Poetry Slam Turned Open Mic Night

I wish I had taken pictures.

I didn't. But our Teen Poetry Slam morphed into an intergenerational open mic. I think it was for the best. The folks who joined us - several teenagers, and a few adults - seemed to feel a creative camaraderie that begged the question, "will this become a regular occurrence?"

I don't see why not.

I'll be writing a letter to my executive director tomorrow reporting on our success.I'll recommend that we cultivate a creative following, a bimonthly open mic event in collaboration with the city library that will attract new people, which will introduce our organization to even more of the city's population.

I'm thinking this is the way to go. Low cost, low key, and multiple layers of benefit.

Life is a Marathon

It has been intense since I returned for a second year of AmeriCorps Public Allies. My placement is experiencing some changes, namely my supervisor moved to Wisconsin and her job was spliced up and given to various employees, including myself. I now oversee an after-school program that is understaffed and over-budget. I am supposed to be giving art classes to our students while managing staff and doing payroll. However, I find between meetings and administrative work, I am rarely available to give the art instruction. I am also organizing parent nights, staff trainings, and finding activities and funding for our students. My capacity as a supervisor of staff is growing, and my brain is learning how to juggle a thousand different balls.

The job that I actually came on to do was to start a Peer Educator program. And I'm still doing it. I recently held a student focus group and am now blasting out the job description in hopes of interviewing candidates and commencing training in mid January. Peer Educators will receive 25 hours in training and then have the opportunity to coordinate two community projects related to my organization's mission - to reduce teen pregnancy and the spread of HIV and AIDS. They get a stipend dependent on their participation in outreach, and they will also have an arsenal of skills to get them into college and higher employment. I'm really excited about this program, but it is overshadowed by the colossus of the after-school program. Oye.

I also am coordinating our second teen event - our first was a city-wide talent show and art exhibit that drew in 60 contestants, 25 volunteers, and over 70 audience members. This time we're doing a Poetry Slam.

Did I mention that I am in charge of our social media and quarterly newsletter?

I'm still me, though. Recently painted a picture for this year's holiday card to send out, been running like crazy, starting to see muscles everywhere (I'm also lifting), and I lost ten pounds in a month and a half. I was eating really well for a while, clean, healthy wholesome, eating, but the holiday parties have me a strange schedule of chocolate binges. Been knitting and reading and hanging out with friends. Thinking of next year's garden, and I can't wait to build a coop and get chicks. My love and I finished the painting upstairs and moved our bedroom up. It's super cool - all the colors found in a peacock's tail feathers. I've met all my resolutions for 2011 (more on that later) and am making new ones for 2012. The pets are healthy and whole, and our lights are up on the house for the holidays. I'm sure soon there will be a Hanukkah dinner with Lover's parents, Christmas Day with my mother and sister, and Festivus for Lover and I.

Did I mention I was accepted into a Graduate Studies program? I will start earning a Masters in Science for Environmental Education in the summer of 2012. Pretty f-in awesome.

Also, Lover and I made our first homebrew - a stout, that turned out successfully delicious.

So, in a nutshell, life has been a marathon. I keep having to check my pace, my form, and take a sip of gatorade, but I'm moving forward all the while. Can't get better than that.

Mary Oliver

“You do not have to be good. 

 You do not have to walk on your knees 

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
call to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”
― Mary Oliver

A Memorable Summer

Things that happened this summer:

I was fingerprinted twice.

I renewed my license and got a great picture i.d.

Lover and I got a dishwasher.

I biked Santa Monica pier using a "chopper."

I touched a banana slug in Muir Woods.

I spent my 30th birthday in NYC for tapas and poets at Bluestockings.

I ate delicious fresh fortune cookies from the Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco.

I lead a production crew for Othello.

Lover and I went to Lake Tahoe and rented Jetskis!

I found wooden snowshoes at a flea market.

I officially became President of the Soroptimist River Valley Club.

