This week is supposed to be sunny. It's kind of funny that a couple of days ago it was hailing, at least up in the hills. Today I met yet another group of kids, fifth graders excited to be up in the hills for science camp. The one exception seems to be a kid in my field group who I'm told has "severe behavior problems". He claims to not want to be at camp, although I caught him having fun on several occasions. One of the teachers from his school pointed out to me that his behavior problems are actually much less severe than they used to be. Still, it will make the week a little extra challenging. That's a good thing though. The best way to gain experience is to keep having new experiences.

Since I did the night program tonight (Monday night is always campfire night) I haven't seen my family much today. I see them briefly when I get up in the morning, but when I get home they're all in bed (or they're supposed to be at any rate).

Over the weekend I did a couple more birthday parties. Campfires and birthdays. I like my jobs.

Our end of the week meeting featured a local geologist who took us around the grounds on a mini geology tour, pointing out a stone culvert slightly offset due to its location atop the San Andreas fault zone, shutter ridges, dried stream beds and all manner of other interesting bits and pieces. Along the way we interrupted a small newt eating its lunch (in this case a worm) and got hailed on. In a way it was strange, with the people who normally lead field classes relegated to the role of student. It was interesting to be in the position of learner on trails where I am normally the teacher. Although there has yet to be a week where I didn't learn something myself while teaching... but you know what I mean. At any rate, I learned enough new facts to make future field class walks down these trails even slower, since I now have all sorts of new things to stop and point out to people. That means I'll be back from class even later than I am now. Oh well.

Lots of information to process. In the meantime, I've been looking at this site with my new 3d glasses. You've got to love meetings where 3d glasses are handed out. I guess this would be a good site for all you cubicle dwellers out there. It's very easy to imagine being in the pictures, away from the boring job and the yelling boss. In fact, why not just quit and go hiking...

At home, feeling masochistic, we took all four kids out to dinner.




Of course, every week I take about five times that number of kids out to lunch in the woods.

I almost forgot that I wanted to share some student journal entries about the night hike. sic sic sic.

There was just 5 or 6 people that haden did the solar hike. One of the people that was there was me. Suddenly something happen 3 coyotes past running, we gat really scared. Then we started to called Crow, our field instructor. Then he came and we told him what happen.
When that happen I was scard. When of the scares thing I have ever past. But I was like glade that happen to me.

On the night hike it was very scary. When we were in a line 3 coyote's passed by really fast it also touched me. After Crow came for us we went back to were everybody was sitting. Crow talked to us about planets. We also ate moon rock's. We had to have partners to see our mouth becuase the rocks shines in our mouths.

Last night I was scard. After I am not. We saw 3 cowotes then we were scared. Then we were walking together. We came as one big one of all. We saw Rachoroon, netes. We hear frogs. We whent to bed. Put our PJ's one.

... I was behind S wen we heard the nosey. Suddenly 3 coyotes came runing out of noware. Earlyer we saw 3 raccons in the trash can. The worse part about the coyotes was that Crow was not with us. We were scriming for help. He came and took us with him. Now I am more strong. Next we saw 2 newts. Finaly we heart some tree frogs. Then we went to the cabings and prepare for bed.

On my night hike we were just waiting to go on to the place we were supposed to go then we heard something running really, really fast. Then we heard a low howl, then we saw 3 coyotes running and it touched somebodys leg.

Crow gave everyone freze dryed fire Flys. I didn't want one because I don't eat bugs

We spent a good six hours on the trail today. The skies threatened rain but didn't deliver. The presence of the clouds made temperatures a bit chillier than they were this time last week, making the kids shiver and gripe. We did at one point pass a couple coming down the trail with their cute little four month old baby, all wide-eyed and bundled up against the cold. I love it when I see parents exposing their babies to the world beyond the suburbs.

I finally managed to get to this Redwood grove that I'd been meaning to visit for a couple of months now. It's a mere five minute walk beyond my usual turn around place, but well worth a visit. We ran into one of the other groups there, just as they were leaving. The other field instructor managed to twist his ankle just after his group passed us, and had to walk all the way back down the mountain afterwards. I guess I'm not the only one to have bad luck on thursdays. I hope it heals quickly.

There seemed to be newts every ten steps or so, and Banana slugs every fifteen. The rain brings them out of their holes by the hundreds. There were a couple of close calls between campers' feet and crawling newts. This is where camouflage works against them. I'm not sure why they're camouflaged anyway. They're too poisonous to eat, unless you're a Garter snake.

