One of the best things about being full-time on campus is being able to attend special pomp-and-circumstance events like the convocation. The event is akin to a Presidential State of the Union address, meant to not only address any weak aspects, but to compliment our good points and inform us on improvements to be made.
And, afterward, there's always a nice lunch. Bonus!
I had arranged to attend, as I'm always up for these events, as I said.
The crux of this meeting concerned the upcoming inspections this spring. The inspectors will be checking to see how the new QEP is working. But also, and of more concern to those in charge, the inspectors will be checking to see how well-known the QEP is on campus. Are the students aware that there is a Quality Enhancement Plan? What about the staff, do they know of it? And, perhaps most importantly, are the faculty well-versed in the basic tenets of First Class? These are questions which keep administrators up at night.
Seriously.
Well, I consider the head administrator a friend of mine. She and I have been chatting over coffee and at events (from tree-planting to art show receptions to wherever we happen to be together), for the past three years and we have found we have several things in common. Nice! We are always sure to give each other a warm hug, too!
So, there we were, chatting post-convocation, and the concern over spreading the word about the QEP arose. Out of nowhere, the words spring out of my mouth: Why not have practice runs on campus before the investigators arrive? Why not have folks get randomly stopped and asked about the QEP? If they don't know, then would be the time to educate them. If they DO know, and can briefly describe First Class, why not reward them with a pin or something that they can show off? You know, give them bragging rights!
Let me tell you, she LOVED the idea! Much excitement! She called over others to have them note the idea and made sure they wrote my name, too. Wow! And soon it was being determined what type of reward... pins would be good, pins that maybe said "First Class"... and what a boon it would be to surprise the investigators with an informed and active community before their very eyes!
Sometimes, I have no idea what my mind is coming up with next. Like that time I was talking about the chairs in my dining room being in an aromatic configuration...
Bit I digress.
I can say that those words to the administrator friend were derived from my marriage for fifteen years to a man in advertising, all the while listening to his ideas and concerns and analyses of current ad campaigns.
See, I did listen. Thankfully.
I'll be very interested to see how this works out!
After the luncheon, I resumed my regularly scheduled activities.
And after THAT, I was off to the latest Wednesday night offering by the PFS. Woohoo! Film noir with my bfe! The film was from 1952, "Kansas City Confidential", and was one I had been eagerly anticipating. I'm a fan of noir and the whole good-guy-triumphing-over-evil thing, especially, and although I can't ever seem to match the man's face with his name, I like John Payne, too. He fits right in with old time favorites like Montgomery CLift and Gregory Peck, you know? But in a more rugged, yet more sensitive, style.
So, there I was having a marvelous day, spending the tail end of that day sitting with my bfe watching a good, old, movie, on the couch he had snagged for us at the coffee house. Usually, we were the only ones on the couch; tonight, there was a third, a fellow I had spoken with before about the house tomato soup. I was in the middle.
I like to give my bfe plenty of room. In the past, I've gotten the impression he preferred it that way. Not tonight. When I settled back to watch the movie, I became aware that my arm was touching his... and he was keeping it that way. Then, my arm was allowed to slip down a little farther, and I could feel his chest rising as he breathed. And we stayed that way, amazingly.
I was being nestled.
So very nice.
You know how I am about touch.
And I just settled into his touch there, enjoying his company, breathing the air together, watching an old black and white film made before either of us were born.
How very soothing... and what a marvelous end to my golden day...
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
science, symphony, cirque!
Yesterday morning started early, much earlier than a Saturday had done for a long time for me. But it was definitely worth it! I was a reader at the regional-level Science Bowl, a high-school competition. I've volunteered for it for the past few years and enjoy interacting with those students and their coaches. The whole experience reminds me of the after-school science projects I was fortunate enough to be part of in high school! Even my stuffy sinuses couldn't dull my enthusiasm today!
My bfe was the table judge for the room I was assigned to - another good thing! Though he did razz me about my pronunciation of the some of the foreign names, but, like, really??? How does Euler get pronounced "oil' er"??? Ah, well, I don't know that it made any difference to the students, nor to their coaches, so all was right in the world... and continued to be so!
