Another Fish That Got Away

We were out on a boat. Cynde, her husband and me. Cynde did the rowing and Mike and I fished. I hooked into something and pulled back, only to yell, "Crap, I lost it." The next thing I know, I hear Cynde screaming at me for being a jerk. She's in frantic mode. I turn around to see a small perch flapping off her lap and by her feet. Apparently, I pulled so hard that I flipped the fish out of the water and it landed in our boat and on Cynde. I laughed all afternoon and all night. You can't make that up, and it brought amazing happiness to my weekend. I've heard of fish jumping into boats before, but I've never heard of flipping one in and having it land on your sister. I will be laughing for some time, I know it.

1000 reasons to find Happiness

My sisters and I traveled to the 1000 Islands in Northern, New York. Dave and Casey rent a tiny cabin, and we have access to a canoe and small motor boat. We also have the luck of thick clouds, high humidity and great thunderstorms. Rain all day, but we have togetherness in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The area is rather amazing and the land formation (with river) is something to see. Aquatic life is a good life. I'm posting this before we actually go, so I imagine there'll be more to say upon return. In the meantime, I predict a few smiles are on their way.

karma

Karma's an odd identity for 2008. We live as we do, and we give off as we do, but sometimes the world comes together in ways that make it seem like there's more energy to it all. Tonight, I reunited with ol' high school friends and we talked about life, its meaning and its plan. Funny thing, Karma. I can't claim I know much about it, but I do recognize its strength and for this, I am happy.

But it's Free

Dylan has been reading The Phantom by Dean Koontz with my sister and having nightmares because of it. Being the great Uncle that I am, I knew it was time for a library card and so I drove him a few towns over so he could "rent" Oddkins for a few weeks -- it was the only local library that had it. You've got to love public libraries, because everything is, like, so free. I mean movies, books on c.d., audio and of course books are all a part of the friendly environment of being public. I have no idea why there aren't lines of cheap-a&& Americans like myself fighting for the goods. But, alas, it seems to be territory less traveled by 2008 citizens of the United States.
I read ODDKINS when I was a junior in high school and I remembered the animation and story. Dylan's going into third grade and I think he'll like it. I hope the words feed his imagination for the emporium of magic that it is. Here's to free books!

The One That Got Away

Yesterday, we had a lot of luck on Oneida Lake. After breakfast (with homefries, YES!) we spent a good four hours fishing. This is a photo of the Northern Pike that got away. Dad, being on heart medicine and no longer able to drink, was way too sober to handle him in the boat. While I was taking a picture with my camera phone, dad got nervous and reached into his pocket to get a lighter to light a Lucky. Unlucky him. The damn pike leaped out of his arms and back into the water singing the following song:
Such is such, You son of a Butch,
You're empty handed and you ain't got much,
You should bring Karl, he's quite the crutch,
Sorry about your luck, Butch, but I won't be lunch.
Neither of us knew Northern Pike could sing so well. Truth is, pop did get a nice size Northern, but we lost this one under the boat. We knew it was huge. I mean, it was at least this big. Why would we lie?

Spring Rolls, Finally!

After a year absence, I finally ate Vietnamese Cuisine. Yum, Spring Rolls and Coconut Chicken. I don't need to write much to express my happiness, but if I could let my stomach speak, this entry would be the world's largest smiley face. Delicious.

in memory of George Carlin

Ever since I was a teenager, I loved the raw and poignant humor of George Carlin. I took a moment or two of silence yesterday to think of him, and am happy I shared life while he was on stage being politically vulgar and incorrect. His death bothers me more than a newscaster's, perhaps because George Carlin laughed his entire career instead of playing the role of smarmy judge. Here's to you, George, and the laughter you brought--and the laughter yet to come.

On The Pulse of This Morning.

The director of Upward Bound is an inspirational speaker who can captivate an audience with the power of a gospel voice and inspirational passion. Working with her over the last few days, I'm reminded of Maya Angelou's strong American presence and what she speaks to any one strong enough to listen. When hearing Maya Angelou I always feel like I'm hearing celestial wisdom. The strength of such a mind cannot be refuted. Maya Angelou teaches many a caged bird to sing and to hear this is to find the sound of happiness.

Itchy Buns and Sushi

Casey invited to me to dinner last night at Ichibans where I could watch a Japanese chef entertain over a grill as I awaited sushi chefs to prepare my fish eggs and seaweed. The money sort of got screwed up so the waiter gave us umbrellas to compensate the error. You got to love Japanese food and the American way of frying rice and sizzling shrimp. Yum. Food is good and good is food. Sakana Hana is fish nose in Japanese. I know this because the mole I used to have on my nose was mistaken for fish once.

Falafel and Hummus

Last night, I smelled like a field of garlic and it was worth it. The class I was enrolled in went out for middle eastern food and chowed on chic peas and tahini. I stunk for a while afterward, too. After eating sandwiches out of my bag (lunch and dinner) for what seems like forever, it was nice to sit down and eat in a restaurant. The sad thing, though, is I only drank water, but I'm not complaining. My stomach was so happy last night.