At home, The Dickens peed in the heater vent. What next?

Today it rained, so the newts were out in force, peeking out from holes along the sides of trails, crawling along in the damp, and peering out from under glistening tree roots. We hiked up one of the creeks, along with one of the other groups. That means roughly 40 fifth graders, two teenaged cabin leaders, and two field staff scrambling over slippery rocks, sloshing through rushing water, slipping in the spongy duff, and having the time of their lives doing it. Injury and water saturated pants and shoes don't make people enjoy this any less. One kid kept getting me to take his picture so he'd have all sorts of photos to show his mom when he got home.

It's always a bit of a trade off whenever you take that many kids into a riparian corridor. there is always an impact. We contribute a bit to erosion just by walking along the creek. Sometimes kids drop things - I know because I always find items left by other groups. And who knows how many animals are disturbed or even stepped on by careless feet? This is the price we must pay when we take kids into the wilderness. The hope is that what we do today, even though it has a short term impact on some trails and creek beds, will inspire these kids to make good choices in the long term.

Embrace the wilderness. Keep it wild.

Currently listening to Popol Vuh "In the Gardens of Pharao/Aguirre" and being calmed and carried away beyond the fields we know.

We had a pretty eventful night hike earlier. Before we even left our meeting place, which this week is at a log circle over near the trash cans, we saw some raccoons busy inspecting the dumpsters. Most of the kids had never seen raccoons before, so we all stood still and watched them. They watched us back for a bit and then made themselves scarce.
Later, after we had walked through the lower field and down into the woods, I had each kid follow the trail alone, with only a few candles to light the way. This is something we do every week, but tonight it was windy and rainy, causing the candles to flicker and go out. Most of the kids made it down the trail anyway. The last few people called out through the darkness, so I walked back up to light the candles for them. It turned out that this wasn't the problem. They had been calling because a group of coyotes had brushed past them in the dark, close enough to touch. This was confirmed by the cabin leader who was still with them. Not that I don't trust the kids, but I've had campers claim to see all manner of things out in the woods at night - dead people, guardian spirits, and who knows what else...
I wish I'd been there to see the coyotes. I did, later on, come across a couple of newts on the trail. The low clouds were reflecting enough light from the nearby cities to make the darkness somewhat less dark. There was even a newt perched on the edge of the cement wall bordering one side of the pond, as if contemplating a plunge.
As we returned to the school, the voices of frogs reached us from somewhere deep in the meadow.

Earlier, a Pacific Tree Frog posed for me.




So did a mushroom - possibly a Parrot Waxycap. Possibly not.

In the interest of documenting our culture's last bastion of folk tradition, I must report that I heard a new variation of "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" today in which the line I remember from childhood, "And Joker got away" was replaced with "And Joker played ballet."

Sure, it's a silly children's rhyme, but one must remember that it is part of a living oral tradition, much like other folk music was back before people had the means to record it. Even today, when people are doing their best to capture every obscure little snatch of song ever uttered, I fear that children's rhymes go largely unnoticed by music scholars. It is this fact, and this fact alone that allows these rhymes to be part of an evolving oral tradition. They're not set in the stone of an official recording. They're free and wild, passed down through the generations by bored elementary school children. Whoopeee!

I did my mad scientist routine today at the party where I heard this. I got tipped well, both in money and in cake. Chocolate, cash, and the opportunity to witness an evolving oral tradition. A good way to spend the afternoon if I do say so myself.

I wonder if anybody who wasn't a sociology major ever thinks about stuff like this

Here's some photos from yesterday's hike.










The sky has been blue and filled with that indefinable sense of spring, even though spring is still months away. Next week the rain may make another appearance, causing all of the hopeful little lizards to hole up once again under rocks and dirt.

The campers won't have that option though. If it rains, they still have to go hiking in it. So do I, of course, but that's okay. I don't mind. It's much better than working in a cubicle somewhere.

Somehow every time I turn around it's garbage day.

I'm pretty tired. Jen's got a sinus/ear infection and is feeling pretty miserable. The kids, of course, are their usual selves, bouncing and screaming and spilling things faster than we can keep up with them. Willow now kisses her dolls on the head and puts them to bed, saying, "Baby! Night night!" I'm going to really miss this toddler phase when she grows beyond it.