After the Science Bowl, when all had their fill of pizza and soda and had pictures to show the folks back home, he and I set off for South Carolina. Woohoo! We had each brought our travel bags to the school, so it was a simple matter of va-va-va-VROOM!
We were off to the Symphony, you see. We'd had this trip planned since late Jeffvember - er, that would be November to most folks! - when I had been reminded of his enjoyment of live presentations of classical music. It was too late to catch anything he was interested in that month, and December would be too busy, but January? Definitely doable! I had gone ahead and gotten the seats, as the show was almost sold out, and I had even been fortunate enough to snag two seats in the front row in the balcony. Major score!!!
And now it was finally time for us to travel to Charleston, with plenty of driving-around-at-whatever-pace for the trip. Very nice!
We even had a few moments for an impromptu visit at the Farmhouse Antiques and Neat Stuff store on the side of road, boasting everything from books to fireworks to pink flamingoes and flying pigs. Really! We made a nice leisurely rest stop of it, wandering all over the property, picking up this, touching that. Okay, all of that touching of stuff was mostly me, since I wouldn't keep my hands in my pockets as I had been taught to do. But he did some, too. Yes, he did! And I found a lovely wooden sea turtle for myself and a hope-this-cheers-you-up gift (Batman coasters!!) for my huggable karate friend who's had a rough patch of luck lately.
Then on up to Charleston we drove, to the only downtown antebellum hotel there. Near the theatre and downtown? Sah-weet! And it's a historic building? Even nicer! And it really was.
We dropped off our stuff in the third-floor room and went off to explore the city. After wandering in the wrong direction for quite a while in the cold, we retraced our steps to the hotel, went up to get warmer accessories, then went in search of the symphony venue again. And, again, after a bit of misstepping, we DID finally locate the Sottile Theatre. Boasting a new marquee on King Street - well, new since I was last there two years ago - and its red carpet, the setting was right for the event that night!
We had an hour to spare, so off to Taziki's for a quick dinner, treat of the bfe. Woohoo! Grilled lamb gyro for me and Greek salad gyro for him and we were good to go. Mighty tasty, but not heavy - yum! But no time for dessert, as we needed to claim our seats for the Cirque de la Symphonie!
Yeah, you heard that right: Cirque de la Symphonie. The Charleston Symphony had arranged to have four entertainers from Cirque Du Soleil to participate in portions of their show. How very supercool! A juggler, a magician and lovely assistant, a box-twirler, a red ribbon swirler, and two sparkling aerialists, interspersed with and enhanced by the works of Antonin Dvorak, Georges Bizet, Piotr Ilych Tchaichovsky, Bedrich Smetana and others... Wow! Many of the works were familiar to me, as they were pulled from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Carmen, other theatrical dance presentations, and that was wonderful, too. I could really enjoy the music AND the visual artistry of the Cirque troup! And when it was done, we both sat and allowed it to soak in, as the theatre emptied and the musicians cased their instruments and left. Then we took our leave, exiting to the brisk air of a night in January.
How about some baklava? Sure, that would be nice. Why don't we try this place across the street? Sure, it looks like it would have baklava! And Manny's Mediterranean Cafe did, indeed, have baklava, as well as bottomless cups of coffee and hot tea. What a great bonus! And we sat there and I had my baklava with the drizzled honey, and we talked and talked. At one point, we were concerned that we might be keeping them late with our meager fare, so we asked: "What time do you close?" "Not until 3 AM," the young woman answered. And then she gave us more coffee and hot tea! So we stayed a bit longer, until the late night crowd started bustling in, then we made sure of the quickest route back to the warm hotel and made it there with not wrong turns. Yeah for us!
What a marvelous Saturday, wrong turns and detours and all!
My bfe was the table judge for the room I was assigned to - another good thing! Though he did razz me about my pronunciation of the some of the foreign names, but, like, really??? How does Euler get pronounced "oil' er"??? Ah, well, I don't know that it made any difference to the students, nor to their coaches, so all was right in the world... and continued to be so!
After the Science Bowl, when all had their fill of pizza and soda and had pictures to show the folks back home, he and I set off for South Carolina. Woohoo! We had each brought our travel bags to the school, so it was a simple matter of va-va-va-VROOM!
