Bloodshot Sun, originally uploaded by Corbie.

The sunsets in the Bay Area continue to look like scenes out of post-apocalyptic science fiction films, with the ghostly red orb of the sun looking more like a bloody moon. Needless to say, the air quality has taken quite a dive. Around the state, wilderness and non-wilderness are falling victim to indiscriminate fire.

Leafing through the latest National Geographic, I noticed that our fire woes have warranted an article there.

On a completely different note, I'm pleased to see that same gender couples can finally get married. In the parking lot of our local grocery store, I saw a car belonging to a newly wedded couple - in the window, they had painted, JUST MARRIED - AFTER 23 YEARS! Imagine having to wait that long. Of course, the forces of evil lurk nearby. On the way to the grocery store, there is a car with a "marriage is between a man and a woman" bumper sticker. The "man" and "woman" are represented by little icons which resemble the ones found on bathroom doors. I've often fantasized about vandalizing that sticker by replacing one of the icons with a farm animal, but have held back from doing so, either because, a) I'm too mature for such shenanigans, or b) I don't have any farm animal stickers.

Speaking of maturity, lately I've been delving deeply into the boxes of papers and junk that I left behind in my mom's garage the last time I moved (actually, two times ago, I think). It has sparked a reflective state of mind, the results of which can mostly be seen over at my music blog, since music occupies such a big space in my life (for good or ill). In some ways, it's almost like a second childhood, but instead of buying a convertible, I'm blogging about forgotten punk bands.

Amongst the music memorabilia, there are also a lot of school papers, mostly from my time at San Jose State. I even found a short, autobiographical piece that I wrote for a sociology class 19 years ago. Reading it was interesting, especially because in some ways, not a lot has changed. I'm a bit more nuanced now, but my basic beliefs are pretty much the same.

In the spirit of those people who read old journal entries in front of audiences, here it is, in its entirety:

Who Am I?

To whom it may concern,

Who the heck am I? Well, let's see... I'm a 21 year old male with hair that evidently looks like some redneck's sister's and a slightly protruding stomach due to excess junk food inhalation. I judge myself to be somewhat average looking.

I spend most of my time listening to music which most other people hate and reading horror novels which seem to disgust an uncommonly large number of people. I like watching bad Italian horror movies about zombies and maniacs wielding sharp kitchen utensils.

On the creative side, I like to draw, although I often find myself drawing icky dead people. I also like to write stories and poems, always keeping the subject matter appropriately grim, of course. However, I do like stupid humor and often liven things up with puns that nobody gets, which is good because I would probably get hit a lot if people got them. I also "sing" for an extremely noisy, yet politically/socially correct punk band.

I like unspoiled wilderness and I'm very upset with the rate at which it is becoming spoiled by human greed and ignorance. The government scares me and pisses me off greatly as well. I am what some people call "anti-American" because I don't believe in being fed lies and half-truths by people who claim to be working in our best interests. Sure, maybe our system is better than some, but I believe it still stands for a lot of improvement. People who believe the U.S. is perfect are hurting an already sick situation.

I am somewhat socially awkward at times but this doesn't bother me as much as it could because I'm not really out to impress anyone. I tend to like small groups of friends better than large social gatherings. I avoid parties, never drink, never take drugs, and don't smoke. I do, however, eat too much.

I am an accomplished procrastinator, never doing something today that can be put off until tomorrow. I have, however, been working on changing this aspect of my personality. Maybe tomorrow...

On the plus side though, once I start a task I always finish it quickly and efficiently (well, most of the time anyway).

I actively avoid anything mainstream. I hate trends and fads. I never watch TV. I am an athiest. I don't believe in telling other people what to do or how to run their lives. I hope George Bush gets hit by a bus, but only if it runs over Dan Quayle first. I seem to be rambling here, so I guess I'll stop. Have a nice day, if you want to.

Take care,
John

There you have it. Most of this still applies to one degree or another. I don't spend anywhere near as much time reading horror novels or watching horror films now (I've gotten a lot more picky). I also don't draw corpses for the sake of drawing corpses anymore - that was just a byproduct of my fascination with horror movies anyway. My feelings for George Bush are the same, even if the George Bush isn't. It's also interest to note that I started the piece above by talking about what I look like and what I like to do. I guess that's an indication that I first defined myself by my appearance and interests, rather than the deeper, more personal stuff. Of course, I usually don't dig too deeply in any kind of public forum, including this blog.

I got an 'A' on the paper, and the professor wrote, you are "one of a kind", John, at the bottom. Hmmm.

Back in the present, I'm at the end of a two-week "vacation", and I start working at summer camp on Monday. The people at Bethel Church hired me, like they do pretty much every summer, to bring reptiles and arachnids to show their little summer campers, and I spent a couple of mornings this week doing that. I'm still working away at getting my teaching credentials too. Time is just flying by, like I was warned it would.

George Carlin is dead.

Fuck, and six other words.

R.I.P. George Carlin.

We all went to the park today, and the kids played for hours. While I watched Willow running through the spray in the water play area, a man nearby was singing sad songs in Spanish. I don't understand enough Spanish to tell you exactly what the songs were about, but his tone was plaintive. He broke the illusion of mystery by occasionally interrupting himself to talk on his cell phone. I think he was also listening to an I-pod. It was a strange juxtaposition, the quiet songs and the loud, laughing, children; the old and the new. Observing more carefully, I could see that even this sad singer of songs had a child there somewhere. Even though his feet were planted firmly on cement, they were buried in sand.

The kids are getting a few extra minutes out on their night hike tonight. I spent a moment looking out over the lower field. I could see a group of kids circled up out there in the near darkness. The sky above them, down by the horizon, was a vivid orange fading to light blue, and then to darkness. A razor thin crescent moon hangs in the sky, with the rest of it outlined in Earthshine.

It is heartbreakingly beautiful.

The hills to the southwest have been burning since Thursday. Here in the valley there were a couple of days where the thick campfire smell of smoke hung in the air. Being me, I kept imagining all of the burning Poison Oak bushes up in those hills, and what inhaling the smoke was doing to my lungs. Friday morning was particularly bad. I can't complain though. We still have our house.

Normally, I'd have left for work already, but thanks to good old Memorial Day there's no work tonight. So I can sit here and write boring blog posts instead.

Currently listening to: Leonard Cohen "Field Commander Cohen"

The temperature is supposed to drop this week, which isn't surprising because it sure couldn't have gotten much hotter. Despite the heat, I've still been walking to get the kids from school in the afternoon, dragging our squeaky, red Radio Flyer wagon behind with the girls safe inside. Sure, they could walk, but then they'd get tired and fight over which one got to be carried. Besides, Sophie likes to pretend she's in a limo going to Hollywood. Where she got that idea, I don't know, but it is kind of cute.

I only have three more weeks of working nights before the school year melts into summer. I'm looking forward to changing my weekday schedule back around and getting ready for summer camp to begin. I'm only working 6 weeks of summer camp this year, since the program for kids Willow's age only lasts that long. All the kids are coming to work with me for 6 weeks. I sure hope they don't burn out.

I need a new camera too. My screen has gone black. hmmm. That sounds like a grim metaphor, doesn't it? "Did you hear about Harry? His screen went black. The funeral is next week."

Currently listening to: Tanakh "Saunders Hollow"

First Harvest, originally uploaded by Corbie.

We all went to the Maker Faire a couple of weekends ago, and I've been meaning to blog about it but I haven't been able to download the photos from Jen's old camera. It seems that the software on my computer doesn't recognize it. I'll have to find the time to load the photos on to one of the other computers. In addition to this, my own camera's display screen has finally gone completely dark - it succumbed to the cold during a snowstorm up at Mt. Shasta a few month ago, but still worked well enough for me to see an image. No more.

The Maker Faire is an annual event up in San Mateo, with artisans, geeks, freaks, and other creative types converging on the San Mateo fairgrounds with their D.I.Y. projects. Objects on display (and sometimes for sale) ranged from arts & crafts to robots and rockets, and everything else in between. The kids got to see their first robot battle - actually a series of robot battles, with weight classes and everything. The very first robot to be sundered and have its pieces flung about the arena was one of the cute, little dinosaur robots the girls had been cuddling with earlier. I thought they'd be traumatized, but they were thrilled, even to the point of grabbing bits of crushed plastic and torn rubber skin from the aftermath. Jen got to indulge in some craft shopping, and we all got to hang out with Jeremy, who is a bit of a maker himself. As for myself, I've always wanted to spend more time making things, but don't always have the time, skills, or information I need. My one purchase for the day was a big block of red oak sawdust and rice bran impregnated with the mycelium of the Shiitake mushroom. The block is supposed to yield several "crops" of mushrooms (the part that grows above the ground is the "fruiting body" of the mushroom, used for reproductive purposes - the releasing of spores). Over the last week, I harvested my first batch of mushrooms, and damn, they're the best mushrooms I've ever eaten. I've been eating them raw too. Next time I'll try cooking them. Just a few minutes ago, I cut some mold off the block. Gotta watch that mold. Hopefully I'll have some more mushrooms soon. For your own block, go to Far West Fungi.

