Annoying My Brother

Wednesday, February 3rd 2016

Of the many, many things I love about Social Media (Facebook in particular – which I use as the battlegrounds for social & political progress), I love that I get to see my brother sometimes.  After having spent so much of our lives so far apart (Boston vs. Hawaii or Oakland), it’s so refreshing to virtually bump into him almost daily now.  At this moment in history we find ourselves on the same political team fighting for social justice in the form of supporting Bernie Sanders’ campaign for POTUS.  [#SANDERS2016!]

But there is always room for levity.  For example, I didn’t know my brother was such a stickler for grammar:

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But now that I *know*:

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It’s like riding a bike.  Haven’t fought with him for years, but it comes so naturally.  I just don’t remember it being so fun.

Also, I will be in his area soon.  (2/11).

YIPPEEE!!

 

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Some Beloved Music Pieces

For the ages.

 

Recuerdos de la Alhambra:

(Believe it or not this is the very piece that our master teacher in CLOWNING used as a type of  absolute standard against which to set a clown piece.  I suppose that tells you nothing unless one possesses the slightest insight into the heart and spirit of a true clown.  *sigh*)

 

 

 

 

Carl Orff – Gassenhauer:  Pangs of joy and tears leap into my chest pretty much every time I hear this.  Probably that’s why I chose a version of it to walk down the aisle with my dad on the way to marry my Hubsand.

 

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“The Cat Scratched My Nose!” and Other Non-News

Sunday, January 31st 2016

Being that our Dear Daughter is prone to dramatic exaggeration these days, (“She’s a Writer!” says her amazing teacher), AND prone to Bandaids, Kitten provided the perfect recipe for ClaraJane’s favorite predilections this morning right out of the gate.

The cat scratched my nose!” she cries, climbing out from the rest of us all still playing and wrestling about in bed.   First, to the mirror, to observe what crying looks like today.  A few tears and then, “Mom can you get me a bandaid?”

“How about you get a stool and climb up to the top of the closet and get them yourself?” comes the pre-caffeinated reply.  Imagine her pride at succeeding at THAT, bandaging up herself AND validating her wound?

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Paydirt!

This is my view from a still lying-down position on bed this morning.  Looking to my left I see:

Gavin being

Gavin being “Tiny Package”

Oh look, Daddy’s up!  (I hope he brings me coffee.  Or tea?)  Soon the kids are playing -nicely!- near the foot of the bed.  “Would it ruin it if I said I am SO proud of you both right now?” I ask.

“Nooo,” they chime in agreement.  (Yeah right.)

“Why?” asks Gavin, “Because we’re building guns?”  (Ha.)

“Because we’re getting ALONG!” exclaims ClaraJane.  (Clever girl.)

“One of you is correct!” I say, which passes as pretty funny, to that audience anyway.

Before long I’m up getting dressed and about to make the bed when I notice something strange about it;

Actually not their bed

What Mom?

“You guys know that’s not actually your bed, right?” I ask.

“We’re getting ready to play ‘Hide and Shoot!‘” ClaraJane explains.

I turn back in resignation. “When I was a kid we called it ‘Hide and Seek.'”  (More Funny Mom points with the audience at hand.)   Before long they’re under the covers, apparently shooting each other with plastic hand-made guns.  Or something.  It’s peaceful so I no question.  I move on.

Turning around I encounter:

Cats, buliding blocks, trampoline

Detritus of Play

Cats, building blocks and trampoline kindly left obstructing the way to the door.  No problem.   Then around the corner I see;

Detreitus of I-Don't-Know-What

Detritus of I-Don’t-Know-What (& hungry cats)

And of course there’s more.  Minutes and hours of tidying, negotiations, pleas and threats stretch out before me, seeping away like the tide.  I understand why people don’t have kids, and I accept my fate.  If you need me I’ll be trying to remove marker from some inexplicable place it doesn’t belong.

But first, Le Coffee.

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UkeOke: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

January 30th 2016

 

2016-01-30 23.46.5 3

 

I recently had the pleasure of performing on a municipal TV show called “Local Music Unplugged” in Billerica, MA.  My friend Chris Walzer is the producer and invited me on as a guest to perform 3 songs (I managed 2-and-a-half).  Here is the first one (lyrics below).

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain [3:04]:

 

 

#Ukuele

“Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” – by Willie Nelson

In the twilight glow I see her      [C]

Blue eyes cryin’ in the rain

When we kissed goodbye and parted

I knew we’d never meet again

Love is like a dyin’ ember

Only memories remain

Through the ages I’ll remember

Blue eyes cryin’ in the rain

[Instrumental] 

Some day when we meet up yonder

We’ll stroll hand in hand again

In a land that knows no partin’

Blue eyes cryin’ in the rain

Now my hair has turned to silver

All my life I’ve loved in vain

I can see her star in heaven

Blue eyes crying in the rain

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Math Morning – January 2016

Thursday, January 28th 2016

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ClaraJane and Mirium hold hands from breakfast to class

 

Today was the much anticipated annual MATH MORNING at Tobin school; a rare opportunity for parents to come witness the intriguing materials and fascinating works of our students inside the classroom.  First up, ClaraJane’s class in “Children’s House” (3-6 y/o’s).  Here is the greeting on the “Smart” Board (previously knowns as a “Chalk” Board.)

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Um… Binomial Cube?  Multiplication… in KINDERGARDEN?

 

ClaraJane and Afomia demonstrate the “Snake Game.”

