Happy Birthday, Spence!

Things I Did on Spring Break

* Painted the kids' room--one coat of Serene Sky (yuck!) and one coat of Island Blue (perfect!)
* Procured, painted, and was part of a large team to assemble the Kura bed.  (All lies that it takes about 3 hours...by the time Eric and Katie arrived, we were on hour 18.)
* Visited Ikea.  Many times.
*  Got my car broken into and radio stolen.  (I suppose that doesn't count as my action, but I did get to spend 2+ hours and dropped 200 bucks on a new passenger side window.)
*  Lots and lots of errands to prepare for a 4 year old's birthday party.
*  Spent some time at Maxfield Elementary watching my developing teachers work with some amazing kids on their Public Achievement Projects.
*  Did some paperwork for my work study student.
*  Canceled my hair cut appointment.  No time.
*  Hung out at Sojourner Truth Academy with some kids passionately working to change their school lunch.  It apparently causes many kids to vomit regularly.  (Their coach had erroneously thought we did not meet during Spring Break.  Silly woman.)
*  Watched an episode or two of the "Unusuals" on Netflix streaming.  Why did they cancel that show?
*  Observed my future teachers at Andersen United trying out some new ideas to engage and empower students there while taking on issues such as immigration, drug use, vandalism, and recess. 
*  Took an amazing student out to Vietnamese food.  She'll graduate soon and I am already in mourning for missing her.  In many ways, I see myself as team teaching with her.
*  Grocery shopped.
*  Saw "The Kings Speech."  The Academy was not wrong. 
*  Lunched at Muffaleta while cuddling with my husband in the corner booth.  
*  Shopped:  Unique Thrift, Old Navy, Joann's
*  Baked a mammoth cake that Carin deemed "the Scottish countryside" and covered it with superhero cake toppers and chocolate chips.  The most important thing were those cake toppers.  Narrowly averted a meltdown when Spence initially saw the cake without the toppers.  "I just (loud sob) thought (gulp of air) there would be (screaming) CAKE TOPPERS!"
*  Cleaned.
*  Decorated for the 4 year old party
*  Party!  Party!  Party!  Party!  (7 kids! + parents)

Can I have another break now please?

Wall Street Stole Your Radio

A broken metal file, scissors bent to a perpendicular angle and a handle of a screw driver.  These were the tools leftover from a job well done.  One that left the passenger window shattered and our broke-ass radio disappeared.

It's not like this has not happened to me before.  There was a time when I asked if there was a punch card at Safelite Auto Glass in Baltimore.  (There wasn't.)  But, that was years ago.  Radio theft now seems like an old school crime.  Dave even joked that we should have left a manual on identity theft so that the would-be "crooks" could have made off with some real money.

I chose to deny the gaping hole and go forth with my errands for the day.  When peopled gaped at me in the strip mall, I rolled out my surprise/anger look to act as if I was just discovering it for the first time.  Brushed a bit of the broken glass onto the parking lot and carried on my way.  It was really only the rain that put a damper in my denial.

But, I could not deny the unsettled feeling of being violated.  When you are the victim of a crime, you feel it to your core.  You want the police to notice you, to break out the finger printing kit and send the prints off to the lab.  You stew.  You imagine facing the person in court and ask why.  Your cells crave justice.

I wonder if the response to Wall Street would have been different if they would have stolen everyone's  radio.  Or invaded your home for a television set.  Would regulators broke out the fingerprint kits?  Would we see more bankers behind bars?  Would there be more clear demands for justice?

The Beauty of Illusion

The social construct of time has hit again!  And for once, it was in my favor.  Yes, we lost an hour.  But, the mind trick of telling myself I slept in until 8:45 am this morning made my body feel drunk with sleep. 

Even if it was just an illusion.

And a hard fought one...all four of us were enjoying the 4-5 a.m. hour...(or was it the 3-4 hour?)...fighting hard to get everyone back in their beds with eyes closed.  ("Just close your eyes.  Just try it.  Close them.  Close them...")

Even if we will all suffer tomorrow morning.  Particularly because I am still up.  Teeth unbrushed.  Contacts in.  And it is almost midnight.  

(Happy Birthday, Em!)

Thinking of Kakuda

It was in Kakuda, Japan that the family I stayed with taught me to make sushi and other delicacies.  I remarked on how much I loved the tea and cup that she served me.  The pink cherry blossom tea cup that I was drinking out of sits in my cupboard now.  She insisted I take it with me.

Probably the other four  tea cups that remained in Kakuda are all in shards now.  Buried under water.  Kakuda sits right on the sea, close to the epicenter of the earthquake.  A 23 foot wave washed ashore last night. 


Mouth agape, feeling helpless, sending love.



ETA:  Pictures of Sendai
This is where I chatted with future teachers, bought beautiful paper at the mall and discovered "popcorn" tea.