Another interesting site that had a booth at the faire was Instructables.com., which is billed as the world's biggest show and tell. It's full of user generated instructions for just about everything. Become a maker!

Speaking of making, I don't think I've mentioned in my blog (although she has mentioned it in hers, of course) that Jen had a short piece published in a book called "Can I Sit With You?". Along with several other authors featured in the book, she did a reading at Angelica's Bistro up in Redwood City. She did it well, too, despite her aversion to public speaking. We're all very proud of her. See an excerpt here.

At home, I'm continuing to walk to pick the kids up from school (tomorrow should be fun, with the forecast calling for record heat). Willow had her pre-Kindergarten assessment today, and she is ready for Kindergarten, which is no surprise to anybody. I'm told that she needs to work on her fine motor skills a bit though.

Everything in good time.

Currently listening to: Steve Von Till "A Grave is a Grim Horse"

Willow (as I drove her to school this morning): Why can't I play on the roof?

Here's a fun link. Keep refreshing for continued chuckles.

Even though her days are hectic, Jen still occasionally finds the time to send me an interesting link or two. Today, she sent me this one, which is essentially all about the joy and looming necessity of exploring your immediate neighborhood on foot. They call it a walkshed - sort of like a watershed for people, I guess. The whole idea is to get out there and see how many useful destinations are in walking distance. For instance, which stores are in a half-hour walking radius of your house? What about 45 minutes? An hour? Think of the saved gas money and the bulging calf muscles!

Thinking about it, I don't know my current neighborhood even a fraction as well as I knew my childhood haunts. Despite the fact that for the past three years (barring the current school year), I've hiked for a living, I still, shamefully, often drive when I could be walking. Blame schedules, or my inattention to the clock, or general to-much-to-do-ness, but I almost always drive to get the kids from school, which is only about five or six blocks away. Granted, I park around the corner rather than join the idling line of over-sized vehicles in front of the school, but still...

Today I walked. Willow rode her little plastic bigwheel (or whatever the heck they call them these days) and I brought the wagon because I didn't want any part of the scene that I was sure Sophie would make when she was faced with the prospect of... gasp... walking! As it was, she was so thrilled with the wagon ride that she wants to ride home that way every day. The boys were fine with it as well, but then again they often walk.

I'm going to try to keep this up. It was good to be out there in the Spring air, even if it was humid and overcast.

Then, coincidentally enough, the boys asked to go on a walk so they could "map the neighborhood." They're finally getting to the age where, equipped with a cell phone, it's more or less okay to let them wander off. And wander they did, with drinks and blank paper for making maps. I asked them just now if they actually made maps, to which Alex replied, "yeah, kinda." They plan on finishing the project later. Maybe I'll come along. I know that up the hill and around the corner there is the entrance to a hiking trail of some sort. It's probably not extensive, but it's definitely within walking distance. I've been meaning to mount an expedition up that way for awhile, but I'm such a damn procrastinator. There's also the added problem of getting all four kids (and attendant friends), to all agree at the same time to do the same thing.

One can only try.

(cue voice of Yoda) "There is no try. There is only do!"

Current listening: Crow Tongue "ditch mix volume three"

Unless..., originally uploaded by Corbie.

I spent last weekend down in Malibu, at a place called Camp Hess Kramer, for the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education's (AEOE) Spring Conference. This is the second AEOE conference I've been to, and the first down in southern California. This time, ten of us went - naturalists, one of our cabin leader advisors, and a cabin leader/songwriter who lent her talents to the AEOE talent show and helped us win two of the four categories. We won for having a skit most closely related to the conference theme (Unless...), and cabin leader extraordinaire, Guinea Pig, won "most educational" for her song, You're Not A Loam. Hear it on her MySpace page. The skit was truly collaborative (both in its creation and in its message), but the song was all Guinea Pig's. We did have and extra collaborator show up while we practiced though - when our cabin leader adviser, Sequoia, put on his hood, a small, agitated scorpion fell out. I think I was more amused than he was.
As for the rest of the proceedings, the conference featured a great number of workshops, the intent of which was to make us more well-rounded outdoor educators. I was disappointed that the workshop where we were supposed to get a chance to dissect a Humboldt Squid, didn't in fact have said squid on hand, but other than that, I had a fun time, going to a workshop on "keeping the magic alive" led by Steve Van Zandt from San Mateo Outdoor Education, a workshop on Cage-free children led by Elaine Gibson from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, in which the subject of parental fear was discussed (if anything, it made me rethink the boundaries I set for our children at home more than it had any applications for the children I watch over at work), a workshop on working with English Language Learners (I didn't get a lot of new information from this one, but I did pick up a couple of extraneous activities from a fellow attendee), and a workshop on fire-making (I can now, among other things, make fire using only a flashlight and steel wool). This last workshop probably taught me most, in terms of new skills, but they were all inspiring in a way that makes me regret not being in the field at the moment. Summer camp is only about six weeks away though.

In addition to this, the conference was situated in a canyon that opened onto the beach, so the surroundings were beautiful. I took myself on a hike up to the nearest ridge during the first workshop session, enjoying the view of the pacific and the cacti that grew here and there in the hot, crumbly chaparral soil. I had hoped to see some reptiles, but only saw the region's ubiquitous Western Fence lizards. Despite their relative ordinariness, I took pictures of them anyway. Hiking up the same trail at night, I experienced the infamous Santa Ana winds, which felt for all the world like somebody was aiming a hair dryer at my face.

The conference also afforded my the opportunity to see at least one of my co-workers falling-down drunk. To his credit, he could still deliver a mean astronomy lecture despite being barely able to stand up. Also on hand for the conference was an ex-coworker who worked with us for a few months last year, and now works at the Yosemite Institute. I didn't really know anybody else though.

It was all over quickly, of course, and now I'm in the middle of a week off from work. I'm getting more sleep that usual, but for some reason I'm still tired.

Willow is calling from the other room again. I think her pancake is ready...

Kids discussing the important issues:

Nate (to Sophie): Babies come out of your vagina - your front private.

Sophie: No, they come out of your butt.

Spring is here, but the cold and wind still persist, making jacket-wearing mandatory in the evenings. We've all been spending a lot of time out front, and we're definitely getting a lot of use out of the basketball hoop, although I've seen the kids try to make baskets with a lot of non-regulation balls, such as soccer balls and superballs, and various other even less appropriate things. The neighborhood is now home to a large number of kids, and they often congregate in our driveway. There's a little Korean boy, who is 5 or 6 years old (he says 6), who is always out by himself, completely unsupervised, and who often wanders over when we're outside. The girls were talking with him about the local grocery store, and he replied, "I can't go to (the store) cuz last time I go there by myself the police came. Someone call the police." I don't blame them either. He's way to young to be just wandering around by himself. Unfortunately, I don't know any Korean, so I can't communicate with his grandmother, who he either lives with, or stays with. Jeez.

While all was suburban bliss out on the driveway last week, an unseen menace was festering in the hair of a camper up at work. That's right: head lice. After nice reggae/jazz interval, courtesy of old friends I've Never Been to Brisbane, I got to camp Thursday night to find that nearly 30 kids had been sent home with lice, and that a couple of cabin leaders had some as well. It all started with one girl, who I'm told appeared to have such a large population of lice that she must have been harboring them for weeks, if not months. Of course, nearly everybody in her cabin ended up with small passengers in their hair, as did some kids in her field class. Everybody else was nervously checking their hair and experiencing phantom itching. Overnight, a couple of the classroom teachers discovered that their itching wasn't so phantom. They were not amused. It had been such a great week up until that point too.

This weekend, after carefully washing the clothes I'd worn to camp and inspecting my hair more than I normally do, I declared myself lice-free and took the kids to their first punk show - Extreme Noise Terror! I still ached as recently as Sunday. I've got to learn that I'm to old to go in the pit at punk shows. 40 is definitely not the new 20.

Sunday, I did a reptile party for an ex-coworker's grandson. What a fun way to earn money! I offered the family a deep discount, given that my old co-worker is so cool (I'm currently occasionally student teaching in her fifth grade classroom, and she's up at camp this week as well), but they opted to pay full price. The kids at the party had a great time. One girl kept repeatedly thanking me for being there. I enjoy that kind of feedback.

Nate Frees A Frog

Nate Frees A Frog, originally uploaded by Corbie.

"I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life."

- Bill Watterson in Calvin and Hobbes

I noticed that it's a little harder to make your knees green these days. They've put up fences blocking access to the creeks. This made difficult the freeing of the Chorus frog that Nate caught a month or so ago. It also made us into lawbreakers as we ignored the "no trespassing" signs. The frog needed an escort to the cover offered by the creekside plants. Nate hopped the fence, and I handed the frog over to him. Now I don't have to buy extra crickets when I go to the store.

