Have brain, will travel

Hello friends, it's been awhile. Time for updates and sharing, and more promises that I am going to write more in October, because I want to/ need to/ miss it and yet- I have this time management problem from hell. So a basic update to assure everyone that the wheels are still turning, the train is not derailed even if it is behind schedule and not quite sure of the station.

Like my beloved Wile E. Coyote, the fun is in the thinking, the planning, the trickery- and if things don't work, well, that just gives you time to come up with a more outrageous plan.  Creativity in action.

The House, our home, is refinanced at a much lower rate (yay) which means for a more reasonable budget each month.  Tanglewood is still standing, still hanging in there in its overgrown yarden, which does have an amazing array of flowers at the moment- a combination of wild purple hazeflowers, goldenrod and pink smartweed mixed with stray naked ladies and roses.  The fennel is over seven feet tall, and creates a beautiful lacy Forest that looks like fairy land, and the leaves on the dogwoods, privets and myrtles are changing.  Let it grow- it is full of lizards and skinks, butterflies and snails, grasshoppers as long as my middle finger and the lovely writing spiders with their huge webs. Yes, on one hand it is a tangly mess, all unkept, but on the other it is a fantastic place with the most interesting of inhabitants.

School - Trask- is going along well, and is the monster that eats my time, but in a good way.  Instead of being so bored and despondent as I was last year, this year is full of new adventures and I am in love with it again.  My advanced class is working with LC's theatre class- I recently discovered a very early version of 'The Snow Queen', which I had to share with everyone.  This ended up in being a collaborative class project, and modeling all the best of how disciplines are supposed to combine- literature and analysis, history, culture, theater, art, technology, music...and imagination.  The kids are learning, into it, excited- they are making silent films, a puppet show, a living game, a retelling video in Spanish with English subtitles, and multimedia books. The rest of school is good as well- classes are interesting, we are painting a mural of a cherry tree in the sensory room, lots of plans and I love presenting all my staff development stuff- teaching teachers.

School- The Raleigh Job.  I didn't get it- they finally decided last week, it seems as if it was between me and another person (the one-who-got-it).  And that is ok.  I admit that I was disappointed, and a bit down- more so in regards to losing the competition rather than really desiring that change. Yes, I would of loved the challenge, the finally graduating to the adult world of cubicles and lovely clothes, living close to the city~ but I love what I have as well.  And I know right now in my bones that this is where I need to be this year, and that I am making a difference right now- and that what will be will be.

School- Virtual (online) School.  Is killing me- this is my time management issue.  I keep putting it on the back burner when I don't need to, resulting in stress and fear- I need to keep this job. And so, after this writing, my act will once again get in gear and I will work on it all day.

School- Graduate School.  Almost to easy, and the internship is natural.  What next?  I love being a student but am hitting my ceiling of time management/ money/ resources..... and I still want my Doctorate, but I am questioning what in.  I feel like I'm finished with the technology focus- I will have my required bells and whistles in that area by the end of next summer (the Masters in Teaching, with extra licences in technology facilitation and certification for administration, meaning that I can teach it in the classroom, or be the 'tech guru' at the school or county level, or administer- online principle sort of- distance learning programs).  All of which rock.  But I want to do something else now- what?

The Most Beloved Mr. Owens.  Is doing great!  Overworking, which resulted in a much needed day on the couch yesterday, but that is ok.  He has been doing the roadside AAA job, also painting interiors of a house for his dad, and busy being a movie star.  Last week took him to Atlanta for wardrobe and screen test for a movie that-can't-be-named (their rules. Nada. Especially on the Internet).  He goes back this week for several days, and will be there most of next week filming.  He was selected for a featured extra (face time!  maybe even voice!) and I am so incredibly proud of him!    Be on the lookout for episode 5 of Revolution on tv- that is the first aired thing that he is part of- should be out third week in October.

That Grendel Boy.  Is also doing well- school and work and looking for an upgrade to the apartment.  He had a great visit with Curtis who came down from Vancouver, and has reconnected with one of our Oak Island people (Ariel) who he had a 'thing' with long ago.  Who knows?  Anyway, he is living his life and I am proud of him-

Those smelly doggs- are smelly. Despite baths and staying inside (lots of rain/mud).  But they are healthy and sweet and do their tricks and love us.

