I got to work with an amazing dancer yesterday.
She is a Teaching Artist and did some movement activities designed to build community at a retreat for my teaching artists.
She was fabulous!
(And my T.A.s are fabulous - I'm so privileged to be able to work with them!)



After she did her mini-workshop, we sat down to de-construct what she did, and why things worked. In the process of responding to our observations, this dancer said something that really resonated with me, "I am more interested in the the potential of the person in front of me, than I am in anything that I know or need to tell them."

WOW!
I love it! That attitude is such the opposite of everything that hapens in our schools, churches, seminars, and conferences. If every teacher, manager, preacher, facilatator, coach, and person was really truly more interested in the possibility of a person and what they already had/were (instead of what we can teach/tell/give them) - - - WOW!

By the way, the day was truly wonderful.
I was feeling very blah and physically miserable (and the day had the opportunity to erode into a day long bitch fest - but that didn't happen!) It was magical!

ODE TO DRUGS
Dimetapp - you're "great grape taste" tasted awful. But in pill form you were swallowable. Then I read that you were associated with an increased risk of stroke and decided to abandon you.

Benedryl - you worked wonderfully - even half a children's tablet (which is like 1/4 of the adult dosage) would make the occassional sniffles go away. Alas, you also made me completely exhausted!

Claritin - So hyped as the solution to all things allergy. It took me a long time to try you (because I had to finish off that package of Benedryl. I'm one of the lucky ones that only has ossicaional allergy issues and it took a while to finish).
Claritin, you were expensive, and 6 hours after popping your little pill, I still feel sneezy, sniffley, and sore throat-y. What's worse is that because I trusted your 24 hour formula - I can't take anything else until 3:00 tomorrow.

Damn you Claritin.

QUOTE
Keep in mind the one assumption you sould always make; namely that you and others don't understand each other. Assume that others interpret what you say differently from the way you do, and that they mean something different from what you think they mean. Until you've gone through a rigorous process of information gathering and assumption challenging, it's wise to assume that even if the words sound familiar you're speaking two differenet languages

- Naomi Karten

Spin
Via Flight Risk

CREATIVITY
According to Handbook of Creativity by R. Sternberg, 45 years of systematic empiricle research reveals common personality traits of artists

1. Openness to experience, fantasy and imagination
2. Impulsivity and lack of conscientiousness
3. Anxiety, affective illness, and emotional sensititvity
4. Drive and ambition
5. Norm douting non-coformtiy, and independence
6. Hostility, aloofness, unfriendliness, and lack of warmth
7. Introversion

I scored 6 out of 7 - not bad for a wannabe arts adminstrator!
Anyone wanna guess which one caused me to miss a point?

CUTE KID STORY

I took my 3 year old nephew to the park today.
His parents appreciate the break, and the kid likes going to "Aunt Julie's Special Park" (and Aunt Julie's Special Park is really cool!)

We played on the slides, tunnels, ladders, sandboxes, bridges, and swings. But the most exciting part of the whole thing was chasing fireflies around the big field!

After 20 minutes of running, we stoped for a kool-aid break and I told him, "You dad and I used to chase fireflies back when he was a boy."

He looked at me and said, "You mean when daddy was a boy and I was the daddy?"

COMMENT GAME
via the lovely Miss Steph
1) Leave a comment with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in.
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.

GRANT REVIEW
The winners of the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination grant program have been announced!
I'm not allowed to indicate which grants I reviewed for the Dept. of Ed. (but I wouldn't be excited about the winners if my favorite proposal didn't make the cut!)

Congratulations to [un-named organization]!

BLAH
It sounds like such a second-grade-esque thing to say, but my best friend is moving away. )-:
I'm lonley just thinking about it.

* * *

Everyone is asking me about the Wisconsin job.
I haven't heard anything (and as of last Friday they hadn't talked to my references.
I'm trying not to think about it.
(And bracing for the rejection letter)

* * *

A SMU friend is having a rough time with life
My boss is stressed and trying to micro-manage through me (not micromanage me - but get me to micromanage other people - which is almost worse).

* * *

And I'm tired.
My throat's a little sore
And I hate it when I'm a whiney baby

Anyone know any good jokes?? Please share . . .

PEPERMINT ICE TEA
I've been drinking pepermint tea for forever.
("Forever" being defined as "ever since my freshman year of college")

But, until today, I've never thought to make Iced Pepermint Tea!
Chilled pepermint equals mucho goodness!
You must try it - This is the best summertime drink since pink lemonade!

