I've been seeing it for months now. I saw it again today: "gift" used as a verb in place of "give," as in "She was gifted with a new car." This time it was in my church's newsletter: "Today we will gift new Bibles to the third graders." I don't think it was a typo.
So, what gives? %-} Why not "We will give new Bibles to the third graders"?
The creation of a verb from some other part of speech--also known as verbification--is nothing new. But this particular manifestation of it seems different to me. The nice thing about being able to "access" a file rather than "gain access to" it or "pepper" your steak rather than having to "put pepper on" it is that both of those formations require fewer words, and economy of words almost always means punchier writing. But to say "We will gift" rather than "We will give" affords no such benefit. So again I ask, why?
As I thought about this today, it occurred to me that there is a difference in emphasis between "We will give Bibles" and "We will gift Bibles." "Give" seems to me to put the focus on the beginning of the action and thus the giver who performs the action, whereas "gift" puts the focus on the end result--the gift--and by extension the receiver of the action. So maybe the use of "gift" in place of "give" is a reflection of the speaker's desire to direct attention toward the gift and the one who receives it rather than toward the one who gives?
What do you think? Am I chasing a bunny trail here? Or might I be on to something?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Piano Playing
No, he's not really playing yet. But he sure is cute, isn't he? Even with the poor hand position.
New Accompanist Orientation, or "We Have Nothing Like That Here"
I have now clocked in six days in my new job as a staff accompanist at a suburban Chicagoland high school. The school is a new one that just opened its doors last week. It is still in the building stage and is currently only welcoming freshmen and sophomores. I am working part-time, approximately 7-10 a.m. mornings and one evening per week.
It has been a long time since I have spent any time as a high school insider. Of course, I was a high school student once, in a small, rural Texas town (my graduating class had around 160). I also spent three years teaching secondary level English in my twenties. So I have experienced high school from both sides of the lectern. But what I have seen in the last week is nothing like what I remember from either of those vantage points. Times, as they say, have changed.
When construction is completed this $125 million facility will include a state of the art auditorium and fine arts wing (with midi labs, practice rooms, and sculpture garden); a football stadium with two practice fields; two soccer fields, two baseball fields, and two softball fields; an aquatic complex; a greenhouse with rooftop garden; and, of course, the latest in computer technology and media. I am impressed by the design of the building, which makes extensive use of natural lighting; windows, expansive and plentiful, are a prominent feature of all corridors and classrooms.
I am also impressed by what I have seen of student life at the school. It strikes me as much more similar to my college than my high school experience. Course offerings are extensive. Students design their own schedules based on educational and vocational goals. The library is immense, the lockers full-size (in my high school everyone had a 50/50 chance of getting a lower locker, which meant a year of stooping and bending and getting bumped on the head). The staff that I have met strike me as well-credentialed, professional, and positive. I hope these students appreciate how blessed they are.
On the other hand, some of the things that I remember from my own high school days are missing, and I think the effect is unfortunate. When I was in high school, teachers were inextricably connected to their rooms. When you entered a classroom you were entering that teacher's world. The way the room was arranged for learning said much about the teacher and his or her personality, values, and style. I have seen teachers whose rooms were furnished almost like homes, with rugs and rocking chairs and refrigerators and microwave ovens (and I'm talking upper level, not elementary teachers). But at this school the teacher's home base is his or her office (or, more likely, cubicle), and the classroom is only a teaching space which he occupies for one period. As a result, the rooms, as clean and beautiful as they are, lack personality. No motivational posters, bulletin boards, visual learning aids, displays of student work, or other teacher-specific content is to be found (except for those rooms where roaming is impossible, such as the choir room, band hall, and art department). When you go to English literature it's just the teacher and a roomful of desks: no Elizabethan timelines, diagrams of the Globe theater, or drawings of great writers lining the walls. And in my opinion something is lost in that paradigm. (Of course, the ability for a teacher to display politically charged materials is also weakened, and that may be a good thing.)
Something is also amiss when luxury items and technology and replace basic learning tools. In the first week of school I have been unable to acquire staples such as paper clips, scissors, index cards, tape, and colored markers: none of the aforementioned were included in the supply package provided to each classroom, and they are apparently not to be found anywhere else on campus (or if they are, they're being hidden and hoarded). In my search for these elusive items, I encountered one sympathetic secretary in the main office who seemed ready to raid whatever stores she could find; but when a clearly more senior secretary gave her the evil eye she demurred. I was told that my department had a budget for such things and that they would have to be ordered through it. So much for that lesson on sharing in second grade.
Then there was the quest for the paper cutter. The choir director with whom I was working had created some ensemble audition sheets to pass out to his students. They were not lengthy, so to conserve paper he put two on a page. My task was to cut the pages in half. Simple, right? Think again. Here beginneth my paper cutter odyssey.
Against my better judgement, I started with the main office. The previously sympathetic secretary, now properly indoctrinated, flatly told me, "We have nothing like that here." So it was on to the grade-level offices. No luck there either, or in the teacher lounge. Finally someone took pity on me and said, "I think they have one in the library." Upon my arrival I was kindly welcomed::cue heartwarming music:: and pointed to the object of my desire. I guess librarians still appreciate the value of sharing--all that book-lending, you know?
Now, perhaps my expectations are set unfairly high. The ribbon cutting ceremony was just last week, after all. But I can't help wondering: if it's possible, on the first day of school, to have fully-equipped computer labs, a portable Lumens in every classroom (these are so totally cool--I would have loved one when I was teaching school), and five octaves of marimbas, is a box of paper clips too much to ask for?
(P.S. One other revolutionary development that I would have loved in my teaching days is the online gradebook whereby teachers can post up-to-the-minute grades for parents to log in and see. No more sending out progress reports or chasing down parents to alert them to their child's falling behind. All they have to do is log in, and it's all there in black and white. It's great because it puts the responsibility on the child and his or her parents. Parents can even set up their account so as to receive an alert when their child's average falls below a certain level. The only problem with that in my Type A community is that according to one of my co-workers there are parents who will set up the alert to come when the average falls below a 92. Sigh.)