We were off to the Symphony, you see. We'd had this trip planned since late Jeffvember - er, that would be November to most folks! - when I had been reminded of his enjoyment of live presentations of classical music. It was too late to catch anything he was interested in that month, and December would be too busy, but January? Definitely doable! I had gone ahead and gotten the seats, as the show was almost sold out, and I had even been fortunate enough to snag two seats in the front row in the balcony. Major score!!!
And now it was finally time for us to travel to Charleston, with plenty of driving-around-at-whatever-pace for the trip. Very nice!
Then on up to Charleston we drove, to the only downtown antebellum hotel there. Near the theatre and downtown? Sah-weet! And it's a historic building? Even nicer! And it really was.
We dropped off our stuff in the third-floor room and went off to explore the city. After wandering in the wrong direction for quite a while in the cold, we retraced our steps to the hotel, went up to get warmer accessories, then went in search of the symphony venue again. And, again, after a bit of misstepping, we DID finally locate the Sottile Theatre. Boasting a new marquee on King Street - well, new since I was last there two years ago - and its red carpet, the setting was right for the event that night!
We had an hour to spare, so off to Taziki's for a quick dinner, treat of the bfe. Woohoo! Grilled lamb gyro for me and Greek salad gyro for him and we were good to go. Mighty tasty, but not heavy - yum! But no time for dessert, as we needed to claim our seats for the Cirque de la Symphonie!
Yeah, you heard that right: Cirque de la Symphonie. The Charleston Symphony had arranged to have four entertainers from Cirque Du Soleil to participate in portions of their show. How very supercool! A juggler, a magician and lovely assistant, a box-twirler, a red ribbon swirler, and two sparkling aerialists, interspersed with and enhanced by the works of Antonin Dvorak, Georges Bizet, Piotr Ilych Tchaichovsky, Bedrich Smetana and others... Wow! Many of the works were familiar to me, as they were pulled from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Carmen, other theatrical dance presentations, and that was wonderful, too. I could really enjoy the music AND the visual artistry of the Cirque troup! And when it was done, we both sat and allowed it to soak in, as the theatre emptied and the musicians cased their instruments and left. Then we took our leave, exiting to the brisk air of a night in January.
How about some baklava? Sure, that would be nice. Why don't we try this place across the street? Sure, it looks like it would have baklava! And Manny's Mediterranean Cafe did, indeed, have baklava, as well as bottomless cups of coffee and hot tea. What a great bonus! And we sat there and I had my baklava with the drizzled honey, and we talked and talked. At one point, we were concerned that we might be keeping them late with our meager fare, so we asked: "What time do you close?" "Not until 3 AM," the young woman answered. And then she gave us more coffee and hot tea! So we stayed a bit longer, until the late night crowd started bustling in, then we made sure of the quickest route back to the warm hotel and made it there with not wrong turns. Yeah for us!
What a marvelous Saturday, wrong turns and detours and all!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
for the effervescent JinHi
If I were a fairy godmother,
I would wave my magic wand,
And all cancerous growths would be removed from your body and banished forevermore.
Alas, I am not.
If I were the world’s most talented doctor,
I would wield my skillful scalpel against the cancer dragon
And it would lie vanquished beneath your foot, never to rise again.
Alas, I am not.
I am a friend who holds you dear.
I am a friend who has held you dear for a long time
And want to continue to do so.
I am.
Whatever you want me to do,
to make you smile,
to make you laugh,
to make you sing and dance,
I will do.
I take special requests,
from special friends.
I would wave my magic wand,
And all cancerous growths would be removed from your body and banished forevermore.
Alas, I am not.
If I were the world’s most talented doctor,
I would wield my skillful scalpel against the cancer dragon
And it would lie vanquished beneath your foot, never to rise again.
Alas, I am not.
I am a friend who holds you dear.
I am a friend who has held you dear for a long time
And want to continue to do so.
I am.
Whatever you want me to do,
to make you smile,
to make you laugh,
to make you sing and dance,
I will do.
