Mid-Week Random Mind Dump

I have been trying and trying to write a proper blog post about what I’ve been up to over the past week. As I am dutifully accomplishing other tasks, beautiful paragraphs flow from my brain, all wanting desperately to be put down on paper.

Now that I actually have the time to do so? Nope, nuttin’ coming out. My brain is clogged – clogged I say! How very disappointing, since there are very cool things that went on last week. I shall try my best to impart to you some of what happened as best I can . . .

Item One: Back in the Saddle! I started teaching my ESL class last night and I am very pleased with the lively group that is in my level. I had 7 students in my class last night, all very advanced for our program, but still eager to learn and hone their English skills. I will definitely have to do more interactive conversation activities with this group and get in a lot more reading and writing practice than in other levels. I will have to get myself to a library to see if there are some DVDs that I can show in class to help supplement discussion – make the class more lively. The students I have are from all different backgrounds – from South Korea and Japan, from Venezuela, Columbia, Chile and Nicaragua, and one from Ghana. This is great because no one language really dominates and everyone is fairly comfortable trying to converse with each other in English. Yay!

Item Two: A Random Shakespeare Experience. Last Friday night, Mr. Random, J and I went to see a friend of ours in a play that had been enigmatically titled “The Christmas Show.” All we knew about the play is that the audience was restricted to 15 people and that we would have to dress warmly. Dress warmly? Huh? So we get there and everyone is sitting around the lobby (which was decorated like a living room at Christmastime, complete with lights and tree and Christmas records playing), and actors are passing out cups of hot chocolate to members of the audience as they arrive. (yes, the cocoa WAS tasty.) After everyone arrived, the play, just sort of began in the middle of the room. And shortly thereafter we realized that “The Christmas Play” really was . . . Hamlet! A very innovative portrayal of Hamlet yet, with us following the actors all around the theater building - through storage rooms, to the back alley, and even in the men’s room – to follow the action of the play. It was very cool and interactive and made the play come alive a bit more than usual. As J said, “It’s something to have Hamlet emoting while standing right next to you.”

Item Three: Super Bowl Hopes Dashed. My friend J almost got to go to the Super Bowl, but unfortunately the Packers lost. Big bummer! It was going to be ridiculously expensive though, so J is slightly relieved not to have to spend the money. So now I have no idea who to root for . . . I just go to the parties for the food and the hanging-out anyway.

Item Four: More Theater on the Horizon. In February, planning on going to see Hedda Gabler, then Macbeth in April (this version directed by Teller, of the magicians Penn and Teller). Yay! Things to look forward to!

Item Five: Mr. Random Rules! Mr. Random had his first performance review at the Random Publication and it seems that he is doing smashingly well. They didn’t know what to expect when they hired him, so mostly anything he does is considered an improvement on what they had before. This is also Mr. Random’s last semester in Grad school before he graduates in May. He wants a party of some sort, so I have to figure out what to do for that.

Item Six. Econ Class Countdown. Our final Econ paper will be due on May 2. There will be no final exam. Yay! I just have to get through the semester. The professor is waaaaaaaay left of even being a Marxist. I’m pretty liberal but even I have to cringe at some of his ideas. At least the class discussions are going to be lively . . .

So right now, that’s me in a nutshell. Hope you all are doing well – I’ve been lousy about blog visiting, but know I’m thinking of you.

Waving and smiling . . .