I don't know why I stopped blogging, and I'm not sure why I might start again...
I intend to only spend a moment on this topic, but a couple of things stand out to me as I read this blog.
1. I've waited so long to change the banner pic at the top that it's relevant again.
2. I "promised" to reflect on being pregnant, and never did.
I think that when one is pregnant (like when one is an adolescent or when one is in love) one's life becomes a big cliche. It's a cliche because certain things are universal, and so they sound cliche when we talk about them. So, it was weird to write about being pregnant in the same way that it was weird to write about how important my thoughts and feelings were when I was 16. Also, I had a really pleasant pregnancy. Yes, I had hormonal ups and downs, yes, I had heartburn, but really, I had a great time. It can be hard to talk about things that are going well,especially if you have reason to be supersticious and fear "jinxing it". So, I didn't write much about how awesome it was to think about a new person inside my body, how connected to Zak I felt as we moved into this new stage blah de blah de blah. Now that my son has arrived and he is his own person, we are still firmly in the land of cliche ("Every day is an adventure." "He's so tiny and perfect." "I see a whole new side of my husband when I watch him with the baby." etc. etc. etc. BUT it is SO interesting to me that I'll risk it.
Finally, I've just gotten back into the habit of writing and reflecting on a more regular basis in part because I bought Nikki Mclure's First 1000 Days
. (she's a fantastic artist from the old PNW.) I really wanted to write to S about what his infancy is like, and what our transition to parenthood has been like, but I had no time in those first weeks to sit down and think, and it was a little overwhelming to decide which completely new and different details to include and which to leave out. I couldn't prioritize. This journal (which is beautiful in every way) is small, and has two pages for each month. There are other pages later in the book to record things like "songs we sing" or "how you express yourself, words you use" etc. but basically, I have to write succinctly and at the end of the month I have a few small paragraphs that more or less tell the story of that four weeks. This is a relief and an excellent reminder to myself. (I totally recommend Mclure's book as a new baby gift to any family who likes to write or remember. I am loving it.)
Resolution Shmesolution
I was inspired by my friend Jessie a few years ago to choose an intention for the whole year. Last year my intention was "follow through". This is kind of funny, since I didn't blog very much, but hey, I didn't say I'd follow through on my blog, just... in general. Today I spent an hour filing and recycling papers from my "crapalanche" on my desk. This is one kind of the follow-through I was talking about. I do have a few projects I could have finished from this year, but more or less I think I lived up to this intention. I definitely thought a lot about what I was taking on and whether I could finish it up. The sheer effort of doing things while pregnant and meant I had to set more limits than usual and maybe say no (realistically) where I might have said yes (optimistically) in the past. This was an unintended consequence of my commitment to follow through.
2012's intention grows out of this idea of limiting my efforts. This year is all about simplification. Watching a new baby human, and tending to his every need makes it really clear that we really don't need much. We're also getting ready to move (upstairs) and that always brings on some reordering and sloughing off. My work on my desk is also part of simplifying. I'm thinking a lot, too, about my wardrobe. For the last 6 or 8 months, I've pretty much worn 20 items from a bag I got from a friend. (I've worn more clothes in the last three months or so, but really I mostly wear maternity shirts still for nursing ease.) We'll see how I'll do with FOLLOWING THROUGH on this intention this year.
Funny things.
I swear a million funny, poignant things are happening to me every day, and I can't hold onto them long enough to type them here. (Sleep deprivation has done a number on my already shitty short term memory.) Suffice it to say that I'm back to blogging (I think.) and I'll have many deep and witty things to share... wicked soon. But not tonight.
I am enjoying the fact that I am now eligible to be the butt of silly "Your mom" jokes. I guess whichever way I can begin to integrate this new identity is helpful, right?
Baby update
He slept from 11:30 until 5:30 last night. When Zak brought him to me (they slept in the guest room so that I could get some solid rest) I was so confused by the clock that I just stared at them, unsure of what was going on, of what planet I was on even. He's continued to sleep almost all day, waking only twice briefly to play and eat. I believe that he will wake up fully an inch longer tomorrow after a day like this.
Also, I was going to title this post "Don't Call it a Comeback" until I Google Imaged that phrase and found that the top clips were actually from bloggers who were coming back to their blog after some time off. So I didn't do that. However, whenever S gets out of the bath and looks out at us from under his droopy hooded towel neither Z or I can keep ourselves from singing it to him. At some point that will get old, but at this moment everything is so new and so fun.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Free Minds, Free People
This blog post is mostly a place for me to process my thoughts and preserve some resources for later. Feel free to skip it. I promise I'll write more about the joys of pregnancy soon.