I've always been a packrat, hoarding bits of paper and detritus, mostly because I have this ongoing notion that I might need to reference something in the future. Yesterday, I spend some time in the garage fighting this tendency by sorting, and then parting with, some of my long hoarded stash of old receipts, college correspondence (do I really still need reminders to attend meetings that happened nearly 20 years ago?), and other oddball items. I even found my graduation program from junior high! whoop-de-do. It felt liberating to dump the majority of my findings into the recycle bin. I was a bit annoyed at how San Jose State uses social security numbers as student I.D. numbers, which meant that I had to shred lots of paper before consigning it to the bin.

I also found the novel version of "The Last Unicorn," the movie version of which has entranced Willow for around half a year now. I might try reading it to her, even though it is aimed at a much older audience. I also found more cassettes I want to convert to digital files. It's nice to be able to put on music that's been sitting in the garage for years, and experience it like no time has passed since I last heard it. I guess that's the nature of nostalgia. I guess my memory of the music from my youth is so vivid because I didn't have such an overwhelming amount of music back then. Songs had a chance to settle and resonate inside me. It's nice to find that they're still there, resonating away.

In amongst the papers I found an unused fragment of an autobiographical piece, no doubt from the time when the OAC was turning out autobiographical vignettes. It took me back to an old routine, one that I'm sure would have faded beyond memory otherwise. Not that I suppose I really need to remember delivering newspapers. Here it is anyway:

As usual, Jerome and Julian are there before me. Jerome is playing minesweeper on one of the office's two computers, and Julian is complaining, a prelude to his other pet subjects: prostitutes, TV, and farts.
Patricio arrives next, not because he has to be there that early, but because he drives down from Modesto every night and is never quite sure how long it's going to take him to commute.
Not long after, the first papers arrive, in neat bundles of fifty. Jerome and I are supposed to break open the bundles and sort them by route so they can be delivered. Tonight however, they are without route numbers, making the job next to impossible.
Kim, who is supposedly in charge, shows up with his usual look of resignation and tells us to do our best. I make my usual negative comments about the company responsible for printing and bundling the papers, followed by several impractical but satisfying solutions to their organizational problems. Kim counters with suggestions about what he could do with my paycheck. I get to work.
These papers, with all the problems they bring, aren't even the ones I've signed on to deliver. They're just these tiny little pieces of colorful financial toilet paper that I suspect very few people actually read. I have made this determination after months of littering sidewalks with them, watching them pile up into little drifts. Now I just throw a large portion of my papers into the recycling pile.

I'm not sure where I was going with that. I abandoned it mid-stream for some reason or other. Scattered throughout my belongings are many such unfinished writings, some of them mere grains of ideas, and some of them even (bad) poetry. I keep them though, because sometimes I go back and discover that I actually like something I'd previously not been bothered to finish. Of course, sometimes the opposite is true.

Sometimes I produce garbage.

Jen has been gone since early Wednesday morning. You can read about her trip on her blog and Flickr page. It's funny, really, the way I can just sit down and read about her trip, as well as see photos, not only from her, but from other people attending the same convention. It's like being there... except not.

At home, I've been enjoying the extra sleep, since I've had to take off work in order to wrangle our own kids. It's funny how it's actually more difficult to get four kids up and out of the house in the morning than it is to wake up 150 - 200 kids up at camp. Of course, at camp, I just blast music over the loudspeakers and make helpful announcements on the mic between songs. The cabin leaders do the rest. Not that I'm complaining. It's been awhile since I've gotten to do the morning routine at home for more than a day at a time. It has been generally pretty easy. The boys have even been getting up before me. The girls, of course, still have to be dressed while in that hazy realm between sleep and wakefulness.

I've been staying up late too, working my way through the stack of movies purchased at the local closing (now closed and gone) video rental place. The quality of my purchases ranges from marginal to excellent, but even the marginal ones have some merit, in that they're not children's movies I've seen hundreds of times. I think that watching the movies is equally important to getting enough (or almost enough) sleep in terms of the way it's benefiting my psyche. I feel recharged.

Next week is spring break for the kids. For some reason, my week off work comes at the end of the month, so apparently not all schools have next week off.

I got an actual letter in the mail yesterday too, from a guy I met on myspace, ironically enough. We discovered a shared appreciation for early 2oth century/late 19th century weird fiction, and a shared nostalgia for simpler times (read: pre-computer), which is why I say it is somewhat ironic that we met online. He sent a couple of pieces of original art too, which are very nice indeed. There's always such a difference between seeing images online and actually holding them in your hands.

I also got a wedding invitation, and a cd. Lots of people I know are getting married later this year.

Currently listening to the new cd: Benjamin Escoriza "Alevanta!"

...Gone Tomorrow

...Gone Tomorrow, originally uploaded by Corbie.

I got rid of two things over the last couple of days - my car and my hair.

The car has been sitting, undriven, out front ever since it starting running rough around six months ago. I parked it on the street until some bored representative of the local police department chalked the tires and left a note saying that I had 72 hours to move it. This meant I had to give up the driveway space I'd been parking the van in. Not to mention the fact that we've been paying insurance on a car that nobody has been driving. Chalk it up to procrastination on my part. Anyway, I finally got in touch with a charity and donated the damn thing. It was a little sad to see it go. I spent a lot of time adding character to that car, in the form of stickers, corrosion, busted out lights, and that unique smell every older car achieves (a combination of a decade of spilled drinks and food, coupled with who knows what else...). Granted, not everybody liked that smell. I'd used the car for over six years of paper delivery too, during which time it virtually became a part of me. It was comfortable, despite the steering wheel being so worn through that you had to grip the metal where the rubber sagged off (not fun on hot days), and despite the shininess of the driver's seat where the fabric had been buffed smooth by my butt.

Now it's gone, and we can write it off on next year's taxes. Too bad it didn't happen in time to help us with this year's taxes.

As for my hair - I'd been thinking about getting cut for awhile, but not taking action. It took Jen making the appointment (to coincide with hers) to get me down there. It has been, after all, nearly 20 years since I last got it even so much as trimmed, so all of a sudden having my hair end before it touches my shoulders is a big step.
I've had long hair ever since I could get away with it. Why? I think it was a combination of my musical idols having long hair, and just thinking it looked cool. Over the years, it just became habit (in a do-nothing sort of way). It's been braided by hundreds of kids in that time, and I've probably used up way more than my share of shampoo and conditioner. People would sometimes ask why I had it long, to which I would reply, "think of the money I've saved on haircuts." I'm still getting used to the fact that I don't have to (in fact, can't) put it back in a ponytail. I think I like it. I think...

As for the shorn hair, I'm donating it to Locks of Love. I'm all about giving things to charity this week, it seems.

Currently listening to: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band "13 Blues for Thirteen Moons"

Making A Wish

Making A Wish, originally uploaded by Corbie.

Willow finally got her birthday party, nearly a month after her actual birthday. A while back, she had been invited to a party at "the jumpy house place" and had been impressed enough to want her party there too. Of course, the Jumpy House Place costs about double what other party-oriented destinations do, but money means nothing to the preschool set, so we forlornly forked over the dough and spent an hour or so bouncing up and down on large, inflatable play structures, which actually ended up being a lot of fun. Willow's paternal grandparents came along (but didn't bounce), as did her siblings and some friends from preschool (who did bounce). The bouncing was followed by pizza, soda, and cake. Then, once all of the kids were properly sugared up, the party ended and everybody went home to no doubt continue bouncing in less bounce-friendly domestic environments.

The night before this, I went with my mom to see the latest Central Works play, Wakefield (based on a Nathaniel Hawthorne short story that I have yet to read). Greg, as usual, did the sound. The play concerns a husband who returns home after a 20 year disappearance, much to the outraged disbelief of his wife, a disbelief which grows exponentially when it turns out he'd been living two blocks away all that time, with no real explanation as to why. This is definitely a story for anybody who has heard the call of the open road and taken it, regardless of the consequences. Of course, it also deals with that all too human quality of procrastination - in particular the kind that makes it harder and harder to do something, like phoning somebody, the longer it is delayed. I know exactly what that feels like. In a strange way, it also made me think about that woman who was in the news recently for sitting on the toilet for two years, saying, "maybe I'll get off tomorrow," while her boyfriend just adjusted to the strangeness and enabled her to remain perched on that most undignified of thrones by feeding her.

I'd say go see the play, but its run has ended. So, go see the next play, which should be up and running in July/August.

On Easter, the kids participated in multiple egg hunts, the first at home, the second at the Unitarian church that Jen has been going to lately, and the third at a friend's house. Willow says that she wants to help hide them next time. At this third party, a number of kids were playing "rock band", which is basically karaoke with points. Kids play guitar and drums, and of course, sing karaoke-style. The guitar and drums are electronic mock-ups upon which you must finger the correct chords or hit the right drum at the right time, as indicated on the tv screen. If everybody messes up, the song "fails" and the virtual audience on the screen throws things at the virtual band. So much for enhancing self-esteem. I joined in after awhile, singing Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) the Reaper," and "Should I Stay or Should I Go," by The Clash. Loudly. Alex played "guitar" most of the time. The Drummers came and went, in true Spinal Tap fashion.

