deer Hunter (intense but amazing and Christopher Walken is the terrifyingly captivating), A Clockwork Orange (Di. Stur. Bing.), Amadeus (long but fascinating, despite the guy from Animal House playing the title character). I saw Young Adult in the theater which... wasn't what I expected but I connected with it anyway. There were some moments the resonated with me, but overall it wasn't as funny or witty as I had imagined it would be.

Christmas festivities were fairly traditional. Cuban side for Christmas Eve, ate some Cuban food, took the traditional cousin's picture (we look better every year, I swear), and loved on some family. Here are the Garcia girls.

Christmas Day with the Palos was also some good lovin' on family time. Both uncles were there, and two dogs (Bubba and Cody, Mema's dog) and a tiny tree, too. We had brunch and the traditional cheesey/bready casserole of joyous life, which is only edible once a year 'cause of how terrible it is for you. But it's so worth it.

Another aspect of Christmas I really love is the tradition: food, family, our own little twists and turns on the days that make my family mine. They're beautiful and probably strange to some, but they're mine. Ours. And they're comforting.

I also got to spend some quality time with my good friend Coot in A2, Ann Arbor. We went to a U of M basketball game against Penn State (I think). Here we are, pea and pod-like as ever. :)

The halftime show at the game was, like, Mr. Fantastic or something, a "magic" act of sorts. It was pretty cool--the guy and his assistant did some traditional tricks--making flowers appear, an endless hankerchief chain, but she also wore about seven outfits and changed into them in seconds (or second, really). That part of it was pretty awesome. Here they are after she has just shed her dark wig and long dress.

Christmas in our family isn't just about the birth of Jesus (although it is) but the birth of my father (Christmas Eve) and my Tia (Boxing Day). My Tia Maki was actually in from California this year, so that was exciting, and we took her out for lunch on her birthday, along with our traditional cousin's lunch. We went to Olive Garden, where I haven't been in ages, and I remembered the glory of those bread sticks. Hallelujah! Molto benne!

The other major festivity was my friend Timmy's wedding. It was on New Year's Eve. Normally, I head back to Miami for NYE, but this year I stayed for the wedding and it was a good life choice. Timmy's a college friend and VanCooter, so the wedding and ensuing reception was peopled with creatures I hadn't seen in ages, since I left Grand Valley in 2004. A NYE wedding is a GREAT idea, by the way--everyone needs something to do, and is looking for a good time. Blam, reception. Good times.

Here's a photo of our table (well, the most important people at it anyway).

Missed these VanCooters like crazy. I was so happy to bring in 2012 with them. :)

Upon returning to Miami, I returned back to school--both kinds. Teaching and taking. I'm excited about my sememster at FIU; I'm actually taking a sociolinguistics class, which is the aspect of linguistics I'm most interested in. Sure, structure is great and necessary, but it just doesn't turn my gears the way looking at actual usage does. So yeah... excited.

I've also had a bit of theater so far in 2012. I got tickets to see the musical Next to Normal from school on opening night. The musical won Tony's and two Pulitzers, so I was excited to see it, but when I looked up the synopsis I was struck--it's a musical about mental illness. Yep. A rip-roarin' rollick in the human psyche.

The music was great, though, and the story was good, but intense. I expect musicals to be a bit light--y'know, love story, some tap dancing, stuff like that. But this wasn't. It's extremely clear why it won two Pulitzers--the writing and subject matter are pretty great. The performances were great as well, and it's a small cast (only six actors, I think) so everyone was really cohesive and acted (and sang) their hearts out. I'm glad I read the synopsis before I went, though, because I was prepared for the intensity. Everyone around T and I was bawling (like, BAWLING) and we were fine. It was kinda funny... but not at the same time.

So far, 2012 has been treating me right! For all of my holiday photos, click here.

Much love.

New York State of Mind

Last year around this time, there was an electronics recycling campaign at T's job--you brought in electronics to recycle and there were door prizes and stuff like that. Last year, we both recycled some stuff and ended up with two tickets to a show that was part of the South Beach Comedy Festival. Well, the same program ran again this year, only at Whole Foods, and T had heard about it and was nice enough to take the TV that had been living in our entryway for a couple of weeks to get it recycled. As luck would have it, we won tickets to see Wanda Sykes at this year's Festival.