I just got back from the Free Minds, Free People conference.
(To be honest, there are a lot of hard core educators for liberation there today, organizing and making plans, but I am exhausted after three long days and need a real break before I go back to work tomorrow, so I've written myself a preggo note and will be staying home and going to the beach,and napping today). And processing.
The conference was beautiful, AND I had a strange feeling of it being almost perfect, but not quite. (Which just means I'll have to get more involved next year.)
I'm basically blogging here to preserve some of the cool resources and organizations I encountered at the conference.
http://www.beyondmedia.org/index.html Beyond Media Education are a group of youth who make videos teaching other youth about really important issues. I didn't get to see any, but would like to.
The Learning Community. This is a charter school working to give charters a good name in Central Falls. I'd heard about them from my friends at Blackstone Academy, and was blown away by the statistics about how they support the larger school system, work with ELL's and children with special rights, and partner with families. I attended a panel all about charters, and the director of the Learning Community was... Sarah Friedman, a woman I worked at Coffee Exchange with. (Ah, Rhode Island!). I definitely want to go visit them in the fall, and see what they're doing.
Institute for Humane Education. Not sure how I feel about these folks. They might be cool... or not. They had a horrifying game about Darfur to build compassion in young people. Yuck.
http://getoutma.org/ This is a fledgling organization designed to get as many middle and high school students out onto farms for short visits. Their goal is quantity, and to allow as many children and youth to have the life-changing experience of digging in dirt and seeing food on the vine.
I was really impressed with the FMFP "Guidelines for Healthy Dialogues". One of the women in my reflective group at the end still felt like she found white people taking up too much space, which is a problem. But I would like to hang on to the guidelines because they addressed a lot of things. I really liked "WAIT" (Why Am I Talking).
I made some connections, but mostly that benefited other people. :( I met a cool theater teacher from NY who was excited about Reggio Emilia because he is Italian and always looking for Italian thinkers to inform his pedagogy. I met a young teacher who may apply for the atelierista position at our school (she sounds a little raw, and is unfamiliar with Reggio, but she has an art degree and worked with infants and toddlers). I met a cool early childhood teacher who lives in JP and is interested in visiting our school. The people who seemed further along in their journeys were a little harder for me to access, caught up in their existing circles. I remembered a Hilltop conference where we all stuck together and then tried to consciously make space for everyone else. I also remembered our first Day of Learning when people really weren't able to mix together.
I have to say I didn't learn a lot that was new. I learned a little more about the term "Neo-liberalism" (I need to learn more). I really enjoyed hearing from the teachers who were featured in the plan book for social justice teachers, both on the first day as a panel, and the second day at lunch. I'm incredibly inspired by the teachers who are continuing to teach Chicano studies even though AZ recently passed an unjust law making the class illegal (for building ethnic solidarity and encouraging overthrow of the government). I was impressed at how Sam Coleman, a union rep in NYC, and Kathy Young and Stephanie Schneider, two protesting teachers from WI cast a critical eye at their unions, while working for change outside of them.
I had a conversation with Dr. Vincent Harding (although I only knew him as Vincent, at that moment). In telling him and the people at my table what I do, I mentioned anti-bias curriculum. He said "Whenever I hear someone say that they're anti-something, I ask them 'What is it that you are for?'". I gave this a lot of thought. I love the phrase "education for liberation" but I feel as thought it's important for a community of mostly-white mostly-middle class teachers to think hard about bias, and our encounters with it. I feel as though it is at the very least a first step to look squarely at bias and talk about it. After the last year of working with staff to think about questions of difference and bias, I feel like if we had posed our work more positively we would not have awakened staff to the truth of our culture. In fact, I wish that we had spent more time looking at systemic and institutionalized racism. Even though I feel very comfortable with "Education for liberation", I don't know that it would be the right thing to start with. I guess I worry that people who have been protected from the ugliness of racism and other bias need to be faced with it, including "anti-" type language. At the same time, I was very grateful to Vincent for raising this issue, and I'll have to think more about it.
I just got back from the Free Minds, Free People conference.
(To be honest, there are a lot of hard core educators for liberation there today, organizing and making plans, but I am exhausted after three long days and need a real break before I go back to work tomorrow, so I've written myself a preggo note and will be staying home and going to the beach,and napping today). And processing.
