An Invigorating Font

After a particularly trying week, weekend couldn’t get here soon enough.  All I wanted to do this weekend was hole up in my house and breathe.  However, Friday afternoon I received an email reminder about a workshop I signed up for last month.  The class was Saturday afternoon.  The thought of just bailing on it crossed my mind a few hundred times, but it in the end I sucked it up and attended. 

Artist Pam Keravuori has the most beautiful lettering in her art and journaling.  When I work in my journals, my least favorite part of the process is the writing because I don’t like my handwriting.  My printing is decent when I’m teaching, because it has to be, but my script is a mixture of incorrect formation and maybe some laziness – I don’t write by hand much anymore (other than printing at school) so it no longer comes naturally.  So how exciting to find out that Pam was teaching in Southern California. 

The three hour class was held at French General, a cute boutique art/craft store in Silver Lake on Riverside Dr.

I was surrounded by beautiful things!
Sewing and crafting isn’t so much my thing, but the patterns and colors were inspiring.

After a few minutes of exploring, the class began.
Pam started us off with a great little kit that included class notes, Faber-Castell Pitt pens (my favorite pens), practice pages, and other fun odds and ends.

Before she started her instruction, we had to write the word “joyfully” in our handwriting, as a starting point.
Looking at it is painful.  As I wrote, my mind was messing with me – naturally wanting to write them my way but my brain telling me to write them using correct formation.  I can see where I stopped and had to think, “How do I make that again?”

While we worked on some practice exercises, Pam gave us a brief history of lettering and the pencil as well as notes on using nib pens – which were very helpful.
It was a quick class, but the tips and little tweaks given were just what I needed.  By the end of the class, Pam wanted us to create a “picture” like her Doodle Amour picture.    I’m still over thinking the lettering a bit, but I feel improved after just a little bit of practice.  Practice is definitely the key.

The creative therapy certainly helped!

Hmmm, I Didn’t Realize It Would Bum Me Out Like That

I haven’t written too much about this school year.  I am as happy as a clam at my new school, and as I’ve mentioned before, so relieved to no longer be part of the angst and drama of previous years.  This year’s class is darling.  Individually, they are a nice bunch of kids.  As a class, they are a bit more challenging.  I’ve got several behavior concerns that wreak havoc on the dynamic of the entire group most of the day.  If it’s not one, it’s another.  They keep me on my toes, and most days I drag myself back to my classroom after dismissal and curl up in the fetal position for awhile.

I have two autistic children in my room this year – a boy and a girl.  Both are very nice kids, bright, and fairly well behaved.  The boy, I’ll call him E, has so much knowledge for a seven year old and reads like a whiz.  For the most part, he is a pleasure to have in class.  However, every-so-often when things don’t go the way he’s expecting – whether that be getting an answer wrong, changing the schedule abruptly, and more recently working on an assignment that’s not quite as easy as previously he thought or facing a consequence for poor behavior – E has a very loud, screaming, crying meltdown.  During these meltdowns, we’d have conversations about why.  He’d cry and tell me that he didn’t like getting things wrong or he’d push me and tell me he didn’t like when I marked an answer wrong on his test.  He’d shake and scream, the entire time telling me he could not, under any circumstances, stop.

The first meltdown of the year, threw me for a loop on the third day of school.  But I got him under control in the back of the classroom while the rest of the class rolled their eyes and covered their ears letting me know they remembered this happening in first grade.   Each subsequent meltdown, gave me another mental note about how to handle new situations with him. 

In the beginning of the year, he had a special spot where he could sit and “cry it out”.  He’d go there willingly, but as his frustration with the regular classroom increased, the special spot meant nothing.  He’d refuse to move or leave the room.  During the last couple of meltdowns, E had to be physically picked up and removed from the class. 

As that behavior escalated, my principal started the process of qualifying him for the aut class at another school in our district.  The class is much smaller in size and not the standard “test heavy, we all move at the same pace” classroom.  The principal, psychologist, aut teacher, and his mother all agreed, the new class was the best place.  After winter break, the pieces started falling into place, and I received an email today that his last day will most likely be Friday.