Wanda was funny, but it was hard to relate a little because a) I'm not gay b) I'm not black c) I'm not a parent and d) I'm not over 40. Still, I enjoyed her jokes and, hey, free 99 is free 99. Our seats were surprisingly good, too, unlike last year where we ended up under this overhang where the acoustics weren't so good. I love the Fillmore, though, and just being there makes me happy. So yay.

The other big news lately is my "spring break." Spring break at FIU fell during CSPA (the Columbia Scholastic Press Association) conference held yearly at Columbia in New York. Each year, at least since I've been at LaSalle, we've taken students. I went for the first time this year because I teach journalism. I took five of my girls, and the yearbook teacher took seven of her girls, for a week in the Big Apple.

It was a spectacular and busy week, but I think everyone had a great time. The first three days were consumed with the conference--sessions, lunch with other advisers/teachers, some swag, and some amazing ideas. I learned so much from the sessions--mostly what I've been doing wrong and how much I just plain don't know. It was eye-opening, and, I must admit, slightly depressing too. But I think we all learned some valuable information that will help make the ILS Royal Courier more successful. So we'll see what next year holds for us.

The first thing I was obsessed with was the fire escapes. This is the one I often contemplated from our hotel room.

I dunno... they're just so novel and cool. I just picture them in, like, musicals and stage shows. So many magical things would happen to me, I believe, if I only had one. *sigh*

The trip isn't all work, though. We had plenty of time to explore NYC. For example, our first night we ate at this lovely Asian restaurant that put all fourteen of us at a huge table in the back. It was... cozy. I had pad thai that was delicious and spicy (and turned a child onto the wonders of said dish). It was basically a win.

We also at the the Hard Rock Cafe one night, where I snapped this lovely photo:

I'm such a total rock star! lol

My personal favorite part of the trip was after the Hard Rock dinner, when we went to see our first show. We got tickets to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe. Yes... THAT Daniel Radcliffe. I pretty much was dying the entire month before knowing I'd get to see him in the show. PLUS, as if Harry Potter weren't enough, John Laroquette of I Night Court fame was also in the show. I know... I was jealous of myself.

The show was at the Hirschfeld theater, which had a bunch of Hirschfeld's drawings inside (shocker!). It was really beautiful and cool.

The show itself was, I have to admit, much better than I thought it would be. My only criticism is that he doesn't point his toes when he dances, but it's hardly noticeable. His voice sounded great, he moved well, even the ladies on stage with him were placed so that he still appeared taller (he's a tiny guy). His comedic timing was excellent as well. Not to mention the entire aesthetic of the show was just so mod--very Mad Men or something. The set was beautifully designed.

I'd never seen the show or even knew much about it except that it was an old school musical (think Guys and Dolls), but, even on its 50 year anniversary, it's extremely relevant. I think maybe even moreso. In a culture of getting rich quick and manipulating our way to the top, or even just charming the pants off of people to get ahead, this musical, I think, spoke to that. It was just spectacular, and funny, and satirical all at the same time.

After the show, I headed (And by "headed" I mean bolted. With a child dragging me behind her. Through the theater and outside like a train of crazy people.) outside to a place where there were parade gates. We were waiting for Daniel Radcliffe to come out of the theater. Which he did, eventually, after a very tall black man asked me, in front of the children, if I smoked weed ("No. I'm a teacher. I'm their chaperon!"), and I befriended some random teenagers (who probably thought I was one of them). I could barely see him, because I was further back and, as I said, he's a tiny guy, but thanks to my Go-Go Gadget legs, I managed a glimpse of his hair. And thanks to my Go-Go Gadget arms, I managed a picture.

Pretty. Damn. Awesome. The two students who went with me into the fray even got his signature. Lucky bums!

The second show we saw was Stomp!, which I've already seen (twice, kind of) but is always a cool experience. It actually ended up being in the East Village, which was this very different part of town where I felt like "my people" were. There was just a really cool vibe about the area, lots of cool people who don't really seem to care about much, some cool little shops and, probably, restaurants. I'd like to give that area much more of an explore in the future.

