What Did You Have For Lunch?

Julie: What did you have for lunch today, Mr. Waisanen?
Mr. W: A bagel.
Julie: Mmmm. I had a sandwich.
Daniel: I just had Dorritos!
Mr. W: Dorritos!? That’s it?
Daniel: Yeah.
Mr. W: Why? (What!? did Mom go on vacation and leave Dad at home by himself?)
Daniel: Um, I don’t know....
Mr. W: (Ok...but, Weird, though.)
Daniel: Oh, and macaroni and cheese.
Mr. W: Ha! (OK, the world is falling back into place)
Daniel: ...and an apple....and graham crackers.

Kids

I'm reading a book on writing by Anne Lamott, in which she said something that seems both profound and practical as well as just plain good. She said "Children need discipline every day. Children also need a break every day." (This is from memory, but the gist is right.) I like that philosophy.

The book is called "Bird by Bird." I think it's worth a look.

Patriarch Alexei

Check out this video of Patriarch Alexei.
http://www.akylina.blogspot.com/

Shoulda Chose the Light Side

Sith Lords all have their moments of power and triumph, but in the end, we all know what happens -- an epic battle with a noble jedi, and another vacancy opens up on the Dark side. Time to take a new look at the short list in the Emperor’s little black book.
But every story has its cover ups. You probably figured that the story is not allways so “impressive.” So, on that note, I present:

The Inglorious History of Mediocre Sith Lords
aka The Runts of the Dark Side -- Let the Truth Be Known

Episode XIV -- Darth Moth

Given the rather boring but nontheless essential job of spying on the Jedi Temple, Darth Moth was known for his excellent camoflauge skills; but his unfortunate fascination with brilliant lights got the better of him one day as he was watching Yoda give a small group of younglings their first lightsaber lesson.

Now usually there would be no way for a Sith Lord to gain access to such a secret society.
Unfortunately for Darth Moth, little Anakin Skywalker had been given the job of closing all the windows carefully, but course he didn’t think such a mundane task was worthy of his best attention and he had left one open in his eagerness to stop by the video surveilance room and take a peek at Princess Amidalla before going to meditation class.

So You can imagine what happened, I’m sure. Small kids playing with new toys..I mean weapons. It was a little chaotic. Yoda was doing his best, but it took all his concentration just to keep his own head and little green limbs intact. When one little youngling took a particularly awkward swipe and hit the main support column holding up the roof, Yoda got a little distracted. Darth Moth made his move. In through the crack and onto the inside wall of the jedi temple. He could see a lot better inside. Maybe he could use this new vantage point to spy out some really devious plot of the Jedi council. At the very least, he would have a cool story to tell the other dark minded guys over a round of deathsticks back at the cantina.

Zoom! Vroom! Ksshhh!!! The little lightsaber wielding tykes went at it. Grappling and lunging, parrry thrust and ripost. Darth Moth was fascinated. He had to get closer, the light drew him. It called out to him “come closer...” He had never been good at controlling his feelings. He started to get angry. How come he hadn’t ever been trusted with a lightsabe at the Sith Lord Training School? He flew down and then...well. The rest is kind of messy, and a bit anticlimatic. Let’s just say, even George Lucas won’t be making a movie out of this story.

Next time, tune in for the short but sad tale of Darth Lugubrious the not-so-quick.

O Great Pumpkin! Where are you?!

In the perenial favorite Charlie Brown Halloween special, Linus convinces his sweetheart Sally to skip "tricks or treats" in order to keep vigil in the pumkin patch waiting for the Great Pumkin. After Sally gets kissed by Snoopy she realizes her mistake and blows up in one of the best animated rants ever. Anyway....as she is leaving with the rest of the gang, Linus calls out, "*If* the Great Pumpkin comes, I'll put in a good word for you. If!? I meant "When!" I'm ruined...."

Aren't you glad you don't serve the Great Pumpkin? What a picky god. But, isn't that the way we feel sometimes. If I just do everything right, God will like me. Thankfully, the truth is so much more open for mistakes.