Turrello- has conquered the living room.  The only room that he is banned from now is the Rose Room, because that is full of trouble-to-get-into (in the estimation of the manz).  He is happy that the crochet afghans have reappeared in every room (he has his favorites), that there are things around that smell like pumpkin (which he likes- not as much as flowers, but still-) and that the electric blanket is on full force.  (Well, it always is, but now it seems more normal seeing that it is Fall and all).

Me?  I'm doing ok.  I get tired, and somedays- like yesterday- all I do is sleep.  I eat to much still, but it is Fall and there was this Boston Creme Cake Mr. Owens brought home.....I work to much, but school is school and there are things to be done and people who need me  (I still think that if all parents just switched their teenagers for a few years everyone would be much happier).  I started a painting of a red barn a few weeks ago but haven't had time to finish it, and I haven't been working in my sketchbook much- it isn't coming together which is strange and a bit worrisome. I have been sewing some- finished my crow bag- and thinking lots, dreaming of fairytales and pumpkins and all the good things.   I am going up to Raleigh this next weekend to work with the Art Museum as a consultant for a few days (yay!)- Melissa is meeting me there and we are going to have girl-time and plan for conference presentations.  Which is fun, not work- so that will be good.  I am going to see a new Dr. this month who will hopefully be able to figure out something about my sleeping thing- and make sure that all is well with me tip to toe.  (I feel fine, no worries, just am the most amazing sleeping person ever- I can go straight for over a day, vivid dreams, sleep anytime, anywhere, regardless.  I wish I could get paid for this talent!)

I miss you all, I miss writing.  I've been dreaming- last night it was Mother at a tea shop, with white table cloths, tea and antiques- we had tea and were talking about various things.  I remember it was a place that I was thinking that Aunt Gladys would of liked- not sure where it was but it seemed like around Ligoneer.  Later I dreamed that I was at Sue's, but she and Tom had built a 'get away' house in the mountains by Blowing Rock.  It was on a hill side, had a bathroom that was huge- besides the normal stuff, it had another section with a massage table and gravity chair- all done in black iron, red cushions and white marble (not a normal Podlucky look!).  They also had a ....can't think of what it is called, but an open courtyard in the middle of the house... with a pool and a tree.   We were going out to bale hay later- for some reason this was considered a treat.   I dreamt the other night of Johnstown, and Granny Wrye's apartment in Connor Towers.  Of Barbie and a train, wearing a red dress and carrying a hatbox.  Of weeds along the roadside and a magic rocking chair that could be used like a car- it got great gas mileage- but was a bit of a pain to carry about.   Strange thoughts- swirling leaves in the night.

Ok- now after that bit of oddness, back to normal- I do love you all, and I will try to write/call/fb more- I wish we could sit down for some tea/coffee and apple cake, and just hang out. That day will come!

Mary, in progress.

      Tuesday morning, almost time to start focusing on school things- long weekend flew by quickly.  Sleeping through Saturday (literally- I don't know how Mr. Owens puts up with me)- then focused work all Sunday and Monday, Trask and Virtual school, didn't even touch grad school except for checking the mail.  Groceries, a small bit of cleaning, and a 15 minute play-break that resulted in Mary, above.  This is a digital collage made in photoshop in 15 minutes from five different images- an abandoned caboose, a crazy quilt, fall leaves, a sun tarot card and an photo of an old lady doll with a shotgun.  Attitude.  The edges on the images are a bit to sharp around the sun, but this is the raw collage- later I printed it out, put it on a clipboard I spray painted black, then worked on it a bit with colored pencil and wash until it was blended more.  Then covered the whole thing with spray varnish in hopes of it becoming rather indestructible.  Short, easy project but a welcome (very) relief to the whole brain thing and coping with all the technology glitches with the new system at the virtual school.  Oh- and editing Mr. Owens emotional range video for the Atlanta movie. (He did fine, it was me who kept laughing and being heard on tape....)

     Grendel made it to SC and back- his first road trip in the car- Curtis had come to visit from Vancouver, and had to be driven back down to Grendel's dads, a car switch, then on to the airport.  Which left Grendel driving home solo for the first time for a distance.  He needs a car of his own eventually, unless he ends up in the middle of somewhere like NYC, but I think the West coast would suit him better.  But that is me, not he, and he will end up wherever he gets a job.