The last day of the conference, we made sure to take some group photos on the beautiful campus. I found this lovely lady outside the library, and we all had a great time doing this exact shot.

After the conference, we headed to the MoMA and saw some art (the best was Ringo Starr's gold drum!!) and had a lovely walk through Central Park. We saw the statue of Alice (like, of Wonderland), a street show (which was pretty impressive and cool for the kiddos), and this, in Strawberry Fields.

After that we hit up Magnolia bakery (amazing sugary treats features on Sex and the City) and to the Top of the Rock, where a beautiful Eric Dane look alike and I fell madly in love for about five minutes. It was out of control. We caught eachother's eyes three times and THEN he rode down in the elevator with us. I was pretty much dying and the girls all became convinced that men in general are obsessed with me (after having observed several incidents they claim were "pick ups" or people "flirting" with me). If only they knew. lol. Precious angels.

The Saturday we were there was devoted to sight seeing. I think I saw more of New York that day than I'd seen in my previous three trips! We started the day with Lady Liberty herself, who was looking lovely, I might add. It was totally worth FREEZING outside for three hours to see her up close. She's spectacular.

We even got to go up in the base (although not up to the crown, which was closed that day) and look out. This gave plenty of opportunities for reflection photos, some of my favorites.

We also spent some time shopping on Saturday, everywhere from Chinatown (scary!) to SoHo (expensive!). At one point, I was so bored that I either needed to scream and start throwing things, or dress up. Luckily for everyone, I chose the latter. Here's my Lady GaGa inspired outfit.

She would TOTALLY wear those leg warmers on her arms. Don't even try to say she wouldn't!

We ended our trip with crossing something off my Bucket List: ice skating at Rockefeller Center. When I pictured myself doing it, though, it was with a beautiful man who is hopelessly in love with me and I, likewise, with him, not with twelve teenage girls and my female chaperone and friend. But, hey, you take what you can, I suppose. It was super cool to just skate around and be in NYC after having spent a great week there with some good, good girls. And just to prove to you all it really happened, a picture.

See? Legit. :)

Teaching journalism clearly has its benefits, like a week long trip to NYC right around the time I needed a break. KEY. Plus, something happened to me this trip to New York that never had before: I fell a little bit in love with it. I finally GOT why people love that city; why many consider it the greatest city on Earth. I see their point and would like to head back--without teenagers in tow--soon.

Much love.

The one in which I cover all the cultural bases...

It seems 2011 is going much the same as the end of 2010... busy, busy, busy! Trying to find time to update this blog, while also living life and acquiring the material to do so, is difficult as ever. I actually began this entry back in the middle of January, but haven't had time since then to finish it. So far, 2011 has been pretty great and I've been keepin' it classy, trying to go to culturally and mentally enriching events.

First, back in January, I went to a poetry reading at Books & Books that was partially organized by my ballerina friend, Anya. The poet was a Haitan/feminist/lesbian/writer/actress/playwright/Michael Jackson fan named Lenelle Moise. I got there a little late, but within the first two poems I saw she mentioned both Michael Jackson and zombies (twice). She was a great performer, almost dancing her poems as she read them, and I really dug what she was doing. I've been really into poetry lately, so actually seeing some was a great treat. A simple YouTube search will yield some results, if you wanna check out her stuff, too.

Soon after, I headed to Boca to meet up with The Weave and head to the Palm Beach Opera House to see Verdi's Requiem, an opera. I kind of wanted it to be a fat chick in a viking helmet just singing her guts out and breaking glasses and stuff, but it wasn't. Turns out, this opera was based on a church service... or something. There was a choir, and a lot of Latin (or maybe Italian, I don't really know), and four singers in front who were, like, soloists or something. There was this pretty intense theme of timpani bangs, which was my favorite part, but the rest of it I didn't really get. The music was kind of lovely, and very intricate, and I enjoyed myself, but wish I knew more about exactly what I was listening to. It seems like opera is something you really have to be INTO to appreciate completely.

