Friday Random Muppet Video

For your Friday entertainment . . . this is such an incredibly sweet song, done by the incredibly talented Danny Kaye . . . and a little extra show at the end . . .

“The Most Honorable Man of All”

On Saturday, I went to see Julius Caesar at the DC Shakespeare Theater’s Harman Hall. It is a lovely brand new facility (the one where I saw Major Barbara actually) and it was great to go on a Saturday afternoon and not be in a full rush and panic trying to get downtown after work. By observation, I do believe the average age of the usual Saturday afternoon attendee is around 72, although it was a rather more diverse crowd than usual, which was heartening to see.

I did enjoy this production of this oft read Shakespeare play – the production was about 3 hours with intermission, but the time really flew! The only quibble I had was with the sets, which upon first glance looked to me like Rome by way of some Japanese Steakhouse décor – lots of rich woods and retracting stairs and balconies, which did make the sets very versatile. Once I got over that, I was fine.

As you all know, the story is more about Brutus than Julius Caesar and the gentleman who played Brutus was amazing. My friend J didn’t like the fellow who played Mark Antony, however, I thought he did very well, especially considering that the original person who had been playing the part injured himself a week ago, so this fellow had not been long in the role. I thought he did the “Friends, Romans, Countrymen . . .” scene very ably and with a good bit of humor, which usually you don’t notice when reading the play.

The play runs through the first week of July, and is running in repertory with Antony and Cleopatra, which I’m also going to see this weekend. I’ll let you know if that play is good too – a lot of the characters overlap, which will be interesting to see.

In other news, the schedule for the DC Fringe Festival is out and I am very excited. This year it is going to run from July 10 to 27, and have events in more venues all around the city, not just in one area. You can check out the offerings here. It’s almost like Christmas, I’m so looking forward to it, and I do want to see as much as I can.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends!

PS – Yes, my sister is in the States for good this time. Her tenure in the Army should be ending at the end of December – unless she decides to re-up, which then I’ll just have to have myself a coronary . . .

My 7 Minutes of Fame or “I’m Ready for My Close-up, Mr. DeMille”

THIS is what I did this weekend.

If you get a chance to participate in your local area, you should definitely get involved! It was a total blast, although I definitely learned how the hurry-up-and-wait conditions on a movie set can be quite exhausting. Mr. Random served as the film editor and my friend J and I helped write the script and had sizable acting roles. The acting was unintended on my part – I had thought I’d be an extra in a crowd scene or handling the boom mike. But no, my character is rather integral to the plot and I even had a couple of lines and a close up shot.

I don’t know if I will ever post on this blog the resulting 7 minute film, because that would blow my little bit of anonymity to heck. If it gets YouTubed or something I might put it up for a very limited time, but under the condition that you realize the whole thing was done in two days, so don’t expect art, decent camera work, a linear plot, or even good acting.

This week, they are showing all of the films created in our city at the American Film Institute Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland. Unfortunately, our film is going to be shown in the Friday night group, and we already bought tickets to take Mr. Random’s mom to see a play at that exact time. Bummer! I really wanted to see what the other entries looked like . . .

Maybe after the judging is over with this upcoming week, I’ll let you know how our film did. I doubt we’ll get any awards though, the actual photography was kind of spotty and the plot-as-scripted and the plot-as-edited in the film are a bit different. (Now I see why screenwriters are a bitter and cranky bunch.)

Sunrise, Sunset: Another Odd Week

It’s another one of those weeks, when all I touch seems to go awry – even the simplest tasks have monkey wrenches thrown into them, making everything twenty times more aggravating than need be.

Ugh.

Last week, my dad took my mom to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Long story short: my mom had her gallbladder taken out and is home resting and walking around gingerly and having to cope with a new, low-fat diet that is mandatory for her now. It was a very rocky 24 hours in trying to figure out what was wrong with her and seeing if she got through the surgery OK. I was just a nervous, hysterical mess in waiting to hear from my dad . . .

