Kurt Vonnegut didn't have to write all those stories, he could just name off the big idea and say Kilgore Trout wrote it.

Here are the things I thought about writing about today:

The forbidden joy of playing a board game with a friend in the middle of a work day. I was going to work later which only made it feel more decadent and forbidden.

The thrill and challenge of driving through rush hour down town on my bike afterdark, followed by the comfort of the smooth open bike path with one or two little blinking red lights up ahead for company and competition.

The (unusual for me) feeling of giving someone a perfect gift.

The wonder and freedom of a new journal.

The smug eye contact I enjoy sharing with my fellow November in New England cyclist commuters.

How powerfully my time with one true, exhilaratingly fun, thoughtful and delightful friend makes me think about all the others.

But now I’m going to wash the dishes because I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends and family instead of taking care of business lately.

Running Hot and Cold

I woke up in Providence today. I spent the night at friends' house (they live in a trick or treating-er neighborhood than we do. When I arrived yesterday afternoon, I was wearing a t-shirt. (Z and I take our bikes to the train, then ride the train to PVD, then ride another 15 or 20 minutes to our friends' place in Cranston.) I couldn't believe how warm it was "kids won't have to hide their costumes under coats tonight!" I thought.

Then, by the time we went trick or treating (there were two kids there for us to accompany, because it's kind of creepy to wander around as just adults) I needed my Mork and Mindy vest. (I also had gloves... I dressed as a cyclist who didn't wear a helmet, cursed to wear one and a lock around my neck for all eternity in a very gory, morbid morality tale of a costume.) The children we were with were dressed as a princess strawberry and a slice of pizza. The elder (about 6) was chased down the sidewalk by a man in coveralls and a mask wielding a chainsaw. The kid was wicked scared, but blessedly he was scared shitless in that wonderfully Halloween fun way. It's a fine line to walk and it's heartbreaking when we accidentally fall over that line into trauma, but we managed it as a group.

Today, cycling to the train station, I was so cold I had a headache that started at my ears, went into my eustatian tubes and froze my brain. I wore every stitch of clothing I had plus Z's jacket, and I was still cold.

Once we returned to Boston (and I put on some smartwool) I was cozy again. My ride to work was mild and pleasant. I stayed a little too long though. Even though it was only 5:30 when I left I needed my lights. Though the temprature had dropped, with my winter riding gloves and my vest I was warm enough.

Sitting here today, though, in a house that smells of roasting pumpkin, I am really warm!

Ups and downs. I guess I shouldn't complain.... soon it'll be almost all cool all the time.

(In case you cant' tell by my general lack of content for this post, I'm going to try to blog every day this month along with a lot of other cool bloggers. I wonder what it will be like!)

(I'm also taking an email class this month from a Buddhist teacher and author I've learned a lot from, Cheri Huber. I wonder a lot about that too!)

Welcome back, October!

This was the status of a friend who is a Libra like me.

As I wrote the date in my journal this morning, I felt a familiar pang of "October already?" In other years, I've made banal comments to strangers and coworkers about how quickly time goes, how hard it is to believe, how wistful I am about the whole thing. Working with very young children really exacerbates this sensation. Sometimes I'll look at a photo I took just a month or two ago, and be stunned by how much the child has stretched out, her face taken more shape, her vocabulary and physical strength increased in that short time. Children are never disappointed that time moves on.

Today, when I wrote the date, instead of feeling time hustling me forward, I cheered it on a little. "Yes!" I thought. "Go to bed, 2010. It's nearly time for you to be done." This has been a rich, full year (and it's not even over yet!) but it's also held a lot of pain for my family, friends and I. So I'm not clinging to it today, or bemoaning it's passage, I'm embracing the natural process of falling away. I think about the darkness in the evening, the chill in the wind (not today... not this week, actually, but I swear I got to wear wool socks once in September) the apples and squashes piled on my table and I am happy. I'm like a bear going sleepily into hibernation, a rose dying back, just ready for the wind and snow and darkness to come. Then in a little while, I'll be ready for the sun again, and for a new year to begin.

Snowstorm! (am I down to seasonal blogs now!?)

The snow started last night and is still coming down. I was going to drive to RI yesterday to attend a tree trimming at some friends' house, but after seeing the weather report, I took the train and packed some extra things in case I got snowed in. The train makes me even happier than usual in inclement weather. I sat cozily down, listened to two young friends discuss their Friday night, and began finishing off the pair of socks I've been working on for months.