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Ms. Mayya explains the legend of the bead snake, who got tired of his colors and traded them all in for Golden.

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Ms. Mayya explains the Snake Game

 

The children count bead segments -each of which is color coded according to how many units it contains- and swap out ten for a single strip of 10 (made of Golden Beads).

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e.g.; red=1, green=2, pink=3, yellow=4, purple=6, white=7, brown=8, blue=9

 

The students are implicitly learning addends of 10 (e.g.; 6+4=10), AND multiples of 10.  (e.g.; the above snake is made of 7 x 10 = 70 units).

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Mommy Looks On (wearing “Hello Kitty, Hello Harvard”)

These students are 4 and 5 years old by the way.  Is your mind blown yet?

 

ClaraJane then shows me one of her other favorite “works” in class; Polishing Wood.

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Montessori Materials are always meticulously organized.

 

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More Montessori Works in a (most wonderful) Children’s House Classroom.

 

The school also encourages sibling participation in each others classrooms on special  days.  To that end, ClaraJane gets to host a most important dignitary;  her BROTHER!

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Young Henry looks on in fascination

 

CJ shows him around her classroom.

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(yes paint me silently ecstatic; they are holding hands)

 

On to Brother’s Class!  Being a 2nd grader puts him in a “Lower Elementary” class of 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders.  Chef makes it out of the kitchen in time to join us for Gavin’s presentation of the Bead Frame.

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Dynamic 4-digit addition with the Bead Frame

 

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Auntie Oxy and Victor also stop by to observe

 

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Sajni (in the background) is in hot pursuit of playing with Victor (squealing and scrambling away on the right)

 

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Oxy provides her feedback

 

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Aunt Amanda comes by too

 

Which reminds me, I still have time to make it to Miles’ class!

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Miles shows me the “Stamp Game.”    

 

He is also doing dynamic 4-digit addition, with different materials.  He also has a “Learning Target.”

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Leaning Targd: You will be abl to Add

 

Using tiles representing the 1000’s, 100’s, 10’s & 1’s, he solved this problem:

 

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3675 + 9381 = 3056… well, 1,3056, but we had run out of time to finish ):

 

Meanwhile, there is a dad in CJ’s class who is a ninja with his artistry in photography, and he gave us this:

ClaraJane concentrating on her work

ClaraJane concentrating on her work

 

And finally, in spite of Gavin driving his teachers crazy with his *constant* drive to read no matter *what,* underneath there is this:

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Gavin and Mr. Dana

 

If you need me I’ll be reviving after I faint now.  ♥

 

 

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Snowplay

Monday, January 25th 2016

To celebrate a rare Monday with the family (instead of work), we headed to Fresh Pond to enjoy the recent snowfall.

 

2016-01-25 Snowplay [1:28]:

 

 

 

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Ready, set…

 

 

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“HUG!!!!”

 

 

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Cambridge MA

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Puppy Play

Monday, January 25th 2015

I had the pleasure of showing Liz the wonders of a 2nd hand store on her quest to obtain toys for the puppies.  Success!

2015-01-25 Golden Puppy Play [47 seconds]:

 

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Baby Mary and PUPPIES

January 24th 2016

 

To quote my sister, “So, this happened.”

2016-01-24 Baby Mary & Puppies [54 seconds]:

 

‘Nuff said.  (o:

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Fireworks

Tuesday, January 19th 2016

2016-01-19 Fireworks [16 secs]:

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Gavin Sparring at Tae Kwon Do

January 7th & 14th – 2016

Gavin begins this year in a new Tae Kwon Do class, having moved up from “Little Tigers” through “Advanced Tigers” and on to “Level I.”   The class we attend has a mix of levels together, with Gavin ranked the lowest as of yet.   Our first day back the class started a new “form” and an assistant student was assigned to refresh Gavin on the old one, called “Chon-Ji.”

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Gavin works on Chon-Ji

 

It was beautiful to watch Gavin being coached by this boy who is of Black Belt proficiency, but not yet a black belt because you have to be 14 and he is only 10.

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The 7 y/o & the 10 y/o

 

The next week, Jan 14th, in spite of careful planning and communication by his mother (ahem), Gavin was pissed as hell when it was time to LEAVE to go to class.  (I understand!  Leaving is hard!)   He fights me all the way and claims he wants to quit, etc.  I tell him he may quit Tae Kwon Do someday, but not *this* day just because he doesn’t *feel* like it.  That’s not how it works.

Mr. Bart offers to check in with him before class:

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Pep talk with Mr. Bart – Life is a pain sometimes!

 

Reluctantly Gavin addressed himself to class, but not before sharing his feelings with me one more time (and then coming in on my lap for some serious cuddles… go figure):

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This is what I think of you right now Mom

 

And just like that, it’s SPARRING DAY.  Gavin is instructed to simulate real fighting, and he is psyched.

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The object is to tap the opponent’s shoulder, and Gavin is undaunted by a much bigger, older, more advanced sparring partner.

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Then he is paired with a scrappy little fellow more his size, but who starts attacking with high flying KICKS (NOT part of the exercise) before settling down into some solid hand to hand slapity-slap, I mean sparring.

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Then Gavin says, “Mom I think you need to video this!”   Somehow I only manage a few seconds, but you get the idea.

2015-01-14 Gavin Sparring [10 seconds]:

 

 

I eventually go home with a very satisfied, happy little big Boy.  Go figure.

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