On Tuesday morning, I took Willow to the Children's Discovery Museum, with all of my pets in tow (excluding the iguana, who is agoraphobic). They had asked me to do this a couple of months ago, as part of a Green Week - a celebration of biodiversity and other things "green." It ended up being a popular event, with my table being quite mobbed for most of the three and a half hours that I was there. While I was managing the table and letting kids touch spiders and snakes, Willow played nearby. This was the first time I'd let her go off on her own, and she did a great job of checking in every so often. I even gave her money to go buy something at the cafeteria, and she dutifully brought me the change. It helped of course that about half of the museum staff knows her.

And here it is, almost the weekend again. The week at work has been chugging along smoothly, with a couple of coyote sightings to liven things up. As I got there on Monday night, I saw a number of deer near the main office being watched by a rather small coyote, who of course ran away when spotted himself. Apparently, the watchers don't like being watched. The other coyote was hanging out by the boys' bathroom, and inspired at least one person to put nature's call on hold.

Still waiting, after all of these years, to see a Mountain Lion.

The View from Above

The View from Above, originally uploaded by Corbie.

I got a rare chance to take out a field class last Wednesday, which was a lot of fun, but I sure felt the effects of losing a couple of precious hours of morning sleep. This was exacerbated by me having a nasty cold/sinus infection/eye infection. Being sick and tired really drains me. I blame the eye infection squarely on Willow, because the infected eye was the one she sneezed on last week. The cold and sinus problems have hit everybody in the family except Alex. At least I missed out on the fever part of it.

As for the field class, I had the kids pretend that everything they saw was brand new to them, and had them come up with new names for everything. It was pretty easy in some cases, because some of the animals we found were indeed new to the kids. They probably had the hardest time naming the one in the picture here. One kid decided that it should be called, "The Snake that Might Kill You." This is an apt name, but he still used the word "Snake," which I was trying to have the kids avoid doing. This particular snake did in fact recently kill something, as is evidenced by the large lump in its body in the lower right hand corner of the photo. There's probably a partially digested vole in there, but we'll never know for sure.

This coming week, I get to teach another lesson, although it will be in a classroom. I'll have to bring my own snakes for this one.

We're all feeling pretty much better now. There's nothing like getting a couple nights of good sleep to put things to rights. I even got to sit down and watch a couple of horror movies last night while Jen was out seeing Margaret Cho in San Francisco. I can't remember the last time I actually watched two movies in a row (not counting kid movies, which the kids will sometimes watch two or more times in a row). The horror movies came courtesy of the local video store having a going out of business sale. Right now all of the dvds are 70% off and falling. I plan to go back when they're even cheaper and get more. Jen keeps reminding me that space is at a premium around here, but the cheap movies are calling me...

I'll sign off with a quote from Willow. While she was sitting on the couch yesterday, she looked up at me with a thoughtful little face and asked, "how do boys poop?"

She's becoming such an inquisitive little girl.

Now, Jen, Willow, and Nate are all sick. Alex is away at camp (at our second site, so I don't see him when I go to work, although I plan to swing by and visit him on the way in tonight). With Nate and Willow home in the mornings while Sophie is at school, I can actually sleep a bit. Nate and Willow keep each other amused, without the fighting that usually ensues when Sophie is around. So, in a way, it has been pretty peaceful around here this week.

I've been feeling this indefinable compulsion to spend less time at the computer, which, coupled with a strange nostalgia for a time when the world was uncluttered with the frenetic instantaneousness of the computer age, might find me away from the computer for stretches of time. I find I get more done around here when I'm not sitting in front of the screen. This is nothing new, really, and I'm sure it will be a passing thing, but I'm going to embrace the feeling while it lasts.

Current reading: "The Attempted Rescue," by Robert Aickman (which may explain the above compulsion, since this is an autobiographical account of Aickman's childhood during the first half of the last century - quite fascinating, and more than a bit unsettling as well, like his stories).

Current listening: Stille Volk "Maudat"

Nightsnake

Nightsnake, originally uploaded by Corbie.

The kids didn't have school yesterday (except for Willow, who only had it in the morning), and since the weather was warm, I thought it would be a good idea to get up into the hills for a hike. For once, everybody agreed. With their two friends who were over at the time, that made it a total of six kids going on the hike with me, and for once, there was a minimum of fighting/arguing. True, Sophie got a little whiny at times, and wanted to be carried a lot, but then again she is just getting over being sick, and doesn't weigh much anyway.

In the three and a half hours that we were there, we saw a couple of wild turkeys, some dog walkers, a few hikers and joggers, a herd of cows (introduced to the edges of the park to keep the grass down, thus preventing fire hazards during high summer), and a Nightsnake. This last discovery absolutely thrilled me, because I'd been wanting to find a Nightsnake for years. I've lived in this area almost all of my life, and while I knew Nightsnakes were supposed to live in the vicinity, I'd never come across one before. This may in part be due to the fact that they're nocturnal, pretty well camouflaged, and relatively small (although they can get over two feet in length). This one was under a log, or perhaps inside it, because when I rolled the log over, it was upside down, like it had fallen out of the log. All I saw at first was what looked like a bit of white ribbon, since it was belly up and their bellies are cream-colored. I picked it up and turned it over. The snake was pretty cold, so at first it didn't move much. I called the kids over, and we all took turns holding it. Nightsnakes are mildly venomous, but are not considered dangerous to humans. I don't think this one was big enough to puncture skin even if it wanted to bite. I love their eyes too. The have little vertical, "cat eye" pupils, which are common among nocturnal animals.

I took a lot of photos because the screen on my camera is cracked (possibly due to the below freezing temperatures we encountered on our Shasta trip last weekend), and it's hard to tell whether or not the photos are good ones. I figured if I took a lot, at least a few of them would be decent. I think it's about time for a new camera.

Mt. Shasta

Mt. Shasta, originally uploaded by Corbie.

There and back again...

It's always a risk taking a family vacation, especially when you have as many kids as we do. At home, it seems like somebody is always upset about something, which I guess shouldn't be surprising when six people live under one roof, so the potential for road trip disaster always slipstreams along behind us on the freeways. This time though, it kept its distance. Sure, the adults endured the usual comical stream of, "how much longer?", "are we almost there?", "I HAFTA GO PEE!", as we headed north, but we made good time, making it to the motel in Weed (just north of Mt. Shasta) in about five and a half hours. There was snow piled up in front of the office, so in short order the kids had changed into snow gear and gotten their first real taste of snow. Uncle Jay and Staci showed up after awhile, and we caravaned up the road to a hill near Mt. Shasta (the photo accompanying this post was taken while standing on it) for some sledding. We made good use of the plastic loaner sleds and the two disc sleds we'd gotten during our purchasing blitz last week. One of Alex's first descents resulted in him temporarily losing his hat and at least one of his boots, but soon we'd all more or less gotten the hang of it - as much as one can get the hang of hurtling out of control down a frozen slope, that is... At the end of it all, nobody was seriously injured. We celebrated by going out for pizza. By this time, it was snowing pretty hard, and the roads were turning white. The pizza place was disconcertingly situated across a T - junction from where a highway met Main st. - a highway on which the traffic seemed to consist solely of eighteen-wheelers with heavy loads. I had no doubt in my mind that, despite the barrier of metal poles, should one of them hit some black ice we'd be sharing the inside of the pizza place with one of them. Thankfully, this didn't happen.

The next day, we made our way up to the ski area, stopping to put on cables (the mini-van version of tire chains) once we started slipping. Staci and Jen did most of the work, while I stayed at the wheel, noticing that some of the vehicles stubbornly passing us sans chains had wheels spinning twice as fast as they normally would have, given the speed of the vehicles. Once we were set, Staci went over to lend a hand to the hapless vacationers in front of us who were having trouble with their cables. We got in and drove away. So did Jay, thinking that Staci was going to hitch a ride from us. Later, at the ski park, we had a comical moment of panic when we realized that Staci was back on the road somewhere. Jay went and got her. By this time, everything was white - the road, the parking lot, the embankments, the tops of the cars... This made the local pair of ravens stand out in stark relief. I watched them as we got the kids properly bundled.

All of the kids ended up taking lessons - the boys snowboarded and the girls skied (Willow was somewhat indignant about not getting to use ski poles - "I DON'T HAVE MY STICKS!"). Inspired by this, Jen and I took an afternoon skiing lesson. Jen's yoga skills paid off, and the instructor was impressed. I managed to do okay too, only falling while attempting to walk uphill while wearing skis. By the end of the afternoon lessons it was snowing quite heavily. Jay had fallen on his butt and somebody had absconded with his rented snowboard. Willow and Nate were upset that the ski park was about to close. Despite this, the day was a success. All of the kids did quite well. Tempers receded as the snowfall increased. We finally made it back to the van, which by this time was covered in snow, and after a bit of window wiping and defrosting, headed back down the hill. At one point, I managed to spin out (the van is front wheel drive, so the cables were only on the front, causing the rear tires to lose purchase), coming to a stop facing the way we had come. Luckily, there were no other cars nearby at the time. About halfway down the main road headed towards I-5, we stopped and took the cables back off. Then it was back to the hotel, and out to dinner. Willow got a piece of chocolate cream pie with a candle in it to celebrate her birthday a day early. We had a chuckle over the display of tourist paraphernalia at the cafe - hats, mugs, and shirts emblazoned with what apparently is the town's slogan: "I'm high on Weed!" Afterwards, we slowly made our way along the now-treacherous Main st. back to the motel.

