Joie de vivre

Thankful

2009-11-26T22:33:33Z

Today I am grateful to have had several hours of uninterrupted schoolwork time, thanks to Aaron taking Z most of the day. Time to get started on dinner. I am cooking tonight, but not the traditional Feast of the Consumption.

Thankful

2009-11-25T05:07:29Z

Today I'm thankful for the internet. All the world's knowledge at my fingertips, plus cat macros, from the comfort of my own home. Truly, I live in the future!

SF 4 ESL

2009-11-25T04:43:20Z

Need a recommendation: what's a classic science fiction short story that would be appropriate for a high-intermediate (there's that word again!!) ESL class? (Or maybe an excerpt that's complete in itself?)

Think Happy Thoughts

2009-11-23T02:20:26Z

Today I am thankful for not falling on my head in dance class. I did fall on my ass, but only once.

This was the sequel to the lifts and drops class I took last month. We reviewed the babydoll drop that we did before, adding a variation and a turn (you can see it with the turn in the video below at 3:32), and then got into new stuff. The first new thing was the A-frame lift, which starts in a tandem Charleston position. The follow braces her hands on the lead's and *jumps* straight up in the air, kicking her legs out and sideways. You can see it in the video at :41 seconds. This was really neat, and not too terribly difficult to catch onto (note I didn't say "master"). We also did a funky barrel-roll kind of dip, which was *really* easy, since the follow doesn't really have to do anything except hang on. :)

The class culminated in the one true aerial, or air step, that we worked on. It's in the video at 3:33, right after the babydoll. Of course, we didn't do it this fast! Yes, I got flipped upside down in the air over the instructor's head. Three times. And I only fell on my ass the first time. I'm especially thankful for my dance instructors and the students spotting me for not letting me fall on my fool head.

The babydoll, the A-frame, and the froggy that we worked on the last time are all things I could see myself adding to my dance repertoire. The actual aerials, though, are something I could really do without. I have a terrible fear of being upside down, and the only reason I tried it today was that I was dancing with the instructor, who I could be absolutely sure wouldn't drop me. It's ok, though. I'm happy to know my limits. I can be a good dancer without flipping upside down. And it's nice to know I did try it. Three times, even.

Intermediacy

2009-11-21T21:41:34Z

I've decided I hate the word "intermediate." What does it mean? Not a beginner anymore, not yet an expert? But we all know that's a continuum, a vast gray in-between land of almost-but-not-quite.

The classes at Atlanta Varsity Showdown this year were divided into two levels: beginner and intermediate/advanced. Obviously if you've taken a bunch of lindy classes and go dancing every week, you're not going to opt for the beginner classes--which meant that the other level was smeared unevenly across that gray in-between land. Of the leads I danced with, only about a dozen of them really qualified as "advanced" dancers; the rest ranged somewhere between fresh-out-of-lindy-101 and what we might call "high-intermediate." It was a disappointment to me, bc I think I'm approaching that latter state, and was looking forward to pushing myself by trying the advanced classes this year, only to discover that there *were* no advanced classes.

The thing is, I've been an "intermediate" dancer for the last, oh, three years? In that time, I've become a much *better* dancer, fixing numerous frame and technique problems, adding to my repertoire of moves and variations and learning how to respond on the fly to changes in the music. But I'm still an "intermediate" dancer.

I've been thinking that it would be better to use some kind of larger scale that would subdivide the gray in-between. (Some major dance events do this--I think Beantown Camp and Lindy Focus have as many as five levels.) The way I've been thinking about it is that level 1 would be your raw beginners, your lindy 101 graduates who go to Hot Jam every week or so, but are still kind of stiff and uncertain. Level 2 would be "I've been dancing for about six months, and it's starting to feel like dancing and not just doing moves." Then you'd get to level 3, a sort of solid intermediate, "I've been dancing for more than a year, dance at least once or twice a week, take classes, and I'm ready to start really exploring things like musicality and variations." Level 4 would be something like "I've got a good, solid frame, a good standard repertoire, I can improvise and respond to the music, and I'm ready to do things like perform and compete." Level 5: "I'm a high-level dancer in demand as a partner, I know how to really communicate on the dance floor, and I can usually place in competitions, or at least make the finals." Then there would be level 6 for the really top-level dancers, the instructors and master-level folks. And I suppose we could add a level 7, for the late, great Frankie Manning and the other old-time gods of the lindy hop pantheon. :)

The way I see it, you generally social dance with people either at your own level, or one above or below. If you want to really work on improving your dancing, you need to be asking people 1-2 levels ahead of you to dance. I think I'm starting to feel like a level 4 dancer, according to my little taxonomy, thus I usually dance with 3s or other 4s, and try to work up the courage to ask the 5s and 6s to dance. I'm trying to push myself into level 5, so that some of them will ask *me* to dance!

Of course this isn't some kind of hard-and-fast rule--advanced dancers dance with beginners all the time, and that's both fun and important to the continuation of the dance scene. It's more just what I've observed on the dance floor, social patterns that emerge over time. (My Intercultural Communication class last year got me really interested in ethnographic observation.)

