Sorry for the weeks without posting, but choir camps pretty much saturated the past couple of weeks for me. I worked Baylor's All-State camp as the head male dorm counselor and had an amazing week. Some of you may not think that living in a university dorm and eating university cafeteria food is enthralling, but I have to say it was great kids and a great counselor staff that made the week for me. On a side note - the future of the choral music program is in great hands!
Saturday night after camp, a group of counselors and other friends got together to hang out. I have to say, so much richness to be enjoyed amongst the company of friends! After initial games, a group went to go swimming, and, spontaneously, the living room was transformed into a salsa dancing lesson. Again, one of my favorite things about camp was getting to know the counselors and the primary reason is this: music people seem to have an affinity for great personalities and a love of culture. In any case - Thank you Debbie Hernandez for a brilliant evening and being so willing to share yourself and your culture with the rest of us not just on that night but the entire week!
We could learn so much about hospitality and celebration from hispanic cultures!
The next week I did choir camp all over again! This time we commuted our students via school bus to UNT for their camp. It was great to see some of our students again and find out how their summer was going - but - can I just say - WAY TOO EARLY!
Oh shoot - I forgot to mention - Harry Potter opened on Tuesday... camp started Wednesday morning... and you can't see the premier of Harry Potter alone.... soooo obviously the best decision is to drive to Waco Tuesday afternoon, watch the midnight showing, and then drive back to north Dallas at 3:30 in the morning so that you can nap and load a bus for UNT at 9 am! Totally exhausted, but totally worth it (plus, absolutely no traffic on the way back up)!
Jonathan and Tammy came back into town from their Baltic adventure and I got to spend a lovely evening with them including one of my favorite Waco past times - Bahama Bucks (only this time in Sachse)!
I spent the early parts of this week shopping for new school clothes! Thanks to the help of a couple of wonderful friends a RIDICULOUS amount of damage was done to my credit card balance! Ok - I have to say that I'm to blame for the biggest portion - I decided that if I was going to buy nice new clothes I shouldn't tear them up in a commercial washer and dryer sooo.... I bought myself a set! It was delivered and installed on Wednesday (Thank the Lord! Can you imagine me fighting a washer and dryer up three flights of stairs)! In any case, the credit card company called me on Monday night to make sure that it was me buying all the stuff! OUCH.
Top 5 things about really getting to know someone:
1) Thinking and remembering things you haven't thought about in years
2) Wierd things you have in common
3) Rediscovering the reasons why you are where you are, and where you are going
4) Finding humor in the smallest of things
5) Funny/mildly embarassing stories that make you, you.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
Organic Living
Organic has become a word that we have all heard an
d fallen in love with. There is wave sweeping the world using terms like green, organic, sustainable, fair trade, post-consumer, hormone-free. Organic is not just a food choice, it has become popular clothing choice, even building material choice. I must say that I love these trends - I buy organic milk (it is awesome - sweeter, smoother, and stays good for about a month longer). I buy hormone free meats and I often eat organic fruits and vegetables. Interestingly, I bought 100% recycled post-it notes a couple weeks ago.
I guess I first fell in love with all of this in the 6th grade when I had this amazing sam
ba-playing ponytail wearing all honors teacher named David Matthews (that's him on the left in the picture) who took us on all the adventures we could handle in a year. We picked up trash and recyclables on the hike and bike trails around Austin, we picked up trash down along Padre Island National Seashore, explored caves and springs at Westcave and other nature preserves around Austin, and watched a few Texas bald eagles overhead on the Vanishing Texas River Cruise. Now Mr. Matthews continues his work at Small Middle School in Austin. I found this great article on some things he has been up to.
Twice this spring I watched a news segment on Alice Waters. She is a chef behind major organic and "slow-food" movements and was a powerful influence in getting the vegetable garden planted at the White House. I think I agree with her and David Matthews that programs in our schools that educate our students about our food, where it comes from, protection of our resources, healthy living and eating, are great for our future. I want a garden so badly but, unfortunately, 3rd floor balcony cement makes for terrible topsoil.