I had a wonderful visit, and headed out early, which I NEVER do. It was shocking to feel ok with leaving a party midway, at four o'clock. I made it home well before the snow began. Z was cooking Jambalaya when I got there, and the house was fragrant and steamy. I sat and watched him cook, and we listened to a podcast about international soccer until it was time to eat. Jambalaya, corn bread and collards all from Veganomicon. We bought this cookbook on a recommendation from some friends, and when Z took over all cooking and cleaning responsibilities as I went back to school, he took almost all of his recipes from it. (Zak has always been a fantastic cook, but he had a hard time cooking dinner after I stopped eating meat. He enjoys complicated/amazing type recipes best, and most of the vegetarian, whole food recipes we had came from Laurel's Kitchen (which I also love) but which is terribly basic and plain.) Anyhow, the meal was astounding. I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch.

I woke up to piles of snow, and happily called my yoga studio to make sure they were open before I headed over there. My love for walking in the snow in the city has to be the greatest argument that I really belong here in the Northeast. I put on my snowpants (thank you Tyson for the hand-me-down) and my red snow boots (thanks Amber) and my fantastic Winter Tilly hat that Z got me for my birthday (with the ear flaps down, of course) and headed out. Even though the air was bitter cold, and the wind was blowing the snow sideways; at my face (beneath my hat!) everyone greeted one another happily. People were shoveling, and walking their dogs and carrying multiple cups of coffee home.

Now, post-yoga, post-breakfast, mid-teapot, I'm contentedly looking forward to an afternoon of knitting, and reading, perhaps even some banana bread baking. I should help my landlady by taking a turn with the shovel. I may even invite somebody to go to a movie with me. My Sunday stretches out before me like a long toad that I can walk as long as I like.

Back in the Saddle

I just looked at this blog and realized that I posted signs of fall DIRECTLY after the signs of Spring. That'll tell you a little something about how my summer has been, I suppose. I got to garden (in a community garden plot with the kids in my class) and go to the beach. (It was beautiful and totally worth moving back across the country for!) I did NOT learn how to unicycle (damn it!) I went to a couple of cool festivals, listened to some good music, watched the baby geese grow and the pond get greener and greener. I didn't do much knitting (which is normal for me, I'm a pretty seasonal knitter) but I got to visit with a lot of friends and family.

In the spring, I realized that my friend Evan was right, and that I should go back to school at Prescott College, and suddenly started a very fast process of application and acceptance and suddenly preparing to become a student again! At the end of August, I headed out to Prescott, and had an adventure there as part of my orientation. I met three really great people, and we drove from Tucson to Prescott and then camped there for the orientation. At orientation, I discovered that I had a lot in common with all the "unconventional" "adult" learners surrounding me, and also that the staff and faculty were used to having some pretty flaky students. ("If you decide not to attend next semester, please call us and let us know!" "You must check your email regularly.")

Now I'm home again, and taking two classes this semester. After months of telling people "No, no, it's not an online degree, I'll have local mentors to teach me!" I actually have to take two required courses on "Moodle" Google's educational online platform. :(

(Technically I'm taking a third class, but not for credit. It's an online, open, free course from the University of Manitoba called Constructivism and Constructive Knowledge. More about that later.) I've got a new class of itty bitties, and a newish team. (One teacher I worked with last year, the other is a newbie this year.) After a year at this job, I really feel comfortable there, and everybody has been so kind to me. Leaving Hilltop has forced me to examine my practices through new eyes, and I'm happy about my teaching in this new context. I'm also really excited to learn all about teaching from my mentors starting next semester! (I've got two yes's so far, which is pretty exciting!)

Enough catch up. I think I"ll be blogging more this fall, in part because I'm indoors, but also because writing is a great way for me to think about what I'm learning, and I don't currently have a lot of formal writing to do for school.

Fall... Already!

- sweater!

- s0cks

- Harpoon Octoberfest in the fridge. (although Glacier Harvest '09 is way better!)

- First cold

- Second cold

- half-empty classroom

- streets clogged with young people only half paying attention to the dangerous streets around them

- was so wet and cold last week, I took the train instead of riding my bike for the first time in months

- Had to change out the darkened lenses in my bike goggles for my commute home because the sun was going down

- remembered that I left both of my hats on the train last spring, and then cut all my hair off!

Springtime Flux

I've always gotten Spring Fever.

Every year.  It's a little embarrassing. For me this manifests as nervous energy, forgetfullness, preoccupation with pretty things, falling in love with every other person who walks down the street or sits next to me in the cafe, rushing more, napping more and eating ice cream. We're nearly through it this year, and it has passed quickly, perhaps because of how satisfying this spring has been.  I know it's boring to talk about the weather, but really it has affected this whole relocation so much and so postively that I can't stop talking about it yet.

I loved seeing flowers pop out of the snow, people poking out of their heavy overcoats, leaving a scarf or mittens home one day or the next, challenging winter as it faded away.  Spring seemed so brave and hopeful.  Last week we had a legitimately hot day, and it showed us what summer will be.  In Seattle somehow, the weather seemed more distant, unassailable, and here, it feels as though the bravery of a few hatless souls may have been responsible for the whole damn thing.  In Seattle the trees would suddenly be abloom, but here there was a nice, long, smooth budding phase that allowed us to prepare our hearts and our bodies for spring.