The conference was beautiful, AND I had a strange feeling of it being almost perfect, but not quite. (Which just means I'll have to get more involved next year.)
I'm basically blogging here to preserve some of the cool resources and organizations I encountered at the conference.
http://www.beyondmedia.org/index.html Beyond Media Education are a group of youth who make videos teaching other youth about really important issues. I didn't get to see any, but would like to.
The Learning Community. This is a charter school working to give charters a good name in Central Falls. I'd heard about them from my friends at Blackstone Academy, and was blown away by the statistics about how they support the larger school system, work with ELL's and children with special rights, and partner with families. I attended a panel all about charters, and the director of the Learning Community was... Sarah Friedman, a woman I worked at Coffee Exchange with. (Ah, Rhode Island!). I definitely want to go visit them in the fall, and see what they're doing.
Institute for Humane Education. Not sure how I feel about these folks. They might be cool... or not. They had a horrifying game about Darfur to build compassion in young people. Yuck.
http://getoutma.org/ This is a fledgling organization designed to get as many middle and high school students out onto farms for short visits. Their goal is quantity, and to allow as many children and youth to have the life-changing experience of digging in dirt and seeing food on the vine.
I was really impressed with the FMFP "Guidelines for Healthy Dialogues". One of the women in my reflective group at the end still felt like she found white people taking up too much space, which is a problem. But I would like to hang on to the guidelines because they addressed a lot of things. I really liked "WAIT" (Why Am I Talking).
I made some connections, but mostly that benefited other people. :( I met a cool theater teacher from NY who was excited about Reggio Emilia because he is Italian and always looking for Italian thinkers to inform his pedagogy. I met a young teacher who may apply for the atelierista position at our school (she sounds a little raw, and is unfamiliar with Reggio, but she has an art degree and worked with infants and toddlers). I met a cool early childhood teacher who lives in JP and is interested in visiting our school. The people who seemed further along in their journeys were a little harder for me to access, caught up in their existing circles. I remembered a Hilltop conference where we all stuck together and then tried to consciously make space for everyone else. I also remembered our first Day of Learning when people really weren't able to mix together.
I have to say I didn't learn a lot that was new. I learned a little more about the term "Neo-liberalism" (I need to learn more). I really enjoyed hearing from the teachers who were featured in the plan book for social justice teachers, both on the first day as a panel, and the second day at lunch. I'm incredibly inspired by the teachers who are continuing to teach Chicano studies even though AZ recently passed an unjust law making the class illegal (for building ethnic solidarity and encouraging overthrow of the government). I was impressed at how Sam Coleman, a union rep in NYC, and Kathy Young and Stephanie Schneider, two protesting teachers from WI cast a critical eye at their unions, while working for change outside of them.
I had a conversation with Dr. Vincent Harding (although I only knew him as Vincent, at that moment). In telling him and the people at my table what I do, I mentioned anti-bias curriculum. He said "Whenever I hear someone say that they're anti-something, I ask them 'What is it that you are for?'". I gave this a lot of thought. I love the phrase "education for liberation" but I feel as thought it's important for a community of mostly-white mostly-middle class teachers to think hard about bias, and our encounters with it. I feel as though it is at the very least a first step to look squarely at bias and talk about it. After the last year of working with staff to think about questions of difference and bias, I feel like if we had posed our work more positively we would not have awakened staff to the truth of our culture. In fact, I wish that we had spent more time looking at systemic and institutionalized racism. Even though I feel very comfortable with "Education for liberation", I don't know that it would be the right thing to start with. I guess I worry that people who have been protected from the ugliness of racism and other bias need to be faced with it, including "anti-" type language. At the same time, I was very grateful to Vincent for raising this issue, and I'll have to think more about it.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Chemicals
"Besides, I like chemicals!"
My landlady's boyfriend ("Harold") said this as I walked away from him down the street.
A local grocery chain sold out to Whole Foods this month and it's been a really big deal in our neighborhood because the chain store has a HUGE section of Latin American and Caribbean foods that you really can't find anywhere else. Also, of course because of WF's symbolism in the process of gentrification. There was a flyer in our mailboxes this morning that said "Whose Foods?" that Harold was commenting upon.
He was talking about how expensive WF could be, and I'd said noncommittally, "Oh, you know they carry a lot of expensive items, but you can shop there inexpensively too." When he countered with "Besides, I like chemicals. No really... Chemicals are way better for you than biology. That's something environmentalists always forget; biology can kill you. Microbes cause more deaths than chemicals 100 to 1!"