I also got some culture by seeing some of my boy Willy Shakespeare. The Aussie, my co-worker and friend, played Juliet in this year's Shakespeare Miami production of... you guessed it... Romeo and Juliet. She was a little more bad@$$ than your regular Juliet, sword-fighting and stuff, but the ending was still the same. I always want it to be different and I get surprised every time I see it... Like I don't know what's coming or something. I don't know... Shakespeare is just so brilliant that no matter how many times I've seen it, the play still gets me, and surprises me, and changes with each production and actor and staging.

The quarters were a little cramped (people have NO respect for blanket boundaries even though our spots were saved) but, hey, it was something free and fun to do on a Saturday night. Plus, we got to pick up and chat with The Aussie's mom, Momma O, who was enthralled by my GPS that spoke Aussie... or sort of spoke Aussie, as it turns out. She, apparently, couldn't stop talking about it throughout the rest of her stay.

Speaking of Aussies and they joy they bring to driving and life in general, team Australia had The Third Annual Australia Day party a weekend later. The party was at a park, and some claim to have seen a manatee in the water, but I just watched the pelicans and enjoyed the company. The day was rainy, but good times were had anyway. I tried my hand at cricket (again) and found that I had improved exactly none since the last time I attempted to play, about two years ago. We also enjoyed Australian treats like faerie bread (bread with butter and sprinkles... that's literally it...), Vegemite sandwiches (made that mistake once, never again); and lamingtons (which are DELICIOUS).


For Valentine's Day, T and I did a "room mate date" since neither of us celebrated with an actual Valentine. I obtained free movie tickets, and she had a gift card for the theater, so we had a cheap night out. I wanted to see The King's Speech, but T didn't want anything that serious so we settled on Just Go With It, the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston/Dave Matthews (surprise!). I'm glad it was free... let's just say that. I think I've reached a point in my life where I just can't watch romantic comedies (except the classics, of course) without bringing along my cynicism and a healthy dose of REALITY. They just end up making me angry, rather than entertaining me. It wasn't an awful movie by any means--I just can't enjoy romcoms at the moment. Dave Matthews was funny. And Nicole Kidman was funny. And Jennifer Aniston looks great. That's about all.

The last bit of life I need to report on is a little daycation kayaking adventure, or as they call it here in Miami, kaYAKing. A few of us from work drove down to Key Largo, rented kaYAKs, and headed out on the bay for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful day, and so peaceful and lovely out on the water, not too hot, not too cool; there was even a breeze.

We kayaked out into the bay into a little area of mangroves. The trees, which might be my favorite of trees, were on both sides of us, and in the middle was a little river where speed boats, bought at the Miami boat Show that weekend, sped up and down at crazy speeds and pushed our little kayak crew off into the surrounding trees. We got to see them up close and personal on several occasions. Check them out...

In between speed boats, Kim and I made friends with some guys from Minnesota who were fishing. We brought them luck because as we paddled over, they caught a fish! We eventually asked our new friends to take a group photo of us, which we managed after much awkward paddling and camera passing.

We kayaked for about two hours, and headed back to watch the sunset over the water with a cold beverage, and then headed to dinner. The sunset was beautiful, and I wished I was still out on the water to see it, but our boats had to be back by 5:30. Things on the shore weren't so bad, though.

Dinner was delicious, and all together the day was a total win. It was a perfect little get away that was much needed. I should take more daycations, just days to be in the sun and smile and laugh.

The consequences of the day, however, made themselves known at 3 AM when I had to get up and go to CVS to get some Aleve because I was in total AGONY, my arms just ached and ached and I couldn't make them stop. NIGHT. MARE. Aleve, however, did the trick and I was able to go to sleep. Lesson learned for next time: make sure I have Aleve on hand.

I've so far succeeded in being better about balancing FIU, work, and life this semester. I'm glad about that, although finding time to update here is still proving to be difficult. I need to get better, though, so I can chronicle my summer. You see, as many of you know but some of you may not, I am going to be in Italy for at least five weeks this summer! I am SO excited! I'll be living with a host family and getting paid to teach, so the trip is actually going to be quite affordable, not to mention amazing. I am so blessed!

Much love.