After reading the email, I was saddened, to the point of tears.  I know, full well, that the new class is the best place for him.  Not having to walk on pins and needles worrying about a meltdown (sending the rest of the class into a downward spiral) will be such a relief.  But I’m still very sad that he’s leaving us.  His off days have been ROUGH, but they ranged from about once a week to once a month.  Never once, even while carrying him out the door kicking and screaming, did I want him to leave.  And the rest of the time he is so pleasant to have in the room.  I will miss that.    

It’s 7:00 on Sunday Night

and I’m already in bed.  A bad cold virus and/or flu has been running rampant over the last month.  Remarkably, I’ve stayed relatively healthy while everyone around me has been dropping like flies.  Relatively healthy that is until I woke up yesterday morning with “IT”.  Actually, compared to the symptoms others have been dealt, I think I’m getting off a bit easy with what I think might just be a head cold.  However, my sinuses are screaming, my eyes won’t stop watering, and I can’t breathe out of my nose.  It could be a lot worse based on what’s been going around, but still, I am tired and I don’t like it.

I have worn out another pair of workout sneakers and went on the hunt for another pair this week.  Zappos.com is my go-to place for shoes with literally thousands of shoes in their inventory and free next day shipping and returns.  I love Zappos.  Anyways, I found a couple pairs of Adidas I liked.  I have found Adidas fit my foot the best so I usually start there. I ordered both pairs in two sizes and they arrived the next day.  I am generally a size 8.5 in shoes, sometimes going up to a 9 with certain brands or styles.  With the Adidas, I’ve consistently worn an 8.5.  I liked both pairs that came so my choice was going to come down to fit.  I tried on the pink and gray shoes, 8.5 and couldn’t even get it on my foot, so went to the 9.  I could get them on, but they weren’t terribly comfortable.  I went to the blue pair, and started with the 9 this time.  Those shoes were too big, and so were the 8.5s.  After all said and done, I returned all 4 pairs and exchanged them for a size 8 in the blues, which fit perfectly.  And I can’t remember if I’ve ever worn an 8.  To a point, I get that there isn’t universal sizing with shoes and clothes across brands, but I was a surprised that the same brand differed so greatly. 

The main character of a book I’m listening to right now had the following quote, “I was born at 5:14 on a Tuesday morning and because of that I always thought of myself as a morning person.”  Having been born at exactly 11:00am on a Sunday and NOT being a morning person, there may be something to that theory.

I love paper, so I this will be my next local field trip…

 

Ha! Ha!

Have a great week.

Bye Bye January

A new month means a new calendar post.  I debated (with myself) whether or not to participate in the monthly calendar challenge over at The Kathryn Wheel this year.   In the end, having a record of each month is nice, even though the months seem to fly by when making a calendar like this. 
I received some alcohol spray inks at a class last year, so I thought I’d try them.  They had a bit of a sheen to them, and I’m not so sure I’m a fan of that in my journal.  Also, this is a smaller-sized journal than last year’s so I struggled when I had a lot to write, but nice when I didn’t.

Anyhow, the rest of my creative endeavors this month were a bit manic.  With a lot of irons in the fire so to speak, I started a lot, but didn’t get much done other than the calendar and a few pages in my sketch book.  My job keeps getting in the way!

I began a some pages in my journal, which are ready to work on, but nothing was completed.

I screwed around in my sketchbook, just for fun. 

I’m working on a collage project (will post more when I’m finished).  This is where it’s at right now.
Each January, while on winter break, I make my Christmas cards for the next Christmas. I didn’t actually finish all of them, but a good head start.  
February is a short month, so we’ll be back here before we know it I’m sure. 

Happy February!

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

I love the rain…most of the time.  The final two days of last week’s school week it rained non-stop.  I don’t like when it rains at school. 
Little kids need to go outside and play.  They shouldn’t be cooped up inside the classroom all day. 
Little kids who are stuck inside the classroom all day have a hard time learning.  They get a little lot bouncy, making their teacher not like the rain!

PLUS…

 
Even so, the rain is always a welcomed sight here because we rarely see it.  Since it doesn’t come too often, “we” don’t really know how to do rain.  My commute time to work just about quadrupled when it rains due to drivers going too slow or way too fast – both causing accidents.   
To keep the rain from flowing into our classrooms in this hallway, maintenance had to do some digging. The rain gutters are broken and corroded. 
It looks like we’re getting a mote!
Which might be a better idea than THIS one for keeping unwanted visitors out.

My most favorite part of the stormy weather is the sky. 