It has been a long time since I have spent any time as a high school insider. Of course, I was a high school student once, in a small, rural Texas town (my graduating class had around 160). I also spent three years teaching secondary level English in my twenties. So I have experienced high school from both sides of the lectern. But what I have seen in the last week is nothing like what I remember from either of those vantage points. Times, as they say, have changed.
When construction is completed this $125 million facility will include a state of the art auditorium and fine arts wing (with midi labs, practice rooms, and sculpture garden); a football stadium with two practice fields; two soccer fields, two baseball fields, and two softball fields; an aquatic complex; a greenhouse with rooftop garden; and, of course, the latest in computer technology and media. I am impressed by the design of the building, which makes extensive use of natural lighting; windows, expansive and plentiful, are a prominent feature of all corridors and classrooms.
I am also impressed by what I have seen of student life at the school. It strikes me as much more similar to my college than my high school experience. Course offerings are extensive. Students design their own schedules based on educational and vocational goals. The library is immense, the lockers full-size (in my high school everyone had a 50/50 chance of getting a lower locker, which meant a year of stooping and bending and getting bumped on the head). The staff that I have met strike me as well-credentialed, professional, and positive. I hope these students appreciate how blessed they are.
On the other hand, some of the things that I remember from my own high school days are missing, and I think the effect is unfortunate. When I was in high school, teachers were inextricably connected to their rooms. When you entered a classroom you were entering that teacher's world. The way the room was arranged for learning said much about the teacher and his or her personality, values, and style. I have seen teachers whose rooms were furnished almost like homes, with rugs and rocking chairs and refrigerators and microwave ovens (and I'm talking upper level, not elementary teachers). But at this school the teacher's home base is his or her office (or, more likely, cubicle), and the classroom is only a teaching space which he occupies for one period. As a result, the rooms, as clean and beautiful as they are, lack personality. No motivational posters, bulletin boards, visual learning aids, displays of student work, or other teacher-specific content is to be found (except for those rooms where roaming is impossible, such as the choir room, band hall, and art department). When you go to English literature it's just the teacher and a roomful of desks: no Elizabethan timelines, diagrams of the Globe theater, or drawings of great writers lining the walls. And in my opinion something is lost in that paradigm. (Of course, the ability for a teacher to display politically charged materials is also weakened, and that may be a good thing.)
Something is also amiss when luxury items and technology and replace basic learning tools. In the first week of school I have been unable to acquire staples such as paper clips, scissors, index cards, tape, and colored markers: none of the aforementioned were included in the supply package provided to each classroom, and they are apparently not to be found anywhere else on campus (or if they are, they're being hidden and hoarded). In my search for these elusive items, I encountered one sympathetic secretary in the main office who seemed ready to raid whatever stores she could find; but when a clearly more senior secretary gave her the evil eye she demurred. I was told that my department had a budget for such things and that they would have to be ordered through it. So much for that lesson on sharing in second grade.
Then there was the quest for the paper cutter. The choir director with whom I was working had created some ensemble audition sheets to pass out to his students. They were not lengthy, so to conserve paper he put two on a page. My task was to cut the pages in half. Simple, right? Think again. Here beginneth my paper cutter odyssey.
Against my better judgement, I started with the main office. The previously sympathetic secretary, now properly indoctrinated, flatly told me, "We have nothing like that here." So it was on to the grade-level offices. No luck there either, or in the teacher lounge. Finally someone took pity on me and said, "I think they have one in the library." Upon my arrival I was kindly welcomed::cue heartwarming music:: and pointed to the object of my desire. I guess librarians still appreciate the value of sharing--all that book-lending, you know?
Now, perhaps my expectations are set unfairly high. The ribbon cutting ceremony was just last week, after all. But I can't help wondering: if it's possible, on the first day of school, to have fully-equipped computer labs, a portable Lumens in every classroom (these are so totally cool--I would have loved one when I was teaching school), and five octaves of marimbas, is a box of paper clips too much to ask for?
(P.S. One other revolutionary development that I would have loved in my teaching days is the online gradebook whereby teachers can post up-to-the-minute grades for parents to log in and see. No more sending out progress reports or chasing down parents to alert them to their child's falling behind. All they have to do is log in, and it's all there in black and white. It's great because it puts the responsibility on the child and his or her parents. Parents can even set up their account so as to receive an alert when their child's average falls below a certain level. The only problem with that in my Type A community is that according to one of my co-workers there are parents who will set up the alert to come when the average falls below a 92. Sigh.)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Kindergarten, Day One
About 20 years ago I substitute taught in a kindergarten class for a day. It was one of the hardest teaching days of my life. I vowed I would never teach kindergarten again.
Famous last words. Today I became a kindergarten teacher again. You see, I'm a homeschool mom. But I have thus far avoided teaching preschool and kindergarten, availing myself instead of solid Lutheran day school programs for that purpose. I am not good at crafts or pretend play or that highly animated manner that is the M.O. of most kindergarten teachers, and I have a low tolerance for the goopy, gooey, messy, and loud. Better to let the trained professionals deal with such things.
Unfortunately, though, the day school at which my five-year-old attended preschool the last two years recently folded the half day kindergarten class into the full day one. There used to be half day options in the morning and afternoon. But due to lowered enrollment, half day students must now attend in the morning in the same class as full day students. Once they are picked up the full day students continue with their day.
My husband and I found this unacceptable primarily because it meant the morning group would be quite large--25 students as opposed to the 6 or 7 my son was accustomed to in preschool. He sometimes had a meltdown when he went a couple of days without getting to be the helper; can you imagine if he had to go a month or more? In addition, the morning attendance was a non-starter for our family. Not only could we not logistically get my son to and from class in the morning, but I had no desire to fight the daily battle of getting him up and out the door, seeing as how he typically sleeps every day until 9:00 a.m. (and only wakes up then because someone makes him).
