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"