Also last week, a co-worker’s brother died and Mr. Random and I went to visit her while she was sitting Shiva at her home. We were there in time for the evening prayers and tried to follow along as best we could in the prayer books but we don’t know Hebrew so it was a little difficult. There were a few other non-Jews there too, so we didn’t feel too out of place. My co-worker really appreciated the company, the hugs, and the concern of all her friends. It is a shame that most Christian religions don’t have the same ritual – I can see how the week of structured activities can be very helpful and comforting. You allow yourself time and space to fully grieve, and you always have people around you to help support you and take care of things during the big hump of the first week. The rabbi (or assistant rabbi) comes by every night to start the prayers and offer comfort. The whole community is there for you for an extended period. I just thought, wow. That’s cool.

So it’s been a little rough the past few weeks . . .

There IS light at the end of the tunnel. After next Friday, my classes are over for the summer. Whether I’ll be able to take a class in the Fall is up in the air (grumble, grumble) but hey, after I write my 30 page Econ paper, things should get easier.

I look forward to reading more for pleasure and having evenings free, except for the nights I teach ESL.

The weather is beautiful these days. The tons of rain we’ve had, now yields lots of gorgeous green. (Unless you have major allergies, to which I saw – hang in, the blooming season ends soon!)

I send my best wishes out to everyone! I am waving and thinking of you all, even if I'm not writing and visiting much!

Winding Down / Gearing Up

We can close the books on 2007, and I am so glad that it is finally over. It seems that most folks are using this as a time of introspection, to recount all that has happened in the past year and to try to make sense of what has happened. On reflection, though, I believe that a lot of what happened in the past year has made no sense at all.

Oh, wait – let me rephrase that:

What happened this past year has made sense to all of those who set the wheels in motion for the larger events, and as a person affected by those events I can muster an appreciation for the thought processes in other people’s minds that went into their decisions. I also know that I can choose how I react to these events and in doing so help set the stage for positive or negative personal outcomes. I am the captain of my fate and the master of my soul, you know . . .

Dealing with these events caused me a lot of stress and worrying. I have to learn how to not let things get to me so much, while at the same time acknowledging that my propensity for wanting to take care of the world is part of what makes me the unique individual that I am. I love volunteer teaching, I love doing things for other people, I love trying to affect change in my little corner of the world. So I know that on some level, I will always be a bit stressed out and emotional.

On one of the other blogs I read, the writer said that for the next year she should remember to be mindful:

“Instead, my goal for the coming year is mindfulness - to be mindful of what I'm doing when I'm doing it, and to ask myself if it's really what I want or need to be doing right then. . . . I'm thinking that right now, my biggest problem is not doing or failing to do any specific things, but just not thinking about what I'm doing at all.”

I think that it is a pretty admirable goal. I do think that my problem is that I tend to OVERTHINK things, but in being mindful I should think about how what I am about to do relates to what *I* ACTUALLY want as opposed to what I think other people would think I should want. There IS a difference and only in the last few months have I started to really think about what I am doing and who I am trying to make happy and why . . .

My main goals this year are to get farther in my schooling, see more plays, take more pictures, have more excursions, be a better teacher, and generally try to enjoy myself. If I feel happier in general, everything else should follow. If I am enjoying myself, I will feel better about myself. If I feel better about myself, I will feel more confident in other areas and hopefully some other successes will come from that. I will be less of a miserable, moody person and be able to have more positive interactions with family, friends and co-workers.

As regards to my work situation, I will take it one day at a time. I will try to maintain my current schedule and keep my eye out for other interesting opportunities to get involved in that may be a better fit for me at this time of my life. This year has proved that working my tail off for the Random Non-profit will not net me any professional gains or martyr points, so I only need to do what is needed to be done each day in the time allotted and then let the rest go.

As for the blog . . . well, I’m always lamenting my crappy posting and writing here . . . and so I resolve to do much more of it in 2008! I will no longer beat myself up about it because – Hey! – the title of my blog says it’s OK . . .

