Calendars

I wish I had a picture of my room in grad school.  I think I had about eight calendars hanging up for decoration.  The first of the month was a big deal.

I still like calendars.  We have

This is from AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers). Each
photo is taken by a student and has a caption explaining the physics.

one in the downstair's bathroom,

This is based on a blog and is a bit like Life's Little Victories.

one in the upstair's bathroom,

This was a gift from Nana and Apa.

one in R.'s room,

This was also a gift from Nana and Apa.

one in A.'s room,

This is the calendar that gets written on.

This is the Learning Calendar, which
has a different theme each year.

two on the refrigerator,

We get this from Hillel every year. 

This was a gift from Danish visitors.

and two in the playroom.

We did not receive any free calendars in 2012, but since the new year we have received three, including two in February.  Let me know if you would like one.

from the Claremont Museum of Art 

from our Congress member - each day has a Civil War fact

from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Visit to the dentist

When the permanent tooth starts poking through the side of the gum it is time to visit the dentist.

Nitrous oxide and a Sony Walkman help keep things calm.

There are two pieces because the permanent tooth broke the root in its effort to get through.  Isn't the human body wonderful?

Does the tooth fairy have to pay if the tooth was extracted?

Old news

Yesterday Pomona College wrote about the celebration of the (not quite) new scanning electron microscope, which is a project David has been working on for a long time.

David working with a collaborator.

Last week there was an SEM open house allowing people to view the new equipment, ask questions, and see demonstrations of what it could do.

possibly a future scientist

R. went on her own, but I went earlier with A.  We took a camera and below is what fascinated him the most.

These are the claws of a Southern Tamandua.

Congratulations, David!  Best wishes for many years of good work.

They have talent

Sycamore doesn't sell wrapping paper or have golf tournaments, but still needs to raise funds.  The Talent Show and Pasta Dinner raises money for the sixth graders to attend Outdoor Science School, which is a week in the mountains learning across the curriculum.

This was the first time that we have not participated (unless you count selling tickets, cooking pasta, baking cookies, and attending the event).  In the past my kids have sung, played cello, and recited poems (Jabberwocky and The New Colossus)

People pay for tickets and the price includes spaghetti and salad, but drinks and dessert cost a dollar each.  I heard that last year the dessert table alone brought in enough money to cover one and one-half students' fees.

playing an original song

The talent varied, but it was all entertaining.  A kindergartener in a fairy costume shared her talent of running while counting.  An older girl pogo-sticked to music, including jumping rope while pogoing no handed.  There were many singers, gymnasts, musical instruments, and a couple skits.

I loved the view of this girl's hair.

The multi-purpose room (library, auditorium, art room) was filled with a supportive audience that concluded the event by remembering the school's late music teacher, Melanie White.

This date in history

Ten years ago.

Time for change

No, this post isn't about the fact that the sun rises before I am out of the pool, meaning the clocks must spring forward back to dark mornings soon.

This post has a bit to do about swimming because, despite what all the dentists say, I think swimming stains my teeth.  I never had problems as a teen until I joined the swim team.  While in Denmark I took a year off from swimming and had no staining.  The dentist pointed out that there were other variables so I'll have to go overseas for another year.

I have been trying to cut down on the stains by changing toothpastes, brushing with a dry brush after regular brushing, and brushing in the shower after swimming.  I had been carrying my toothpaste and brush in a toiletry bag that was a give-away at a baseball game in the 1980's.

I love my baseball team.  I love that Major League was about an awful Cleveland baseball team.  I love that people joke about the guy who left two tickets on his dashboard, didn't lock the car, and when he got back he found four tickets on his dashboard.  I loved the summer when I was barely employed and could take the Rapid to the baseball stadium, buy cheap tickets, and have a section to myself while listening to the drummer.  And on and on.

I think I cut this out some time in the 1980's.

I don't love the name or mascot.  I don't see change on the horizon, but I can change my toiletry bag.

I think this was originally a pencil case,
but now it is a toiletry bag.

Only 39 days until the season opener!

National Tour

In December I wrote that we would be visiting the Skirball for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum 20th anniversary tour, and today was the day.

Trying to start off on a less-than-depressing note (but barely succeeding) we went to a movie about Jewish life before the Holocaust.  It turned out to be a series of home movies that had survived.  Each clip was accompanied by a narration (oral and with an ASL interpreter) telling where it was taken, who is was in it, what happened to the people, and how the film survived.

Afterward A. and I spent time outside working on a collaborative art project, talking to survivors and veterans (definitely one of the highlights), and learning about local programs.  David and R. went to a talk entitled Technology in the Hands of Haters:  Imagine www.thirdreich.com  After lunch in the courtyard R. went to Mind Over Media: Are you More Powerful Than Nazi Propaganda? while A. and checked out the giftshop.  We learned a lot at the talk describing stories of rescue and refuge in Latin America.  The speaker used to be a history teacher and taught the Holocaust to students until she was reprimanded in a phone message and encouraged to focus on her people (Latinos) and their problems.  That encouraged her to look at the intersection of her two interests, which led her to the museum and an eight-year journey discovering both questions and answers.

We decided not to stay for the entire day, subscribing to the notion that it is better to leave wishing for more.  I did wish we had been able to stay for the tribute to Holocaust Survivors and World Ward II Veterans.  As we were leaving we saw members of the Armed Forces arriving with their dress uniforms (and the shiniest black shoes!), but I wasn't able to get a picture for you.  I don't think we'll get to D.C. for the national tribute ceremony on April 29, but I hope you'll consider going (free lunch included!) and share it with me.

