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G. is the best jump-roper I know. In the rhyme, "What shall I name my little pup?/I'll have to think a good one up" he went through the alphabet THREE times! |
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Going on a silent, 7-day Zen retreat all next week. I've been having panic again, particularly when meditating. Great, huh? Just watched Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche talking about panic attacks and using them as a tool for mindfulness. His sentiment that seeing panic as an enemy ("You go away, Panic!") or as a boss ("Yes, Panic, anything you say, Panic!") aren't useful I'm completely down with. I also agree that befriending panic, sitting with it, is probably the only thing that will be useful long-term. But Rinpoche doesn't go on to explain how exactly he used panic as a tool for mindfulness. Hello? Help? That little missing piece is crucial!
I'm going to serve as "tenzo," assistant chef. But doesn't "tenzo" sound so much cooler? Makes me want to create a t-shirt all very graphic with only the word "tenzo" on it.
The Front Range Waldorf School has hired me for the fall. I'll be working M-F from 8am - 1/1:30 pm. |
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Guten Morgen, B.,
ich wollte mich bei dir melden, denn ich mag dich.
Vor 10 oder 15 Jahren hat mir ein deutscher Freund gesagt, dass ich "harmoniebeduerftig" war. Er hatte Recht und "harmoniebeduerftig" zu sein ist mir voellig in Ordnung. Heutzutage stimmt das aber nicht mehr so sehr. Ich freue mich ueber die Hegelische Dialektik: These-Antithese-Synthese. Ich muss nur an unsere Gespraeche ueber "Change" denken - es gab manchmal grosse Spannung innerhalb der Gruppe - um zu sehen, wieviel tiefer meine Einsicht und mein Verstaendnis ueber das Thema dadurch geworden sind.
Jedenfalls wollte ich das mit dir teilen. Lustig, dass mir diese Gedanken auf Deutsch gekommen sind - wahrscheinlich wegen Axel, des Freundes, der mir das Wort "harmoniebeduerftig" beigebracht hat.
schoenes Wochenende,
Rainier |
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Mar. 11th, 2009 @ 09:06 pm
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I really don't get it. We set the clocks back in the fall and Gabriel can't keep his eyes open past 7 pm. As soon as we set the clocks ahead, he can't fall asleep until 9 or 9:30 pm. Every single year it's the same - like clockwork, no pun intended. It doesn't matter either that last year Daylight Savings didn't come until April. I just don't get it.
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When E. was little, I made her a doll named Sophie. Sophie was overstuffed with pellets, bigger - heavier? - than E. herself even. And E. LOVED her. She would drag-lug that doll around with her everywhere. Well, the light pink flannel wasn't strong and before long, she looked moth-eaten, despite all of moxiegirl's patches. When we moved to Colorado, we decided that it was time for Sophie to slip away - we thought unnoticed. Oh no. Sometimes E. still sighs wistfully after her.
Well, tonight I finished the heavy-baby-doll class. Filled with millet and rose oil, enveloped in a maroon velvet layette. The doll feels almost real. Even before she was finished, E. would beg to hold her - and E. in general is not a doll-girl, she prefers stuffed animals. I asked E. tonight what she wanted to name her. "I used to love the name Cholet, like when we lived in Massachusetts - " how does she remember this stuff?! It's true, she did. - "I have to look at her for a while first." Maybe Sophie II?
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Gabriel: "You know how people say that 'sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me?' Well, that's not true. Sometimes they can." |
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Busy, busy, busy...
I've been spending most days of the week at the Denver Waldorf School as a volunteer Handwork Assistant. Can I tell you how much fun it is? The first and second graders are knitting and doing a little crochet (pouches, balls, dolls, gnomes, flute cases). The third graders are spinning with sticks and drop spindles. We're going to dye their yarn with onion skins pretty soon. The fourth graders cross stitch on 6-count aida with pearl cotton and make needlecases and pincushions. Seventh grade has started felting. We felted, threaded and braided bead necklaces yesterday. Two 6 grade boys showed me the dolls they've been spending the year hand-sewing (their particular ones look like linebackers, ha ha!). One of the best parts about the way the kids are taught is that they get general outlines, but figure out measurements and create designs on their own.
Kids are amazing! They have incredible creative potentials if given the time, tools and encouragement.
Deb Wolf, the Handwork Teacher, is a great model. She reminds me a little of my friend![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=88.8) moxiegirl. Both of them are relaxed, supportive and enthusiastic. They don't care if things get messy or aren't meticulous. Because of that, I now see beauty in simple projects and like experimenting. The kids, meanwhile, thrive. They often do better handwork than the grown-ups I've taught. It reminds me of what Sir Ken Robinson said, "I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same as being creative. But what we do know is that if you aren't prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."
