I recently friended an old high school friend from high school. He sent me a message "catching up" the last 15 years in a few sentences: NY, wife, baby, new album. Then he asked, how about you "Give me your life so far in 140 characters?"
I have to imagine that 140 is the max for a tweet. (I do have a twitter account but have tweeted a handful of times about 3 years ago... weirdly, I still get emails that people have started following me on twitter, many of whom are strangers. It must be very dull for them.)
Anyway, it's very difficult for me to do this sort of thing in any time. This has been a particularly challenging year, which somehow colors my experience. I started out and then took it back about 100 times. My deepest fear when I was an adolescent was being misunderstood. I didn't cut my hair short, or pierce my nose, or listen to Ani Difranco because I didn't want people to be able to write me off and put me into a box. In the same way, as I stared at my computer, excited to be in contact with an old friend. At first I liked the challenge, like a Haiku.
I gave up. I posted more than 200 characters:
"I live in Jp with my husband, Zak. I teach and I learn in equal parts. It’s been a challenging year, but I’m really blessed with a great community. I find great joy on my bike, in the woods, on my yoga mat, knitting, and in a glass of well-crafted beer…but not all at once."
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A blog like a post it note.
It's hot here.
Sometimes unbelievably hot in our second floor apartment.
We just finished a whole month of World Cup madness that included so many wonderful house guests.
I'd like to blog again, so I thought I'd start here... listening to Girlyman, cleaning the porch for some vegetable grilling, looking forward to some new work and generally feeling kind of smushed. I'm going through another one of those periods where I'm sustained by music, wandering through old albums and revisiting old versions of myself, putting new ones on repeat like an adolescent.
Sometimes unbelievably hot in our second floor apartment.
We just finished a whole month of World Cup madness that included so many wonderful house guests.
I'd like to blog again, so I thought I'd start here... listening to Girlyman, cleaning the porch for some vegetable grilling, looking forward to some new work and generally feeling kind of smushed. I'm going through another one of those periods where I'm sustained by music, wandering through old albums and revisiting old versions of myself, putting new ones on repeat like an adolescent.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Encounters on the T
"She must have him over a barrel."
The guy had entered the subway car and thrown his jacket over the railing that holds up the hand rail near the door where I sat. He spoke to me as though continuing a conversation we'd been having already which should have clued me in, but I'm a total sucker for a fantastic opening line.
"Who does?"
"Elena Kagan...Obama! Why else would you give someone a job with no experience?!"
"She's got tons of experience, just not any experience being a supreme court justice! You can't blame her for that!"
The guy argued amicably with me for a few minutes (another red flag in this city) and I enjoyed the conversation. After a moment though:
"We've got to be very careful. You never know. You never know. They have..." (at this point he started pointing to his arm with his finger).
"They have applications. They have cloning and viruses. You never know. You have to be very careful, really see who she is! They have robots they control."
Since we'd been talking loudly, I knew that the rest of the people around me on the train all had the same realization I did at the same moment that I had it. The difference was that I liked the guy, and had a lot of practice making conversation with folks with ideas like his, so we kept talking. I have a hard-won habit of "do not confirm or deny" when it comes to ideas that don't match my reality in a serious way from the old days at Angeline's, so we gently switched topics whenever he brought up technology this way. I asked him some questions ("How do you get to be a mastermind?" and "How do you know..."
He told me about a guy in Bethel, ME who burned down all sorts of places; houses, cars, fire stations but who did it for the money and then used his money to buy himself a gas station. He told me a little bit about his wife, who had something in common with this fellow. They were both masterminds who took all the money and hoodwinked the people around them. At one point, a guy across the train said "I can't believe I'm hearing this." in a very dramatic way. When I looked across the speaker had his head in his hands. My new friend told me about people who want to get into your conversation, about how they're probably stoned or hungover from the night before. Right before his stop, the man asked me what I do, and I told him "I teach little kids." He had to get off soon and he started talking fast "Take them to the Apple Store. Show them Tips and Tricks. They need the Tips and Tricks. Teach them about each of the applications! That's what they need to know!" Then the door shut.
The guy had entered the subway car and thrown his jacket over the railing that holds up the hand rail near the door where I sat. He spoke to me as though continuing a conversation we'd been having already which should have clued me in, but I'm a total sucker for a fantastic opening line.
"Who does?"
"Elena Kagan...Obama! Why else would you give someone a job with no experience?!"
"She's got tons of experience, just not any experience being a supreme court justice! You can't blame her for that!"
The guy argued amicably with me for a few minutes (another red flag in this city) and I enjoyed the conversation. After a moment though:
"We've got to be very careful. You never know. You never know. They have..." (at this point he started pointing to his arm with his finger).
"They have applications. They have cloning and viruses. You never know. You have to be very careful, really see who she is! They have robots they control."
Since we'd been talking loudly, I knew that the rest of the people around me on the train all had the same realization I did at the same moment that I had it. The difference was that I liked the guy, and had a lot of practice making conversation with folks with ideas like his, so we kept talking. I have a hard-won habit of "do not confirm or deny" when it comes to ideas that don't match my reality in a serious way from the old days at Angeline's, so we gently switched topics whenever he brought up technology this way. I asked him some questions ("How do you get to be a mastermind?" and "How do you know..."