Bye Bye Boston

In a quest to eat delicious sea food in a city that's known for it, a co-worker organized a trip to Legal Sea Food, which I'd never heard of but is apparently a chain. About eight of us went and had a lovely adult dinner, a rare and delicious combination. I had mixed plate--shrimp, salmon, scallops and some other fish, I think. I'm not that into shrimp so I ate one and gave the rest away, and I'm getting to like salmon more and more so I ate most of that, and the scallops and fish were delicious. I was very happy with my life choices that evening, except for my drink. I ordered a white sangria hoping it would be fruity and delicious, and I got a glass of sugary watermelon-flavored sickness. NOT delicious. It's the first time I've ever sent anything back at a restaurant, which I thought might tick off the waiter but then I realized he was ticked since we sat down, so what could my little drink debacle really do at that point? So anyway, I sent it back because it was awful and got a glass of wine instead. That, at least, was drinkable.

The next day was one of our weekend field trips, a dinner/dance harbor cruise. I thought this trip would be a great way to see the city at sunset and a nice way to say goodbye to everyone because most of the kids go and quite a few of the staff as well. As the day approached, though, I heard from other, more experienced RC's that the cruise was a sort of kid-infested nightmare, especially if it rained. About five minutes after we left, it began to rain and I thought the evening was careening quickly into a no-fun zone, but about fifteen minutes later, as kids were still eating and milling about, it stopped raining and the sun came out and all was well.

Most of the kiddos, and myself and most of the other RC's, spent the majority of the cruise on the top level of the boat, where the view was best and the dance floor was hoppin'. I won't discuss the trauma that was the dance floor because I don't particularly care to relive the inappropriate amount of times I had to tell boys to put their shirts on and couples to "save room for Jesus." It was kind of funny, in a way, but also pretty disgusting and awkward.

If that was what I had to endure to see Boston at sunset, then so be it, because it was absolutely beautiful. The sky was awesome--pinks, oranges, blues, greys, yellows, all shifting and folding until the sun went completely down. There were other boats sailing the waters as well, re-igniting my desire to have/know someone with a boat so I can learn to sail away.

Okay, so take the journey with me. Here I am in my fancy dress on the boat stairs, which later became known as "the picture stairs."

Early on in our journey we passed this little island/rock outcrop/whatever it's called. I decided I wanted to live there.


Here's our group picture, minus one RC who was who knows where. We're a good lookin' crew! So classy!

As we sailed, the sun started to set, revealing this:


And this:

Someday, that will be me. :)

And here's another one:

On the left is The Garden, where the Celtics play. Celtics fever was still burning while we were there. Wearing a Lakers shirt could have been as hazardous to your health and personal safety as wearing a Yakees shirt.

After the cruise, a bunch of us went out for some adult play time involving beverages and, later, darts. It was a fun evening and I enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of the RC's outside of the dorms.

That week I also randomly had two days off (they were all at the end of the program, I guess) so I decided some beach time would be appropriate. Matt, Cindy, and I headed out to Revere one morning for some sun time. Last time I went to Revere I barely stayed an hour, this time, I made it worth my while. I did manage to get some sun (Matt got crispy because he makes bad life choices), but I also managed to get sand in every possible area of my body.

The water at Revere was SO cold it felt like ice (and this is coming from a Michigander who swam in Lake Michigan as a kid), but I just HAD to get in. So I did. All the way. I may have permanently impeded my ability to have children by freezing my neither regions, but I did get in the water, I did get back out, and I did get some sweet beach hair. Not sure it was worth it... but hindsight is 20/20, right? Good times...

That night was karaoke, our last Tuesday on Boston. Sad day. Every Tuesday it was kind of a tradition to go to 973 and, well, basically dance. Usually by the time I got there after bed checks, and waited in line, the karaoke was mostly over and there was only dancing. This Tuesday I went out big and managed to make it out before 11 and had a great night. I'm glad it went down like that, although I didn't get to meet any Irish boys while waiting in line. I'm just sayin'... It's what I do.

The day after the beach I was planning to go on the Sam Adams Brewery tour but then decided to go to The Garment District instead.

