Shave and a haircut...too far?

Inspired by Dani and Nelson who both are sporting new Spring looks, I went in for haircut. I may have gone a bit too far. Feeling somewhat adventurous, I told the stylist I was torn between going short and just a "touch-up". She looked at the picture I had brought with me and excitedly replied, "Do it! You'll be so happy you did!" Encouraged by her enthusiasm I said (with a considerable amount of trepidation) "OK, let's do it". Well, I left feeling less than thrilled, the cut looks much shorter than the picture I had proffered. As my son-in-law wisely said, "It will 'grow' on you". One way or another.

Please, no comments. The positive ones will come across as disingenuous flattery. The negative ones might make me cry!

In the middle of ...watching them grow (then go)!

I am so proud of my son! After years of watching his beautiful spirit, mind and soul grow and standing by as he struggled to find a way to express himself; he has arrived. Pride and melancholy, because now he's making plans to head off to college. I guess that is the true paradox of parenting; if you do your job well, they don't need your guidance anymore. However, if you're truly lucky, they continue to want it. Looking forward to the next stage with my beautiful boy!

In the middle of dog parks and middle school plays

What ever happened to civility?

I know I'm getting old, but have we really stopped seeing the need to teach our children manners? Is that an old fashioned idea whose time has come to pass into the archives of "I remember when" stories? Tales told by elderly aunts and uncles around the holiday table as the next generation rolls their eyes?

Watching my middle school students perform "Damn Yankees!" this weekend was excruciating, but not for the reasons you might think.

Any flub of the lines, note sung out of key or misplaced prop was more than compensated for by the passion of the cast and crew. Students that consistently forget to write down their homework reciting line after line of dialogue. Amazing! Others that carry around binders that defy organization, moving sets and props at the precise moment. Incredible! These up-and-coming SAG members worked hard, and it showed!

No, what made the performance unbearable was the behavior of the audience!

Pre's, Tweens and Teens texting, unwrapping, munching, conversing and laughing as if they were sitting in their own living rooms rather than in front of their peers toiling on stage. These behaviors might have been overlooked if the adults accompanying these junior audience members had stepped in to correct and guide their charges, but NO! And so it was left to us off-duty teachers to step in, despite the curled lips and rolled eyes of the offenders as well as the quizzical looks of their parents (What is your problem? Why are you picking on my kid?) and try to instill some sense of decorum.

Things work better in the dog park.

As each new guest arrives, they are surrounded and greeted by the other attendees. Through a nudge of the nose, a sniff of the butt and a little posturing, the rules are made evident. Forget the rules and there is always someone nearby to growl, bite or slam you into the dirt as a gentle reminder. Then life goes on, no hard feelings. Follow the rules and everyone has a good time.

Just a thought, it might work, other than the sniffing of butts that is!

Snow Day!

An unexpected day off is an opportunity to play. While I was not interested in bundling up to play in the snow I took the opportunity to explore a photo web site and try some shots using natural light. Here are a few of my favorites, let me know which (if any) you like. I'm going to post 1 to their site for feedback.

Now I'll go grade the papers that I should have worked on over the weekend!