It’s not often that ‘ya see the heathens taking the same side as the folks in christendom – but everyone everywhere (atheists to pastors) are thinking that assisination is bad. Thank you Pat Roberston for bringing the world together. (Let’s all hold hands and sing a non-sectarian version of Kumbaya)

In case you haven't heard. Pat Robertson (a fundy-boy who talks too loudly and is associated with the religious right) said that the U.S. oughta kill the President of Venezuela because he's going to become a terrorist.

My Thoughts (in no particular order)

1. Mom’s advice about bees comes to mind, “Don’t bother it. Ignore it and it’ll go away.” It seems that if people stopped listening to Roberts, that he'd eventually stop talking. It’s rather odd that folks who aren’t fundies, anti-fundimentalists, or 700 Club viewers care what some old washed up preacher thinks. The only reason that anyone’s talking about it (myself included) is because everyone else is talking about it. If we'd all shut up and ignore him, he'd no longer have an audience!

2. On the other hand to paraphrase the oft cited quote, “Evil prevails when the good people don’t do nothing.” So I guess ignoring him isn't necessarily the best option.

3.It’s not like this assassination thing is a new idea – The U.S. tried to kill Castro on several occasions. And I've watched enough television and spy movies to know that the government kills people all the time. (And if it was on T.V. - it must be true!)

4. I wonder what Robertson would say if Chavez were an embryo instead of a grown-up? (And while we’re on the subject, please go re-read this post!)

5. I really don’t understand what the fuss is about. Robertson was not speaking as a politician with power to launch a bomb, and (as far as I can tell) he never claimed to be speaking on behalf of biblegod. He’s was talking to hear himself talk (and unfortunately someone happened to be listening).

6. Assassination usually works better when one keeps it a secret. By talking about it on national television he has foiled any possible attempt to ever actually assassinate anyone. (He needs to learn to speak in code). (Unless of course, “Let’s assassinate Chavez” is actually a code for something else –that could be exciting!

7. No one complained after that episode of The West Wing were Jeb Bartlet killed a dictator. (Yes, I know The West Wing is just pretend, but it’s the same principal and philosophy!)

HAPPPY BACK TO SCHOOL to all the Valley Girls!
[evil laugh]
I'm not gonig back to school at all this year.
No homework, no papers, no tests!

A BAT STORY
Inspired by Dr. Bitch I will now share with you my bat story.

It was nighttime, and I was in bed, ready to sleep.
There was a rustling noise (kind of like the sound of a cat playing with the vertical blinds) in the other room, which I ignored. (Because, I had a cat that liked to play in my vertical blinds).

But the rustling noise continued, and I suddenly realized that the kitty could not be playing in the blinds beacuse she was in bed with me!

Grabbing the phone (so I could do an emergency 911) I went to the living room and turned on the light, and saw a little bird flying overhead. (Now, of course, if you've read the title of this post, you've already figured out that it wasn't a bird, but I didn't know that yet!)

When I was growing up, birds used to get stuck in our furnance pipe all the time. Dear 'Ole Dad would have me hold open the backdoor while he unscrewed a pipe in the furnance. As soon as it was open the bird would smell fresh air and fly right out the door. SO . . . using those memories as a guide, I opened the patio window and waited for the "bird" to fly out of my apartment.

But it didn't.

That bird just flew around in circles
Around and around and around and around
So . . . I called Dear 'Ole Dad and asked for advice.

It was while I was on the phone with him that the creature settled himself on a lamp, so I was able to get a little close (not too close) and see that this "bird" looked kind of like a hampster - - and then I realized that the critter was a bat

I tried to unplug the lamp (on which the bat was resting) and move it outside. But the bat didn't like that and he started flying around the room again.

Dear 'Ole Dad then suggested sprying something yucky (like Windex) at the bat, hoping that the fumes would spray him out. I sprayed, and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed hoping to corner him out the window - but it didn't work. (At this point, like Bitch, I thought about leaving the patio window open all night so the bat could fly out - but squireles and stray cats often came on my patio, and I didn't want them wandering into my kitchen).

It was at this point that Dear 'Ole Dad came up with the idea of wacking the critter with a tennis racket. (Uh, yeah. Even if I owned a tennis racket, it's not likely that I'd have the hand-eye coordination to hit a bat). But, not having any better idea, I grabbed a broom and tred (unsuccessfully) to smack the bat.

