Sangerpalooza

September 7, 2013

We attended the second annual Sangerpalooza, where Doug and the boys provided rockin' entertainment for the crowd.  Although it was terribly hot in the afternoon, the evening breezes began to blow and it cooled down enough for dancing, which is always a good thing.  Photo highlights from the evening:

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September 2, 2013

This is the last full out rehearsal before the upcoming Sangerpalooza gig on Saturday.  Don, the new keyboardist, invited everyone over to his house to practice, and he and his wife decided to host a little bar-b-que while we were there.  I got to meet Don's wife and kids for the first time, and we got along great!  She loves photography like me, and our kids aren't too far off in age.  It was fun getting to know her, and I'm looking forward to hanging out again at the Sanger concert.  I played around with some different settings on my camera during practice, and even did a little video.  I think I got some fun shots of band!

Capo's by Giuseppe Gallo's

August 28, 2013

We were lucky enough to be invited to the soft open at Capo's tonight.  The open-to-the-public opening happens tomorrow.  The food was incredible, and I'm so glad we could be there to help our friends Gary and Cheryl celebrate their newest restaurant venture.  They put in so much of their time, energy, heart, and soul to build this beautiful place from the ground up, and I think all the work is going to pay off in ways they can't even yet imagine.  It was great getting to see lots of family and friends there supporting and celebrating tonight.  We especially thought our lovely waitress Kelsey did a fantastic job, and it was nice to see some familiar faces from the Gallo's staff over there as well.  Just like Gallo's, dining at Capo's was like home--like family.  We wish them all the best!

 Kathy, Cheryl, and me

 Doug and I, making the most of our date night

 Cheryl and her rooster

 The kitchen was crazy-busy, but we couldn't help taking a peek behind the scenes

 Dennis and me

And Here We Are Again...

August 28, 2013

Current patterns make me think that ten years from now I'll be getting calls from The Boy's wife asking me to remind him to acknowledge his wife's birthday and to remember to pay the bills on time.

I got an email today--second week of school, mind you--from The Boy's A.P. History teacher.  Missing an assignment already and didn't do well on a test.  This is a kid, by the way, whose test scores definitely place him in A.P. classes.  He's very intelligent, but he doesn't always keep his head with him, you know?

So I called him as he was on his way to his dad's after school.

Me:  Why did you tell your teacher you were unprepared for the test today?  Why WERE you unprepared?

The Boy:  I never said that.  I didn't say I was unprepared.

Me:  You DIDN'T tell your teacher you were unprepared for today's test?  Because that's not my understanding.

The Boy:  No, I didn't tell her I wasn't prepared.  I said there was lots of stuff on the test that I didn't know!  (Okay--it sounds like the kid is being smart-aleck here, and playing with semantics.  He's not, though; in his mind, there's a clear distinction.)

Me:  (Sigh.)  WHY didn't you know stuff of the test?  Your notes weren't very thorough.  Do you think that's the problem?

The Boy:  I don't know.

Me:  That's not going to work.  We've got to figure it out so that you can fix the problem.  She says she doesn't have your Chapter One notes at all, and Chapter Two notes aren't very thorough.  Did you do Chapter One notes?

The Boy:  I should have done them...I think I did.

Me:  Well, I know you should have done them.  DID you, is the question.

The Boy:  I believe so...probably.

Me:  How is it possible that you don't remember whether or not you did an entire assignment?  

The Boy:  I don't know.

Me:  Well, you'll be doing it again--both chapters, tonight--so if I were you, I'd make it memorable this time.  Where is your textbook?

The Boy:  I left it in your classroom.

Me:  WHY would you leave it in my classroom?  You have that class tomorrow.  You mean to say you don't have any homework tonight?

The Boy:  Well, I didn't.  NOW I guess I do!

Me:  Yup.  I guess you do.  I'll bring your textbook to your dad's.

Maybe someday he'll be happy his mom is a teacher.  Today is probably not that day.

It's Been a Long Monday

August 26, 2013

Survived the first crisis of the year.

 One of the coolest things about my job is that it's never the same job on any given day--I work with 180 kids every day, not to mention all the adults in my work world.  My job isn't about columns and numbers and widgets and boxes to check; it's about people--personalities, emotions multiple intelligences, problems, triumphs, heartaches, and celebrations.  So every single day is a convergence of all of these lives, running parallel, or intersecting, or glancing off of one another, creating unique and singular experiences among all of those people minute after minute and hour after hour.  In some small piece of each day, my collection of experiences from the day interact with each of my students' collections of experiences.  How fascinating to think how even a very small change in the trajectory of any of those paths changes the rest of the path for the day.

Anyway, one of the intersections today was a tough one, but I'm glad I was there and could do my small part to help.  I feel like that's where I was supposed to be. 

Music Sunday-My Own Little Concert

August 25, 2013

Doug's band had practice at our house today.  Very tight quarters, but we make it work.  Food, drinks, and lots of great music--80s, classic rock, and blues.  It was a fantastic way to spend Sunday-- I can't wait for the upcoming gig in two weeks!

Oh, The Things the Kids Say...

August 25, 2013

Overheard in the hallway this week during the first week of school:

High school junior boy:  "I have, like, an I.Q. of 160, and even I failed Geometry.  THAT'S how hard that class is!"

I have my doubts as to the accuracy of his statement.