    Speaking of which, I have to get on to my job.  All weekend I was developing new content to teach- it is a whole new set of standards after all- and *that* was so much fun.  I wish that I could just find a way to make money doing that- creating the lessons, and these are exactly the type of lessons that we are supposed to achieve.  Meaningful, relevant, multi-media (I have presentations, prezi's, videos, animated shorts- everything!) and connective (at different levels it includes psychology, consumerism, hoarders, outsider artists, lawyers from Portugal and other assorted things, but mainly bic pens, which I now know are properly called 'brios' after the fellow who refined them).  And I think the kids will love it- I know I am looking forward to teaching this week- which is exactly what good lessons are supposed to do.  Engage both the student *and* the teacher.  I know that some of my troubles last year was that I was bored- I was still an ok teacher, but I was boring myself with the old stuff.  Now I am inventing the new, which I love- but it is such an amazing amount of work.  The virtual school has all new curriculum as well (the whole state does) but while I helped develop the course I am teaching, I did not do it all- I just have to teach it.  But through a new learning-management system, which is a bit like walking into the first day of work to discover that the doors are on backwards and someone moved all your stuff.  Do able, but time consuming and frustrating.  I'm not so good at frustrating.  But today is a new day, the first school day of September, and even though it is 90 and tropically humid I am envisioning apples and sweaters just around the corner.  And lawyers from Portugal drawing tigers with bic pens, old ladies with shot guns that live in a caboose.

Final Project

This summer, on one of my trips to the summer institutes, I had the opportunity to explore the old Coats Elementary school in Coats, NC. It was one of those old schools- not the low slung ones that are so common here in the south, but a northern style huge rambling brick school.  The main building itself is four stories tall plus the basement- but there is an attached three story building- the theater is in between them- and an open courtyard with a multi-floor building that I am guessing is the gym/ cafeteria.  (I did not get to explore that one).   There are also numerous long-low more modern buildings that housed the special ed classes, maintenance, other classrooms.  How do I know all of this?  Well, it is easy- everything is still there. Not *everything everything*- for example, most of the desks are gone (or in huge random piles in the maintenance building.)  But the rest? yep.  Rows after Rows of lovely wood and metal theater seats.  Some of the props from the school Christmas play are still on stage.  There is photography equipment, slide carousels, binders, sheafs of loose paper work.  In the special education building there are trays of head phones, dental molds (the plastic teeth things they put in mouths? to make impressions?  Not sure why they are here-), forgotten school pictures of students with down syndrome laying on the floor.  Jumbles of old white computers covered with moss.

In the main office of the school- the tallest building- there is an open safe, unfortunately empty.  The floor is covered though with ribbons and awards for "perfect attendance", "principals list", others.  Christmas cards are taped to a door- some fallen, but most bravely holding on.  There is tinsel on the bookcase.  In the office refrigerator?  Semi-filled 2 liter soft drinks, things in tupperware.

Judging from the dates on the cards and the other artifacts, the school was abandoned just a few years ago- around 2006 (I can't quite remember, and I didn't write it down. argh.).  Not so long ago as to be subject to the stripping of the copper wire and metals for the scrapyards, but long enough to wonder why: a) they obviously did not bother to leave things tidy  b) the ever-strapped-for-resources county (all nc schools are) didn't at least attempt to remove/salvage equipment like the photo-enlargers, shelves, pipes, etc. c) that despite the lack of 'no trespassing' signs, the open gates and the unlocked doors that there is no evidence of vandalism, teen parties, or anything missing except for an area of hard wood flooring that was very carefully stripped up, showing the base boards underneath.  (It was that wonderful, narrow flooring, still keeping its polish over all these years).  Except for pictures- and I admit, one principals and one attendance ribbon, and a giant light bulb as long as my fore-arm, I also left everything intact.  But it is curious- very- I can understand the stack of desks, and even computers, but files? School pictures? Tinsel?  Was everyone so very excited to leave for the new school?