I take special requests,
from special friends.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
can't fix broken
Last weekend, as I was driving under the blue sky and allowing my brain to make sense of life, I had a moment of recognition.
I am still a control freak.
I keep trying to get better and I keep thinking that I am.
But I realized I am still a control freak.
You see, I've been doing my bfe a disservice by viewing him as a person with a whole heart.
But he is not.
And I cannot fix that.
I didn't take his heart and run away with it.
Someone else did.
I gave him a piece of my heart to mend his.
That is not how it works.
I know this.
Broken hearts cannot be mended from the outside.
You would think I would have learned that by now.
Especially as I have loss adjustment as an ongoing process.
Especially.
I am still a control freak.
I keep trying to get better and I keep thinking that I am.
But I realized I am still a control freak.
You see, I've been doing my bfe a disservice by viewing him as a person with a whole heart.
But he is not.
And I cannot fix that.
I didn't take his heart and run away with it.
Someone else did.
I gave him a piece of my heart to mend his.
That is not how it works.
I know this.
Broken hearts cannot be mended from the outside.
You would think I would have learned that by now.
Especially as I have loss adjustment as an ongoing process.
Especially.
Monday, January 21, 2013
elephant swap
Tonight was the White Elephant Swap and guess what??? An elephant was actually there!
For realz!
hahaha!
Every year, No Kidding! has its annual dinner party, where all attendees have an opportunity to offload that chartreuse urn or pair of cheetah-spotted gloves to some unsuspecting soul... or two or three. You see, the way the game is played is this: all who bring a wrapped gift to swap get to select a number. Then, in order of number drawn, the player gets to choose from the amassed gifts one to open - or, and here is where the fun is, the player may opt to STEAL a gift that someone else has already opened! Oh, yeah!
The gifts range from books to decorative stockings to all manner of knick-knacks or edibles or aromatics.
And, this year, for the very first time in the five years I've attended, one of the gifts was an actual elephant.
An elephant!!!
Wow!
I was plum tickled, I tell you!
And, while I never got an opportunity to possess the elephant, three of us did, with one choosing to own it TWICE!
Which is the magic number for swaps. The gift can only be stolen twice before it finds its final owner.
Lucky devil!
For realz!
hahaha!
Every year, No Kidding! has its annual dinner party, where all attendees have an opportunity to offload that chartreuse urn or pair of cheetah-spotted gloves to some unsuspecting soul... or two or three. You see, the way the game is played is this: all who bring a wrapped gift to swap get to select a number. Then, in order of number drawn, the player gets to choose from the amassed gifts one to open - or, and here is where the fun is, the player may opt to STEAL a gift that someone else has already opened! Oh, yeah!
The gifts range from books to decorative stockings to all manner of knick-knacks or edibles or aromatics.
And, this year, for the very first time in the five years I've attended, one of the gifts was an actual elephant.
An elephant!!!
Wow!
I was plum tickled, I tell you!
And, while I never got an opportunity to possess the elephant, three of us did, with one choosing to own it TWICE!
Which is the magic number for swaps. The gift can only be stolen twice before it finds its final owner.
Lucky devil!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
visiting family on a Sunday afternoon
When I started my journey home after a long weekend of lazy days and luxurious nights, I had not intended to make any detours. After all, I had been gone since Friday morning, when I left for a chili cook-off on Jekyll Island. I had a late start, so I missed the charity event, but they sold out, so that was all to the good.
I wandered over to McCormick's Grill, beside the golf course, still in the mood for chili and hoping to find some. And I did, a thick chili with beans and hunks of lean burger - yum! I also had their Cuban-style sandwich, featuring shredded barbequed pork instead of sliced pork loin. Very good, and the barbeque sauce in the pork added a nice ZING!
Excellent! Even better, the stop had allowed me to fulfill my New Year's Resolution for January. Bravo!
The day was still sunny, but had definitely chilled down. I decided to wander over to the beach and see if I might be fortunate enough to find any of the glass floats hidden along the shore. No, not that afternoon, and the cold, steady breeze encouraged me to move along, move along. So, I did, leaving Jekyll and heading south.