Which brings us to today--the first day of kindergarten at Philipp Nicolai Lutheran Academy. Here's how Evan's day went:
9:00 Awakened by big sister (Mom and Dad were at work and big brother was in math class at the junior college today); dressed, made bed, and had breakfast
10:00-11:00 Free time
11:15-11:45 Calendar, Bible and Catechism time with Mom
11:45-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Free time
1:30-2:00 Quiet time; must be in room but may look at books/listen to music
2:00-3:00 Free time
3:00-4:00 "School" with Mom (Today's "school" consisted of some Mother Goose rhymes, several selections from the Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature, several folk tales from The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book, and writing in ABC Journal)
4:00-6:00 Free time
6:00-7:00 P.E./Recess: Outside with brother and sister to pick up apples that have fallen off the tree
7:00-8:00 Supper
8:00-9:00 Field Trip: Help Dad take groceries to Grandma
9:00 Get ready for bed
9:30 Devotion
10:00 Good night!
I hope to keep most of Evan's days looking very much like this one. We will have to be flexible, of course. But I think he needs the routine, and so do I. Our life is complicated right now and the schedule will help me as much as it does him. On different days of the week he will have a piano lesson with me, an art/craft activity with big sis Caitlin, a chess/math lesson with big brother Trevor, and a gym class for homeschool students in our town. Not a bad curriculum, if I do say so myself.
I asked Evan how he liked homeschool kindergarten so far, and he said he liked it but he misses his preschool friends. He is an extrovert and the lack of children to play with on a daily basis will take some getting used to (he does not have playmates in our neighborhood). But when I remind myself that kindergarten has a much higher "school" quotient than preschool, which was almost all play, and that first grade will increase the structure and institutional trappings even more, I know that this is for the best. In my experience, institutional schooling can actually be a terribly lonely place. There may be more people around, but the multiplicity of bodies does not necessarily lead to edifying human interaction.
I also doubt that it would go over too well to take sole possession of the book from which the teacher is reading and proceed to spend an additional half hour looking at pages that are not part of today's lesson. Must keep things moving, you know: "Science time is over; time for handwriting." But when you're the only student and the teacher's your mom and the "classroom" is Mom's bed . . . well, anything is possible.
Famous last words. Today I became a kindergarten teacher again. You see, I'm a homeschool mom. But I have thus far avoided teaching preschool and kindergarten, availing myself instead of solid Lutheran day school programs for that purpose. I am not good at crafts or pretend play or that highly animated manner that is the M.O. of most kindergarten teachers, and I have a low tolerance for the goopy, gooey, messy, and loud. Better to let the trained professionals deal with such things.
Unfortunately, though, the day school at which my five-year-old attended preschool the last two years recently folded the half day kindergarten class into the full day one. There used to be half day options in the morning and afternoon. But due to lowered enrollment, half day students must now attend in the morning in the same class as full day students. Once they are picked up the full day students continue with their day.
My husband and I found this unacceptable primarily because it meant the morning group would be quite large--25 students as opposed to the 6 or 7 my son was accustomed to in preschool. He sometimes had a meltdown when he went a couple of days without getting to be the helper; can you imagine if he had to go a month or more? In addition, the morning attendance was a non-starter for our family. Not only could we not logistically get my son to and from class in the morning, but I had no desire to fight the daily battle of getting him up and out the door, seeing as how he typically sleeps every day until 9:00 a.m. (and only wakes up then because someone makes him).
Which brings us to today--the first day of kindergarten at Philipp Nicolai Lutheran Academy. Here's how Evan's day went:
9:00 Awakened by big sister (Mom and Dad were at work and big brother was in math class at the junior college today); dressed, made bed, and had breakfast
10:00-11:00 Free time
11:15-11:45 Calendar, Bible and Catechism time with Mom
11:45-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Free time
1:30-2:00 Quiet time; must be in room but may look at books/listen to music
2:00-3:00 Free time
3:00-4:00 "School" with Mom (Today's "school" consisted of some Mother Goose rhymes, several selections from the Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature, several folk tales from The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book, and writing in ABC Journal)
4:00-6:00 Free time
6:00-7:00 P.E./Recess: Outside with brother and sister to pick up apples that have fallen off the tree
7:00-8:00 Supper
8:00-9:00 Field Trip: Help Dad take groceries to Grandma
9:00 Get ready for bed
9:30 Devotion
10:00 Good night!
I hope to keep most of Evan's days looking very much like this one. We will have to be flexible, of course. But I think he needs the routine, and so do I. Our life is complicated right now and the schedule will help me as much as it does him. On different days of the week he will have a piano lesson with me, an art/craft activity with big sis Caitlin, a chess/math lesson with big brother Trevor, and a gym class for homeschool students in our town. Not a bad curriculum, if I do say so myself.
I asked Evan how he liked homeschool kindergarten so far, and he said he liked it but he misses his preschool friends. He is an extrovert and the lack of children to play with on a daily basis will take some getting used to (he does not have playmates in our neighborhood). But when I remind myself that kindergarten has a much higher "school" quotient than preschool, which was almost all play, and that first grade will increase the structure and institutional trappings even more, I know that this is for the best. In my experience, institutional schooling can actually be a terribly lonely place. There may be more people around, but the multiplicity of bodies does not necessarily lead to edifying human interaction.
I also doubt that it would go over too well to take sole possession of the book from which the teacher is reading and proceed to spend an additional half hour looking at pages that are not part of today's lesson. Must keep things moving, you know: "Science time is over; time for handwriting." But when you're the only student and the teacher's your mom and the "classroom" is Mom's bed . . . well, anything is possible.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A New 'Do!
Now you see it . . . .
Now you don't! Goodbye, long hair!
Now the fun begins!
A little more cutting . . .
. . . along with some shaping . . .
. . . blowing . . .
. . . and styling . . .
. . . and we have a whole new girl!
