Year: 2010

In Defense of Chutzpah

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“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison Speaking with a trusted confidante the other day, I spoke about this current desire to access the creative part of me.  I am not sure if its because creative energy is like a dormant volcano and its time has come, or because I am more confident and able to give myself permission to try doing more things again.  I am afraid I like doing lots of little things, but that I do them badly.  They don’t always look the way I want them to, so I just don’t do anything. In the mid nineties, still living in our family home, I took over the dining table and the lanai with all possible kinds of projects in progress:  clay beads, the beginnings of a simple bust, unglazed pottery, half painted canvases, smeared charcoal drawings, painted pots, colorful paper strips, etc. etc.  I was blessed with parents whose forbearance allowed me to indulge in my whims and express myself …

Chocolate Cake Day

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I think it is time to reintroduce Chocolate Cake Day to my  calendar, like a special SURPRISE day once a month, or once a week, depending on need.  At the second job I ever had, one of the head teachers would sit with us in between the morning and afternoon sessions and say, “Hmmmm is it a chocolate cake day?”  That was a signal to the rest of the crew that a) It was a shit day and b) We need to be rewarded dammit!  Chocolate cake day also meant that however bad the morning was, we weren’t alone, it was okay to be crabby, but in the end, we had to all power through it.  So yes, I say, it is time to bring back Chocolate Cake Day.  Not more shit days, just more acknowledgments of powering through those sh*t days. At my current job, we have “pat on the back awards”  which are simply little shout outs that the teachers write to each other for anything from helping out with a difficult child, …

Bibliographies and Unoriginal Thoughts

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When was the last time you wrote a bibliography?  A proper one… APA format and all?  This afternoon over my limp Amy’s bean and cheese burrito (yes, still too lazy/ disorganized to pack my own lunch) I listened in as three coworkers discussed the merits of  KINDLE vs. iPAD vs. NOOK.  Oh you can get free books on Amazon with this one, blah blah blah….  “Yeah, you know where else you can get free books?”  I teased my friend,  “The LIBRARY!!!!” The conversation took a few twists and related turns, leading to one of the Grateful Dead era loving teachers saying she looks for books using a card catalog, not a search engine.   We then sadly admitted not having any idea how to source comments and write bibliographies anymore.  Granted, most of the reading we do on a daily basis is more of the board book than text book variety, so the pressure is sort of off for now.  In any case, My friend said, “You know, when I was younger and had a …

Not To Be Believed

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I had just about given up on blogging after just two entries, because I tried to go on a late night computer fast in order to help me get to sleep on an early and consistent schedule.  My circadian rhythm is not something I ever thought I would have to give much consideration to, until I realized my face looked like the harried face of a 24/7 mother with 26 toddlers instead of the 9/7 teacher who gets to give them back to their parents at the end of the day. So I am back, after having a great gal pal dinner at the fabulous Italian restaurant in the Financial District where not only did I feed my stomach, but my spirit too, as great gal pals always tend to do for us girls.  My dear friends, Contessa and Gallery Girl, encouraged me to start a blog of my own, for the very reasons I already secretly had:  to keep track of journal entries in a more interesting way and to have something different to do …

Every Girl Has Her Paul

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Sir Paul himself told the crowd something like, “I thought it was going to be hot here, and you are all wearing overcoats! I should have taken this off (jacket) by now.”  He then held onto the lapels of his jacket, shaking his head while mouthing to the audience, “NO.”  That’s the San Francisco summer for you.  In between each song, he’d do things like a funny chicken-type dance move,  or tease fans with little comments such as, “Yes, I DO remember you!” in a cheeky reaction to a sign (Hey Paul, I saw you in 1964 at Cow Palace, do you remember me?). While my husband could not believe he was sitting through live performances of Jet, Helter Skelter, and Two of Us, I couldn’t believe I was getting charmed out of my pants by the 68 year old man on stage.  He’s sweet.  He’s completely delightful.  For God’s sake, of course he is.   Now I get it.   Wow, I never realized that he’s, dare I say…. cute????  Can you still call him that?  …

A girl’s gotta amuse herself

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So here I am, the girl who won’t join FB, now starting my own blog. I am a blog addict. I sit up late at night reading, clicking, reading, searching, and clicking some more after gaining inspiration from a new recipe, an appealing photo, or ridiculously awesome entertaining idea. Every day more information, every day something new I learn that I probably will not use.I know that my favorite blogs are written by creative chicks who have a theme- cooking, decorating, crafting, travelling, shopping, thrifting, or party planning. I dabble (or rather dribble) in a bit of all, except for the thrifting, although one of my favorite things is seeing women who appoint their homes so meticulously with the reckless abandon needed to use something “from the attic”, “the flea”, or “found in an alley and re-purposed.”I am a journal writer. I have kept journals over the years, sometimes writing daily, even hourly, but lately, monthly if I am lucky. This is why I am today, finally, jumping out of my comfort zone and starting …