And speaking of my classes, this problem of "intermediate" shows up there too. What is an "intermediate" language speaker? As with dancing, I've been an intermediate German speaker since about the middle of my undergraduate studies. But the difference between me as a college junior and me as an adult, taking conversation classes in Munich, is huge. And let's not forget the regression I've suffered from not speaking enough German in the last several years. Am I still intermediate?

Man, I *really* hate that word.

Dancing the Nights Away

2009-11-21T20:29:59Z

Last night I joined Swingin' From the Heart to dance at Hammond Glen retirement community. We danced with each other and with the residents, who seemed very happy to have us. I mostly danced with Z, who would not hang out contentedly with my mom, but insisted only his Mommy would do. That was ok, though. I got a few dances in with other dancers, and enjoyed showing off my budding young lindy hopper.

Pictures here!

Thursday night I had a private Charleston lesson, and worked on a bunch of technique issues that have been bugging me on more advanced moves. I'm not yet a lean, mean Charleston machine, but I have high hopes. (Who says an ant can't move a rubber tree plant?)

I also got to stay out late both Thursday and Monday at Hot Jam, since Mom was here to get up early with Z the next days, and discovered something interesting. Usually I only stay at a dance for about an hour, since I have to be home early. What I learned from staying two or more hours is that that first hour is mainly just warm-up. I didn't really feel good and comfy with my dancing until I got into that second hour. This is problematic, since the dances tend to start late--Wednesdays at 9, Thursdays at 9:30! The earliest one is HJ at 8:30, and even then no one really shows up til 9. And I really do need to be in bed by midnight if the whole next day isn't to be a waste. I think I'm just going to have to get really disciplined about going right to bed when I come home--no computer time, no reading, no prolonged tea-and-snack, just shower, brush teeth, and hit the pillow. Because I had some really good dance nights this week, and I want more like that.

Ahhhhh....

2009-11-21T18:40:13Z

Today I am grateful for sleeping in. Sooo nice, getting to snuggle and curl back up under the blankets with Aaron. Thanks, Mom, for getting up with Z!

Thankful: Cheating a Little

2009-11-21T03:36:32Z

I'm going to cheat a bit and say that yesterday and today I was thankful for my wonderful, caring, supportive network of friends. I am so fortunate to have you all in my life!

Thankful

2009-11-19T04:53:30Z

Squeezing in under the wire today...today I was thankful for the personal and national prosperity that allows me to go to the grocery store, buy whatever I need, and come home and cook a dinner for my family. Also thankful that I took the time to learn to cook a few years ago! When Aaron first met me, I was such a bachelor, all I ate were boxed mac and cheese, Ramen noodles, and Hot Pockets. We've come a long way, baby.

(Oh, and I discovered today that, where writing a research paper while watching a toddler is impossible, putting together a lasagna while watching a toddler is merely extremely difficult. And not fun. But possible.

To all the boys I've loved before...

2009-11-18T01:05:28Z

Today I'm thankful for all those fellows who left me with a treasure trove of stories that start with "I used to date a guy..." I've been thinking lately how incredibly *lucky* I've been that I've *never* dated a guy who treated me badly. I've had a few rough breakups, but with the exception of one, they've all been reconcilable--and the relationships themselves were always sweet, fun, and loving. Somehow I managed to avoid con men, date-rapists, and just plain assholes. I'm not sure how I accomplished that, but I sure am grateful. Thanks, guys, for being nice.

Thankful

2009-11-17T04:47:02Z

Today I am thankful for swing dancing! Which I get to do several nights this week--*and* stay out late bc my mom is here to get up with Z in the morning. Tonight I closed out Hot Jam, which I'd never done before. Fun!

Thankful - A Twofer

2009-11-16T02:28:08Z

I missed a day yesterday, but that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking grateful thoughts. I was thankful yesterday for public parks and playgrounds, especially the one in Norcross. This place has *everything*, including clean restrooms with a changing table! Z and I spent about two hours there yesterday, eating lunch and playing. The weather was too perfect for words.

Today I am thankful for my wonderful mother, who is here this week to help me with Z and keep me company. We're making a tour of fun places in Atlanta to have lunch. Anyone who feels like joining us, please let me know. :)

Thankful Day 5

2009-11-13T20:04:17Z

Today I am thankful that I have health insurance. I've had numerous joint and tendon issues in the last year, and I could never have afforded the physical therapy to get them fixed on my own. (That said, I have a 10% co-pay and a $300 deductible--so I'm also thankful that I can afford to actually *use* my insurance!)

Possible New Crayon Policy

2009-11-13T15:32:35Z

Z loves his crayons. He knows the bin of them lives on the kitchen island, and we have learned that when he reaches toward the island and fusses, he's telling us he wants to color. We set him down in his high chair with a stack of paper and the crayon bin, and he goes to town. When we first gave him the crayons a few months ago, he couldn't exert enough pressure to make more than a faint mark; now he scribbles with an intensity worthy of Van Gogh. He covers a page with a few purple scrawls, switches colors, scribbles with concentration, then imperiously hands us the paper and demands another. We're not sure how he knows his masterpiece is done, but done it certainly is--there's no handing back the same page, even if it only has a few marks on it. Some days he's a minimalist, and that's all there is to it.