5:45 am Wednesday

5:00 PM Wednesday

11:30 am Saturday 

    3:00 PM Saturday

This week’s forecast shows 50s/60s and sunny skies.  I hope we see some more rain…just not during the school week.

Saturday 9

This weeks Saturday 9…

1) Do noisy storms scare you? Yes, but in a good way.  We don’t have them too often, but I love listening to them as long as I’m home and under the covers. 

2) Whom do you consider one of today's most beautiful women?  Well duh, ME! Just kidding.  I have no idea; it’s such a subjective question. 

3) What should you be doing, instead of answering these questions?  Since it’s late, sleeping I guess. 

4) What's the most recent addition to your spam folder?  Awhile back I spent some time going through all my emails and stopping subscriptions, blocking junk, etc. Since, I’ve had very few junk emails in my box.  I might get one or two unsolicited emails, and most of those are from “no sender”.  So I’m not really sure what they are for.  Delete!

5) What was the last thing you cooked?  Most of the time it’s just me, so I cook a couple of  things at the beginning of the week and then eat them for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.  Tuesday, I made chicken/lemon skewers on the grill and a Greek salad and had it Wednesday and Thursday. 

6) Do you remember the lyrics to either your high school or college fight song? If so, please share a bit.  No, we were (and they still are) the politically incorrect Indians.  There might have been a song, but what I do remember is we’d wave our fingers or hand in the air in a pretend tomahawk and chant some Native American-sounding song. 

7) What's the derivation of your first name?  I actually wrote a post a couple of years ago about this very question.  In fact, my name doesn’t really have one that I can find.  If someone knows differently I’d love to hear it.

8) Are you following the NBA or NHL this year? If so, which team are you rooting for?  I am a Kings hockey fan, however this year’s strike rubbed me the wrong way.  It’s funny how these million-dollar players can be part of a union, ask for more money/rights, and strike and no one seems to care.  The games are selling out – business as usual.  Teachers do it, and we are the single-handedly bringing down the US economy.
Anyhow, the Stanley Cup winners of 2012 are 0-3 in the first three games of the shortened season. So I’m begrudgingly a fan right now.

9) Gloves, umbrellas, sunglasses, keys -- which of these do you misplace most often?  Since I’m not in need of gloves too often, they are what I misplace most.  I don’t have a regular spot for them so I just put them here or there and then can’t remember where they are when I need them. 
Since the Connecticut school shootings, I’ve irrationally decided keeping my classroom doors locked makes me feel more secure.  A few times now, I’ve been caught outside the locked door with students but without my keys.  I always know where they are, I just don’t always have them with me. 

And just for fun…

Takes them a bit to get going, but they’re in their prime starting at about 2:00.  Made my Friday.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Another Movie Post

It’s awards’ season again!  It seems as if the nominating committees don’t even bother with the movies during the first half of the year and instead focus on the last couple of months for their picks.  Is it because the quality films are held for release until fall/winter so they are fresh in the committees’ minds?  I suspect that’s the case, but regardless, it works out quite well for me being on Thanksgiving and winter breaks while those movies are released. 

The Golden Globes were last weekend.  I’m a little late to the party, but here’s a quick rundown of the movies I’ve seen this winter…

Argo – I’ve already posted on this one.  Excellent and intensely exciting film.  It won the GG for best picture and Ben Affleck received the best director.  After seeing it I predicted it would be nominated. I’m kind of surprised it won the GG with all of the others that have received rave reviews, but it deserved the award. 

Silver Linings Playbook – Oh my goodness, one of my favorite movies of the year, maybe even ever.  I had NO expectations of this film when I was invited along to see it.  I’m so glad I went.  A man tries to get back to “normal” when returning home from a mental institution after a breakdown.  To be honest, I’ve never been much of a fan of Bradley Cooper, and the only time I’d seen Jennifer Lawrence was in The Hunger Games.  Both actors were wonderful.  The movie took mental illness and brought it out to the forefront, showing both the difficult and amusing sides of it.  I found it just about life in general, and despite the main character’s few month stay in the “looney bin” everybody is actually a little bit crazy. Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver play his parents.  All four actors mentioned received Oscar nominations, and Jennifer Lawrence won the GG for best actress in a musical or comedy. 
I liked the movie so much, I chose the book it was based on as my book club pick.  The book, of the same name, was excellent as well, but as usually happens, the booked was changed quite a bit in the movie.  However, I’d still recommend both.