“A snapshot is popularly defined as a photograph that is "shot" spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent. Snapshots are commonly considered to be technically "imperfect" or amateurish--out of focus or poorly framed or composed. Common snapshot subjects include the events of everyday life, such as birthday parties and other celebrations, sunsets, children playing, and the like.”

My blog is a snapshot of what I am thinking or feeling at a given point. It is usually dashed off in an odd moment, usually with some forethought but little time. But the cool thing about snapshots is that they document moments in time that existed and will never again. Some are gems and some are not, but they are all out there. And what one person may consider “amateurish,” another person may consider art . . . so I’ll keep going, doing as best I can to document the randomness which is my life and share it with you all . . .

******

OK, now I am a bit more optimistic and excited about the New Year. I really wasn’t when I started writing this morning, but putting words on the page has helped me focus and realize that continuing to look forward is the best course of action for me. Whatever happens, happens.

Happy New Year, Everyone! May your 2008 be full of adventure and discovery and happiness!

In the Land of the Orange Construction Cone

Right behind the Random Condo, construction of some set of residential buildings is now underway.

The days that I am in class in the morning, I work from home in the afternoon. My new “den” is in the guest room, since Mr. Random has hogged both desks in our tiny den with his grad school work. I DO like my little office of sorts, I have this awesome dark wood, tall, expandable table with a faux leather pub chair that is very comfy to sit in for long periods – perfect for writing and studying . . .

Anyway, my new desk looks out of the guest room window, so I can see the men moving dirt back and forth all day long.

I have no idea what they are doing now, but whatever they are doing is making our entire building shake – and it is the most disconcerting feeling in the world to be sitting at your desk typing and feel this constant low tremor . . .

It IS fascinating to watch the plows and tractors and rollers go by . . . to watch the bricklayers and vinyl siding guys and roofers doing their work. I don’t get very distracted by their work – I’m pretty good at focusing on the screen before me – but occasionally I will look up and there is this wonderful ballet of sorts going on outside . . .

I have to take these odd moments as they come and appreciate them for what they are . . .

Ode to My Grandfather

I just wanted to share this with everyone. It is neither a meme nor a Scribblings Challenge, but a short essay I had to write for an application I submitted this week. You all probably heard this story before, but this time I actually had to make it coherent. With Father's Day coming up, it just seemed to fit . . .

The Topic: Describe an event or individual that has been instrumental in shaping who you are. Tell us why this event/person has been significant in your life. (In less than 500 words)

***********

Grandpa Henry was a big man. Not only big in relation to an adoring granddaughter, but at over six feet tall and roughly 300 pounds, he always made a big impression when he walked into a room with his charisma and booming infectious laugh.

Whenever he was around, I felt special. On both sides of the family, I was one of many grandchildren and tended to get lost in the hustle and bustle at large family gatherings in my hometown of Philadelphia. However, Grandpa would always take time to try to play with me and talk to me. Every so often, he would give my mother money to buy books that she thought that I would enjoy. He was proud of my schoolwork and always encouraged me to do my best.

After my family moved to Virginia in my junior year of high school, I did not get to see him very often. Occasionally, I spoke with him on the phone, but long-distance phone calls were expensive. During this time, unbeknownst to me, Grandpa became sick with an aggressive form of cancer. The last time I spoke to him was during a phone call in February 1987. He sounded very tired, but wanted to hear how I was doing. My high school graduation was coming up and I wanted to make sure he would be there. “You’re coming to my graduation, right Grandpa?” I asked. I did not notice at the time, but now I will never forget, he hesitated a bit before answering. “Of course, Kitty, I will be there.”

My mother received a call on St. Patrick’s Day that Grandpa died in his sleep. He was only 62 years old. I was devastated and sleep-walked through the funeral. I finished the school year but cried bitterly on graduation day because he was not there.