It's interesting to me... the more I think about things the more they tend to become closer together; lines get fuzzier and I see lots of connections. I love the idea of this guy and the clarity of his delineations; of a camp supporting the biological and the chemical, especially in light of this very difficult neighborhood dispute all about the inter-connected issues of empowerment, identity, community and access. Go Biology! Go!
My landlady's boyfriend ("Harold") said this as I walked away from him down the street.
A local grocery chain sold out to Whole Foods this month and it's been a really big deal in our neighborhood because the chain store has a HUGE section of Latin American and Caribbean foods that you really can't find anywhere else. Also, of course because of WF's symbolism in the process of gentrification. There was a flyer in our mailboxes this morning that said "Whose Foods?" that Harold was commenting upon.
He was talking about how expensive WF could be, and I'd said noncommittally, "Oh, you know they carry a lot of expensive items, but you can shop there inexpensively too." When he countered with "Besides, I like chemicals. No really... Chemicals are way better for you than biology. That's something environmentalists always forget; biology can kill you. Microbes cause more deaths than chemicals 100 to 1!"
It's interesting to me... the more I think about things the more they tend to become closer together; lines get fuzzier and I see lots of connections. I love the idea of this guy and the clarity of his delineations; of a camp supporting the biological and the chemical, especially in light of this very difficult neighborhood dispute all about the inter-connected issues of empowerment, identity, community and access. Go Biology! Go!
Monday, January 10, 2011
First Eco Sabbath
Colin Beavan is kind of annoying, actually.
He's also known as "No Impact Man"; a guy who tried to live with as little impact on the planet as possible for one year. I read his blog regularly, but have to admit that sometimes I don't because he's so completely bent on his objective. (Actually, of course, I really admire someone who lived without electricity for a year in New York City. I just get embarrassed sometimes when people get really sincere about something... like They Might Be Giants used to make me feel embarrassed this way.)
Anyhow, whether you like his message, or like one friend of mine you think "he's so arrognant about it that it makes me want to go irresponsibly consume like a mofo" he and his family made themselves an example in a lot of important ways for those of us who are preparing for a post-petroleum world.
One thing that he suggests is to take an Eco-Sabbath. His suggestion is: "For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life."
The funny thing is, though I planned in advance to do my eco-sabbath, I didn't write down his example, or even look at it the day before. I knew I didn't want to use my computer, so I didn't look it up, which means I didn't quite hit his mark. I did spend the day quietly, and without my computer which had a tremendous impact. The way that our house is organized, our computers are in the central room of the house. Since Zak is often at his machine when I come home, my computer has become my resting place. This is a very new development and I'd like to undo it. So, no email or Facebook yesterday, which was very nice, and gave me a lot of extra time.
I had a lot of time for yoga in the morning, and I didn't set an alarm which was very relaxing. I did use machines and spend money, because I went to the laundromat, but that had been put off for days and HAD to happen. (I wore sweat pants and some stripey Christmas socks with holes in them to the laundromat... we were pretty far gone.) Next time, I'll make sure not to procrastinate my laundry onto eco sabbath.
I also baked, mostly because I didn't read the description. I was headed to a potluck later in the day, and made enough risotto cakes for the potluck and for Z and me to have for the next day.
Conveniently, the potluck I was headed to was all about Transition Towns. Those of us who gathered for a workshop in November were getting together to see about what's next. The potluck was at JP Greenhouse, which is an awesome demonstration house. They're rehab-ing an old building into a Passive House, and they're very close to their goal. I brought my risotto cakes into a warm ("65 degrees and no heat outside of the sun, our appliances the light bulbs and you people!" the homeowners pointed out.) bright room, had some incredible food and then got a tour of the house.
Finally we sat down to talk about Transition. It's interesting to me that the people in the room who have really given their lives to making change in the world, who have been activists for as long as I've been alive are the people who really have the hardest time with Transition. “Who are the leaders?” “How can this work in an urban setting?” “There are already people doing things!” Our training was very interesting to me, and it was easy for me to see the value in having principles and protocols for how to come together about things as mind-boggling huge and overwhelming as climate-change and peak oil, while respecting and encouraging everyone's different work and learning from one another. Another woman who was there is a perma-culture teacher and she also had no problem with the “haziness” or ambiguity of the Transition handbook. I spoke up a couple of times in the meeting, once to suggest that we have an Open Space conversation next. The facilitator said she preferred another meeting “like this” in order to see where people were. I pushed back and then she smiled and said “Do you want to plan the next meeting?”