It's funny because in real life, I have never left a pile of stuff randomly behind when moving (and I used to move quite a bit, nature of the beast), but I keep dreaming of going back to places and finding huge heaps of stuff that I have left behind.  Piles in trucks or yards, trash bags of discarded clothes, sentimental things that had gotten ruined one way or the other and had to be discarded, things that I have lost, or that have been taken or given away.  In my dreams I am going through all this stuff, having to decide once again what is worth keeping and discarding, trying to find the few beloved things that I really miss- and can never find.  I am haunted by things, and places, and the ghosts of objects.  Perhaps that is why I am so drawn to the lost and abandoned- what exactly am I looking for?

I hope to return to Coats soon- hopefully with the manz in tow- I only got to explore briefly the ground level of the largest building and the back special ed/ maintenance building. I looked in the others, but did not have time to *really* look, and I know better than to go upstairs alone.  Still- I want to see what else is hidden there, what other things were left behind.  I just might find what I've been looking for.

September

Another season starts, and another post about my star- can't help it, I'm his biggest fan!  September today, my official start of fall, time for school buses and apples, football game shenanigans, the smell of pumpkins and- even though it is hot out side- the time for hot tea is right around the corner.  We had a very wet August, and everything is overgrown, swampy, green- thick with bugs, and frogs, and the largest skink I've ever seen lives around our porch.  I'm back to school three-fold- somehow managing to work the first two weeks straight without much of a break- including weekends (work and football duty until 10pm), convocation, open houses live and virtual, and endless time spent on the computer.  Although not officially notified, apparently I did not get the Raleigh job- and that is ok.  Right now I am where I need to be, and my kids are their usual mix of excitement, drama and just plain pains in the patuska at times. I am playing ketchup already- computers haven't been working right at any of my schools, which leaves confusion for everyone and a lesson learned (hopefully) that major system switches should be accomplished *well ahead of time*.  But I have some confidence and all will be well.

While I have been merely moseying along in my traces, my beloved Mr. Owens is shining his star.  The photos above are from different days shooting "Revolution" (watch for the premiere of the show on Sept. 17)- he is in episode 5.  I love his look in these photos- and I can clearly see why he is cast to do the things he does.  Apparently he has charisma as well- everyone gets along with him, directors and pa's (what ever those are) as well as the other extras....and lunch conversation with one of the main characters (who came to talk to him)...which is very cool in my book.  And we are on to the next step- for one of the films coming up from Atlanta, he not only made the first and second cut, but they asked for video with him going through specific emotions and reactions.  This is for a possible 'featured extra', which is where you are not speaking, but you are part of the immediate scene instead of background.  The only thing that we are having problems with is the crying part- learning to cry on cue is not easy for anyone- but we will work on that, have it filmed, edited and submitted by Monday.  Keep your fingers crossed!

This is an amazing amount of fun- for me- I love hearing his stories from the set, the occasional movie-food he brings home (on the rare occasion that there are left-overs.  Catering really is as good as they say- last thing was trout with a lemon-ginger glaze.... apparently most people went for the roast beef, so he brought me a heaped box of trout, fresh yellow squash and mixed veg.   Healthy as well!)  But he does work extremely long days.  All last week his call times were well before 8, and after the first day, he had to travel 1 1/2 hours to the set.  Days fairly much- save for one- lasted 14 or so hours, plus the drive home, get up do it again.  The extras don't dare be late, or skip a day- but once you are there you may or may not be used, so it is lots of waiting.  Which involves lots of conversation, snacks, games, Frisbee- of course, I would sit and draw- or try to- but then I would be covered in ink and they would get cranky with me.  The movies that he worked on before this were at night- dinner time to sunup- and for the possible Atlanta one we don't know- except they were told to keep out of the sun, bathe in lemon juice to speed fading tans, and be skinny. (Which movie food doesn't help- though he can eat a horse and not gain an ounce).  Mr. Owens is made for this- as I am made to teach and create.  It is so nice to be loving what you do.

Right now- this Saturday morning- I stayed in bed very late, very very late, and am cleaning about the house.  He is off working the 'knight in shining armor' tow-truck job, holiday weekend they need all hands on deck.  For the first time all week it is sunny out, and I was able to evict the doggs to the yarden- little do they know that a bath is in their future.  Even though I have (4!) long lists to accomplish this weekend, I feel happy and relaxed, enjoying the sun, the day, the first of fall.