I went to see Lhasa at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last night. G got me in on the KALX guest list, which was nice. Lhasa sings like somebody you'd expect to hear in a smoky bar at 2 am somewhere in southern Europe, perhaps France or Spain. Or maybe Portugal, since she did sing an Amalia Rodriques song. Quite nicely too, I might add.

At work this week I managed to give an olfactory lesson on animal adaptations, with an emphasis on defensive behavior. Within the space of half an hour I picked up a large millipede and a stinkbug, so my left hand smelled like upset millipede and my right hand reeked of angered stinkbug. Most of the kids smelled my hands too. The consensus was that the stinkbug was stinkier. The millipede's defensive liquid, which is yellow when emitted, stains skin a bruise-like color that fades after a day or so.

Today we hiked up to a nearby reservoir that I had never previously visited. I took a wrong turn and led everybody up a creek which we had to cross and recross, scrambling over rocks and under low lying branches. Several kids got quite wet, but all had a great time anyway. There were hundreds of spider webs shimmering in the sunlight (warm sun in January, what next?) and the ground was covered with Banana Slugs. When we finally did reach the reservoir, the frogs were croaking, the Fence Lizards were out sunning themselves, and the kids were tired.

Me too, mostly because I got home late from the concert last night. At least I no longer have to go directly to work upon leaving a venue.

Today, Martin Luther King Day, affords us the opportunity to reflect on, amongst other things, pacifism. In all honesty, I squandered this opportunity because we were too busy combatting the rising tide of junk that threatens to overwhelm us if we relax our vigilance for more than a moment. It's not that I don't place importance in the reasons behind this holiday - it's just that, like with many people, the everyday stuff gets in the way. Actually, as far as holidays go, this is one of the more important ones. I just wish that there were more people in the world like Dr. King - people willing to rise above the everyday stuff and go down in history as having made a difference. Of course, we all make a difference in some way. I feel I make a difference at my job, for instance. . .

Okay, this is starting to be a ramble. I just wish more people would get the message, especially those running this country. Stop the fucking violence. Break down barriers wherever they exist. Relax a bit. Smile. Embrace differences. Try something new.

The weekend rushed by without even saying "excuse me" as it brushed past. We were too busy to notice anyway, stooped over picking things up and brushing things off. The garage has a couple of clean patches in it now. The clover out front is now in the yard waste bin. Some of the junk in the backyard is gone. Some shelves inside are neater. Lots of dishes were done. Lizard cages were cleaned. Butts and noses were wiped more times than one would think possible. Floors were picked up and vacuumed. Knitting was done. Books and newspapers were read.

I recycled some Christmas wrapping paper I found in the garage, noting as I separated paper from ribbon and bow that It was all from a year ago. We've got to get out there more often.

I wish I had more time to draw and write. Most of what I write here is rushed - first draft quality only. Not that it's meant to be polished. After all, it's just a journal.

I don't think I mentioned that I got a raise. A smallish one to be sure, but I'm not complaining. We're still in quite a hole financially, so anything that helps us climb out a little more quickly is welcome. We're even talking about selling things on Ebay to bring in extra cash. We'll see...

Here's some photos from yesterday's hike. The deer skeleton was found by a kid who made a wrong turn and wandered off the trail. The local F.B.I. (that's Fungus, Bacteria, and Invertebrates) had already eaten all of the good bits.










This evening, I took Jen and all of the kids up to see one of the night programs at work. On our current budget, free entertainment is always appreciated. It was kind of nice to sit back and watch my co-workers do all of the work while we drank tea (the grownups) and hot cocoa (the three older kids - poor Willow fell asleep and missed it). Thursday's program is always the science camp version of Jeopardy, followed by a dance. The Dickens was in the thick of things the whole time we were there, while the boys, perhaps a bit intimidated by all of the big kids, hung back a bit. They still had a good time though. When Willow woke up and found out that she was at a loud dance, she wasn't too happy, so we left.

No clouds at all today, but still cold in the shade. There was a thin coating of ice on my car windows this morning.

It looks like the computer is going to act poopy so I can't upload any photos. Perhaps another time.

More kids were added to my field group today due to the new guy being ill. More rain was added to the ground due to the clouds being full. While hiking out in the rain with our increased numbers, we found four different types of salamanders and newts, and one forlorn Fence Lizard clinging to a rock. The poor thing must have been hiding under something that got flooded, and forced to crawl up the rock to avoid being drowned. It was so cold that it barely moved at all when I picked it up. A little later, we found a dying newt. The poor thing was emaciated, but with no other external indication of what the problem could be. Perhaps parasites, or perhaps old age?