I stopped at Dave & Buster's, to pass a little time and grab a little dinner. I also wanted to drive fast cars and kill zombies! Oh, yeah! The young man behind the bar suggested the Buffalo Bar Chiks, so that is what I had for dinner. Good recommendation! Spicy, with some crunch, but still moist. Okay, I'm fueled up!
And farther south I headed, past Saint Augustine, heading for the beaches I love and the roads I know.
The next morning, I brunched at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, another restaurant I'd never been to before. Mighty tasty eggs with sundied tomatoes and spinach and baby portobello mushrooms!! They called it the Spinach and Baby Bella Scramble. So very good, and the coffee was tasty, too. (I had a picture of it, but I guess it wandered off somewhere.)
Then it was time for another fun time on my mini-vacation: to bop over to one of my favorite little art house places, Cinematique! They were screening two films I had not yet seen back home. The first one I viewed, "Searching for Sugar Man", was a documentary about an American musician who was a legend in South Africa, but completely unknown in the States. Thought to be dead, the film chronicled the efforts of two of his fans to track down the truth about his death... and their elation at finding him alive and well and still living in Detroit. Amazing film! It even made me cry a little: how wonderful to find such a humble man!
A tour of the chocolate factory was next, a sweet way to pass the ninety minutes between films. Oh, yes, all puns intended! They still use the original red and white scale for measuring the ingredients. Incredible! We all had samples after the tour and I even bought a few treats to share with folks back home, including a s'more for my first niece and some yummy dark chocolate for me. Those two old ladies from Michigan really have good recipes!
Then back to Cinematique for the second feature. That film concerned Danish royalty and was titled "A Royal Affair". Entertaining, historical, and fabulous costumes! Not my usual cup of tea, but I still very much enjoyed it.
But now what to do? It was a bit late to head back to the 'Vannah, but I didn't want to start the morning quite this far south. But wait! I recalled a Hampton's which was practically across the street from the Dave & Buster's. Perfect! I would get there before ten, lasso up some more Buffalo Chiks for dinner, and have plenty to entertain myself for a few hours. Yeehaw!
I mean, sah-weet!
And that's just what I did, treating myself to a draft Guinness while I was at it. After all, I was on foot, and the bedroom for the night was just ten minutes' walk, so I could afford a beer or two. I only had the one, but it was a large one, and quite delicious with the spicy Chiks!
After a most restful sleep and good breakfast, I was off again, to have a leisurely cruise back home. I had even thought I might slow it down and take the beach highway once I crossed over into Georgia, but I missed the exi. No worries, no worries at all, more than one exit for that route.
And the next thing you know, I'm heading for Waycross. The conversation went something like this.
"Oops! That was the exit I meant to take."
"Oh, well, it's a beautiful blue sky day, perfect for a drive out of town. jekyll Island will be coming up soon."
"You know, that same exit will take you toward Waycross. It's been a couple of years since you made it over to the cemetery and today is such a lovely day for that."
"You're right, it has been a long time. I can take some new pictures for the family after I've cleaned things up a bit."
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"
And so, when the exit arrived, I veered to the left, instead of the right, and headed toward south central Georgia. And wow, that area near the highway had grown greatly since my last pass through! There was even a Family Dollar store and it was even already open! Hey, I bet they would have flowers to beautify those family plots, you know? I mean, no sense arriving empty-handed, right?
So, I circled back and went in to the Family Dollar and found some quite pretty bunches of flowers. Nice!
They were even on sale, wonder of wonders. Very nice!
So, with six bouquets in hand, five for them and one for me, I set off for the final resting grounds for my Grandmama, my Grandpa, my Great-Grandma, my Uncle Jimmy, and my Aunt Pearl. I know Mama was quite pleased that I was tending to her family's graves, leaving signs that the folks there might be gone, but were certainly not forgotten.
Never forgotten.
And I took many pictures, shared on facebook with scattered family, with some who didn't even get to know some of these relatives in person.
But they knew some. And they knew the names.
That's important.
Excellent! Even better, the stop had allowed me to fulfill my New Year's Resolution for January. Bravo!
The day was still sunny, but had definitely chilled down. I decided to wander over to the beach and see if I might be fortunate enough to find any of the glass floats hidden along the shore. No, not that afternoon, and the cold, steady breeze encouraged me to move along, move along. So, I did, leaving Jekyll and heading south.