The Garment District is not a district--it's a store, as you can see. Or, maybe, a warehouse sort of thing. There are two floors. On the first, when you walk in, is a costume shop and a giant pile of clothes. I'm talking probably ten feet across and two feet deep. This pile is sold by the pound, so you sift through, find some treasures, and end up paying less then four dollars for a brown suede jacket, a Ralph Lauren button-down, a t-shirt for your sister, and a white skirt. I'm just sayin'... Then the upstairs is an actual store with racks sorted by size and decade and stuff. Some of the items up there are new and botique-y, and some are vintage. I got a skirt up there that looks like a couch, which is a quality I actually love in clothing, for $9. Pretty sweet. I'm glad I went; that place is like a treasure hunt where everyone finds treasure!

That day was the end of our regular routine because Thursday and Friday the kiddos had dress rehersals and their performance or demonstrations. I went to the studio Thursday afternoon to see two of my girls rehearse the number they were going to do in the show (to some music by none other than a GVSU group... I know, crazy, right?!). Their dance was my favorite! It was my mission to watch all my kiddos dance; a mission I accomplished today when I spent the whole day (well, a good portion of the morning, anyway!) at the studio watching each class' demonstration. I learned some, and I got to see all thirteen of my girls. It was really cool and I was so proud of all of them.

These kids, some of them only fourteen or fifteen, are on the precipice of being truly, truly great (if they're not already). I can't imagine that. Staring down a career and a life path at that age... I'm completely amazed and awed by every one of those kids. They're spectacular. <3

Much love.

Since We Last Saw Each Other

I've been up to the same shenanigans--literature, arts, you know how I roll.

Crystal, whose friendship with me is old enough to drink legally, was in Orlando a couple weeks ago with her boyfriend and I drove up there to see her since I hadn't in over a year. We didn't manage to get together at Christmas, so I figured four hours there and back was worth it. So I drove to Kissime where she was staying, and another friend from Sarasota met us there too, and we had ourselves a lovely afternoon.

We decided to go to Celebration, which is the town owned by Disney. As Stew so eloquently put it, it's a place where most people "drink the Kool-Aide." The town was pristine and had a total Pleasantville feeling about it. It was creepy in a completely calming way. The whole place was totally...serene. Check out this lake, for example:

Serene, right? And of course, there was a fountain. And of COURSE we took a picture by it...

We had lunch together at a Japanese place, and then dinner a few hours later at a seafood place. Crystal's boyfriend Andy joined us. It was great to meet him. Anyway, Crystal, Stew, and I have a sort of tradition, I guess, when it comes to taking pictures. We like funny poses in restaurants. So this time, we came up with this...


We are awesome, I know. Be jealous. :)

It was a great day and the four hour drive both ways was totally worth it. Now I just need to get up to Sarasota to see Stew more often.

I also went to go see The Vagina Monologues at Lynn in Boca because Annie directed them this year. The show is always great to see, and it's also always for a good cause. There were some new monologues this year that I'd never seen before, which was cool, and, of course, the old standbys as well. Overall, it was a great show and I'm really proud of Annie for putting it together so well.

In other news, I've been really into spoken word poetry lately. I've been watching loads and loads of poets on YouTube, and even looking into readings and open mic nights here. We'll see if I actually finish any of the poems I'm working on, or if I manage to gather the courage to share them. We'll see. But in the mean time, here's one of my favorites, by a guy named Jon Sands, it's called Mollie & Jacob.

I've been out of my mind busy but that means I'll have a lot to talk about, so get ready!

Much love.

Gettin' My Culture On

I've been getting my culture on lately. I've gone to several performances in the past couple of weeks. It kind of makes my nerd heart happy.

The first was an event my Russian friend invited me to. She's a Russian ballerina who works, at least at one of her jobs, for a non-profit that promotes the arts. Through her work, she got tickets to the Presidential Scholar's performances here, and I went to the dance/film one with her. It's basically a gathering of amazingly talented high school seniors that are up for the President's prize--apparently a very big deal. There were, if I recall, about fifteen dancers and five film makers who showcased their talents that night.