I saw dolphins in the water below Golden Gate Bridge.

Lover and I picked out hardwood flooring for the upstairs.

I installed a new garden bed on the corner with Lover's help.

I harvested vegetables from my own garden.

I scored a bread maker at a tag sale.

I completed the Warrior Dash with my friends Geli and Katty.

I participated in guerilla gardening with seed bombs.

I biked to work.

I completed an eight-week AmeriCorps program.

I went to the Museum of Tolerance while visiting Los Angeles.

I pickled cucumbers and dried hot peppers.

Lover and I experienced "Sleep No More".

I repainted the living room a light, creamy orange.

I lost eight pounds and two inches off the waist.

A lot more happened, but I think this is a good summary. Happy First Day of Fall!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 Anyone out there use a homemade laundry detergent? Have you tried more than one recipe? What recipe do you use and why?

Thanks!

Also, here's a photo of a turkey that was probably 80 feet up in our tree. It got down eventually.

10 Reasons I am Eagerly Anticipating Fall

In no particular order, these are the things that have been on my mind lately...

 1. Leaves. The palette of the New England landscape explodes with scarlet, ochre, lemon, and orange. Raking. Leaf piles. Then there's the scent of leaf decay, which I like. Then, my friends, you have free compost material.

2. Pumpkins. Bright orange fruit! Pumpkin picking and carving. Jack-o-lanterns glowing with candles. Pumpkin pie! Salted, spiced, roasted pumpkin seeds. Delish.

3. Apples. Much like pumpkins, without the roasting of seeds and Jack-o-lanterns. But there is apple picking with friends, and apple pie and apple sauce and sweet apple loaf. Mmmm...

4. Cooler weather. As a newly devout runner, this is becoming a big one. Summer heat and humidity is brutal when you're trying to run three miles, and the treadmill bores me! I am running towards autumn with open arms. Plus, when you're not running, cooler weather allows you to wear fashionable layers. ;)

5. All Hallow's Eve. My very, very favorite holiday. Costumes, parties, spooky houses and maizes, scary movies, Halloween music! I love it all.

6. Lover's Birthday. Yay, he was born! And he's my love!

7. Fall decor. Did I mention pumpkins? Also, fall wreaths, dried corn, straw, paper bats, whatever your heart desires! I just love this color palette.

8. Apple cider donuts. This is a separate category from apples. I don't even eat donuts. But these sweet, cinnamon-y gems of apple tang and sugary, doughy goodness are just irresistible. Especially with farm-fresh apple cider.

9. Gardening. Interesting things going on in the garden! The last crop coming in, putting vegetable beds to "bed" for the winter, and canning or preserving whatever you can while munching on the rest! Also, the garlic gets put in! I love me some garlic.

10. Chrysanthemums. Showy petal bunches blooming from burgundy to yellow, and they look amazing alongside the winter kale. I love seeing it everywhere!

Ahhhh....feels good to get that out. Here's to the passing of summer!

Warrior Dash 2011 - Kick Ass!

Today was Warrior Dash day! I haven't ran since Sunday because of a busy week, rain, and I pulled a muscle in my neck early Wednesday morning. I was worried the neck pain would cause an issue, but today I felt only minor soreness! I also downed Aleve. ;)

I and my two friends jogged through tires, climbed over junk cars, leaped over firepits, swam through mud pools, balanced over planks, crawled across nets, ran up the side of a mountain (more like power-walked - it was very steep and made up 50% of the course!), and jumped hurdles. Here's some pics Lover was able to catch of us:

 

We got Viking hats, as you can see. My muscles are aching now, but I can't tell you just how fun it was. You'll have to try it for yourself! 

Come fall, I'm doing this: Run For Your Lives...

MYOthello

MYOthello is a project of MYO. MYO is Mine, Yours, Ours, an initiative of RYASAP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s STARTSTRONG National Initiative for building healthy teen relationships.