Later, it came out that Grandpa had been functionally illiterate. My grandmother and mother had covered up that fact from everyone for many years. Growing up as an African American in rural Alabama in the 1920s did not afford him the opportunity for a good education. He wanted to make sure that I took advantage of the opportunities that he did not have growing up. As an adult, I realize what a gift he gave me, and I wanted to honor his memory by sharing his gift with others.

A few years ago, I started volunteering with the [local volunteer group] as an English as a Second Language teacher. In my classes are people from all walks of life who are trying to learn to read, write and speak English to secure a better life for themselves and their families. I enjoy teaching these classes and seeing the triumph in students’ eyes when they figure out some difficult grammar or turn of phrase. In my teaching, I hope Grandpa Henry would be proud of me for helping to give others chances that he did not have.

Just Like Riding a Bike

I went to the Y yesterday and took my first cycling/spinning class.

I have always wanted to try biking, but have never been motivated to buy a bike. I’m a coward, you see. I’m afraid of falling and hurting myself. It is not an unnatural fear, since I have no coordination whatsoever – I can trip over my own two feet. I really don’t need to add speed to that equation . . .

I was one of the first people to sign up for that day’s class. When I walked in I told the teacher that I was very new to this. She was tall, really skinny, kind of ex-hippie aged with long stringy brown hair, wearing faded bike shorts and a baggy t-shirt. “Oh, it’s easy!” she says, “Do you ride often?”

“Um, no . . . I haven’t ridden in years.” Actually, I haven’t ridden since I was 13, but why should that stop me? They’re stationary bikes – in theory, I should not fall off and break a body part. Notice I say “in theory” . . .

So she goes about showing me how to adjust all of the little knobs on the bike: one to make the seat go up, one to make the handlebars go up, and one to move the seat forward. Oh, and then there’s the most important knob – the one to change the tension on the wheel to make it easier or harder to pedal.

All of the other people started trickling into the room. It’s a good mix of folks – men and women of all body types. Some look like they’ve been biking forever, some are a bit heavy but are ready to get into it and are pedaling slowly to warm up. This is a good sign of a good class, I think. People aren’t intimidated and all shaped and sizes seem comfortable. Yay!

The class begins. We start pedaling on low resistance. Well, this isn’t too bad. Then we start doing “hills.” Again, not too bad. I am keeping up. The small seat is bothering me, but that’s because I am not used to it. Also, part of the reason that I’m taking the class is that I think my own “seat” is getting a bit big, so I can deal . . .

The class is 45 minutes long. I am sweating up a storm and starting to get very tired. I am still keeping up the pedaling, but not as quickly and with as much resistance. That’s OK – it’s supposed to be at your own pace anyway. My legs almost want to stop working and my feet start slipping out of the little pedal harness things. I start to not be able to tell if the cool air I feel is from the fan or if I am about to pass out. Wait . . . yay! We can stop!

When the class is over, we do a little stretching and I wobble out of the classroom. I’m glad I took the class and I hope to do so again next week. There is another class on Wednesday nights, but I still have commitments for the next few Wednesdays.

I’m so glad I tried this! I’m not as sore as I thought I would be – except in the seat area, which feels like . . . well, this is a family blog, so I won’t burden you with too much information . . .

Having this sense of accomplishment is such a great way to start the week . . . I do hope the rest of the week turns out OK . . .

The Verdict is In . . .

Finally got the results from the doctor yesterday.

Mr. Random was right there by my side as the doctor said . . . that the tests showed about what he thought they would, and that I have no reason to worry – things should be OK.

The pain and discomfort that I am feeling right now has to do with the problem actually shrinking – which is a good thing. There is more involved, but that would definitely cross into the “Way Too Much Information” category. But the bottom line is that Mr. Random and I should definitely be able to have kids in the future and we’ll keep monitoring the situation to make sure that there aren’t other hurdles.

It is SUCH a big relief to have that all over with!