The film makers, for the most part, seemed pretty cool, and the dancers were mostly awesome. There was one kid who choreographed his own piece, and it was spectacular. As he was dancing it with his partner, I knew that something special was taking place. They were perfectly, and I mean EXACTLY, in sync with each other. That kid has amazing talent. If there is a single winner (a point I'm still unclear on), I hope it was him. There were even two tappers! I loved them, of course. The best part was the finale of "Single Ladies." You haven't lived until you've seen "Single Ladies" done in a tutu. Life. Changing. :)

Then that Sunday, I went to see a co-worker, The Aussie, perform in The Taming of the Shrew for Shakespeare in the Park. The performance as at The Barnacle (if you can remember that far back, I went there two Independence days ago). The show was great (and free), and even if the evening didn't go exactly as I planned (I got stood up... awesome), I had a great time with a friend, a bottle of wine, and my love, Willy S.

The performance was interesting, considering the subject matter of the play. At the end, Katarina gives a speech about how women should submit to their husbands and blah, blah, crap, so it's pretty tough for modern audiences to get it, or to relate to it and not hate it. The way it was played in this show was that Katarina was sort of in on the bet at the end--she was saying all that chauvinistic stuff to win the bet, not because she believed it. It made the play go down a little better. And The Aussie was great in the show--she seemed to play an Elizabethan, cartoon, version of herself. It was brilliant. And I loved her GIANT orange wedding hat. That thing was brilliant!

The next day, Monday, I went to the Panthers vs. the Thrashers at the Bank Atlantic Center, which some of you will remember is the site of realized dreams, where I met Donny, Danny, Jordan, Joey, and Jonathan. *sigh* Anyway, I heart hockey, and even though the Panthers are a far cry from my Wingies, it's still hockey. Or something like it. Unfortunately, Tiffany and I missed the only goal of the night because we were in the bathroom (bad decisions, clearly). We did, however, get nachos--the magical sort of "nachos" that are sold at sporting events and movie theaters that are really just chips and "cheese"--so all was well with the world. I was very grateful for another fun, free night of entertainment.

The next night, I went to see Eric and he showed me a magical little treasure of a place called SpecialTEA, a tea house out by FIU's campus. The place was brilliant. I had a decaf grapefruit tea that was DELICIOUS, and the food was good as well. It was great! If I went to FIU, I'd probably move in.

That Friday was Winter Formal, where, of course, I was a chaperon. Despite the dance floor smelling like Caesar dressing and teenagers sweating (you can't imagine how gross it was), the dance seemed to go well and the kids seemed to have a good time. We had to kick them out at midnight (a good sign) and didn't have to stay too late picking up. I didn't even take a picture, although it's sort of a tradition that I do. It really wasn't that exciting, I guess, and I was just happy to bring home a few roses and leave the hotel before 1 am.

The next day (I know, I know. The fun is exhausting, but stick with me!), Tiffany and I went to the South Beach Comedy Festival show called "Friends of the Daily Show." It was three stand-up comics: Rory Albanese, Rob Riggle, and John Oliver. Tiffany won free tickets to the show for recycling electronics on campus (I won a canvas bag and a DVD!), so it was awesome. I've been here three years now and always meant to go to a show for the Comedy Festival, and never managed it. But this year the stars aligned or something and I made it! The show was good, and it was great to see three comics instead of the standard one. All the guys were funny, although the acoustics of our seats were kind of... awkward. And I was sitting next to THE RUDEST people EVER. This one dumb you-know-what kept talking AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS about asinine garbage that had NOTHING to do with the show. AND she was on her cell phone CONSTANTLY. I just want to meet that girl's mother and slap her. And then slap her daughter. Luckily, they left after two comics.

The last guy, John Oliver, is British so I had a bit of a hard time understanding what he was saying, due to a thick accent coupled with the aforementioned awkward acoustics. I'm pretty sure he was funny though. A good laugh is always a welcome friend. :)

Then last Sunday were my last two culturally enriching events. My friend The Russian was performing in a show called "The Steadfast Tin Solider" at a children's theater here. She played The Ballerina (Remember I mentioned she is one?) and so we went to see her show. She did a great job (duh) and it was a cool show, definitely for kids, but a cool show. Although the mimey emo puppet guy was kind of creepy... Anyway, the best part was when she came to the side of the stage trying to look all somber, and then saw us and started smiling. :) It was cute.

After the show, we went to RA for some eats and drinks, but I couldn't stay too long because I promised a friend I'd go see his band, which turns out to be awesome, play. They played at a "Battle of the Bands" show at a pub called Churchill's, which I fell in love with immediately. It's this crappy little dive of a place, and apparently where Marilyn Manson played his first show ever. It's sort of historic for punk music, I guess.