Didn't Donald Date Daisy?

Running yesterday, I noticed many wild daisies were blooming along the highways of life. Of course I thought about Maude, and my previous post, and I had to pick a bunch. No two daisies are alike. No two humans are alike. This is philosophical, but I am always curious as to why so many Smiths seek to be Joneses and so many Hatfields grow envious of McCoys. Just Be. That's the only way to be free, and I'm hoping that the single daisies I brought to individuals in my class tonight are a slight way I can continue the Brown School tradition outside of the Brown. It's okay to be a rose, or a daffodil or an iris. But daisies that grow wild are wonderful, too. We are all wild in our own little way.

A Shout Out to the Wildcats of West Genesee

Chris, a Chemistry Teacher at West Genesee High School, broke out in aerobics tonight during class, after doing the worm, juggling and teaching us how to jazz dance. He had his routines down pat and I post this for anyone who has ever attended an aerobic class. It's fast, quick, and a happy little routine.

The Fjords of Denmark

The cool, Central New York air smells and feels like the summer days I spent in Denmark. The sky last night at sunset reminded me of the sunset along Danish Fjords at 2 a.m.. There is always a sense of bliss when thinking about the kiss of a sun on an oceanic landscape. To know this is to know happiness.

Exhausted, but Reminded of Disney

I can't post the whole production, but remember Disney's FANTASIA. Ah, animation and ah, good orchestration. They combine wonderfully and do all the imagination stuff for us. Kudos to the magic.

Mindless Competition

I took a short break during yesterday's father's day festivities to play Karl, Nathan and my sister, KC, in horseshoes. There's something miraculous about that game and it is perfect for spending a sunny day. Of course Nathan and I won--I mean, look at us--but KC and Karl did give us a run for our money. Okay, we didn't bet, but we should have. KC and Karl owe us a pizza.

summer night skies and father's day

A camera can't do it justice (well, this camera man, anyway), but the evening sky last night was beautiful. Pink sky at night, sailor's delight. The humidity broke and the light is almost New Mexico/Arizona, but definitely with the smells of Central New York. My dad is outside on his porch with a fire going and today is father's day. It's a good thing I arranged last night's sky for his day. Most likely, while you're reading this, I'm fishing with him out on the lake. Happy Papas Day, Everywhere!

To Fool a Stool

I came across this stool this week. I found it in the art education building at Syracuse University and it's on my mind constantly. Ever since I've seen this stool, I've been wondering what happens to it when everyone leaves the room. Does it go berserk? Does it throw wild keg parties? Does it bite? I want to know. It seems whenever I'm attending the stool it is calm and well behaved. So, why does it need to be attended? I guess I'll never know, and such curiosity makes me happy.

Mt. Olympus meets Mike

I bought a recorder around my birthday, but this week I bought a microphone to go with it. Why? Well, I'm suddenly interested in what visual literacy sounds like. My point is, what can be learned from what we hear? Can teachers create podcasts of their lessons and encourage students to write for such genres? Since we've become an iPod generation, why can't we create art to share with others in audio form? That is where my mind is this week and it makes me happy. Driving down 81S, I began recording thoughts about the world on my digital recorder. Cool Toy. Everyone should have one.

What I learned yesterday

I love being a teacher because you never know what is coming next. Last week, for instance, I was given the task of teaching about Lance Armstrong's testicular cancer on p. 69 to a group of sixth graders when the teacher across the hall, Ms. Fallis, came by to stop them from laughing. Then, today, I was asked to give the listening comprehension test to 8th graders and I read to them about a parrot who had blue balls he kept in his cage. One ball was bigger than the other, and when people didn't compliment his bue balls,  the parrot, Alex, grew angry. I had to give this exam five times and only made it through once without the entire class losing control in laughter (8TH GRADE!!!). When they laugh, my nose wiggles, too. Finally, my day ended learning about how to make music accessible to young people. Well. Yes. Happiness.  Happiness is you can never make any of this up!

when life throws you lemon yogurt.

It wasn't lemon yogurt. It was Black Cherry and I was celebrating the fact I stopped to get groceries on the way home from campus last night. Why was I celebrating? Because I would be able to make a lunch in the morning (and a dinner) to put in my bag (where I eat most my meals) for the first time this week. I got home and what happened? i dropped the yogurt and it exploded across the linoleum floor. What did I do? I'm getting better at this happiness thing, so I decided to make art out of it. It's as if a goldfish splashed out of my floor into my mouth, no? It turned out to be a good thing!

Best Movie Ever - Show and Tell

When I was an undergraduate living in London, I saw Cinema Paradiso for the first time. The ending was the most beautiful completion to a movie I've ever seen, and I cherish the feelings I got the first time witnessed it in the Prince Charles of Picadilly Circle as much as the emotions I felt finding this tonight. Years later, the director released a new cut of the film and it was a disaster. The edits completely changed the story and I was crestfallen in disappointment. I've lived a great portion of my life to the music of this masterpiece and my journey has been happier because of it. I also found out that Josh Groban has added his voice to the movie now. Ah, You Tube. Who'd a thunk it? 