The kids' teeth were chattering by the time we got back to camp for lunch.

The clouds disappeared during our night hike, and when we walked out from under the trees, diamond bright stars were scattered above us. There's nothing like stars after the rain

It started raining midafternoon today, and has been doing so of and on ever since. The woods were still wet from previous rains, and the new batch of campers endured mud and trails transformed into streams. The medical/behavioral notes we get every Monday came up mostly blank for my group. No selective mutes or ADHD kids or seizures or strange allergies this week. The new guy, for his first week of teaching, got a kid with a bad limp who would lose a race with a slug and a kid prone to seizures (or was that one in somebody else's group...?).

I talked with the limping kid and he said he'd broken his ankle a while ago. He has no cast or brace, and isn't using crutches. It reminds me of when I messed up my foot last year and limped for three months or so. I'm an adult though. Somebody should be taking better care of this kid. Maybe it's a health coverage thing... we have an interesting mix of schools this week - 0ne from affluent Cupertino, and one from East San Jose, which is more of a low-income area. I wonder if this kid has parents who just can't afford to take him to a doctor.

At home, we're still cleaning and organizing, especially since the landlord is dropping by again tomorrow to inspect the squishy floor in the bathroom. Jen actually called him this time. We don't want anybody to fall through the floor, which has probably been softened by water (leaky toilet seal?) enough to pose a danger.

I got a new nightlight for the King Snake too. It'll help keep him warm.




What? You looking at Me? YOU LOOKING AT ME?

My work week ended in a torrential downpour, with the students hurrying to their buses with whatever rain gear they possessed clutched tightly about them. We always line up to say goodbye to them as they file past. Some of them hug us. Sometimes they cry as they leave. Some give us high-fives. I noticed that my selective mute student pretended that none of us existed as she walked past. Strange. It makes me wonder why she is the way she is.

Anyway, after work I went home for awhile before setting out again to get M and the equipment needed for the show up in the city. I wasn't really looking forward to driving all that way in the rain, but we got to the venue without any problems, traffic or otherwise. The fact that an auto dealership exploded (gas release caused by plumbers, or so the media reports) just a block from the freeway along the route didn't even add any travel time.
G met us at the venue, with R arriving later. We were second on a bill of three bands, playing upstairs above a bar that is apparently a weekend yuppie meat market sort of place. The start time was late, after 10 pm, and by that time lots of familiar faces were in evidence. Our set went pretty well, with nothing too unexpected happening. R introduced us in his William Burroughs voice, and things flowed along nicely through our half hour set. G and I wore lichen masks that M had put together over the previous week, and choir robes that G had borrowed. M wore a Lone Ranger type mask and horns that he'd super glued to his head. We played lots of non- instruments and mishandled some real ones. Afterwards, we got lots of compliments, which is always nice. The last band, and I Am Spoonbender side project simply known as Spoonbender 1.1.1, projected an early Cronenberg film, Crimes of the Future, while playing the voice track from Cronenberg's Stereo. They layered their own sounds over this, complementing the film(s) nicely.
At the end of it all, while I was driving the van from its parking place on Mission St. over to the club, I noticed that the power steering was out. I had a moment of hoping that it was just a flat tire, which would have been more easily remedied, but no such luck. We loaded everything into the van anyway, and G got a cab because I figured I wouldn't be able to get him back home. M came with me, such he had no other option. I found I could turn well enough if I wasn't attempting to do it from a standstill. This made intersections tricky though. Then, to add to our troubles, the battery light came on, the temperature gauge started rising, and the defroster stopped working. And of course it was still raining as well. Despite my better judgement, I made it onto the freeway, but soon gave up the hope of making it home and pulled over. Upon getting out and looking under the hood (during a particularly nasty downpour) we discovered that the timing belt was hanging limply down like a sneezed up tapeworm.

I called Jen, since I realized I had no idea what her insurance covered as far as towing went. My own roadside assistance insurance expired last August. Jen, despite being wakened by my call, made numerous calls, most of which ended up being routed to small offices in Kansas or Ohio or East Nowhere. She finally found a small towing company covered by her insurance. The guy who eventually came was this stand-up, consistently hilarious teamster type who genuinely liked helping people in need (for a fee, of course). He said the only reason he agreed to come out in the rain and drive the nearly 100 mile round trip was because Jen had been so nice on the phone (apparently most people in need of his services are not). Jen should be a diplomat. Of course, being a parent involves lots of diplomatic work.