The next morning, we waffled about whether or not to go sledding again, with Nate being the voice most in favor. Traveling down I-5 in blizzard-like conditions, we decided against it and parted ways, with Jay and Staci heading north, and the rest of us heading back south. We had to off-road it for a couple of seconds to get around a couple of disabled big rigs blocking the on ramp, and a short time later we had to inch around a jackknifed big rig taking up the median and all but one southbound lane. After that, it was slow going for and hour or two, as we made our way through the mountains under a combination of snow, sleet, and rain, punctuated with fierce gusts of wind.

We made it back though, and it only took us an hour and a half longer than the trip out. Despite the long car drive, everybody wants to do it again.

Oh - back at the hotel, Jay gave Willow her birthday present a day early. Now we all have I-pods. Willow is thrilled. On her actual birthday, we had cake and ice cream and she got a few more presents. The party will follow soon.

Now things are all back to normal. Jen is back at the office. I'm in the middle of my own work week, and feeling tired. Sophie and Nate are home sick (Sophie with a fever, and Nate no doubt soon to have one).
Oh well...

I get a break from work this week. I've got an assignment or two that I have to finish up for school, but I can probably get those done tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting something approaching a normal amount of sleep too, at least for a week.

We're planning a little trip up to the Mt. Shasta area later this week. We're meeting Jay and Staci there, since it's a midway point between us and their new(ish) home in Portland. We spent the last day or so shopping for snow gear, which gets expensive when you're shopping for six. We stopped my Mel Cotton's sporting goods store the day after old Mel passed away. What a strange coincidence. While we were there, we were treated to the spectacle of a rather foul-mouthed dissatisfied customer shouting at the employees until they had to call the police on her. We managed to get some gear though. We still need a few items, including tire chains (cables, actually) in case we run into inclement weather.

Right after we get back, Willow turns five. Birthday celebrations are being planned.

I went up to Berkeley on Friday night to see A.P.P.L.E., missing the opening night of the kids' play. Bad dad. My only excuse is that I've liked A.P.P.L.E. for around twenty years and had never seen them live before (they'd been disbanded for most of that time, and hadn't left the East Coast when they were active) and that the kids had another performance on Sunday. Read my review of the A.P.P.L.E. show here (all is not happy in A.P.P.L.E.-land).

After the show, I got to sleep at about 2 AM, and got up again at 6 AM to go to class down at CSU Monterey Bay. Of course my once-a-term class would have to fall on the day after a late night out, and of course the late night out would have to fall on the evening of the school play. The class was fun - I learned how to make Powerpoint presentations, and received lots of information on web-based resources for teachers. By the time I got home I was exhausted and cranky, and should have gone to bed, but didn't.

On Sunday, I finally got to see the play. My mom came too, and Greg made it down from Berkeley for the occasion. The kids all did a great job. Alex had the title role, and his best friend was the villain. Nate and Sophie had smaller roles, but performed them well. All of the rehearsal time they logged in over the last few months really payed off.

Hanging Around

Hanging Around, originally uploaded by Corbie.

No more Raccoons were spotted inside the storage room, but I did find a small Black Widow in the laundry room. I obligingly paused in its rapid ascent to the ceiling so I could take some pictures.

The three older kids are staging their first performance as characters in their school's Aladdin play tonight (with Alex in the starring role). I'm going to see their Sunday performance, because tonight I'm heading up to Berkeley to see A.P.P.L.E. play at Gilman Street, a venue at which I spent many a weekend during the eighties, but haven't been to in years. I'll probably post a review of the show on my music blog (see link in the sidebar).

A couple of nights ago, I managed to encourage the second Raccoon to leave the storage room, but, somewhere in the shadows, a third lurked. He was spotted inside the room last night. Maybe they're spontaneously generating out of old curtains or unused office supplies.

Also, sometime yesterday afternoon, a number of campers (and cabin leaders) were the victims of an old-fashioned panty raid. The first I knew of it was this morning when a couple of cabin leaders reported most of their underwear missing. It seems like some of the kids must have seen some of those old seventies camp movies, and being unthinking subscribers to the idea of herd mentality, have taken it upon themselves to copy this dubious scenario. It makes me wonder if kids ever act on good ideas they've seen in movies. Of course, for that to happen, they have to watch movies containing good ideas. That said, I'm not ruling out the possibility that this was merely an idea handed down by older siblings who've been at camp in previous years. The teachers are going to corner the boys thought to be responsible, so by the time I get to work tonight, hopefully everybody will have their underwear back.

Raccoon in the Storage Room

Raccoon in the Storage Room, originally uploaded by Corbie.

My routine was interrupted last night by a pair of raccoons who somehow managed to get into the storage room. I encouraged one to leave by using my camera flash again and again, but the other one managed to get up into the central heating duct that runs along the ceiling. The last I saw, it was looking down at me imperiously from its lofty perch. It vanished a moment later. For all I know, it's still in there somewhere.

I also saw an impressive buck on the front lawn. It vanished like a ghost. There was a small Chorus frog on the wall by the camp office too. During the day, I've been watching the pair of Ravens who hang out in the dead birch trees out front. They're always in conversation with each other, either croaking or using elaborate body language. There's something perfect about them - they look like bird-shaped holes in the fabric of reality. With their supernatural blackness, it's no wonder they figure so heavily in myth.

As for the kids, a bunch of them went home this week, either for not following the rules or because they were ill. Last night began and ended with fevers and vomit. One girl started throwing up on the doormat in front of the camp office (or "hub", as we call it), and I had to quickly redirect her to a nearby bush. There's definitely something going around. I don't think I've ever seen so many kids get sick in the space of a week.

At home today, I took Willow over to pick up her new glasses. She says she can see much better now. I hope her excitement lasts. Pictures will follow soon.

I got the introductory package from my new health care provider yesterday. It arrived in a box - you know, the kind with the perforated triangle that instructs you: TO OPEN: PUSH DOWN PULL UP.

I followed the directions and got a paper cut.

The irony is not lost on me.

I took the girls to a birthday party at a jumphouse place in Sunnyvale yesterday, where they had inordinate amounts of fun launching themselves down inflatable slides and propelling themselves ceilingward from rubbery surfaces. There was also cake and balloon animals. Unfortunately, as we were leaving, Willow's balloon animal, attached to a helium balloon, made a break for it. It was last seen drifting north over the rooftops.

Since the rooftops belonged to apartment buildings that I used to deliver the Wall St. Journal to, I figured I'd try to distract Willow from her loss by showing her where I used to work, which just happened to be right around the corner (actually, more correctly, where I used to pick up newspapers so I could then go work). On the way there, we passed a trailer park called Willow Estates, which excited the girls. I also couldn't help noticing all of the new apartment complexes and condominiums that have sprung up like strange fungal growths (although much less useful than fungus) in the years since I stopped delivering papers. My one thought, as I peered up through the rain-spattered windows at all of the new buildings, was I'm really, really glad that I'm not still delivering papers around here. I'm sure all of these new buildings would have added hours to my route, not to mention the fact that they're damn ugly. In fact, Sunnyvale is damn ugly. The founders only named it "Sunnyvale" because nobody would want to live in a city called "damnuglyvale".

Anyway, we passed my old drop site, and then hit the road for home. Willow was still upset. Later, I bought her a small stuffed animal to make up for the lost balloon one. This made Sophie upset. You can't win.

Planning A Trick?

Planning A Trick?, originally uploaded by Corbie.

There has been a Coyote hanging around camp for a few weeks now. I even used that fact to help a homesick boy feel better after he told me he'd seen one during field class - I told him that they are trickster spirits in the legends of many Native American tribes, and that seeing one means that you'll have an exciting week. He kind of half bought it, but left the camp office feeling better. Later in the week, his teacher told me that he'd confided in her that he wished he could be homesick again so he could come hang out with me. That's high praise.

Anyway, the morning after I'd talked to him, I saw the Coyote too, just hanging out in the road near camp. I followed it and took a few pictures, wishing all along that my zoom lens was better. My camera is great for macro shots, but the quality diminishes rapidly as objects become more distant.

It's raining outside right now, as it has been for most of the week. The nights have been cold enough that a dusting of snow briefly blanketed the higher elevations, temporarily causing the closure of the main freeway access to the coast. This no doubt was a wise precaution, since Californians don't know how to drive in the snow. Of course, Californians don't know how to drive in the rain either... or in the fog... or, come to think of it, in any other sort of condition.