Casual Friday

I rode my bike to school today. 20 minutes. Sweet. Almost didn't go. I was planning on getting up a little early, but then the alarm kept miraculously resetting for 10 or 20 minutes extra sleep. Old bad habit. Anyways, got up eventually, and then figured if I skipped my espresso (did I just write that?!)...I could probably make it on my bike without being late. I couldn't remember if it took 20 minutes or 40 minutes to make it (if you're thinking I can't estimate very well, remember it was early. The brain doesn't really get warmed up till about 9:30.) Well. Skipped the espresso. Pumped up the tires. Through some school clothes in my backpack and jumped on my bike (which has the very unfortunate name "Novara Expresso". Ugh!) The ride was beautiful, as usual, and I didn't get hit by a MACK Truck flying down Harbor towards Imperial. Got to school on time, changed, and discovered -- no belt. Crap. Shirt's not getting tucked in. Guess it's casual Friday.

G.K. Chesterton

"Men invent new ideals because they dare not attempt old ideals. They look forward with enthusiasm, because they are afraid to look back." - What's Wrong With The World, 1910

In the chapter from which this quote is taken, G.K. goes on to say that all the ancient peoples honored purity. But when people started living a pure life, they weren't so happy, so they fed them to the lions.

Many Christian ideals seem impossible, but how often do I REALLY try, before just giving up and going with the flow. It's so much easier, and the world definately supports me.

Grandma's Blueberries

Across the aisle lies a dream,
wrapped in plastic, a little piece of lost paradise...
Blueberries.
Off the vine they tasted so sweet,
on hot earthy pungent afternoons of quiet fields,
Trees, shading a private pleasure.

I wonder if you went alone.
I wish I could go back there with you.
I bet you were a sweet girl.
Do you remember those days?

I don’t know if my vision is yours, but I imagine so.
And I hope that you can still smell the grass and sense that mysterious fresh joy that hangs in the air.

That quiet seems a long time ago, and if I
went back, only the fleeting memory of a moment could I hope to find. It’s lost to me.

But I bet you can fly back in an instant.
Over those hard memories tied on over the long years,
and I bet you can; fly back! and taste those blueberries, just like they were. And I bet you would love to share them now, as you look at that wrapped fruit.

I think I know what you meant when you told me that you wished heaven were like picking blueberries.

Making Unity Happen

Check out this article from Fr. Thomas Hopko on Orthodox Unity in America.
As usual, he cuts to the heart of the argument, and there is power in his words.

http://orthodoxytoday.org/articles5/HopkoUnity.php

Sorry. Haven't figured out how to enable my links to work. (dad)

What Makes a Fourth Grade Boy...

I know you all have been wondering. What makes a fourth grade boy chuckle and hahah in a deep way. Really it's very simple, as observed in my classroom after school today. What makes a fourth grade boy laugh, is just one simple phrase. Really, it's the idea that's important...

"Elmo eats Barney."

Say those simple words, and my fourth grade students are going to bust up. Guaranteed!

I Would Like Some More...

Went and saw Oliver Twist last night. I thought it was cast very well. Oliver was super, as was the Artful Dodger. Ben Kingsley as Fagen was an obvious choice, and he put a lot into it. Something about him felt less believable than the rest, though. Maybe his beard. His portrayal certainly lent empathy to the character. Bill Sykes was scary strong and anything less would have been unforgivable. Dickens really does villlains well, better than heroes, I think. Nancy carried a fine balance of rough living with a kind heart.
It's been so many years since I've read the book, that I can't make any meaningful comparisons.
Overall, it was a superb retelling of the story, with a fine historical rendering in costumes, sets, and characters. It felt real. But after saying that, I still felt something was missing. I can't pin it down, but it just didn't feel like a Great! movie. It felt like a good movie. Maybe it was rushed, or maybe it was just a little too perfectly rustic. In the end, I'm glad I saw it once.

The Ballad of Thistle Blink

View this clip on Vimeo

I just found a cool site called vimeo.com that lets anyone upload video files to the web for free. This clip is a short piece I did for Open House last year. It stars one of my classroom pets, an australian bearded dragon my students named Thistle Blink.

The Brothers Grimm

It could have been one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, if it didn't have Matt Damon. The big MD in a movie spells big time hokey. The movie was really inconsistent and disjointed, but it definately had its moments. Moments that drew you in, evoking wonder and fear, culminating in some pretty shockingly gruesome details. Overally, the movie created a world of powerful fears without any redemptive hope or grace. It did have the "required" happy ending. Makes sense as it was directed by Terry Gilliam.