On Wednesday mornings from about 9 - 11 Deb is instructing a drop-in craft group for parents and faculty. She teaches each of us whatever we want. I finally learned how to crochet! I made Esmé a headband with ties in the back. Next week Deb is going to teach me and this mom, Melissa, to ribbon-embroider and I'm going to add some flowers to E's headband. (Flower ribbon embroidery seems grandma to me, but ribbon-embroidery in general could be a useful skill.)
One of the fourth graders saw my sorry, lumpy first swatch of crochet and told me it looked a like a guppy. "It is a fish!" Deb cried. "Put eyes on it and hang it on the wall!" |
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Hey, my friend just appeared on the Men's Health website! Another Pioneer Valley notable !
Nov. 14th, 2008 @ 09:22 am
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| » Kid Play |
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I love it. G and E have friends over. Of all the characters they could be from Avatar, they've decided to be Kyoshi warriors. I just heard Gabriel, being Suki, the leader of this band of all female kung fu fighters, say to the others, "C'mon, girls! Prepare for battle!" Ha ha ha!
Otherwise, it's been a craft weekend. Gabriel made himself a checkerboard and checkers from paper; two wooden wands with his leatherman; he sewed up the scarf he'd knitted into a sleeping bag for his apple doll. The apple dolls they made from the faces they'd carved into apples, then dried, added pipe-cleaner bodies, cut-up pom-pon hair, and scrap-fabric clothes. All made by themselves. Their Kyoshi warrior costumes are pretty elaborate, too. They even drew on red eyeshadow with marker!
It's supposed to snow tonight.
Nov. 9th, 2008 @ 05:19 pm
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You know, familiarity counts for a lot. Today I was driving home from the school where I work part-time and that was brought home to me yet again. There is just so little that is familiar here and at times it can be disorienting.
Speaking of disorienting... Well, I decided I wanted to volunteer at a Waldorf school. I love to teach and I've been trying to decide where I want to expend that energy. So, last week I had an "interview" with the administrative director at the Denver Waldorf School (DWS). The upshot is that I'm starting this week as the school's "Handwork Assistant" (I actually know the Handwork teacher from an art class the kids had this summer!). She also told me to apply for a full-time Kindergarten Assistant position (the job would start in January) and, if I don't get that job, she'd love for me to start up and lead a toddler/parent program (this would also be a paid position - $30/hr). The Kindergarten Assistant position would mean a tuition waiver for both my kids. The toddler/parent program is totally up my alley (I wrote a complete proposal for it this weekend!) and would be a lot of work. OK, so now to explain the disorientation. The school is about 45 minutes away. If I were to start working there more than 2x/wk and I liked it and wanted to continue next year, we would put our house here in Evergreen on the market in April and move into Denver, preferably in the Congress Park neighborhood where the school is. That prospect is huge - moving stresses me out big time. There's also the notion of changing schools for the kids. I think my kids would be extremely happy at a Waldorf School. They're both VERY arts-oriented, magic-oriented and low-media kids. Still, this would be G's THIRD school in 3-4 years! Not only that, but we like the Montessori school where they are. Would it be a mistake to change? On top of that, so much of our present community is wrapped up at the kids' school. That would mean a change in our community, too. Yet, there are so many pluses, not least that Congress Park actually has deciduous trees and old (turn of the last century) houses and we could WALK to school and it's a real neighborhood - quiet, tree-lined streets, lots of kids, etc. So, it's exciting and potentially disturbing.
Yes, things are busy. I work at the core-knowledge school Mondays and Tuesdays. Thursdays I'll be at DWS and Fridays I'm at the kids' Montessori school. Steve has been offered this "global architect" promotion. Until it's announced officially, though, w/in the next couple weeks to the whole company, we won't know the details: what the monetary compensation will be and exactly how much he'll be traveling. Last month he spent a week in Dallas, two days in California and another week in Germany. It's a lot.
Nov. 3rd, 2008 @ 04:08 pm
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| » Art Quiz |
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Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test ...
Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.
15 Impressionist, 8 Islamic, 12 Ukiyo-e, -12 Cubist, -12 Abstract and -9 Renaissance!
Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.
People that like Impressionist paintings may not always be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aesthetically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impressionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their life they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.
http://www.helloquizzy.com/results/what-your-taste-in-art-says-about-you-test/?fromCGI=1&var_Impressionist=15&var_Islamic=8&var_Ukiyo%252de=12&var_Cubist=-12&var_Abstract=-12&var_Renaissance=-9
Nov. 2nd, 2008 @ 04:44 pm
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| » Rich Girl |
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OK, Hall and Oates, I want to know, how has she gone too far? What doesn't matter anyway? Does anybody have an answer to this? Ame?
Listening to 1977 top hits.
Sep. 26th, 2008 @ 01:44 pm
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