Willow went to the eye doctor today. They recommended glasses for her, saying that it wasn't absolutely necessary, but might be a good idea. Willow liked the glasses she tried on.

This week I spent a fair amount of time functioning as a nocturnal therapist for troubled children - there was a boy who spent a couple of hours in the rocking chair in the staff room, comforting himself with repetitive movement, there was the girl with general anxiety problems who just needed somebody to listen to her... this all lead to me getting less sleep than usual, but I was glad I could help in some small way.

Soon, I'm going to be working in a real classroom with one of my old co-workers. I'm looking forward to it. The school is the one Alex went to for kindergarten.

We had the chimney man come and look at our fireplace, and he deemed it clean enough to light fires in. We haven't had a fire since 2002, because that last fire filled the house with smoke. In other words, it has taken us nearly 6 years to have the chimney inspected. Apparently, the problem was most likely caused by either too many logs or improper placement of said logs. The only thing the chimney sweep actually did to improve things was to put a new ember guard on top of the chimney. Now it's up to code, apparently. Oh, he also gave me his number in case I ever want to get any more tattoos, since that's what he "really" does. Reminds me of a Simpsons episode.

Currently listening to (appropriately enough): Anxiety "Bleak"

Reports of the DVD player's death have been premature. It lives.

This just in: the kids have apparently killed another DVD player.

The first work week of the year went by so fast that it didn't even register. When it's a four day week at camp for the kids, like it was last week, it's a three night work week for me. Still, in those three nights, I was visited by 7 homesick kids (some of them all three nights, although I suspect these particular girls just liked staying up late and talking), and one boy who couldn't stop puking. At least every time he puked he managed to do it outside or into a wastebasket, which means I didn't have to deal with any vomit-coated bedding. At least Mr. Puker went home before he could continue painting our camp with the contents of his stomach.

The rain was fun as well, especially since I no longer have to teach class while standing in it. This year, the obligatory large tree down in the road happened over the weekend, so there was no problem getting to and from camp. All I really had to worry about is the power going out. It didn't.

I started the next four-month school term too. I'm trying to arrange to teach some lessons in a more traditional classroom setting this term, but nothing is finalized yet. I foresee very little sleep in my immediate future.

Over the weekend, we went to a birthday party for one of Willow's friends, which included Thai food for the adults. Now, all of a sudden, the weekend is over. Sometimes I feel like I live life in a daze. At least sometimes the daze lifts enough to admit Thai food.

A storm blew through and tossed around anything it could gather up. The kids and I went out to play in it. Umbrellas turned inside out. Willow got scared, but got over it. The boys attempted to hire out their services as yard cleaners, and in one case were successful. Water and mud were tracked inside. A couple of days after the fact, it is still raining, and will supposedly continue to do so for a few more days. This is good.

My old friend Devon visited yesterday. We, along with Willow, hung out all afternoon, going record shopping, eating falafel sandwiches (fries and a milkshake for Willow), and basically catching up. It was a good way to start out the year.

Tomorrow, the kids and I go back to school. Two days from now, I go back to work. No more sleeping in. Willow, who slept until 10 this morning like the rest of us, is going to have a hard time going to sleep tonight.

The Blob, originally uploaded by Corbie.

We spent New Year's Eve watching Charade and, like the last time we watched this, it put me in the mood for watching more old movies. I was reminded that there was a time when mainstream movies depended on actual plots and witty dialogue, not just special effects.

Coincidentally enough, the only 2008 calendar in the house at the moment is the one pictured here. It features monster movie posters from around half a century ago - back when special effects weren't so special yet. Of course, in those days the special effects were physical, rather than pixel, and the people involved did the best they could with what they had. Still, the art on the posters often surpassed what was portrayed in the films themselves. Because of this, it is still a joy to look at old movie posters, if not always a joy to watch the films themselves. This may seem to contradict the first paragraph here, but remember, I'm talking about two different genres. It seems that nowadays, no matter what the genre, things have become less nuanced, less clever, and, despite the fantastic special effects, more mundane. Admittedly, and fortunately, there continue to be exceptions to this.

It makes me wonder what film will be like in another fifty years.

The more something is repeated, the less meaningful it becomes - at least sometimes. At the risk of sounding meaningless, Happy New Year to everybody (all three or four of you) who reads this site.

Sisters

Sisters, originally uploaded by Corbie.

The main new thing to enter our house over the holidays was a new computer for the kids. Being new, it's much better than the obsolete one I'm currently using. In the picture, we see a peaceful moment of computer-sharing bliss. This will probably be an exception to an endless succession of arguments over who gets to use it when, but we enjoy the moments of peace when we can. I still wish the kids would spend less time entertaining themselves electronically, but we did get a basketball hoop and a couple of basketballs as well, so hopefully that will provide a little balance around here. Plus, in all fairness, the computer will be a great tool for homework and other educational pursuits.

The year is almost over, and we leave 2007 with the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto, as well as the much closer to home escape of a tiger from the San Francisco zoo - an escape that ended the life of a teenager and the tiger. I'm always of two minds about zoos - I really appreciate the educational and conservation work they do, but it is sad to see so many animals in artificial habitats (of course, it doesn't escape me that many of their real habitats no longer exist, or are in danger of disappearing forever under the continued onslaught of the ever-expanding human race). I also can't really talk, because I've got some animals living in artificial habitats around the house. I've been to the zoo several times over the last few years, including the trip Willow and I took on her birthday this year. We probably spent some time looking at the tiger - a tiger that could have at any time jumped over the shorter- than-it-should-have-been wall around its enclosure. Of course, we weren't doing anything to enrage it at the time, as it may turn out to have been the case with this particular incident. The jury is still out on that one though.

The New Year is coming. I'm not sure if this will be my last post of the old year or not. You just never can tell with these things. I generally don't voice aloud any resolutions of any kind, but I always have a few things in mind to quietly work on (or not, as the case often is). We'll just have to see. Right now, I'm feeling lethargic - probably from an overabundance of sleep (how often does than happen these days?) and chocolate. The boys are at a friends house. The girls are watching a dvd, and Jen is at yoga. I've still got a week to go before I get back to work and school, but Jen goes back to work this coming week.

Currently listening to: Susanne Rosenberg "Uppa marmorns hoga berg"

I've been sleeping in this week, and accomplishing very little. I'll get back up to speed in a week or two, I'm sure, but for the time being I've been enjoying the absence of the ringing of alarm clocks.

I posted the obligatory "best cds of 2007" list over at my rarely updated music blog. Go look at it and disagree with me.

December Frost Prints

December Frost Prints, originally uploaded by Corbie.

Happy Solstice! Let the light return!

I went down to "the main office" this morning to keep an appointment to "get processed" for my new permanent position at work. This means that I keep doing the same job, but now actually get benefits (health, dental, vision, etc.). I now make more per hour too (although it is a salaried position), but due to the vagueries of bureaucracy, union dues, and spreading my ten month per year salary out over twelve months, many of my monthly checks will be less than I've been getting. That said, I can elect to not "work" during the summer and still get paychecks for those months. Hmmm.

This whole process has gotten me thinking (again) about how I'm not a practical planner, but more of an optimistic hoper. Things generally work out okay for me, but I've come to the realization that this is because Jen does all the real planning. I'm often mostly talk and little action. It's a problem I'm working on. I think that working my way through the teacher credentialing program will help me with this. Perhaps it already has.

Currently listening to : Stone Breath "Songs of Moonlight and Rain (expanded edition)" It's good to revisit this one.

It's 45 degrees outside, and raining, with gusts of wind up to 30 mph. I'm pleasantly surprised that the power hasn't gone out up here at camp. I love this weather. This marks the start of the last week of camp for 2007. Then I get some time off from work... so I can work harder at home. At least I'll get more sleep during the upcoming weeks. I'm looking forward to that.

Right now I'm going to go outside and enjoy the cold, darkness, and rain. It's nice.

Orange Morning, originally uploaded by Corbie.

I know everybody with a camera takes this kind of picture, but I couldn't help it. This was the view from camp the other morning. A lot of the kids had their cameras out too. You know it's gotta be beautiful when 10 year olds start taking pictures too. I think this was taken the morning of the day I saw a coyote on the driveway up to camp. Beautiful things happen in groups. I love it when wildlife appears unexpectedly, unless of course the wildlife in question is on top of the cd player, knocking cds to the floor, like the raccoon from a few weeks back. Those raccoons have got to get a life and stop raiding camp for trashcan treats.

This coming week is the last week of work for me this year. It also marks the last week of school for the kids - at least until we all get back to business as usual on January 8th. That's not really that far away, but it seems like it with the holidays in between.

I found out this week that I'm going to be a so-called "permanent" employee soon. It has taken so long to get to that point. There are only a handful of permanent slots, with the rest of the staff filling "substitute" slots, despite the fact that we all work full time - the only difference being that the subs don't get quite as much work as the permanents. Lucky for me, over the last three years there has always been a permanent employee or two who actually needs somebody to sub for them during the times I would otherwise not have work. Those days are behind me now though. I'm the new permanent "evening program specialist," aka "night host." Now I get benefits. I'll probably need them with the reduced amount of sleep I've been getting.