So, that's where my big mouth has gotten me: planning the next meeting for a movement of people who aren't even sure they understand or believe that the movement is what it says it is.
Whhhheeeeeeee!
I biked home and spent the evening reading until it was time for bed. I haven't spent that much time reading for pleasure in a long time. I think this eco-sabbath thing might stick.
He's also known as "No Impact Man"; a guy who tried to live with as little impact on the planet as possible for one year. I read his blog regularly, but have to admit that sometimes I don't because he's so completely bent on his objective. (Actually, of course, I really admire someone who lived without electricity for a year in New York City. I just get embarrassed sometimes when people get really sincere about something... like They Might Be Giants used to make me feel embarrassed this way.)
Anyhow, whether you like his message, or like one friend of mine you think "he's so arrognant about it that it makes me want to go irresponsibly consume like a mofo" he and his family made themselves an example in a lot of important ways for those of us who are preparing for a post-petroleum world.
One thing that he suggests is to take an Eco-Sabbath. His suggestion is: "For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life."
The funny thing is, though I planned in advance to do my eco-sabbath, I didn't write down his example, or even look at it the day before. I knew I didn't want to use my computer, so I didn't look it up, which means I didn't quite hit his mark. I did spend the day quietly, and without my computer which had a tremendous impact. The way that our house is organized, our computers are in the central room of the house. Since Zak is often at his machine when I come home, my computer has become my resting place. This is a very new development and I'd like to undo it. So, no email or Facebook yesterday, which was very nice, and gave me a lot of extra time.
I had a lot of time for yoga in the morning, and I didn't set an alarm which was very relaxing. I did use machines and spend money, because I went to the laundromat, but that had been put off for days and HAD to happen. (I wore sweat pants and some stripey Christmas socks with holes in them to the laundromat... we were pretty far gone.) Next time, I'll make sure not to procrastinate my laundry onto eco sabbath.
I also baked, mostly because I didn't read the description. I was headed to a potluck later in the day, and made enough risotto cakes for the potluck and for Z and me to have for the next day.
Conveniently, the potluck I was headed to was all about Transition Towns. Those of us who gathered for a workshop in November were getting together to see about what's next. The potluck was at JP Greenhouse, which is an awesome demonstration house. They're rehab-ing an old building into a Passive House, and they're very close to their goal. I brought my risotto cakes into a warm ("65 degrees and no heat outside of the sun, our appliances the light bulbs and you people!" the homeowners pointed out.) bright room, had some incredible food and then got a tour of the house.
Finally we sat down to talk about Transition. It's interesting to me that the people in the room who have really given their lives to making change in the world, who have been activists for as long as I've been alive are the people who really have the hardest time with Transition. “Who are the leaders?” “How can this work in an urban setting?” “There are already people doing things!” Our training was very interesting to me, and it was easy for me to see the value in having principles and protocols for how to come together about things as mind-boggling huge and overwhelming as climate-change and peak oil, while respecting and encouraging everyone's different work and learning from one another. Another woman who was there is a perma-culture teacher and she also had no problem with the “haziness” or ambiguity of the Transition handbook. I spoke up a couple of times in the meeting, once to suggest that we have an Open Space conversation next. The facilitator said she preferred another meeting “like this” in order to see where people were. I pushed back and then she smiled and said “Do you want to plan the next meeting?”
So, that's where my big mouth has gotten me: planning the next meeting for a movement of people who aren't even sure they understand or believe that the movement is what it says it is.
Whhhheeeeeeee!
I biked home and spent the evening reading until it was time for bed. I haven't spent that much time reading for pleasure in a long time. I think this eco-sabbath thing might stick.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
This year goes to 11.
Happy New Year!
Perfect way to start my day: steaming cup of tea, just finished breakfast, cuddly cat in my lap, and Brother Ali on the stereo.
Transition
I just finished perusing Up trees a misspelled, awkward blog with some pretty pictures about a guy who's interviewing people in trees, one every day. I like his enthusiasm, his creativity and I bet the project is really fun. I got there from a blog I read about Transition.. I got *there* from a Transition Towns Training I attended in the fall. If you don't know what Transition is, it's my favorite approach to "environmentalism" I've seen yet. Everyone is invited and welcomed to a free-formed group of people interested in a vision of what their local community will look like in 20 years. The main issues are those of climate change and peak oil, but without any blame or doom-saying... the emphasis is on getting moving and doing the things you love and teaching those things to the people around you. So far so good. I'm meeting with the folks from the JP Transition Town Training next weekend, and I'm really excited!