MYO uses popular media to provoke discussions of messaging surrounding teen relationships. Earlier this year, they held the "MYOscars," an event where teens rated clips of movies according to the MYO Rated R system - the R in this case stands for Responsibility, Respect, Right, and Real. This summer, the project is MYOthello, a performance of Othello in which the themes of mistrust, deception, and relationship violence occur.

 I am the Team Leader of the Production Crew, and have had the challenge of designing and creating a set for the play while managing an amazing team of young adults.

 

The Crew.

The performances are happening at St. Ann's School in Black Rock August 25th, 26th, and 27th. Perhaps I'll see you there!

Octopus Bench!

Lover is a craftsman. After his parents found two iron bench ends at a tag sale, he decided to make them into a bench of my liking and present it to me on my birthday.

Using a C&C router, he etched images of some of my favorite things into the wood he had carefully picked out.

Here's an octopus (because we share a love for cephalopods):

And, if you look closely at the picture below, you may be able to see the honeybee and the earthworm that are etched into the back boards. (Honeybees because I want to get into beekeeping, and earthworms because I am constantly collecting them to put into my raised vegetable bed.)

It's going out on our deck by the firepit and potted veggies. Isn't it fabulous?

Where Have I Been?

Hello! I have not forgotten this blog. July was a busy month! I spent a week in California even after the long weekend at Lake Tahoe. I have been training for the Warrior Dash (I've lost six pounds and an inch off my waist!) which is next weekend! I have been working for MYO AmeriCorps, and I have been in and out of the garden.

 

Pictured here are purple podded pole beans, Mascara lettuce, sorrel, Sylvetta arugula, swiss chard, a Russian Pickling cucumber, and French Breakfast and Scarlet Globe radishes. I've also picked a carnival pepper and a bunch of jalapenos. Tomatoes are soon to turn, and the eggplant is about ready to be picked. The corn is growing, the zucchini is fruiting, and the pumpkin vine is growing like crazy. 

Tomorrow I plan on planting more snap peas, bush beans, carrots, radishes, brassicas, beets, and lettuces. After a 5k run, and some delicious breakfast! I also bought a pink phlox, a blue and purple delphinium, two blue fescue grasses, and two containers of sempervivum. So, to the vegetable and flower gardens for tomorrow. It's been a long time since I had a free weekend!

Lake Tahoe

Lover and I were invited to spend a weekend in Lake Tahoe with his sister's husband's family. I've never been, so I was all for it.

The plane ride was a serious debacle. We were set to depart at 5:29 pm, when the pilot announced that there was a "weight issue" with the plane and some passengers might get "deplaned." After an hour of them shifting cargo around (no one was deplaned), we were set to go. Out on the tarmac, the pilot announced that planes at La Guardia were grounded due to the weather. Oye. We spent another two hours on the tarmac, not moving.

We were catching a connecting flight to Reno at the Denver National Airport. So, we were a little concerned. However, the flight was making good time. Then, the pilot announced THAT WE WERE LOW ON FUEL and were going to REFUEL IN CHEYENNE. Really? Cheyenne? In the air, Cheyenne is 12 minutes from Denver. We don't have enough fuel to reach Denver???

We spent an hour on the tarmac of Cheyenne. Lover and I tried to put our heads into our Kindles (he got me one for my birthday!), and not think about the flight we were missing.

We arrived at Denver at 10:30 pm, Mountain time. The flight to Reno left at 10:31.

Needless to stay, we stayed at a hotel, and caught the next flight at 9:23 in the morning, finally arriving in Reno at around 11, Pacific time.

Lucky for us, we had a group of wonderful people to hang out with.We visited Tahoe City, rented Jet skis and had a blast out on the lake. We took in the views, drank strawberry daquiris at the hot tub, and played Apples to Apples late into the night. I had banana flavored frozen yogurt every day. I ran 3 miles on the Sunday morning in the mountain chill with Lover's sister, enjoying every step and drawing deep breaths of crisp, pine air. Columbine, poppies, sweet william, and lupine grew everywhere.