Well, actually not a new girl. I'm kind of fond of the old one. But I like the new look, don't you?
The ponytail will go to Locks of Love. Caitlin is looking forward to less pain and I am looking forward to the time I will save by not having to brush all that hair every day (Caitlin has very thick, wavy, and tangle-prone hair). On the other hand, brushing her hair was a pretty good upper arm workout. Guess I'll have to get more serious about my weight lifting!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
New Routine
I have a new job. I will be one of the staff piano accompanists at a brand new high school in the area. I am looking forward to the work--the choral director and the other accompanist are friends whose musicianship I highly respect--and, of course, the extra money will be nice! But it's going to mean some changes for both me and my family. Even though the job is part-time, it is going to be more hours working away from home. In recent years my part-time income has been generated by teaching piano lessons and accompanying church and community choirs. But the choral accompanying has just been a matter of attending several weekly rehearsals. Now, as a staff accompanist, I will be expected to be at school for part of every day. My responsibilities will include not just sitting at the piano but assisting the choral director in whatever way I can with cataloguing and filing music, working with students, and the like. This week I have been fingerprinted and background checked and have viewed a tutorial on blood borne pathogens. I am learning how to punch a time card again (it's all computerized now--wow, have I been out of the hourly work force a long time). I have filled out more papers than I care to count and have breathed a sigh of relief that as a part-time worker I am not required to join the teachers' union.
Even though there are some changes coming, I am excited about the work. I like to play the piano, and I don't do it enough. I am in a phase of my life where I don't do much that I don't HAVE to do. There are just too many things vying for my attention. So if I don't HAVE to play the piano, I don't. With this job I am going to have to play the piano every day.
Trying to prepare, I have spent the last few days coming up with a master family schedule. Part of wearing the "Mom" hat is making sure that not only I but everyone else in the family is WHERE they need to be WHEN they need to be there. It's not an easy task. I'm proud of myself for figuring it all out. So proud, in fact, that I'm going to post it here. Below is a rough outline of my M-Th schedule.
5:00 Wake up
6:30 Leave for school
7:00-10:00 Work at high school
10:30 (MW) Pick up oldest son at junior college (where husband dropped him off at 8:00)
11:00 Home
11:30 Bible time with kindergartener
12:00 Lunch
12:30-1:00 Clean up, house chores
1:00-1:30 Rest time with kindergartener
1:30-2:00 Take daughter to day school for art/choir (husband will bring her home); on Thursday kindergartener will have homeschool gym from 1:30-2:30
2:00-3:00 Do "school" with kindergartener
3:00-4:00 Mom time
4:00-6:00 (M) Teach piano students; (Th) Accompany community children's choir
6:00-7:00 Supper
7:00 (Th) Church choir
9:00 Get ready for bed
9:30 Family devotion
10:00 Lights out!
Most Fridays I will be able to be home. That will be my day to do literature and history with my older children and follow up with them on their other subjects. I am blessed with two teenagers who are self-motivated and disciplined and work very well on their own. They will have French and theology with their father on Tuesday/Thursday mornings and piano lessons with him on Tuesdays (his day off). The rest of the time they will have to work off an assignment sheet that I will provide and be responsible for pacing themselves. I have no worries about them doing that. They will also each have daily chores and specific tasks related to caring for their little brother. Since I will be gone in the morning, they will have to take care of getting him up and making him breakfast. They are also both going to help me with teaching him! Caitlin will be doing arts and crafts, and Trevor will be teaching chess and math.
My biggest concern about this new schedule is not the waking up early--I am a morning person, so I do that already--but the loss of those morning hours as personal time. If I want to do anything in the morning geared towards self-care (devotion, reading and exercise) I cannot let myself get sucked in to email and blogs. It's not going to be easy. I acknowledge I am addicted to both. But I am going to have no choice but to cut back. My posting here will probably become a bit less frequent. I hope I can still manage several posts per week. To manage the email, I am planning on changing my several list subscriptions to another email address that I will not check until later in the day. Of course, by that time everyone will have chimed in on all the threads and I will probably become one of those people who doesn't have anything much to say because someone else already said it. Sigh.
One thing that will help make this all work is that my dear, wonderful, sweet, amazing, sensitive honey of a husband is letting me get a cleaning lady! ::Cartwheels through the house:: I think he may actually end this year with a relatively sane and reasonable wife rather than someone who sees people in the wallpaper. Smart move on his part, huh?
Check back in a few months and I'll let you know how the wallpaper is doing.
Even though there are some changes coming, I am excited about the work. I like to play the piano, and I don't do it enough. I am in a phase of my life where I don't do much that I don't HAVE to do. There are just too many things vying for my attention. So if I don't HAVE to play the piano, I don't. With this job I am going to have to play the piano every day.
Trying to prepare, I have spent the last few days coming up with a master family schedule. Part of wearing the "Mom" hat is making sure that not only I but everyone else in the family is WHERE they need to be WHEN they need to be there. It's not an easy task. I'm proud of myself for figuring it all out. So proud, in fact, that I'm going to post it here. Below is a rough outline of my M-Th schedule.
5:00 Wake up
6:30 Leave for school
7:00-10:00 Work at high school
10:30 (MW) Pick up oldest son at junior college (where husband dropped him off at 8:00)
11:00 Home
11:30 Bible time with kindergartener
12:00 Lunch
12:30-1:00 Clean up, house chores
1:00-1:30 Rest time with kindergartener
1:30-2:00 Take daughter to day school for art/choir (husband will bring her home); on Thursday kindergartener will have homeschool gym from 1:30-2:30
2:00-3:00 Do "school" with kindergartener
3:00-4:00 Mom time
4:00-6:00 (M) Teach piano students; (Th) Accompany community children's choir
6:00-7:00 Supper
7:00 (Th) Church choir
9:00 Get ready for bed
9:30 Family devotion
10:00 Lights out!