I stopped at Dave & Buster's, to pass a little time and grab a little dinner. I also wanted to drive fast cars and kill zombies! Oh, yeah! The young man behind the bar suggested the Buffalo Bar Chiks, so that is what I had for dinner. Good recommendation! Spicy, with some crunch, but still moist. Okay, I'm fueled up!
And farther south I headed, past Saint Augustine, heading for the beaches I love and the roads I know.
The next morning, I brunched at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, another restaurant I'd never been to before. Mighty tasty eggs with sundied tomatoes and spinach and baby portobello mushrooms!! They called it the Spinach and Baby Bella Scramble. So very good, and the coffee was tasty, too. (I had a picture of it, but I guess it wandered off somewhere.)
Then it was time for another fun time on my mini-vacation: to bop over to one of my favorite little art house places, Cinematique! They were screening two films I had not yet seen back home. The first one I viewed, "Searching for Sugar Man", was a documentary about an American musician who was a legend in South Africa, but completely unknown in the States. Thought to be dead, the film chronicled the efforts of two of his fans to track down the truth about his death... and their elation at finding him alive and well and still living in Detroit. Amazing film! It even made me cry a little: how wonderful to find such a humble man!
Then back to Cinematique for the second feature. That film concerned Danish royalty and was titled "A Royal Affair". Entertaining, historical, and fabulous costumes! Not my usual cup of tea, but I still very much enjoyed it.
But now what to do? It was a bit late to head back to the 'Vannah, but I didn't want to start the morning quite this far south. But wait! I recalled a Hampton's which was practically across the street from the Dave & Buster's. Perfect! I would get there before ten, lasso up some more Buffalo Chiks for dinner, and have plenty to entertain myself for a few hours. Yeehaw!
I mean, sah-weet!
And that's just what I did, treating myself to a draft Guinness while I was at it. After all, I was on foot, and the bedroom for the night was just ten minutes' walk, so I could afford a beer or two. I only had the one, but it was a large one, and quite delicious with the spicy Chiks!
After a most restful sleep and good breakfast, I was off again, to have a leisurely cruise back home. I had even thought I might slow it down and take the beach highway once I crossed over into Georgia, but I missed the exi. No worries, no worries at all, more than one exit for that route.
And the next thing you know, I'm heading for Waycross. The conversation went something like this.
"Oops! That was the exit I meant to take."
"Oh, well, it's a beautiful blue sky day, perfect for a drive out of town. jekyll Island will be coming up soon."
"You know, that same exit will take you toward Waycross. It's been a couple of years since you made it over to the cemetery and today is such a lovely day for that."
"You're right, it has been a long time. I can take some new pictures for the family after I've cleaned things up a bit."
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"
And so, when the exit arrived, I veered to the left, instead of the right, and headed toward south central Georgia. And wow, that area near the highway had grown greatly since my last pass through! There was even a Family Dollar store and it was even already open! Hey, I bet they would have flowers to beautify those family plots, you know? I mean, no sense arriving empty-handed, right?
So, I circled back and went in to the Family Dollar and found some quite pretty bunches of flowers. Nice!
They were even on sale, wonder of wonders. Very nice!
Never forgotten.
And I took many pictures, shared on facebook with scattered family, with some who didn't even get to know some of these relatives in person.
But they knew some. And they knew the names.
That's important.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
you got me runnin', yeah, you got me runnin'
As I hurried across campus to my evening class, she caught my eye. Her hair streaming behind, she sped toward the very buildings I had just left, taking large strides like a girl with a purpose before her. A giant figure of light, she knew not of my existence, I was simply a small being espied from the corner of her eye, if at all.
But she occupied almost all of the sky before me.
I barely managed to snap this single picture before she was gone.
My students had seen me stop in my tracks to take the photo. I had told several that I would be sure to forward the picture to them, but I have not.
Somehow, I want the running girl to be only mine.
After all, I saw her first.
I saw her.
But perhaps I will eventually share her with those who had asked. I wonder if they will recall that Wednesday evening?
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