Now you must remember it's like 11:30 at night.
I'm in my pajamas
The lights are on
The window is wide open
The carpet is covered with the slippery smelly fallen mist of lemon windex
And I'm flaying a broom around my living room.

I could hear people outside walking by - but I didn't care
My only mission in life was to get the bat out
And I took a solid swing at the bat
Missed
Lost my balance
Sliped on the slippery windex covered carpet
And fell.

It was that point when I realized how surreal it all was. (I thought, "This has got to be what it feels like to be high.")

Pride wounded, butt hurting, and bat still flying around the room, I turned on the kitchen celling fan to help disperse the overly windexed smell.

The Bat flew right into a fan blade
Which propelled him
right
out
the
window.

I have no idea how the bat got into my apartment
And I moved a few weeks later, so I never bothered to report it to the building matience guys.

But that bat was the weirdest thing in the whole wide world.

BECOME BELONG BELIEVE AND BUILD
Random Thoughts about Girl Scout Weekend

1. New CPR is much easier than the old CPR .

2. I'm glad there are extroverts in the world (yes, they talk too much, and sometimes they won't leave you alone. But, when one is in a room full of strangers, it's awfully nice to have a talkative person randomly come up to you and chat (and chat and chat and chat!)

3. Sleeping in a tent is good for you!

4. Camp Lakamaga is gosh darn nice. (Their platform tents are wicked cool! The waterfront is beautiful (although it lacks Logan's pretty swamp) and the facilities are fabulous. (I love Camp Logan but . . . Lakamaga WOW!)

5. Community is an amazingly wonderful thing. (So are chocolate, fires, songs, and meals with people!)

6. I'm not a "normal" leader (and my group is hardly your typical troop) and that's just dandy (because "normal" GS Leaders are weird!).

7. Delfi and Oasis need to open up their dream camp soon - - because I'm really missing all things camp.

FRIDAY MEMORIZATION CHALLENGE
It's time for something a little more rowdy!

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn - world serves its own needs, don't misserve your own needs. Feed it up a knock, speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height, down height. Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for hire and a combat site. Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population, common group, but it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn. Lock him in uniform and book burning, blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle, light a motive. Step down, step down. Watch a heel crush, crush. Uh oh, this means no fear - cavalier. Renegade and steer clear! A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mount St. Edelite. Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs. Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic, slam, but neck, right? Right.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine...fine...

From It's the End of the World as we Know It by R.E.M.

CAMP TRAINING WEEKEND!
I'm not excited about taking the required 1st Aid/CPR courses again (I'm kicking myself for ever allowing those certs to expire - stupid, stupid, stupid).

And I'm not excited about taking the required "How to Cook Over a Fire" training. (After three summers of camp counseloring, I probably have more experience teaching fire-circle-safety than the trainers!)

Nor am I terribly excited about spening 48 hours with [insert blood curling scream] Troop Mothers!

BUT . . .

I am excited about the private Ann Reed concert n Saturday night. (If she sings Heroes my life will be complete!)

And I am excited to use my tent again, and to wander in the woods, and to breathe tree-y air, and play in the lake.

I'm excited to be around people that argue over the correct words and motions to The Princess Pat (It is "A Rick-a-Dan-Doo;" don't believe anyone who says otherwise!)

And I'm excited to have some quality time with the GS Staff. (I need to pick some brains and ask complicated questions).

It's going to be a great weekend.

QUOTE

What is now proved was once only imagined

- William Blake

RAMBLINGS
As a baby, my first words were "kitty," "book," and "ball."
(Interestingly enough, if you were to come to my house right now, the first thing you'd notice would be the books, and the kitty toys that semmingly take over the place!)

In a similar vein, my mom's first words were "Cheese please" (which is a fun story - esp. if you like cheese!) I kinda wish I'd been clever enough to make "cheese please" my first words. (Because cheese is quite tasty!) But babies don't worry much about being clever, they just say what is important (like "kitty" and "book"!)

Anyway, I applied for a job in the Land of Cheese - and I'm not saying much more because I don't want to jinx it.

But, I am one of the (three??) finalists for the position.

And I spent yesterday traveling there (and back) for the final interview. Beautiful drive (but it was a long long day).

And I didn't stop to buy cheese, (I was too busy trying to make good time on my 600+ mile drive).