Most Fridays I will be able to be home. That will be my day to do literature and history with my older children and follow up with them on their other subjects. I am blessed with two teenagers who are self-motivated and disciplined and work very well on their own. They will have French and theology with their father on Tuesday/Thursday mornings and piano lessons with him on Tuesdays (his day off). The rest of the time they will have to work off an assignment sheet that I will provide and be responsible for pacing themselves. I have no worries about them doing that. They will also each have daily chores and specific tasks related to caring for their little brother. Since I will be gone in the morning, they will have to take care of getting him up and making him breakfast. They are also both going to help me with teaching him! Caitlin will be doing arts and crafts, and Trevor will be teaching chess and math.
My biggest concern about this new schedule is not the waking up early--I am a morning person, so I do that already--but the loss of those morning hours as personal time. If I want to do anything in the morning geared towards self-care (devotion, reading and exercise) I cannot let myself get sucked in to email and blogs. It's not going to be easy. I acknowledge I am addicted to both. But I am going to have no choice but to cut back. My posting here will probably become a bit less frequent. I hope I can still manage several posts per week. To manage the email, I am planning on changing my several list subscriptions to another email address that I will not check until later in the day. Of course, by that time everyone will have chimed in on all the threads and I will probably become one of those people who doesn't have anything much to say because someone else already said it. Sigh.
One thing that will help make this all work is that my dear, wonderful, sweet, amazing, sensitive honey of a husband is letting me get a cleaning lady! ::Cartwheels through the house:: I think he may actually end this year with a relatively sane and reasonable wife rather than someone who sees people in the wallpaper. Smart move on his part, huh?
Check back in a few months and I'll let you know how the wallpaper is doing.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Supper Last Night . . .
. . . was cavatappi with creamy pesto sauce. It was so easy! I used basil leaves and cherry tomatoes grown in our garden. Here's the recipe:
2 cups of basil leaves
2-oz. bag of pine nuts
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
cherry tomatoes (however many you like, cut in half)
cavatappi (or whatever kind of pasta you want)
Chop all ingredients finely (I use a small electric chopper) and mix with 1/2 cup olive oil. Add approximately 1 cup of ricotta cheese (I used whole, not lowfat). Mix sauce with hot pasta and add tomatoes. Salt & pepper to taste.
We had Caesar salad on the side. While I was cooking, Mr. Round Unvarnished made us pina coladas with real coconut milk! (Jewel had a sale on pre-scored coconuts and I couldn't resist). The thing is, I forgot that we don't have a blender right now, so the pina (I keep typing piano and having to fix it!) coladas were on the rocks. We used this recipe found online:
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup rum
4 tablespoons sugar
Instead of blending with ice, we just poured it over ice cubes. Yum!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Yet Another Reason to Shop at Whole Foods
Not only do they have great, healthy (and yes, I know, expensive) food, but co-founder and CEO John Mackey has just published a brilliant and brave piece on health care in the Wall Street Journal. Brilliant, because he gets it right. Brave, because he is already suffering the fallout, as liberals and Obamacare supporters are calling for a boycott of the store.
HT: The Corner
HT: The Corner
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Riddle Me This, America
So. The number of people who approve of President Obama's job performance is steadily dropping, while the number who disapprove is steadily rising. (Source.) American Thinker says the pitchforks are starting to come out. What I can't figure out is why anyone in this country would be surprised at what this administration has done. Candidate Obama ran on a platform of change. I didn't like the changes he was proposing and voted accordingly. But the majority embraced his promise of change, and they are now getting what they voted for. They should not be surprised. Anyone who took the time to study the issues and candidates with any seriousness would know that they were voting for a radical who would appoint like-minded radicals to the Supreme Court, continue our descent into socialism, and institute a new era of weakness and conciliation on the international front.
Last night on Sean Hannity's television show pollster Frank Luntz led a focus group composed of 50% Obama voters and 50% Bush voters. And yet only three people in the whole group approve of the President's plan for health care and have faith in the government's ability to solve the health care "crisis." Again, where were these people eight months ago? This is what he said he would do, people. I almost feel a little sorry for the guy. He's probably totally bewildered: "But I thought they liked me. They said they liked me."
Be that as it may, Mr. President, they aren't liking you much these days. They are starting to pay attention, and they are learning, and they are figuring out that maybe they don't want what they thought they did. And your job as their President is to listen to them. If you don't, they will find someone they like better, someone who will not make them feel like children asking new and serious questions, only to be told, "That's really too complicated for you to understand. Trust me. I'm smarter than you, and I'll take care of everything."
Excuse me. I'm going to go sharpen my pitchfork.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Home Front
After a week of eating, drinking, sleeping, and breathing chess, it is time to get back to the "routine" (ROFLOL). I put the word in quotation marks because it seems every time the phonograph needle of my life gets into some semblance of a groove it encounters a speck of dust that kicks it right out again, resulting in either a Groundhog Day or a Back to the Future effect (my apologies to the metaphor/allusion-challenged among you, but I'm moving on).
I spent yesterday trying to get ready for "school" (guess I'm in a quotation mark mood)--going through books and papers, filing, tossing, arranging, storing, and the like. First I attacked the pile on the floor next to my bed, resulting in this:
Ahhh . . . nothing soothes my soul like organization. Who needs wine? (Um, scratch that.)
After this project, it was on to the next. At our church's garage sale earlier in the summer, I found a gem:
Here's another angle:
IT ONLY COST $20!! Did I hit the jackpot or what? I needed something else in the dining room to store books and items currently being used so that they don't clutter up the dining room table. ("What? We have a dining room table?"). Does anyone out there know exactly what kind of piece this is? The top of it is recessed. I could change a baby in there if I removed all the books (and if I had a baby)! Notice the drawers (I love drawers). The inside has a shelf--so two levels of storage!
The top level has my cell phone, planner, Bible and current reading; the top compartment has homeschooling methodology and reference books; the middle compartment has photos waiting to be sorted and put in albums; and the bottom shelf has--what else?--more books (those that are in the queue for either homeschooling or personal reading).