2011 Intention
It's funny... I was about to say that I have a tradition of choosing an intention for the coming year. I checked back to look at January blog posts past only to find that this isn't true. I know I did once, way back in 2005, maybe?
This is hilarious, because the intention I chose for myself this year, is to follow-through! So, next year, you'll find a 2012 intention here and know that I succeeded. In my work, my school work, my relationships and my personal life, I want to make good on some of the big ideas I have.
Our House is Empty Again.
On December 20th our friend Lexi came to visit, and this started the great visit of 2010... with one day (the 22nd) excepted, we had guests until January 2nd! We are always delighted to see her, and it was even more delightful because she came with Boston's first snow of the year. We walked out to the new restaurant Canary Square in the snow. I was choked by sharp snow crystals, but couldn't help laughing despite the danger. It was a lovely evening together.
The next day, my sister arrived (12 hours late!) and headed out the next day for a round of visiting. Ivo, her husband arrived on the 23rd and then we all headed to my mom's place in East Providence. The 26th brought a huge blizzard and the Sprayberries! We spent the 27th watching Chelsea LOSE to Arsenal (1-3) and the rest of the time playing board games. Jessy and Ivo decided to skip New York because of the weather, so we had them with us when we headed to Westport for a quiet New Year's evening with Susanna and some friends. It was amazing; calm, cozy, and nourishing. If we spend all year doing what we do on New Years eve, then we're looking at a year full of great conversations, good food, and yes, more games. Jessy and Ivo left on the 2nd, and now we're back to work, back to real life. (Almost... my classes don't start until the 14th, so I am taking it a little easier than usual.)
Perfect way to start my day: steaming cup of tea, just finished breakfast, cuddly cat in my lap, and Brother Ali on the stereo.
Transition
I just finished perusing Up trees a misspelled, awkward blog with some pretty pictures about a guy who's interviewing people in trees, one every day. I like his enthusiasm, his creativity and I bet the project is really fun. I got there from a blog I read about Transition.. I got *there* from a Transition Towns Training I attended in the fall. If you don't know what Transition is, it's my favorite approach to "environmentalism" I've seen yet. Everyone is invited and welcomed to a free-formed group of people interested in a vision of what their local community will look like in 20 years. The main issues are those of climate change and peak oil, but without any blame or doom-saying... the emphasis is on getting moving and doing the things you love and teaching those things to the people around you. So far so good. I'm meeting with the folks from the JP Transition Town Training next weekend, and I'm really excited!
2011 Intention
It's funny... I was about to say that I have a tradition of choosing an intention for the coming year. I checked back to look at January blog posts past only to find that this isn't true. I know I did once, way back in 2005, maybe?
This is hilarious, because the intention I chose for myself this year, is to follow-through! So, next year, you'll find a 2012 intention here and know that I succeeded. In my work, my school work, my relationships and my personal life, I want to make good on some of the big ideas I have.
Our House is Empty Again.
On December 20th our friend Lexi came to visit, and this started the great visit of 2010... with one day (the 22nd) excepted, we had guests until January 2nd! We are always delighted to see her, and it was even more delightful because she came with Boston's first snow of the year. We walked out to the new restaurant Canary Square in the snow. I was choked by sharp snow crystals, but couldn't help laughing despite the danger. It was a lovely evening together.
The next day, my sister arrived (12 hours late!) and headed out the next day for a round of visiting. Ivo, her husband arrived on the 23rd and then we all headed to my mom's place in East Providence. The 26th brought a huge blizzard and the Sprayberries! We spent the 27th watching Chelsea LOSE to Arsenal (1-3) and the rest of the time playing board games. Jessy and Ivo decided to skip New York because of the weather, so we had them with us when we headed to Westport for a quiet New Year's evening with Susanna and some friends. It was amazing; calm, cozy, and nourishing. If we spend all year doing what we do on New Years eve, then we're looking at a year full of great conversations, good food, and yes, more games. Jessy and Ivo left on the 2nd, and now we're back to work, back to real life. (Almost... my classes don't start until the 14th, so I am taking it a little easier than usual.)
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