Even using scrap paper--and he doesn't seem to mind if the pages already have writing on them--keeping this kid in drawing paper may contribute to world deforestation. The thing is, he occasionally misses and ends up marking on his high chair tray. And sometimes if we're slow off the mark getting him a new page, he scrawls on the tray until we catch him at it and slide a new sheet under his hand. Fortunately, the tray is easy to clean, and the crayon comes off with a little soapy scrubbing--which Z is happy to help with.

So I had this idea. Instead of destroying rain forests and stressing out over him writing on the high chair tray, why don't we just treat the tray like a white board and *let* him color on it? We end up scrubbing it off anyway, so what's the difference?

EDIT: We've trained him too well. If we hand him crayons, he sits and waits for the paper. If he starts to color on the tray, he often says "no!" before we get around to stopping him.

Ode to a Co'd

2009-11-13T14:40:06Z

My poor little honey,
His nose is all runny.
What a bad cold he's got!
You may think it's funny
That Z's nose is runny,
But--I assure you--it's snot.

Thankful Day 4

2009-11-12T21:53:30Z

Today I am thankful that I decided to go back to school. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Thankful Day 3

2009-11-11T16:53:26Z

Two birds with one stone: today I am thankful for the brave men and women who serve and have served in our armed forces. Here's one of them, my grandfather, George J Welgus:

I'm very thankful to have grown up with such a wonderful grandfather.

Yard Sale

2009-11-11T15:58:44Z

I have some skirts and a leather jacket up for sale on eBay, if anyone's interested.

http://shop.ebay.com/lady_isabeau13/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

Thankful

2009-11-10T16:15:45Z

Today I am thankful for my sweet little boy, and especially thankful that he only has a cold, and not the flu! Our pediatrician's office has been out of flu vaccine since early October, and today when I tried to get him a flu shot at the county board of health, I was told they were all out until Thursday!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-10T04:32:32Z

Sigrid posted this on Facebook, and I decided it was a better thing to do here. (It'll get re-posted to FB anyway.)

"Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today...."

So instead of my status, you get it as a journal entry. Lessee, should I start with the big, obvious stuff, or the little things?

Today (and every day!) I'm thankful for Aaron, the world's best husband (sorry, ladies!), and the best parenting partner I could wish for.

Family News

2009-11-08T22:31:52Z

Mom has been visiting her cousins in California the last couple of weeks. While she was there, the younger of them, Debbie, passed away in the night. I haven't been sure how, of if, to post about it, because I wasn't really very close to Debbie. My mom was, though, and has given me permission to re-post this.

Debbie was more than a cousin. She was one of my best girlfriends.

Debbie spent years devoting herself to the care of her mother Dorothy. When Dorothy was well, we would take trips together, along with her beautiful greyhound Cheyenne. San Francisco, San Diego, Solvang. We always had such fun.

Debbie was a true “Woman of Valor”, true and loyal to her friends and caring and loving to her mother. Debbie was loved by them all.

I came to visit for Halloween. Debbie had her annual pumpkin carving party on Halloween afternoon. In the evening we walked up to Santa Monica Blvd. to see the madness that is Halloween in West Hollywood. The next day we met another cousin, Victor, for lunch, and we had a wonderful visit.

That night Debbie went to sleep and didn’t wake up. I will miss my girlfriend.

Z Plays in the Ball Crawl

2009-11-07T19:43:01Z

This is the autumn fate of the kiddie pool. Balls courtesy of grandma kesslec.

Click here for more.

Z's ABCs

2009-11-06T04:41:16Z

And just to show you further proof of my kid's early genius... ;)

Z and His Alphabet

2009-11-06T03:23:17Z

This puzzle kept him solidly entertained for a *very* long time. I was even able to sneak out of the room and go to the bathroom without him noticing!

Weird Science II

2009-11-05T00:21:49Z

So you talked me into it. Here's what I replied to the science teacher:

Thank you for your reply. I still have a few questions, however; I feel like you didn't really address what I asked you.

If the display is not meant to show stereotypes, why do the posters include such "humorous" stereotypes such as the "indecision nucleus," the "shopping spree center," and the "juicy gossip switch," while neglecting any actual scientific labels? (I'll attach photographs of the posters I'm referring to, in case that's unclear.) And if the display is meant to show actual differences in male and female brains, where are the drawings of the male brains? Were they maybe part of a larger display whose details I missed?

As it happens, there are numerous studies indicating that women are not necessarily "wired" by biology to be "more verbal" than men (see Mark Liberman's 2006 article in the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/09/24/sex_on_the_brain/?page=full and also Mehl, et al 2007: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/317/5834/82).

In case you're wondering about my concern, I have a young son who will be old enough for kindergarten in a few years, and since we live very close to Dekalb-Path, I was checking it out to see if we'd like to consider sending him there.

Thanks to agentmelo for the reference to the Mehl, et al article.

Incidentally, counting the responses to this series of posts, both here and on Facebook, gave me the following result: 17 female respondents and 5 male respondents. The 8 respondents who commented more than once were all female. So, um. More talkative? :)