Ahhh . . . nothing soothes my soul like organization. Who needs wine? (Um, scratch that.)
After this project, it was on to the next. At our church's garage sale earlier in the summer, I found a gem:
Here's another angle:
IT ONLY COST $20!! Did I hit the jackpot or what? I needed something else in the dining room to store books and items currently being used so that they don't clutter up the dining room table. ("What? We have a dining room table?"). Does anyone out there know exactly what kind of piece this is? The top of it is recessed. I could change a baby in there if I removed all the books (and if I had a baby)! Notice the drawers (I love drawers). The inside has a shelf--so two levels of storage!
In addition to the physical organizing, I have been working on the mental as well, trying to get a fix on what shape my life will take this year. I have taken a new accompanying job at an area high school (part-time) and that is going to significantly change the landscape. For those who may be interested, I'll share a bit more about that soon. (And if you're not interested, just move on and let me babble . . . somehow it helps me to do so.)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Denker Photos and a U.S. Open Update
Day One--Arriving at the Marriott--Let's play chess!
Check-in
Opening Ceremony
Trevor with Bill Hall, Executive Director of the United States Chess Federation
Nice jewelry!
First round, against Matthew Parshall
Final round against Robert Lau
Closing Ceremony - The Winners!
Abby Marshall, first woman ever to win the Denker!
Read Abby's own thoughts on the tournament here.
U.S. Open Update: Trevor ended with 6 out of 9 points, tying for 4th place in the Expert division. He has mixed feelings about that outcome because although it is quite an excellent finish, the pairings/results were such that he essentially came out even in ratings points, losing what he had gained in the Denker tournament. I guess that's the heart of a true competitor--never being quite satisfied, always looking to the future and wanting to do even better. And he will have that chance, as this fall is full of playing opportunities for him. The Chess-Mobile (also known as a Volkswagen Eurovan) is going to be on the road a lot the next few months!
One final note: Trevor's friend and fellow Illinoisan Eric Rosen had a barn burner of a tournament, first drawing one GM and then defeating another! Eric apparently decided it wasn't enough to merely walk through the gate to Master status; no, that gate is meant to be knocked down and flattened! Congratulations, Eric! We are all so proud of you!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A GOOD DAY FOR TREVOR
Mr. RoundUnvarnished again here. Just wanted to keep our readers posted on yesterday's results: Trevor won both his boards! Woo-hoo!
This means Trevor now has 5 points (out of 7). Should he win tonight and tomorrow, he would finish with 7 points, repeating his performance in the US Open last year.
Currently, 7 players are tied for the lead with 6 points. Salvijus Bercys, who dealt Trevor that crushing loss in Round 3, has 5.5 points, along with - you guessed it - Robert Lau. The 5.0 pack that Trevor is in has 30 players, including Gordon Ruan, a fellow Illinois high school student, and, at the top of that pack, GMs Shabalov, Fedorowicz, and Kaufmann. Tonight will be a breakout opportunity for all of them.
GO TREVOR!
This means Trevor now has 5 points (out of 7). Should he win tonight and tomorrow, he would finish with 7 points, repeating his performance in the US Open last year.
Currently, 7 players are tied for the lead with 6 points. Salvijus Bercys, who dealt Trevor that crushing loss in Round 3, has 5.5 points, along with - you guessed it - Robert Lau. The 5.0 pack that Trevor is in has 30 players, including Gordon Ruan, a fellow Illinois high school student, and, at the top of that pack, GMs Shabalov, Fedorowicz, and Kaufmann. Tonight will be a breakout opportunity for all of them.
GO TREVOR!
Friday, August 7, 2009
US OPEN UPDATE
Cheryl is at the US Open with Trevor and the kids - but no laptop! What does this mean? It means Mr. RoundUnvarnished has been asked to put up a quick post in Cheryl's stead to thank all the readers who followed the Denker action and to let them know that a photo gallery will be posted here next week.
Meanwhile, in US Open action, Trevor has 3 points out of 5. After a good start, he lost in the 3rd round to IM Salvijus Bercys (2503). "IM" stands for International Master, one step below Grandmaster. Bercys is currently tied for 1st, with 4.5 points in the tournament, so Trevor's loss to him certainly wasn't shabby. In fact, Trevor's teacher, Yury Shulman, wrote to me that Trevor had a good position against him, concurring with my assessment that Trevor was indeed ahead in the mid-game. (Trevor was up two pawns!) But for Trevor to get to that point, he had to *think, think, think* and so used up almost all of his clock by move 28. He hung in there for four more moves as the clock wound down, but as he began to have to play "blitz" style (quick chess) due to his clock, Trevor's position weakened. Then, a questionable move on move 33 sealed his fate.
Trevor was exhausted and did not play his best chess in the next round. He had a worthy opponent, former Oregon Denker champ Ethan Peake (1950), but certainly not one in the same class as Bercys. Still, you've got to be at 100% to play anyone at the US Open, and so Trevor wound up with another loss before rebounding with a win last night against David Witner (1850).
But there still is a lot of chess left: 4 more boards over the next three days. BTW, Robert Lau, whom Trevor drew in the last round of the Denker and with whom he shared 5th place is currently tied for first with Bercys and a few others with 4.5 points! (And, Trevor's friend Eric Rosen, who lost the Illinois Denker championship to Trevor only on a tie-break, is having a marvelous tournament so far: he has 3.5 points and drew Grandmaster Jesse Kraai in the third round. Go Eric! "Woo-hoo!")
Meanwhile, in US Open action, Trevor has 3 points out of 5. After a good start, he lost in the 3rd round to IM Salvijus Bercys (2503). "IM" stands for International Master, one step below Grandmaster. Bercys is currently tied for 1st, with 4.5 points in the tournament, so Trevor's loss to him certainly wasn't shabby. In fact, Trevor's teacher, Yury Shulman, wrote to me that Trevor had a good position against him, concurring with my assessment that Trevor was indeed ahead in the mid-game. (Trevor was up two pawns!) But for Trevor to get to that point, he had to *think, think, think* and so used up almost all of his clock by move 28. He hung in there for four more moves as the clock wound down, but as he began to have to play "blitz" style (quick chess) due to his clock, Trevor's position weakened. Then, a questionable move on move 33 sealed his fate.