The upside is that my interest is now peaked in the real Bros. Grimm. Two wild and crazy guys they were not! They sat at home day in and day out studying law, the German Language, writing dictionaries, and working for German unification. Oh, yeah...they also invited the middle class over to tell them all the stories that were told to them by their nannies and grandmas which they would write down and then edit in order to find (or some would say "craft") the "pure" German folk tradition. The Grimm's stylistic reworkings have become the formulas for what we look for in a fairy tale, but as a smart guy named Zipes says, they are definately "contaminations."

Compared to the Disney versions, the Grimm tales are definately darker and more gruesome. But, it seems that the two brothers, who were brought up Calvinst, actually toned down the original tales.

So far, I've only read three tales, but one scene from a story you will probably know sticks out. It's the one where the princess kisses the frog because he retrieved her golden bauble from the well. One kiss and the frog turns into a prince. Well, in the Grimm version, she doesn't kiss him. She gets sick of him after he has hung out with her all day, and she throws him against the wall in a fit of rage. A bit harsh, but it does lift the spell, and they live happily ever after.

Tuesday's Espresso Report

After just one more day and using just a slightly coarser grind (and maybe a bit higher temp. during the pour) my cup of Yemen this morning was much much better. Super full body (ton o' crema) and great flavors with a fine aftertaste. Can't wait till tomorrow.

A Good Monday Morning

Woke up on time (before 5:30) with pleasant weekend memories.
Put on running shoes, dumped the garbage under the morning stars, and then drove to the trail and went running.
Came back for a first taste of newly roasted coffee -- Yemen Ismali (needs a day or two of rest, plus a different grind, not sure if it needs to be finer or more coarse)
Rocked out to some Kyuss grooves on the way to school.
Then found a sweet quote on my Einstein desk calendar:
"Pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs."
It's the smart man himself. It must be true. At least Gandalf would agree.

Neighborhood Quote of the Week

Overheard my neighbors last night, while out in my backyard.

"You have THREE seconds to come turn this computer off, or I'm pulling the plug from the wall! And, you KNOW that's what makes them never work again!"

Free entertainment, that's what I call it.

Powder into Jelly

Got up at 5:30 (definately need a shot o'brazillian fazenda before running) in order to go running at 6 with the Munkee in the neighborhood canyon (I love that I can say that in sunny La Habra).
Wore my new New Balance runners. Hope they make a difference. Can't really tell, yet.
The canyon is all dark and moody at the start, and then everything lighten's up by the time we get back to the.. [Geeze! Did you hear that thunder?! There is a rockin' cloud concert going on up in the sky right now.] ...car.
I was going to write more about running, but I cannot believe the rain and thunder that is coming down right now. It's fricken' September! What is that about?
Anyways...I guess the canyon's going to need a dry out, so it's back to the pavement, or better yet, back to sleeping in! Yessssss.

He Knows his Stuff

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
-(Beatles song probably everyone already knew about but me. My guitar teacher's teachin' it to me.)

Classical Guitar Can Kill You

I've been wanting to take guitar lessons again for something like 10 years, but I could never settle on a style. Should I continue with classical guitar, or take up with a slide blues guy, or just give up my soul and learn some horrid bubble gum pop series of chord progressions and sound like your local youth music minister. Ughhh...!
What I really wanted was a teacher who could interpret and work with the following rambling desires - I wanted to learn to be comfortable on the whole guitar (not just first position and the high e). I didn't want to be tied down to music like in normal classical lessons. I wanted to learn enough about the guitar to be comfortable in any style, and to feel free to noodle around on my own, play some familiar tunes, and eventually write my own stuff.
Well, today, 5 minutes into my first lesson with my new teacher -- I will call him "David" (because that's his name) -- I realised I had stumbled on to the best teacher possible -- because David is a recovering classical guitarist. He knows his stuff, having taken 6 years of classical guitar at CSUF (funny enough, we had the same teacher -- another David), but once he got out, he realised that classical guitar sucks...you can play all kinds of "esoteric" (as he put it) pieces of beauty that nobody knows (don't get me wrong -- I like listening to that myself now, and again) but you can't play anything else. Without that music, you're lost. You can't jam. You're in a musical prison.
Just like I felt. And, now I've found my key that's going to get me out of the music book and into improvisation. It's wierd how things work out like that sometimes. Now, I've got to go practice.

Toasted Multicultural Treat

Toasted and buttered English Muffin
Russian Spicy Mustard
Feta Cheese
Whole Green Chile

Mmmmmm.......