The stress of the holidays is upon us with the realization that, despite the increased cash influx brought about by our family having two employed adults, we still don't seem to have enough money. Oh well.

Oh, I got an "A" for the first term of my teacher credentialing program. That's gotta be worth something.

Also, Jen and I went out together on Thursday night - without any children in tow. I got one of the new "substitute" employees from work to watch the kids. Thankfully, the kids all thought he was great, and he had a similar opinion of them. Jen and I went to the Blogher holiday party in San Francisco, where I finally got to meet a lot of her coworkers. Check out unflattering photos here and here. I'm always bad at going to parties where I don't really know anybody - it brings out my introvert tendencies - but I had fun after awhile, helped by the fact that I did know a couple of other attendees and that the husband of one of Jen's coworkers is also going through a credentialing program. Oh, and there was lots of cheese and chocolate to be had. And good coffee. This brought out my "snack table hovering" tendencies.

Currently listening to: Hrsta "Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes"

I turned 40 today. The sky is a uniform gray. I'm listening to the new Pantaleimon cd, and the music matches the sky, at least for me. It's a peaceful sort of feeling.

I'm done with my first term (half-term, actually) of school work for CalstateTeach - the program I'm working my way through to get my teaching credentials. I passed the CSET too. I was pretty sure I would, but it's nice to get outside confirmation.

Still lots to do, of course. The holidays don't happen by themselves.

Nothing truly illustrates the true spirit of Thanksgiving as it is celebrated in the 21st century like the turducken - a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. Can't choose which one you like best? This is Amuuricuh dammit!! Eat 'em all!

A little excessive, don't you think? Of course, so is every other popular holiday in this country.

I'm waiting for the day when other examples of overconsumptive indecision start flooding the market. What about a mosedummer? For the uninitiated, that's a motorcycle stuffed inside a sedan stuffed inside a hummer. Maybe you'd like to live in a mohousion (a mobile home stuffed inside a house stuffed inside a mansion)?

Actually, come to think about it. I do own a cd stuffed inside a record. A band called Contrastate is responsible. Funny thing though- they're not even from the U.S. The sickness is spreading!

Happy Thanksgiving to those out there who are thankful for something real.

I finally saw a Sharp-tailed snake in the wild. It happened while visiting friends up the peninsula. Unfortunately, some other animal had seen it first, eaten it, and regurgitated it. There was no head or tail in what remained of the little critter, but my friend who'd discovered it had seen a more complete specimen (also dead) recently, and after looking at pictures, confirmed that it was indeed a Sharp-tailed snake.

Maybe next time I'll actually see a whole one. Perhaps it will even be alive.

Apparently, comet Holmes now has a diameter larger than the sun. Of course, most of it is just an expanding cloud of dust - all size and no substance. I could make a joke or two here, but won't. I watched this faintly luminescent dust through a telescope again this week, while ensuring that nearly two hundred private school kids got to do the same. This reduces the telescope experience to a semi-efficient assembly line of, "don't touch the telescope - yeah, that's what you're supposed to be looking at - I know it looks like fog - please sit over there - I said 'quietly'." Everybody got to see it though. This was at the start of an epic 17 hour shift, which culminated in me once again getting observed by my professor (they actually refer to the teachers in this particular credential program by some sort of acronym that has long since slipped my mind - I think I'm acronym impaired or something...) as I taught a lesson. This time she wanted to see a reading lesson, so I wrote something and made some kids read it. Then, being evil, I made them answer questions about it, formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and then report on their findings. And yes, I found a snake during the lesson too. It's what I do. My professor liked what she saw, and had some helpful hints to make things even better. Actually, most of the things that she said could be improved were little organizational oversights that I belatedly noticed during the course of the lesson myself. We're on the same page, at least.

Then I took a night off so Jen could attend some work-related meetings. I fell asleep with the girls shortly after 9 PM. Sleep, precious sleep.

The days pile up with no posts, and moments in time fade away unreported. Most of these moments, though, are taken up with the mundane maintenance of life and living, and hence aren't very interesting anyway.

The days are getting colder, but Autumn has thrown a few summer-like days into the mix. Many of the mornings have been foggy, which is bliss. The sweet melancholy of dropping leaves and indistinct greyness matches my mood. I've examined myself and found room for improvement, but as usual, I'm not sure how to proceed. I turn 40 in less than a month, but I don't always feel like an adult.

That said, I am making improvements in some ways. I'm still working towards getting my multi-subject teaching credential. It's not always easy to find the time to do the assignments though. There is always somebody nearby with a pressing need - usually Willow, who has developed a fear of the bathrooms and now acts like a little tyrant with her constant reminders to, "clowse da door and turn off da liiiights!" Poor girl. I hope this fear is short-lived.

Speaking of teaching credentials, I took the CSET last Saturday. The test covers language arts, math, science, social studies/history, physical education, human development, and the arts. It has eleven essay questions and something like 143 multiple choice questions. I actually kind of enjoyed taking it because I didn't get interrupted by anybody for a whole five hours. I'll find out my scores on the 26th. I think I'll pass. I hope.

That same night, I went and saw a couple of concerts in San Francisco. The first was Iva Bittova at the Noe Valley Ministry, which is a nice place to see a show. The show started out with a haunting, elegaic a-cappella song, and continued with a mixture of spirited, gypsy-inflected violin and voice pieces, with a few detours featuring a marimba (beautiful, like a haunted music box), kazoo (silly, but then again that was the point), and various vocal calisthenics. At a couple of points during the show, she stepped down off the dais and wandered barefoot through the audience, singing in people's faces and looking for all the world like an itinerant gypsy musician trying to get a rise out of the townsfolk. She acted out her songs, which helped those of us who didn't understand Czech (did I mention that she sang in Czech?) get a sense of what they were about. She often punctuated the music with floor stomping and tongue clicking, which was quite fitting somehow.

Then, I rushed over to the Hemlock Tavern to catch (coincidentally enough), another Czech act, Uz Jsme Doma (upon discussing this with Greg, who also went to both shows, I realized that this wasn't the first time we'd seen a show at the Noe Valley Ministry and then rushed off to see Uz Jsme Doma in another club). After some difficulty in finding parking, I got to see part of Mute Socialite's set (Moe!'s new band), and found them satisfyingly gritty and manic. Uz Jsme Doma, who lean more towards the punk end of the musical spectrum than Iva Bittova, put on a great show too. Their sax player is no longer on board (and hasn't been for awhile - but it's been around six years since they were last here), but his shoes were nicely filled by a trumpet player. Good fun, and well deserved after taking the CSET, I think.

More recently, I got to show the kids at camp comet Holmes through the telescope this week. It looks like what it is, and expanding ball of gas around a bright core - sort of like fog in space.

That's all for now. I'll try to update this page more regularly - time allowing, of course.

Beware of Swear Bear











www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3x0hpjF2uU

My work week began with the realization that some of our current week's crop of cabin leaders are a bit ineffectual. The sixth grade campers, despite the fact (or maybe because of it) that they're all from catholic schools, wasted no time in taking advantage of their leaders' meekness. I think we have things whipped into shape now though. That said, there also had been some vomiting. Last night, at 1 in the damn morning, I found myself washing bedclothes and bleaching a mattress. At least tonight's puker made it to the bathroom.

Willow was a little bit under the weather on Monday, and now Nate shows signs of having a cold.

Way back on Sunday, I took Willow up to the city to see Om play at Amoeba Records. I had mentioned to her that Al (from Om) had helped us move to our current abode almost six years ago (damn, has it been that long?). This information, despite the fact that the moving had transpired before she was born, made Willow really excited. She was dubious about the actual music at first because, despite that fact that I put earplugs in her ears, it was loud - even though we were at the very far end of an immense store. By the end though, we had inched our way forward and she was nodding her head in time to the music. Afterwards, she got to meet Al, which she thought was really cool.

Okay, since I'm at work right now, maybe I'd better go chase some Raccoons or something.

The coyote came back last night. After the kids had all been sent to bed, one of the cabin leaders came to the camp office and informed me that some boys needed to use the bathroom but were afraid to leave their cabin because a coyote was standing outside. I went over and saw it step out of a pool of light near the hillside amphitheater, and vanish down the hill. One of the teachers went with me as we tried to spot it again, but we didn't find it.

The funny thing about this is that camp code for going pee is "chasing a coyote." So, if you think about it, the boys couldn't chase a coyote because they were afraid that a coyote would chase them.

I thought it was funny anyway.

It rained again overnight too. Nothing like the storm a couple of days ago though.

I saw a coyote out on the field this morning. I heard it before I saw it though, yapping and yipping at something unseen, or maybe just for the sake of doing it. Some of the campers, just waking up and on their way to brush their teeth, stopped and watched it with me for awhile. Eventually, it wandered off into the forest. Fifteen minutes later, it was replaced by a Cooper's hawk. It's a busy field out there in the morning.