Trevor was exhausted and did not play his best chess in the next round. He had a worthy opponent, former Oregon Denker champ Ethan Peake (1950), but certainly not one in the same class as Bercys. Still, you've got to be at 100% to play anyone at the US Open, and so Trevor wound up with another loss before rebounding with a win last night against David Witner (1850).
But there still is a lot of chess left: 4 more boards over the next three days. BTW, Robert Lau, whom Trevor drew in the last round of the Denker and with whom he shared 5th place is currently tied for first with Bercys and a few others with 4.5 points! (And, Trevor's friend Eric Rosen, who lost the Illinois Denker championship to Trevor only on a tie-break, is having a marvelous tournament so far: he has 3.5 points and drew Grandmaster Jesse Kraai in the third round. Go Eric! "Woo-hoo!")
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
And That's a Wrap
I'm back! (Thanks for filling in this morning, honey.) I arrived in Indianapolis just in time to watch about the last five minutes of Round 6. For the last hour of the drive Phillip was giving me regular updates via cell phone, and for the last fifteen minutes or so we didn't hang up. We were interrupted at one point by the fire alarm going off in the hotel where the tournament is being played! It turned out to be a false alarm (I always kind of wonder about those "false" alarms in public places) and the game proceeded. As is so often the case, Trevor's game was the last one to finish. So I quickly found a place to deposit children and belongings and joined my husband and other onlookers in the board-side nail biting. By the time I got there Trevor was down to a rook and a pawn against his opponent's lone rook. Given that the rooks cancel each other out, it all boiled down to whether or not Trevor could get his pawn to the other side of the board, whence it would be promoted to a queen and he'd win the game.
Excuse me? Did you say something? Oh, you mean you would like to know how the game turned out?
It was a draw. :-) At the conclusion of the game Trevor and Robert exchanged handshakes and smiles as they each finished the Denker 2009 Tournament of High School Champions with 4 points each. And Miss Abby Marshall of Virginia (one of only two girls in the tournament) drew her last game, giving her clear first place. Abby, a senior, may now claim (if she so desires) a 4-year full scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas! Congratulations, Abby! Let's hear it for girl power (something that is statistically rare in the chess world).
The award ceremony is starting soon. We don't know Trevor's final position, but of course as soon as we do we'll post it here
UPDATE: Trevor tied for 5th place, and so was recognized at the awards ceremony. A nice finish to a wonderful tournament!
Can you believe this young man is not finished with chess this week? His first round of the U.S. Open starts TONIGHT!
Excuse me? Did you say something? Oh, you mean you would like to know how the game turned out?
It was a draw. :-) At the conclusion of the game Trevor and Robert exchanged handshakes and smiles as they each finished the Denker 2009 Tournament of High School Champions with 4 points each. And Miss Abby Marshall of Virginia (one of only two girls in the tournament) drew her last game, giving her clear first place. Abby, a senior, may now claim (if she so desires) a 4-year full scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas! Congratulations, Abby! Let's hear it for girl power (something that is statistically rare in the chess world).
The award ceremony is starting soon. We don't know Trevor's final position, but of course as soon as we do we'll post it here
UPDATE: Trevor tied for 5th place, and so was recognized at the awards ceremony. A nice finish to a wonderful tournament!
Can you believe this young man is not finished with chess this week? His first round of the U.S. Open starts TONIGHT!
The Final Round
Good morning, RoundUnvarnished readers! The final round of the 2009 Denker National Tournament of Champions is up and running. This morning we find Trevor playing Robert Lau on the third board. The winner of this match has a strong chance of coming in 3rd or 4th in the tournament, where Abby Marshall of Virginia remains undefeated on the top board. She's playing Michael Yang of Minnesota, who has 4.5 points to Marshall's perfect 5.0. Two players have 4 points: Jeffrey Haskel (FL) and Vincent Huang (CA). Currently Trevor is tied for 5th along with Lau, Deepak Aaron, and Steve Breckenridge of Oregon. (Special Note for Pastor Rossow: Matt Anzis of Iowa has 2.5 points with a group of 10 other competitors.)
As usual, the Champ spent time this AM on opposition research and game prep while Chess Dad fixed breakfast. Trevor is black this round, and so Lau will set the pace. Trevor explained over breakfast that he was wary of another closed Italian game, and hoped that Lau would play the Ruy Lopez. Fortunately for Trevor, he doesn't have a lot of games readily available over the internet, so unless Lau of Hawaii reads Illinois Chess Bulletin, the "opposition research" on Trevor actually shows a player with success against the Italian. So perhaps Lau will go with the Ruy Lopez - Trevor's best game - and play into Trevor's hands. So Dad will look for 3. B-b5 as the game begins.
We have some turmoil getting here. We neglected to watch the weather this AM, and so were surprized by a fierce thunderstorm. We rushed to get out the door, knowing that it might take extra time to get to the site. The parking lot was already flooding and my Grand Marquis was only a couple minutes' rain more from not getting out of the lot. A little hail was felt, but I plodded on, saying: "This is why we have insurance!" Fortunately, the hail held off. Traffic snarls were fortunately on the other side of the freeway and we got to the tournament early.
Arriving early gave me a chance to soak in the hall one last time. I took a few pictures and listened to the TD (tournament director) give final instructions to the players. Six years of "Denker Dreams" in our household and now it is coming to a close. We've worked hard to get here and Trevor has done well in the tournament to get to this point. No matter how this board turns out, this has been a great experience. Time to bask. God is good.
Meanwhile, the tournament starts and so Dad watches the opening before heading off to blog and to read. Watch for that third move. White plays B-b5. The Ruy Lopez!