Anyway, the driver regaled us with stories of his family, his work, and his encounters with petty criminals on the hour plus drive home. He'd even once been thrown out of the club that we'd just played at. Really nice guy though.

By the time I got to sleep, it was 6 am. Yay. I woke up several hours later to watch the kids while Jen and Uncle Jay wrestled with a newly purchased timing belt outside in the rain. Eventually they won the match and now the van works again. For once, watching the kids was the easier job. I felt guilty.

The gravity at Lexy's school must be stronger than average, because it pulled Lexy to the ground and broke his arm again - in the same place he broke it a few months ago. Shit.

I found this out at the end of a very nice five hour hike, during which the kids behaved quite well for fifth graders. I was actually worrying about people falling too, if only because I forgot my walkie-talkie. Little did I know that when they did try to reach me that it would be to tell me about Lexy falling.

Ah, well...







These spiders caught some fog this morning, allowing me to finally get a couple of decent web photos. Webs on the web. What next?

And here's a quote from one of my student's journals that I can refer to if I ever start questioning my career choice: "The solo-hike is an unforgettable experience. To express my appreciation to the instructor, I think "thank you" might not be enough."

If indeed people are having unforgettable experiences up in the woods, then they will grow up to be defenders of the woods. The wild places enrich our lives, even if we don't often set foot in them.

I should be in bed, but...

The rain held off today, but evidence of recent rains was everywhere. We hiked up the creek and several people got wet feet. Later, we hiked in the dark and got ambushed by puddles. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain and rain. Friday it is supposed to rain and rain and rain.







Here's some witch's butter. Good on toast? I'll never know...

It feels great to be back teaching kids. As usual, they're excited to be up at camp. One kid was evidently so excited that he puked just as he got off the bus. I'm glad I'm not the janitor this week.
I have one girl in my field class who is a selective mute. Apparently she won't talk to adults. I guess I won't call on her to answer questions then. Despite this interesting inhibition, she seemed to be having a good time. All of the other kids were great too. So far, at least.
The clouds lowered themselves into the valleys, but did no more than coat everything with mist. Rain is promised for later in the week.

Once again I am enslaved by my alarm clock. Its piercing cry jolted me from my dreams and forced me to my feet in the predawn light this morning, much like it will do for most of the rest of the year. I imagine that our distant ancestors were healthier, being allowed to sleep in until their body clocks awakened them. Of course, sometimes they were attacked in the night by predators, so maybe I shouldn't complain.

Work today wasn't really work anyway. It was a long meeting, during which we discussed such fascinating subjects as the 5th and 6th grade science curriculum. Not so bad, really. I'm glad to be back at work, reinvigorated after some time away and ready to add to my repertoire of teaching skills.

There's part of me that wishes I could stay home and finish de-cluttering the house. We've made headway with this project, but have a long way to go. Our efforts are hampered by four little clutterers, who delight in undermining us.

One of them is now standing next to me demanding milk and threatening to kick me if I don't comply. When is she going to learn that threats of violence are a bad tactic to use when asking for stuff? Of course, this never stops our lovely government...

The new year was ushered in to the tune of wind and rain. In time honored tradition, M, G and I were out in it at midnight making improvised "music". We always choose an area somewhat of a distance from any main thoroughfare. Last year we were close enough to a traveled area to scare some people off with our racket, so this year we went out into the woods in the rain and secreted ourselves inside a large Redwood stump. We almost made it all the way there without flashlights, but the presence of swiftly flowing water in some of the gullies combined with the near total blackness of the stormy night confused me somewhat.

The stump itself is open to the sky, but sheltered under a faerie ring of Redwoods which kept out most of the rain. Through the trees, a foggy smudge of moon provided the only light.

We made the confines of the stump our own for a small time, rejoicing in the glistening wood and the freedom to make as much racket as possible. When things got too silly, as they must always eventually do, we packed up and sloshed back to the car.

G and M slept over. Jen made a huge breakfast, including a lovely coffee cake that she stayed up late making the night before (of course, we all stayed up late talking and just generally hanging out - for a fleeting time getting to act like we had no responsibilities). The kids got overexcited, as they always do in the presence of guests.

So the year starts, in the company of family and friends. I wish this could be so for everybody.

Jen and I took the Christmas tree down today. Tomorrow I go back to work and the boys go back to school. The holiday season is over for another year. Time to forge ahead.

We begin the forging by playing a show at the Elbo Room in San Francisco on Friday.