He told me about a guy in Bethel, ME who burned down all sorts of places; houses, cars, fire stations but who did it for the money and then used his money to buy himself a gas station. He told me a little bit about his wife, who had something in common with this fellow. They were both masterminds who took all the money and hoodwinked the people around them. At one point, a guy across the train said "I can't believe I'm hearing this." in a very dramatic way. When I looked across the speaker had his head in his hands. My new friend told me about people who want to get into your conversation, about how they're probably stoned or hungover from the night before. Right before his stop, the man asked me what I do, and I told him "I teach little kids." He had to get off soon and he started talking fast "Take them to the Apple Store. Show them Tips and Tricks. They need the Tips and Tricks. Teach them about each of the applications! That's what they need to know!" Then the door shut.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Home sweet home!
Overheard on the bus "I was just explaining sarcasm to some Iranians in a bar."
glad to be home. I am on the bus next to a nodding junkie because all blue line trains are bound for Wonderland and couldn't be happier. Thought I was headed home to an empty house but SURPRISE there'll be a Z to meet me! Perfect end to a perfect trip.
glad to be home. I am on the bus next to a nodding junkie because all blue line trains are bound for Wonderland and couldn't be happier. Thought I was headed home to an empty house but SURPRISE there'll be a Z to meet me! Perfect end to a perfect trip.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday (Your Saturday!)
I tasted Marmite today, and learned some of the names that New Zealanders call their coffee.
(Marmite is a paste that tastes and looks a lot like Soy Sauce. If you want a cup of coffee, you must ask for a long black, and if you want a double latte you request a “flat white”. My friend inquired, what do you call a single latte?” and the Kiwi we brunched next to said “Thet's jest a lette.” I've been working hard on my Kiwi accent. It's a really tricky one to imitate. So the word that I like to hear New Zealanders say is “Enthusiastic”.)
I arrived yesterday morning and spent the day walking around in the sun, which I believe is why I haven't suffered much jet lag. (I'm knocking wood as I type that. It isn't too late, I hear.) I met my friend Julie at the airport and we headed to her friend's house. This morning, we met with the rest of our group, and they are a smart bunch. We haven't set foot in a school, or begun a single “formal” discussion, but at brunch, I discussed play ground structures, looping and multi-age classrooms and what it means to “do” diversity, multi-cultural or anti-biased curriculum. Whew! We've arrived at the retreat center which will be our home base for the next five days and it's lovely. The place is an old monastary and is still owned by the Anglican church, so the rooms are small but the view is beautiful and humbling. I'm looking forward to dinner and then an early morning tomorrow.
(Marmite is a paste that tastes and looks a lot like Soy Sauce. If you want a cup of coffee, you must ask for a long black, and if you want a double latte you request a “flat white”. My friend inquired, what do you call a single latte?” and the Kiwi we brunched next to said “Thet's jest a lette.” I've been working hard on my Kiwi accent. It's a really tricky one to imitate. So the word that I like to hear New Zealanders say is “Enthusiastic”.)
I arrived yesterday morning and spent the day walking around in the sun, which I believe is why I haven't suffered much jet lag. (I'm knocking wood as I type that. It isn't too late, I hear.) I met my friend Julie at the airport and we headed to her friend's house. This morning, we met with the rest of our group, and they are a smart bunch. We haven't set foot in a school, or begun a single “formal” discussion, but at brunch, I discussed play ground structures, looping and multi-age classrooms and what it means to “do” diversity, multi-cultural or anti-biased curriculum. Whew! We've arrived at the retreat center which will be our home base for the next five days and it's lovely. The place is an old monastary and is still owned by the Anglican church, so the rooms are small but the view is beautiful and humbling. I'm looking forward to dinner and then an early morning tomorrow.
Friday, February 19, 2010
speed blogging
I'm in an internet cafe on Queen's street and I only have 8 minutes left.
Why am I in a subterranean internet "cafe" (only, no food or drink ?!) hours after landing here when I could be outside trekking to a park or sitting by the harbor? Because our very brilliant plan failed. Jules and I made a fantastic plan, BUT I think she gave me her calling card number instead of her friend's number. (a perfectly ordinary error). The only problem is that I was supposed to meet up with Jules + friend by calling the friend. Whoops. So, I think I need to go BACK to the airport to meet up with J when she comes in around 5. This has been a real adventure. Auckland rocks so far. How did we live without cell phones!
Hightlights:
Instead of "Yield" signs here tell you to "Give way". They also entreat you to give bikes 1.5 m (!) instead of only three feet. The only news from the US that I've heard is about Tiger Woods' public apology.
Why am I in a subterranean internet "cafe" (only, no food or drink ?!) hours after landing here when I could be outside trekking to a park or sitting by the harbor? Because our very brilliant plan failed. Jules and I made a fantastic plan, BUT I think she gave me her calling card number instead of her friend's number. (a perfectly ordinary error). The only problem is that I was supposed to meet up with Jules + friend by calling the friend. Whoops. So, I think I need to go BACK to the airport to meet up with J when she comes in around 5. This has been a real adventure. Auckland rocks so far. How did we live without cell phones!
Hightlights:
Instead of "Yield" signs here tell you to "Give way". They also entreat you to give bikes 1.5 m (!) instead of only three feet. The only news from the US that I've heard is about Tiger Woods' public apology.
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