Interviews are good, because it means they obviously like you enough to want to talk to you, but interviews are bad because they are not really the best way to see the "True Juile." (Now if they would just put me to work for a couple of months, they'd get a sense of the real me - which is probably why my internships easily turn into jobs!)

Anyway, I think the cheesy interview went alright - but not fabulous or fantastic, but also nothing tragic. The powers that be expect to make a decision early next week - - crossed fingers, good karma, and prayers are appriciated (as is any form of voodoo against my co-applicants -- but nothing violent or painful, ok?)

There aren't a lot of Arts Advocate type folk living in my zip code (In fact, my congressman is one of the fellas that always votes to eliminate the NEA and PBS, and his constitutency doesn't seem to mind at all).

As a result, when one attends an Minnesota Citizens for the Arts "chat-with-your-representatives events, one is likely to see the same handful of people that were at the last MCA "chat-with-your-representative" meeting - - because there aren't a lot of art advocate folks hanging out in yuppie suburbia.

Anyway . . . I'm reading through my local paper yesterday, and came across an article about this local fella named Shawn who was on some WB reality show where geeky guys and beautiful girls try to kill each other (or something like that). The picture in the paper looked like one of the Arts Advocacy people in my district, but I'm not sure.

The fella I'm thinking of (let's call him ArtsAdvocacyGuy) was in law school (and this Shawn-fella finished law school).

And ArtsAdvocacyGuy was a bit of a geek (He uses poly-syllabic words when talking to representatives - which likely exceeds WB's Standard of Geekiness).
But ArtsAdvocacyGuy doesn't seem like the type to go be on a reality show (And I don't know when they did the taping, but spring seems likely, and ArtsAdvocacyGuy was in town last April because I saw him at a MCA Advocacy Event).

But I don't know.
Maybe there are two geeky almost-lawyers living in my anti-arts district.
I wish I could remember ArtsAdvocacyGuy's name - but I can't.
And I wish Shawn would mention something artsy on his site- just so we'd know.
And I wish I had something more interesting to say - but I don't.

And that's all I've got.
But maybe tomorrow I'll write something more interesting.
So come back then.

BOOK "RELEASE" PARTY

As some of you have already heard over email, I'm getting rid of some books to prep for the next stage of life.

I'd much prefer to give them away than hassel with selling them. So, if you, dear reader, are interested in any of the following titles, drop me a line (or leave a comment) and the book will be yours.

First come first served (and at some point I'm going to have to break down and sell whatevers left - so speak up soon!)


The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
Interesting book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary - It is a non-fiction piece, but reads like a novel. Recomended.

A Tree Full of Angels: Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary
By Macrina Wiederkehr
I bought this used several years ago based on the recomendation of a stranger on one of my touchy feely email groups. (The moral of the story - don't trust strangers on email groups!)

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister By the author of Wicked -
This is a neat story, but I don't much like reading stuff written in present tense (it confuses me). SO I don't read and re-read this one enough to justify the space it takes on my bookshelf. Someone deserves to enjoy it. CLAIMED by SR

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Lots of other people liked it - I didn't. (Brown seems to think that abruptly changing stories is equivilant to a cliff hanger - it's not!)
CLAIMED (by my favorite practicing catholic!)

What Would I Believe if I Didn't Believe Anything?
(I'm going to operate under the the 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all' principal here!)

The Gospel According to Peanuts by Robert Short
Got this for 2 cents at the Pella Library Book Sale - VERY USED, but it has lots of cartoons!

Ordinary People By Judith Guest
Another Pella Library Book Sale item - It's a nice book, kind of depressing at times, but definately worth reading once or twice!

Phaedra by Racine
Read in college. I think this is the one about the women going on a sex strike to stop a war - but I'm not sure. Maybe you could tell me after you read it!!

Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson
A half price books book. It's a fiction book about a girl and her messed up mom. Good to read when you know you'll be interupted a lot (because it's easy to put down). CLAIMED by SR

History of the United States Harvey Waserman
This was a mistake. I thought I was getting Howard Zinn's book - but I was mislead by an online seller (beware of online book sellers!)

SUNDAY MUSINGS
I wonder if, in all fairness, Bush is going to push Darwinism in the religious schools?
After all, it's only fair that Christian students be exposed to different schools of thought just like the public school kids.


We now return you to your regularily scheduled silence.