small resistances

pushing back against

the grim seemingly awful

leadership of now

excess/deficiency

oh golden mean, how

your Greek beauty taunts my crazed

and chaotic brain

I don't even know how to say thank you

While we were at the Christmas dinner after Lessons & Carols, a student (whom I don't know) approached me with a gift from a secret Santa and told me that the package was fragile.  I peeked in and thought it was an enormous gold-wrapped chocolate.  There are a couple of my colleagues who I thought might be the donors (the one who gave me the rosemary plant in Bogart's memory was my first choice), but when I opened it?  I discovered that it was a hand-crafted urn for Bogart's ashes crafted by our art teachers.  

how do you form words

to express bone-marrow deep

gratitude for grace?

holly, jolly something

Missing one girl from this photo~these are my sweet choir girls from first period.  They represent:  Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Russia, China, Pakistan~and they all tackled singing in Latin, French, and Spanish this term. When I get official photos from our Lessons & Carols, I will share them!

These are my two freshman advisees~you couldn't find two girls more opposite in pretty much every facet~our twice weekly lunches are always...interesting.   But both of them are in the winter production of Hairspray.  

giddiness at the

end of the term~do they know

that teachers are too?

I'm still standing

And, after this current job sitch, that's sayin' something.

exhaustion at the

molecular level~where's 

my silent night?

after the excavation

After I gutted my classroom last autumn, the art teachers came and asked what I was going to put on the blank walls.  They said to just wait awhile.  I walked into my classroom last Monday~a very dreary and dripping day to find musical art work from senior portfolios!!  So lovely.

from the aural to

the concrete~swirls of painting

capture sound from air

sun day

as de Mille said that

destiny's silently known~

it must be so

(yes, the last line is missing a syllable, but changing 'so' to 'truthful' just didn't flow for me.)

field trippin'

We were so lucky to get admission for the entire school  last Friday for the brand new Smithsonian Museum of African American  History and Culture.  I hear the wait is now over 1.5 years to get in.

It was just a smidge chillier than when I was here in April, but we were happy the sun was out to help with the waiting in line in 22 degreed weather.

I never did find a plaque describing the lobby sculpture~next time I'll figure out what it is. 

My favourite level was the one on the arts~I went through the music room three times~just in awe of all the notes that have gone into the world through all these artists~from gospel to the blues to the classical musicians. 

Now I really need to do that blues trail trip~go from Nawlins to Memphis to Chicago. 

Fats Waller's shoes.  There was never enough clear space to get a photo of one of Louis Armstrong's trumpets.  I fully plan on coming back here on my own field trip~any music history class I teach now needs this as a component. 

I did get close to Dizzy Gillespie's horn. 

A gown worn by one of my favorite mezzos. 

The incredible Judith Jamison

Taken for my dance/choreographer friend in the Bay Area. 

a Duke Ellington manuscript

Excellent words.  And if possible, more pertinent today.

A view on Pennsylvania Avenue while standing in line to get into dinner. 

My first time in DC at Christmas~soooooo pretty.

While all the mini-spotlights and sign lighting, it was impossible to get the camera to focus.  And, oh yeah, the shivering/quivering crowds.   The smaller trees were all decorated by school children to represent each state.  I was walking around with a history teacher~at first, she thought it would be great to not have signs and to have people guess which state was which.  But after we saw Iowa with wadded up paper in several ornaments, we decided we wouldn't even be able to guess~let alone students. 

SO freakin' cold.  I may not survive this winter

Little train village. 

"let evening come" is

a favored poem and song

it comes gently now

while rushing between classes

random glance upwards

gorgeousness between buildings

breathing~cool, crisp, blue

more audition humour

Bless this child's heart~she listened in my audition workshops and learned that I wasn't asking for 32 minutes of music.  Where she got 'margins', I'll never know.  But she faithfully had 32 measures outlined and nailed her monologue and song.

Baltimore morning

neck-deep in Hairspray~five weeks

until the curtain!!!!

(those would be actual rehearsal weeks, not real time.  The show is on 10 February.)

if the raindrops keep dropping on my head

may as well be chic

while slogging through the mire

happy feet, glad heart

sugar & spice

Per the usual planning around here, we were told at the last minute that we were to do a baking project with our dorm community (small groups of 10).  Fortunately, I generally have baking supplies on hand.   I also am happy to have any excuse to bring out the spray (GENIUS idea) Modge-Podge and glitter pots.

They will be finding glitter in these floor boards for a few years/tenants later. 

Chocolate/Peppermint cheesecake station

Fudge station

Gingerbread cookie station

Supervisors

these are the faces 

I see; every time I hear

the bigots blather

Blake missed one

the world may also

be seen in sparkling droplets

pause my rush to class