Parental Guidance – This was our Christmas day movie.  If it had been my choice, I would not have gone to see this.  The previews looked a little corny.  However, it is a cute film.  Billy Crystal, who after all these years is still a riot, and Bette Midler play a pair of grandparents who get a chance to babysit their grandkids while their daughter and her husband take a much needed weekend away.  Of course, chaos ensues, and some of it IS corny.  But it is also a film about loving your family despite its flaws.  It wasn’t nominated for any film awards nor should it have been, but if you’re looking for an easy, lighthearted, feel good film, Parental Guidance fits the bill.

Les Misérables – Let me start off by saying that Les Mis is my FAVORITE stage production ever.  EVER!  I’ve never been much of a fan of musicals on the big screen – Chicago, Rent, and the previous Les Mis bored me to tears.  I did not have any desire to see the new version when it came out on Christmas day.  Their PR people did a good job though in showing how it would be different than past movie musicals.  The actors sang the songs on set to piano music rather than lip-syncing prerecorded versions.  The orchestra‘s music was then added to the film in post-production.  In interviews, all the actors said this allowed the singing to match the acting since they were happening at the same time, rather than trying to match the acting up to the singing which might have been recorded months earlier. 
Anyhow, back to the film.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Les Misérables has always been such a good story, and the movie did it justice as far as I’m concerned.  All the singing was beautiful and powerful, and I cried at the end.  At the GG last week, it won best musical/comedy and Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway both earned awards in their categories as well.  The film, Jackman, and Hathaway are also nominated for an Oscar.

Django Unchained – Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx star in this film about a white bounty hunter who rescues a slave (Django) from traders. The bounty hunter intends to use Django to help him identify some ruthless killers.  He tells the slave that once the job is done, he’d be a free man.  Over time they become partners and Django sets out to find his wife who was purchased by a crazy plantation owner – Leo Dicaprio. 

Quentin Tarentino’s movies are always controversial.  They are rarely politically correct and often cross the line into gratuitous violence.  Django was no exception, but the writing is so very clever.  Half the time I was chuckling, and the other half I was hiding my face in my shirt trying not to be sick.  Christoph Waltz, who was a riot, was nominated for best supporting actor by both the GG and AA, and he won the GG.  I’m kind of surprised that he was nominated for best SUPPORTING actor as he was in the entire film as a main character, not a supporting character.  Leo DiCaprio was fantastic as crazy Calvin Candie so it’s a shame he didn’t get nominated – they keep snubbing that guy!  Tarentino was nominated by both for best screenplay, but ignored for best director. 

Zero Dark Thirty – Controversy about its accuracy has been flying around this movie - The story about the 10 year manhunt to find Osama Bin Laden.  I’m not going to debate the controversy because, really who can debate a covert operation besides the people who were actually involved in it.  As for the movie, it was interesting and depressing, but very well done.  If correct, the people who found him worked tirelessly on nothing else for years, and torture was a factor – which is spurring the controversy. 

A couple of months ago I read this article in Vanity Fair.  I found the story about the behind the scenes decisions at the Pentagon and the White House fascinating.  The movie dealt more with the people doing the work in the trenches so to speak, not the decision makers.  Jessica Chastain plays the CIA agent who, with a team, ultimately finds the house where Bin Laden was hiding.  While others were uncertain he was there, she was unwavering.  Chastain was nominated for best actress by the GG and AA, and won the GG.  The film was nominated for best picture by both the GG and AA as well.

Gangster Squad – This film came out after the first of the year, so is not up for any awards this go round.  It is based on the LAPD’s secret “Gangster Squad” that was formed to stop famed gangster Mickey Cohen in the 1950s.  The squad of officers and detectives is a motley crew of sorts who come together and take down the ruthless gangster.  It is a highly stylized film, very film noir in its cinematography.  It is violent, with a lot of gun firing – ya know the kind where there is so much shooting but no one gets hit.  The reviews have not been great, but everyone I know who has seen it enjoyed it.  It was a fun movie.

The Academy Awards are set for late February.  There are still a few best picture nominees that I have not seen yet – most never even opened nationwide like “Amour” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild” which I heard is fantastic.  Now that they’ve been nominated, they may come back out again to take advantage of the accolades. 

Did you see anything worthwhile in 2012?