However, I must admit that I was very disappointed when I heard the news at first, because I had been worrying about this for so long and parsing every bad scenario in my head that for nothing to be really wrong was a bit of a let down. That’s really sad, huh? I was fully looking forward to having to have some sort of operation and looking forward to taking time to recuperate.

Do you know how sad a state you have to be in that you look forward to major surgery as an opportunity for time off and rest?

With this reprieve of sorts, I really need to sit down and think of changes that I need to make in my life so that I’m not constantly on the treadmill trying to do a million things. I really need to think about, as my boss says, ways to bring more joy into my life.

So now that that big thing is no longer hanging over my head, now I can just focus on whether I’m going to be laid off or not and on my sister’s deployment to Iraq on March 15th. You know, just little stuff like that . . .

But for today, the sun is shining and the future is looking much, much better . . .

On the Up Beat

My posts have been a bit on the depressing side lately, and while I have a lot weighing on my brain, most of the time I try to be a really upbeat, optimistic person. You can’t be a teacher if you are not, if anything, optimistic. (OK, we know and have had a lot of teachers who WEREN’T like that, but in my mind you need to have a lot of enthusiasm to be good.)

I do love my ESL class. I consistently have 10 people every Tuesday night, which is awesome. It is still relatively early in the semester, but the retention rate is looking good, and I feel like people are getting at least a little something out of each class. People are starting to feel comfortable with each other and help out those who seem to be struggling – yay! In fact it is starting to get to the point when there’s a lot of extemporaneous talking going on, which I usually try to diffuse by doing something wacky like yelling out “Yoo hoo! Up front, please!” while using my hands as a megaphone.

I think I’m getting better at designing exercises that allow each person in the class to contribute something. I have several very quiet women in my class who will not say a word otherwise. In learning a language you have to practice speaking it often, and if I don’t structure the exercises correctly, all of the natural talkers (a.k.a. loudmouths) will just jump in with the answers all of the time.

My class also enjoys it when I read a short story aloud at the beginning of class, after which I ask them a series of questions related to the story to test their listening comprehension. I try to choose stories with some sort of simple, humorous twist at the end, to keep interest up. Afterwards, we go around the room and each person in the class reads a paragraph of the story aloud, and I try to minimally correct pronunciation.

Not every class I’ve had gets it, which is frustrating sometimes. Some classes are more receptive to reading aloud than others, depending on the mix of abilities in the class.

The more I do this, the more I am certain that I am destined to be a real teacher in some way, shape or form someday. I just need to figure out how to go about doing that. OK, I already know how to go about doing that, I just need to get my rear in gear and actually do it. That’s the scary part . . . which adds to the weighing on my brain stuff . . . but I will not dwell on that at the moment . . .

Today the sun is shining, there is snow on the ground, winter is here, and, for the moment, all is right with the world . . .

How Great Our Joy

Just announced! The title of the last Harry Potter book will be:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122100790.html]

I’m sure that Mr. Random and I will be reserving a copy at B&N as soon as humanly possible. Yes, we’ve fallen for the hype. No, we’re not twelve. So? I don’t follow the pop culture crowd as much as I used to, but this is harmless fun and the books are really engaging . . .

All is Calm, All is Bright

Mr. Random is home sick today. He came into my office around 3:45 yesterday afternoon and almost passed out on top of my desk, admitting that he didn’t feel well and that he needed me to drive him home. There are very few times that I’ve seen him that pale and drawn, and he rarely gets very sick, so I was beside myself with worry. When I told my boss I was leaving, she told me that I should go home too (one of the perks of having your husband work there – everyone understands when one has to leave for the other . . .)

I drove home and he promptly fell onto our bed. I had to coax him into taking off his clothes and taking some medicine – his voice sounded horrible and his coughs were so guttural. He had a quite a fever going, so I opened our bedroom window wide. Mr. Random fell right to sleep and slept for a good 3 hours. During that quiet time, I thought it was a good time to pull out the Christmas wreath to put on our door and find the Christmas lights to put on the tree. I didn’t really feel all that eager to do much more decorating, since I was rather exhausted from the day myself. When Mr. Random finally woke up, I made him some homemade pasta and bean soup for dinner, along with many, many cups of Earl Grey tea.