 We left Monday, and faced another plane debacle. This time we were laid over in Minneapolis, and the plane we arrived on was found to be "broken." They found another plane after an hour, and we continued our journey home. 

Despite all the stress and the long plane rides, the weekend was totally worth it!

Destination: Home

After a week of staying in hotels and a college dorm, I finally awoke in my own bed this morning, with Lover beside me. Bliss!

I am glad to return to my routine. When I awoke, Malai knew and wagged her tail. I arose, and let open the door for her so she could do her business in the yard. I filled the cat's food and water bowls. Quadrapus rubbed against my ankles, mewing and purring. I checked the temperature in Phoenix's terrarium - 82 degrees. Perfect for an Okeetee corn snake. I put a quarter cup of home cooked food into Malai's bowl. I walked around the house, sprinkling food into fishtanks and the betta bowl. I let Malai in who straightaway ran for her food dish. I put on running shorts and a tank top, grabbed my cell phone, and headed out the door.

The plants are doing well with the irrigation system we recently installed. Well, most of them are. The phlox is in a spot with bad drainage, so it's on the way out. This afternoon, I may try to salvage it and see if it'll bounce back enough to establish itself again and withstand winter.

I did my stretches while peering over the front yard flower gardens. The bee balm needs to be treated for powdery mildew, but it is growing new, mildew-free leaves. The hydrangea is putting forth new flower heads. The zebra and fountain grasses are flourishing. The sedums stand tall, and the hollyhock is blooming. The rudbeckia is out of control. I love it.

After stretches, I trudged forth in the soup we call air. Connecticut summers are thick with humidity, and it makes you move slower, chases you inside to take refuge in air conditioning. After leaving the dry heat of Los Angeles, I am taken aback again with the balmy, suffocating heat of New England. I run, anyway.

I ran to the beach and back, doing an easy pace of 11 minute miles. Upon entering the house, I chugged down a glass of water, cooled off in a shower, and then did a half hour of yoga in the air conditioning. Ahhh...

Today's chores include watering the houseplants and the outdoor vegetable pots, planting a Karl Foerster out front, pumping air into the bike tires (my vehicle to work), cleaning the fishtanks, bathing Malai, doing laundry, and uploading photos from the trip. I better get to it. It's great to be home.

Sparks 2011

I have completed the three year cycle of Sparks, a history/travel curriculum funded by the Tauck Foundation. I teach the curriculum to the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders attending ESCAPE to the Arts. In our first year, we learned of the European pilgrimage to the so-called "New World," the founding of the colonies, and the unfortunate plight of the indigenous people. This involved some additional material such as the revolutionary war, the whaling industry in New Bedford, MA, and the unusual religious tolerance of the colony in Newport, RI. We also learned about the illustrator Norman Rockwell as an American storyteller and icon. Our travel itinerary included key spots in Newport, New Bedford, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, and the Norman Rockwell museum.

In our second year, we learned about the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. Supplemental learning included the lives and choices of the Amish people. We visited Baltimore MD, took a boat out onto the Chesapeake Bay (an ecological component), went to Gettysburg, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Amish country.

This year, we learned mainly about different immigrant groups that have gone to California over the years. We visited San Francisco and Los Angeles, with stops at Santa Barbara and Paso Robles in between. I journaled and took lots of pictures! Below are some choice photos:

 

 

This was my last Sparks trip, and most likely my last work opportunity with ESCAPE to the Arts, a non-profit organization that I have been dedicated to, and advocating for, for five years. My boss and mentor Bill taught me about having an open heart to any kid no matter how much they might piss you off. The kids taught me a lot about patience and creativity. I've decided to move on with my working choices, staying fully devoted to the mission of Public Allies and GBAPP, Inc. I am hoping that GBAPP will hire me for a permanent position once my ten months with Public Allies AmeriCorps has ended. 

Here's to the future.