We're off and running.
As usual, the Champ spent time this AM on opposition research and game prep while Chess Dad fixed breakfast. Trevor is black this round, and so Lau will set the pace. Trevor explained over breakfast that he was wary of another closed Italian game, and hoped that Lau would play the Ruy Lopez. Fortunately for Trevor, he doesn't have a lot of games readily available over the internet, so unless Lau of Hawaii reads Illinois Chess Bulletin, the "opposition research" on Trevor actually shows a player with success against the Italian. So perhaps Lau will go with the Ruy Lopez - Trevor's best game - and play into Trevor's hands. So Dad will look for 3. B-b5 as the game begins.
We have some turmoil getting here. We neglected to watch the weather this AM, and so were surprized by a fierce thunderstorm. We rushed to get out the door, knowing that it might take extra time to get to the site. The parking lot was already flooding and my Grand Marquis was only a couple minutes' rain more from not getting out of the lot. A little hail was felt, but I plodded on, saying: "This is why we have insurance!" Fortunately, the hail held off. Traffic snarls were fortunately on the other side of the freeway and we got to the tournament early.
Arriving early gave me a chance to soak in the hall one last time. I took a few pictures and listened to the TD (tournament director) give final instructions to the players. Six years of "Denker Dreams" in our household and now it is coming to a close. We've worked hard to get here and Trevor has done well in the tournament to get to this point. No matter how this board turns out, this has been a great experience. Time to bask. God is good.
Meanwhile, the tournament starts and so Dad watches the opening before heading off to blog and to read. Watch for that third move. White plays B-b5. The Ruy Lopez!
We're off and running.
Monday, August 3, 2009
And we have . . .
. . . another win! Those 2-1/2 points just became 3-1/2!
One round remains to be played at 11:00 a.m. EST tomorrow. Trevor and his dad are on their way back to the hotel to get as much sleep as possible. My other children and I will be departing Chicagoland tomorrow morning so as to make it to Indianapolis in time for the closing ceremony at 4:00 p.m. I think Phillip may need to hijack my blog entirely tomorrow since I will be on the road and unable to post.
See what I mean about the roller coaster?
One round remains to be played at 11:00 a.m. EST tomorrow. Trevor and his dad are on their way back to the hotel to get as much sleep as possible. My other children and I will be departing Chicagoland tomorrow morning so as to make it to Indianapolis in time for the closing ceremony at 4:00 p.m. I think Phillip may need to hijack my blog entirely tomorrow since I will be on the road and unable to post.
See what I mean about the roller coaster?
. . . and another update from Dad
It's hard to believe that by this time tomorrow Denker 2009 will be over. But there is still a lot of action and excitement to take place. Each round sees top players fall and, at this point, only Abby Marshall of Virginia remains undefeated. (An interesting aside: she is one of only two girls in the tournament.) She's playing Deepak, who defeated Trevor in the last round, on Board One.
Trevor fell from being tied for 3rd to being tied for 10th, with Robert Lau. Trevor's now playing on Board Six on the "strong side" against Joshua Bowman of Pennsylvania. In between the top board and Trevor's are some exciting matches, as favored players such as Jeffrey Haskel, Andrew Ng, and John Patrick Tae fight to get back on top. There are three players with 3.5 points and 5 players with 3 points, followed by Robert & Trevor leading the pack of 2.5's.
Anything can happen when so many state champions mix it up. Chris Andrews of Wyoming came in as the lowest-rated player (only a 1118), but has two points and is tied for 19th with Evan Sandberg of California (2131)! This puts him ahead of Richard Herbst of Colorado, a USCF Expert with a rating of 2052 who has had a rough start and will have to work hard to come out above .500 in the tournament. Biggest surprise so far: Felix Yang of Massachussetts may "only" be a 2033, but he has 3 points and is holding his own against Robert Lau.
On a personal note, I was very proud of how Trevor handled his loss today. Sure, we weren't expecting to win this thing. But it is still hard to watch a dream die. So we had some quiet time to absorb the loss and then went out for a cold, invigorating swim. And Dad's "bachelor food" seemed to provide just the right fuel to get us back on track. We got to the tournament site a little earlier than usual, so had a chance to enjoy meeting Trevor's opponent, Joshua. They are off to a good start and are both enjoying what we all came to do: play (or at least, watch) good chess!
Trevor fell from being tied for 3rd to being tied for 10th, with Robert Lau. Trevor's now playing on Board Six on the "strong side" against Joshua Bowman of Pennsylvania. In between the top board and Trevor's are some exciting matches, as favored players such as Jeffrey Haskel, Andrew Ng, and John Patrick Tae fight to get back on top. There are three players with 3.5 points and 5 players with 3 points, followed by Robert & Trevor leading the pack of 2.5's.
Anything can happen when so many state champions mix it up. Chris Andrews of Wyoming came in as the lowest-rated player (only a 1118), but has two points and is tied for 19th with Evan Sandberg of California (2131)! This puts him ahead of Richard Herbst of Colorado, a USCF Expert with a rating of 2052 who has had a rough start and will have to work hard to come out above .500 in the tournament. Biggest surprise so far: Felix Yang of Massachussetts may "only" be a 2033, but he has 3 points and is holding his own against Robert Lau.
On a personal note, I was very proud of how Trevor handled his loss today. Sure, we weren't expecting to win this thing. But it is still hard to watch a dream die. So we had some quiet time to absorb the loss and then went out for a cold, invigorating swim. And Dad's "bachelor food" seemed to provide just the right fuel to get us back on track. We got to the tournament site a little earlier than usual, so had a chance to enjoy meeting Trevor's opponent, Joshua. They are off to a good start and are both enjoying what we all came to do: play (or at least, watch) good chess!
A Photo . . .
The Master (Almost) at Work
I'm not sure which game this is, but I think the photo was taken yesterday, so it's probably either Round 2 or Round 3.
He's a handsome fella, ain't he? And to think he's just as good at piano as he is at chess.
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