So anyway, I headed out there with a friend and watched The Albany (this is me starting the buzz...) rock out. Turns out, they're great. I totally dug their stuff... Now if they'd only play on less school nights I could maybe become, like, a groupie or something. lol

I've had an amazing last week or so. I love being busy, and it's great that we had midterms all week and I don't have any grading at the moment because things are just getting started again. I need to take advantage of it!

See you all soon.
Much love.

Turns Out, I REALLY Missed Autum

My trip to OLR was amazing. I can't begin to tell you all...

First of all, the kids we took were outstanding. Just outstanding. The coolest thing was that these were eleven kids (nine participants and two leaders) who are all from different social groups within the school, yet they all became close and bonded over an amazing experience. They came back new kids, REnewed kids, and I love to see them smiling at school.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to see fall colors for the first time in about three years. There weren't many, granted, but even one red tree made me happy. And there was more than one red tree. This was one of my favorites:

The kids enjoyed the fall colors as well, and I forgot that most of them have never experienced fall. We were at a convent, with acres and acres of land and trees, and some of the kids spent about half an hour just trying to catch leaves as they fell from the sky. They thought it was the greatest game they'd ever played--simply leaves falling from the sky. There were so many leaves that I told them I'd rake them a pile to jump in, if only I had a rake. Lo and behold, a rake appeared and I raked. The next day my body ached like mad but I raked. It was totally worth it, though, because the kids had a great time enjoying the pile. One girl even told me it was on her "Bucket List" to jump in a pile of leaves. A seventeen year old with a Bucket List... Go figure.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite photos from the week, and it's just a reminder to me of what those moments REALLY felt like--they were perfect.

We also made it into the city that Sunday. One of the kids had never been there, and another was basically an expert. He was our tour guide.

I haven't been to NYC since my 21st birthday (unless you count meeting Aussies in the airport there this summer) so it was fun to be back. I fulfilled a life-long (okay, a since-I-was-about-16-long) dream and took my RENT picture. This photo is inspired by the line "They say that I have the best @$$ below fourteenth street." And so it is...

I also tried to improve our nation's economy by kissing the bull on Wall Street... We'll see how it worked.

And of course when you're in NYC, you have to see a show. When you're in NYC with nine Catholic school kids, you have to see a Catholic school appropriate show. We chose Mary Poppins and it was "practically perfect in every way."

The show is magical and fun and the best thing EVER was when *spoiler alert* BERT TAP DANCES ON THE CEILING!! I couldn't even take it... It was amazing. Soooo good--except for the scary part where the toys came to life. Everything else was good. I'm practicing my Mary Poppins-style stair walk, so I can be awesome like her.

The retreat itself was an amazing experience for the kids, and an intensely Catholic one for me. It was strange but nice at the same time. I met some amazing folks--I'm now friends with three nuns on Facebook--and really had a peaceful and introspective four days.

The coolest things were that there were a couple of guys from Michigan there (WOOT!), one of which played bagpipes and woke up the retreatants with them the second morning. The grounds of the retreat center were absolutely gorgeous, which I discovered as we walked around during an activity. An activity where, unexpectedly, the group I was with and I got PELTED with black walnut "apples" falling from the trees. Awesome. And painful. I also learned how to juggle a diabolo and managed to actually throw it up and catch it in three tries. I might have missed my calling in life. Finally, one day I was on "duty"--which basically meant I was guarding the door while the kids had recreation time--and a deer came and stood about 5 feet from the woman I was on duty with and I, almost like it wanted to join in our conversation. I see deer all the time in Michigan, but I don't think I've ever been that close to a wild one.

What a great week.

I came back, as expected, to chaos. It's was Homecoming week, which meant that I basically lived at school. I don't have many pictures because the days were all a blur, but this one is great--a bunch of us teachers dressed up like students on Twin Day.

Some of us could actually pass, I think! The best part? Loofas on the headbands. If you went to LaSalle, you'd understand.

Okay friends! If you're interested in more of my trip or my fall adventures, you can check out the rest of the pictures here, on the Facebook album.

Much love.