There are days I feel that I have fully satisfied the nurturing gene inside of me, and yesterday was one of them. For once I felt as if the hustle and bustle was stripped down, if only for a few hours, and there was time to be at peace and let the inner Martha Stewart come out.

I do wish it didn’t take someone being sick, or having to be on vacation for a week, to get to that place inside where I feel comfortable enough to be wife-y/motherly. Each day is always so jam packed with things to do, and Mr. Random hardly ever sits still himself (which is part of the reason he got so sick), that the mood never presents itself when I get home at night or on the weekends.

I think a goal for the new year is that I try to carve out a little more of my life so that I can have these moments a little more often, and not wait until an outside event forces me to do so . . .

With Angelic Host Proclaim . . .

The Random digital camera’s battery ran out on Sunday morning, much to my great dismay, so I did not get pictures of all of the wonderful, uplifting events that I participated in yesterday. I just feel the need to prove that I am NOT a cranky, gloomy Gus all of the time . . .

Yesterday morning, our church held its first annual children’s Christmas pageant, which was of course incredibly adorable with the under 5’s all decked out as angels in white pillowcases and glittered gold halos with paper wings. The only under 5 boy was decked out in a pretty authentic-looking shepherd costume. The older children served as the Wise Men, and various parents served as Joseph, Mary and King Herod (with a doll as the baby in the manger.) How can anyone’s heart not melt at the sight of little kids that you are watching grow up practically before your eyes, decked out in cute little costumes and trying to sing and dance in unison. I dare you not to go “Awwwwwww.”

After church, Mr. Random and I went to Target to get gifts for a 10 year old boy. The Random Non-Profit has had a long relationship with an elementary school in our area that has a large low income population, and each year we buy gifts for many children at the school who would not otherwise get anything. Mr. Random and I went a little wacky buying stuff for our kid, but it was so much fun to pick clothes and toys out. We don’t get any names for the kids - just how old they are, their sizes, and what type of topics they are interested in (like books, sports, etc). I hope some little kid is super-happy on Christmas day . . .

Then we had lunch and we went on to the National Cathedral Choir concert. Our cheap seats were in the back off to the side, so we did not hear or see as well as those people sitting in the main hall or up in the balconies. Mental note for next year: get tickets earlier and set aside enough money to buy decent seats. The organ music was all I had hoped it would be though – hearing a rendition of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” bouncing off of the high ceilings and the amazing stained glass windows, was just as heavenly as music can get . . .

Afterwards, we stopped by the Politics and Prose bookstore to get some gifts for my parents and Mr. Random’s Mom. We then tried to go to Café Deluxe or 2Amys for dinner, but at 2Amys there was just a crowd waiting outside to get in, and at Café Deluxe the wait was 45 minutes. We weren’t that eager to eat there, so we ended up at a restaurant in Shirlington eating salads and sweet potato fries . . .

When we got home, it was 9 PM, so I searched the closet for the wrapping paper and worked on wrapping all of the presents we bought for the little boy. After then giving a cursory glance at the Sunday papers, I went to bed totally exhausted. Mr. Random stayed up watching the Cartoon Network, as usual . . .

Volunteers from the school came by the office today to pick up all of the toys. The packages were collected in my office since I was right by the door, and I helped the volunteer lady and her little girl load all of the boxes and bags into her mini-van. It felt so wonderful that we were able to provide so may gifts and donations to the school – I’m just on a happy buzz of giving: I LOVE doing cool stuff like this that will make people happy . . . I only wish I had the money to do more, but I know that every little bit helps . . .

This is the whole point of the Holiday season, I think . . . which is why I love this time of year best of all, since so many more people join in to give to others . . .