At work, it's a whole other type of adjustment. Now instead of the parade of snowsuits, hats, scarves and mittens, it's the process of sunhats, sandal straps, water bottles and sunscreen.  The kids are happy to just sit in the grass and stare, to swing, swing, swing to hold hands and run one way and then another.  They have each mastered something brand new on the playground in the last week; the rings, pumping on a swing, flying on their bellies on the swing, climbing to the top of a tall, tall ladder, sliding down on their bellies.  Like little spring animals learning how to walk, to run, to fly or hunt.

At home I'm trying to keep some of this energy with me as I ride my bike back.  I'm still having a hard time with so many hours of my life given away to my job and commute, but the bike is faster than the train, now, and getting faster every day.  I'm still practicing my unicycle every week or so, it's still difficult to go more than five feet or so.  Maybe I'll practice again today as I clean the house before houseguests arrive.  I finally found a yoga studio that I'm crazy about which is a few less free hours in my week, but more than worth it.  It's also local soccer season, so Z and I have attended one Revolution game, and one Boston breakers game.  We'll return to ther fort this weekend with friends this time to see another Rev's game.

This is one of the most boring posts I've ever written, but, it's what I'm thinking about.

Next time, I'll have something hilarious, thoughtful and shocking for you.

More Spring signs

Disclaimer: While I understand that it could snow in Boston on any day in March or April, I'm celebrating moments of spring-like weather and attitudes as they occur. This may irritate bores, literalists or fuddy-duddies. For instance when Z wore shorts the other day and smiled at a passerbye, she offered (in a grouchy voice) "Don't put away your boots yet!"

Today it reached 50 degrees and I spent a couple of hours walking around in it. I underdressed (Seattle tradition) to get as much sunlight on my skin as possible. It was fantastic to smile at my neighbors as they did errands, strolled around the pond, and generally blossomed. Here are some signs of spring to add to my list....

Pictured:
The hat shop is totally ready to move forward.

Honey Bees! (You may have to look really closely... the Iphone has no zoom.) These bees were buzzing around so merrily in and out of this tree that it made me think of Winnie the Pooh. In that hole, I could see the honeycomb and the entrance to the hive.)

Not pictured: frisky ducks and Canada geese, children drunk with sunshine. My three new springy t-shirts from Boomerang's.

Signs of spring

It's still winter here in Massachusetts, I know. Please don't think I'm fooled by a little sun and weather warm enough for me to leave my gloves and mittens at home, because I'm not.
On the other hand, it's really gorgeous, and my body does not understand that there are still weeks of wintry weather and more snow ahead. My body wants to eat ice cream and fire up the grill and go to the beach and climb trees and things like that... even though I know better.

So here is a list (with some illustrative photos) of signs of spring:
1. The outdoor busking has begun again at Harvard Square (note bagpiper setting down a cup of coffee)
2. Crocuses are blooming, along with snow drops AND there are chirpy little robins bopping around as though they would also like to eat ice cream, and cook out.
3. My cat is lying around in puddles of sunshine on the floor.
4. (Not pictured) I was almost hit by a baseball that was thrown by a child in a Red Sox jersey and just missed the mitt of a young man in a Red Sox jersey.

I'll keep an eye out and post more signs as they show themselves. What are the signs of spring where you live?

Autumn Leaves....

There is this heartbreakingly sad version of this song by Ricki Lee Jones, and that's what I'm hearing right now in my head. (Don't worry, it's in an indulgent "cold out there/warm tea in here" sort of way. There is no doubt that it is fall in the Pacific Northwest.

I just walked to the corner to buy a calling card so that I can talk to my sister overseas. Why has no one written a sad love song about the act of buying a calling card, yet!? It is such a pathetic and cynical and horrifying action. You walk to a gas station, which is ugly and smelly. The needs of everyone else there are immediate crucial and distracted. Only the worst food, toilet paper and light up Incredibles key chain LED pens are available because you are a captive, you cannot escape because the bars of your own business hold you in. There are posters in at least 10 languages (including at least one form of pidgin English) advertising calling cards. (We apparently believe that folks who speak Spanish, Korean and Arabic want to call home more than they want to find the ATM, pump their gas, use the bathroom etc.) Half of all of the calling cards I've purchased have screwed me over in some way and YET I still buy them, because I believe they are the cheapest and most convenient way to call long distance to Europe. So, I have this transaction with the guy behind the counter... like buying a lottery ticket or a tree air freshner, he asks me which one I want and I tell him, and we exchange money and card and it's over. This guy has enabled me to stay in contact with my family, like it's no big thing. Whew. Thanks.