A small wish for European Traditions.

After mowing my lawn yesterday, I hopped on my bike and traveled to my sister's, and then to my parent's, only to return later as a pedaling madman. I love riding bike and I only wish that there were more trails available to cyclists and our culture was more geared towards bike-friendliness and reliability. Driving to pick up Chinese food with KC, she tried to hit a man on a bike saying they shouldn't be allowed on the road with real vehicles. I scolded her of course, but recognize why she'd be frustrated. Cyclists are unusual and not the roadway norm as you find in Europe and other places. Our culture is built on gas, so it brings me happiness to know I can travel locally without gas (well, besides the egg roll tooting on my trip back home).

People Watching

I worked the Westcott art fair yesterday with the Sudanese guys and their cows. We were given a paved lot with no shade, direct sun and minimal crowds, but I still took advantage of the people watching. There's always an interesting game to guessing the lives of others and whereas this was a University show, the liberal crowd with their punk mohawks, tattoos and birkenstocks, were actually more predictable than other communities. There's a book, I believe, that advertises what one must look like in order to attend art fairs. It was nice though to sit in a chair, roast in the sun and look at people. We sold a lot of cows, even despite the small attendance, and it was an excuse to be docile for a while. Being still and observing is a good thing.

First Somersault of the season

The first time I enter a pool every summer, I can't wait to do a somersault underwater and receive those irreplaceable sea monkeys in my stomach. I did this yesterday when the pool deck at my parents read 103 degrees. It is the best feeling, and although short lived, it brings miniscule happiness to spark a season of pool parties, weenie roasts and carefree friendship. Here's to the next three months.

Because it makes ya happy

This is Chloe and JJ. I wish I could send you a clip of them seeing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on Facebook, but that is for Facebook members alone. Their seriousness and improv with the lyrics is truly one of the most brilliant things I've seen in a long time. I am posting this photograph as a reminder that their video is out there in the world. I send the link to their video: This makes the world a better place, for those who can link to it. If not, you are missing out, but I'll work on them in finding a way to post this so everyone can see it.

Happiness is Beginning a New Game

I found Suzanne Somers' book, THE SEXY YEARS: Discover the hormone connection: The secret to fabulous sex, great health and vitality, for Women and Men in a pile of free books. It was still in its packaging! I put it in my bag and said, "I shall find the perfect person to send this book to" and inside the flap, I inscribed it with a universal goal -- for everyone who receives this text as a gift, they are to read it, then send it to someone new, but not until they write an inscription themselves. I want this text to make it as far as it can. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones, you will receive this book someday, somehow, and when you open it, you will feel like Charlie upon finding the Golden Ticket to Wonkaland. I'm off to the post office to mail it to its first recipient! Now, this is the way life should be lived: sending out random gifts and assigning a task of regifting while making a mark on the world. It's good for the soul, no?

then there's the nerd part of being me

So, I reread George Hillock's THE TESTING TRAP (2002) where he compares writing assessments in New York, Illinois, Texas, Oregon and Kentucky. He concludes that if good writing is to occur in public schools, the writing needs to be assessed. Why? Because in order for teachers to teach good writing, they need the bureaucratic pressure of the exams. Instead, most states have tests that measure an odd breed of writing, except for Kentucky. Kentucky has the most complete, forward thinking assessment of writing in the nation. New York? According to Hillocks, they have one of the least visible ideas of what writing should look like other than to analyze text like a teacher can do. Shame Shame. It was good rereading this book, though, because as he talked about all of Kentucky's leaders in the writing movement, I knew all of them. That felt pretty good.

Not the Burning Bush of Pleasantville

Ran around yesterday morning like a nutcase, but returned home with two butterfly bushes -- thanks for stimulating me with a check Federal Government. It was buy one get one free, so I don't think I helped the economy too much(and they were cheap). Then, the folks came by with fried Walleye (yum) and dad started a fire. We burned a lot of sh*t. All day long. Burn. Burn. Burn. And I admit, there is something hypnotic about throwing stuff into an outside fire and watching it blaze. I watched an entire winter of yard debris go up in just five hours. And it was relaxing. Like being at camp without a lake behind it, and with a lot of smoke blowing in my face. Ah, but it was a happy one because it wasn't planned and it turned out exactly right.

Maria, Maria, Mariaaaaaaaa

Last night, I went to a graduation party/graduation party for my buddy, Maria, who will be teaching at SUNY Oswego next year. In my first year of doctoral studies, she's been a breath of fresh air -- a sense of humor goes a long, long way. So, this post of happiness is for her, her accomplishments, her maternal diva-hood of her daughter, Katie, who is heading off to college and for the demonstration that one can find humor in a world of chaos.

So, I've leaped. And?