Valentine's Day

It isn't my all-time favorite holiday, but I do like Valentine's Day.

It's always good to try a new recipe and then have fun dipping 

items (shown here - strawberries, graham crackers, and almonds).

We reuse the felt hearts and stuff them with little things, as one 

would a stocking at Christmastime.  This year I made origami cards.

If you click on the image you can see the special postmark from Loveland, Colorado, where I had sent a batch of cards at the end of January.  The card was sold as a wedding card, but with a few well-placed stickers no one was the wiser.

Birthday treats

You don't get to bring treats to school when your birthday is in the summer, but A. chose to take some in even though it wasn't his birthday.  It was supposed to be healthy, but he asked if that meant, "Nutella is part of this healthy breakfast."  The teacher said yes.

I was going to buy only Nutella but the other spread reminded 

me of something we had tried in France (but it is Belgian).

The finished product, which took longer to make than 

I thought, but easier than starting from scratch.

We also donated a set of books to the classroom.  I hope some kid gets to listen to the cds.

Not getting any younger

I knew yoga would be good for me and I told myself I would find time when I was older, but it turns out I am older already!  I have been feeling stiff, sore, and inflexible (overtraining?) and decided to give gentle yoga a try.  I have taken only three classes and impressed with the teachers.  They are encouraging and understanding of different abilities.  My classmates seem non-competitive and help me figure out how to use the different toys (blocks, straps, and bolsters).  Sorry, no pictures yet.

Update - I bought a yoga mat today!  I did not choose the $108 version or even the $80 version.  I am hoping I can be content with the $9.99 version for now.

New and improved

These goggles have seen better days.

I wore Hind Compy goggles for the first 28 years of my competitive swimming career.  It is hard to believe that I was willing to switch, but I was motivated to find goggles that fit and would allow me to see the clock even if I weren't in the first lane.

Speedo Vanquisher Optical Goggle

This was the very first pair I tried and they were fabulous.  I had to get two pairs (less than $15 each) so that I could take each apart and end up with two pairs with a -4 diopter for one eye and -3 diopter for the other.  It is not a precise correction, but for that price it has been fantastic.

my first pair, which lasted from Dec. 1990 - May 2009

Now it is time to say good-bye to the fins I have been wearing since 1990.  I have no idea why they have to change styles so frequently!  I tried to buy the same style on eBay, but after watching a review done by masters swimmers, I am going to try something new.

Next Blog

Have you ever clicked on the Next Blog link at the top of the page?  I have and often find defunct blogs, blogs written by Christian mothers, and a wild assortment of topics (miniature soldiers, AP lit class, a Portuguese blog).  One blog caught my eye because it had a bucket list.  The things I have done are in pink.

1. Watch a meteor shower
2. Watch a lightning storm at sea
3. Grow your own vegetables – It’s a challenge cos am no good at it
4. See the Mona Lisa in France
5. Hitch hike
6. Build a snow fort - at the least a snow man
7. Run a Marathon
8. Ride in a gondola in Venice – tried at vegas but nothing can be Venice.
9. See a total eclipse
10. Go on a cruise trip.
11. Teach yourself a new language - (learned a new language but with a teacher  - close enough)
12. Had enough money to be truly satisfied …a gallon of milk, a full tank of gas, and I’m happy. 
13. Sing a karoke in a bar
14. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant …bought a strange meal at a restaurant. Does that count? :P
15. Get all the pages in my passport stamped
16. Walked on a beach by moonlight. Easy one
17. Had your portrait painted
18. Go deep sea fishing …did crabbing
19. Go scuba diving or snorkeling
20. Be in a movie …
21. Start a business
22. Go whale watching
23. See Russia from Little Diomede, Alaska
24. Get flowers for no reason …

25. Donate blood, platelets or plasma
26. Visit Nazi Concentration Camp.
27. Go skinny dipping
28. Fly n a helicopter
29. Visit the taj mahal
30. Pieced a quilt …made pieces for a quilt
31. Stood in Times Square … that can get you arrested these days ;-)
32.Tour the Everglades 
33.See the Changing of the Guards in London (maybe as a kid?)
34.Be on a speeding motorcycle
35.See the Grand Canyon in person
36.Publish a book
37.Visit the Vatican
38.Walk in Jerusalem
39.Had your picture in the newspaper
40. Read the entire Bible and bagavad Gita
41.Visited the White House
42.Save someone’s life
43.Sit in a jury
44.Meet someone famous …
45.Float In Dead Sea
46.Read an entire book in one day

Winter Concert

The school district offers free instrumental lessons at the school beginning fourth grade.  The amazing teachers also work with different levels of students, including those who have been taking private lessons for a while, to prepare them for orchestra concerts.  Last night three levels of elementary students and one level of middle school students were performing.  A. played with the chamber orchestra and performed three songs, including Pachelbel's Canon and Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld (also known as the can-can song).

Here are a few before, during, and after photos.  Wish you could have been there.

before

before

almost ready for the national anthem

chamber orchestra is directed by Pat Kuenning
(you might be able to see 75% of A.'s head)

the elementary combined orchestra plays
Honor and Glory by Newbold
directed by Edris Boyll-Kuzia

after, at Bert and Rocky's