Well, it certainly rained last night. After eleven, the wind picked up even more and the rain started. At a few minutes to midnight, the power flickered off and on. A couple of minutes later, the power went out and stayed out until 4 AM. I turned on a flashlight in the camp office to act as a beacon in case any campers woke up, and sat there in the semi-darkness wondering why the back-up generator hadn't kicked in. Later, one of the teachers came in to let me know that the alarm system (which is located in the teachers' room) was beeping. I want in and soon figured out that the beeping stopped if the "alarm silence" button is pushed. Then I got some intermittent sleep, waking up when the power went back on.

In the morning, while talking to our facilities manager, I found out that a malfunction in the alarm system had registered as a "pull" down at the fire station. The fire engines were already on their way up the hill to our site when a call to our facilities manager let them know that it was a malfunction. In other words, my night was almost more interesting than it was.

I finished more homework today. Sophie is currently plowing through a weeks worth of homework in one go. She's starting to lose focus though... Rick has six pennies. He gets 3 more. How many pennies are there in all? I think I'd lose focus too.

Alex turned 11 today. He got a camcorder. We ate cake. Jen took him out for dinner while the rest of us stayed home. It's not often that anybody in this house gets the one-on-one experience. I think everybody would be less grouchy if it happened more often. It is quite hard to schedule such things though.

I'm at work right now. I just did some online work for my class, to the soundtrack of the wind gusting through camp, taking leaves and anything else not nailed down with it. I love this weather. There's even a promise of rain in the forecast. I'll believe it when I see it though.

I think I'll go read awhile. I connected with a homesick kid earlier tonight - he's reading Pullman's The Amber Spyglass at the moment. It's good to be able to discuss literature with fifth graders. We're both looking forward to seeing The Golden Compass (the first part of the trilogy) when it comes out in December.

I hear large things being blown across camp now. I'd better go nail them down.

Three mornings a week, when all four kids are in school, I get a couple of hours by myself. These days, I usually use this time to catch up on much-needed sleep. Today, I'm fashioning yet another "to do" list and listening to music (without anybody yelling at me to turn it down). We spent yesterday over the hill at G's place in the woods. The kids outnumbered the adults 2 to 1, but were generally well-behaved. I say "generally" because Sophie proved to be the exception to that particular rule, but perfection, as always, is an unattainable goal. Of particular interest to the kids was the zip-line. Even Willow managed to hang on as she went zipping down the hill. The Amazing Flying Four-Year-Old. It was good to get away for awhile.

I took another Thursday night off this week; this time to go see Finntroll at Slim's, in San Francisco. This marks the second Thursday in a row for live, Finnish entertainment. Finntroll manage to mix Finnish polka rhythms with death metal, which to most people reading this probably sounds quite unappealing. I had a blast though. Also, I think it's the first time I've heard a band advocate the eating of Christians. Those Scandinavian heathens - what will they think of next? This was the first heavy metal show I've attended in a long time - the last one being Celtic Frost a year or so ago. I definitely still appreciate the energy. Anything that makes an almost-forty-year-old feel like a kid again is a good thing. I even contemplated going into the pit (despite the "no moshing" sign, there were lots of people flying around). I nixed the idea after realizing that I was too encumbered by 21st century gadgetry - cell phone, I-pod, digital camera, etc. Sometimes I long for the primitive days of the 80s and 90s when all I had in my pockets were my wallet and keys. Sometimes. As it was, I placed myself right next to the pit because that's where the best air circulation is. Of course, you've got to keep your arms up to deflect people back into the melee. Greg showed up about half way through, and due to my thermos of coffee, I was able to give him a ride home (actually, I dropped him off at a coffee shop). Without coffee, I find myself just a bit too tired to do much these days.

But now it's Monday. I've got photos to post, but at the moment no way to post them. Our main computer has taken a turn for the worse. Now it won't shut down, and the monitor only displays the little mouse arrow. Not sure what to do about that. Curse my luddite tendencies! Life goes on though. Dishes need cleaning. Laundry needs doing. Class assignments need attention. I've now got less than a month before I take the CSET. Better get moving here.

Currently listening to: Sunburned Circle "The Blaze Game" (on the main stereo too, since the kids are all sitting in little desks in classrooms.

So, in addition to my car not working, our computer has decided not to let us go online. It's a good thing that Jen has two laptops. She's been using her work laptop and leaving her other one at home for me to use. I've been using it mostly to do assignments for school - answering random questions for my CSET preparation class and doing online assignments for my teaching credential class.
The computer problem is also why I haven't uploaded any new photos lately. Of course, working nights doesn't give me as much opportunity to take photos either, so it's really two factors involved in my Flickr page stagnating. Sorry.

In addition to work and school, I did manage to get out and see Circle at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Thursday night. The opening bands were pretty good, especially Triclops!, who were refreshingly manic. Circle, of course, topped them both with the most varied set I've yet seen them do. They did everything from prog rock and tongue-in-cheek heavy metal to punk, with a silly wresting moment thrown in for good measure. It's good to see such an excellent band with a bizarre sense of humor. I feel like I got the best of both worlds.

Then, on Saturday, I went to my first actual class down in Monterey. I had to get up at 5:30 in the morning, which wasn't fun, but once I got there I was feeling a bit better. We spent the day learning about how to teach students to read.

And finally, yesterday, Willow and I went to the open house at my work. Kids who will be coming up to science camp (and a few who've already been) showed up with their parents for some welcoming fun and festivities. I led a hike, since I don't really get much chance to do that for the time being.

Speaking of Willow, I've got to go pick her up from school now. Bye.

Being the night supervisor at camp is starting to become routine. I don't see Jen very much during the week, and I miss her. I'm also kind of like a stay-at-home dad now, picking the kids up from school every day and hanging out with them in the afternoon. I don't really have time to hang out though, because I'm usually either doing dishes or homework. My class is going pretty well - I'm managing to keep up with the assignments, at least. I have my first teaching observation tomorrow morning while all of our kids are in school - I teach and get observed by my professor. Hopefully she'll have some helpful comments. This weekend I have to go down to CSU Monterey Bay for an all-day Saturday seminar. Busy busy busy.

Willow is currently asleep on the bed. This would be an excellent time for me to take a nap too, but I have to go get the other kids from school right now. That means I have to wake Willow up.

More later, if there's time.

The character of each week of camp is different. So far this week, the kids have been models of good behavior, but when the sun sets, they want their mommies. The hub (camp office) was busy with a steady stream of visitors, some sniffling with eyes downcast, and some talking about all of the reasons they couldn't sleep.

At sunrise, I watched a clumsy bat try multiple times to enter the safety of its home underneath the shingles lining the side of the covered walkway in front of the hub. During this time, sleepy kids walked to and from the bathrooms, not realizing that the shapes darting around their heads were bats.

Later, driving home, I noticed that my car was running rough and threatening to stall while I was waiting for lights to turn green. It's a good thing we have three vehicles now. I'll miss the cd player though.

I'm about to start up my second week as night host at science camp. The first week flew by pretty quickly, and reminded me how much I love being up at night. It's nice watching the stars, which are more visible up in the hills than they are down in the light-polluted city. I find it aesthetically pleasing when the mist rolls in, and when the coyotes yelp out their songs. The raccoons are a bit troublesome though. On Thursday night, while I was in the new lodge facilitating the cabin leader break, the raccoons got into the camp office and dumped over the compost bucket that some unknown individual had left there. When I got back, it was all over the mat in front of the door. Even so, when I'm not cleaning up after them, I enjoy watching their antics. I also like watching the bats as they come home right around sunrise.
During the week, I've been getting around 4 hours of sleep a night, which so far has been enough to function on. I'll crawl into the office bunk bed for a few hours between 1:30 and 5:30 AM, and on days the Willow has school, get another hour or two at home. I'm also hard at work studying for the CSET test and doing coursework towards getting my teaching credentials (which I probably should be doing right now instead of blogging). Add to that watching the kids during the day while Jen is at work, and I'm pretty busy.

With that said, it's time to go do some dishes and laundry before I have to pick up Willow from preschool.

Two in a Tree

Two in a Tree, originally uploaded by Corbie.

The Resumption of Nocturnal Activity

There are going to be a lot more photos like this one popping up in my photostream over the coming months. Last night marked the beginning of my time as night host at science camp. My job begins right before the majority of the kids go to sleep, and ends soon after they wake up in the morning. Anybody who can't sleep (due to homesickness, real sickness, or other issues) or gets in trouble for preventing others from going to sleep comes to me. At that point I will put down whatever book I'm reading and help them with encouraging words, thermometer, stern advice, or whatever else seems right at the time. Sometimes I might get an hour or two of sleep myself, depending on the night. Oh, and sometimes, armed only with my camera flash, I scare raccoons away from the garbage.

I think I'll go lay down for a minute, or at least until the pokemon video that Willow is watching reaches its conclusion.