Organic took on a different meeting for me a couple of weeks ago. As we were going through our AP training, Dr. Ferrandino, our theory professor and AP consultant for the week, continued to use phrases like "learning organically", referring to the natural processes of discovery, teaching in context, and guided discussion.
I think maybe all of us need to consider the way living "organically" - by natural process and development - could affect the way we interact with the world. I think we could all use a good dose of sustainable, growth-hormone free "slow-food" in our work, our play, our goals, our relationships. I do believe that we are seeing the effects of short-cutting, attention-grabbing, over-stimulating, curbside-to-go, mentality not just in our children and our future, but here and now in ourselves.
What do you think?
5 things that "organic living" could mean:
1) S-l-o-w D-o-w-n... should you really get mad at that person going three miles under the speed limit, or be frustrated because you're 25 and single, or 25 without a graduate degree?
2) Plan more. It's amazing how much we can raise quality and save ourselves in time, money, and energy.
3) Invest some real time into real people. Desire to grow a relationship, not pop one out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave.
4) Set aside time to actually do the things you want to or should be doing (reading that book, cooking that meal, working out, spending time with someone) not just dream about it.
5) Devote less time to media. Of course some things are great, some things are necessary, but some things are simply way out of control.
d fallen in love with. There is wave sweeping the world using terms like green, organic, sustainable, fair trade, post-consumer, hormone-free. Organic is not just a food choice, it has become popular clothing choice, even building material choice. I must say that I love these trends - I buy organic milk (it is awesome - sweeter, smoother, and stays good for about a month longer). I buy hormone free meats and I often eat organic fruits and vegetables. Interestingly, I bought 100% recycled post-it notes a couple weeks ago.I guess I first fell in love with all of this in the 6th grade when I had this amazing sam
ba-playing ponytail wearing all honors teacher named David Matthews (that's him on the left in the picture) who took us on all the adventures we could handle in a year. We picked up trash and recyclables on the hike and bike trails around Austin, we picked up trash down along Padre Island National Seashore, explored caves and springs at Westcave and other nature preserves around Austin, and watched a few Texas bald eagles overhead on the Vanishing Texas River Cruise. Now Mr. Matthews continues his work at Small Middle School in Austin. I found this great article on some things he has been up to.Twice this spring I watched a news segment on Alice Waters. She is a chef behind major organic and "slow-food" movements and was a powerful influence in getting the vegetable garden planted at the White House. I think I agree with her and David Matthews that programs in our schools that educate our students about our food, where it comes from, protection of our resources, healthy living and eating, are great for our future. I want a garden so badly but, unfortunately, 3rd floor balcony cement makes for terrible topsoil.
Organic took on a different meeting for me a couple of weeks ago. As we were going through our AP training, Dr. Ferrandino, our theory professor and AP consultant for the week, continued to use phrases like "learning organically", referring to the natural processes of discovery, teaching in context, and guided discussion.
I think maybe all of us need to consider the way living "organically" - by natural process and development - could affect the way we interact with the world. I think we could all use a good dose of sustainable, growth-hormone free "slow-food" in our work, our play, our goals, our relationships. I do believe that we are seeing the effects of short-cutting, attention-grabbing, over-stimulating, curbside-to-go, mentality not just in our children and our future, but here and now in ourselves.
What do you think?
5 things that "organic living" could mean:
1) S-l-o-w D-o-w-n... should you really get mad at that person going three miles under the speed limit, or be frustrated because you're 25 and single, or 25 without a graduate degree?
2) Plan more. It's amazing how much we can raise quality and save ourselves in time, money, and energy.
3) Invest some real time into real people. Desire to grow a relationship, not pop one out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave.
4) Set aside time to actually do the things you want to or should be doing (reading that book, cooking that meal, working out, spending time with someone) not just dream about it.
5) Devote less time to media. Of course some things are great, some things are necessary, but some things are simply way out of control.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
If you could do anything in the world and be assured 100% success, what would you do, and why aren't you doing it?
This question was asked of me this week and I haven't given it it's due time. Hopefully both you and I will get the chance to really dive into all it contains.
I meant to publish this post with great pictures of a striper fishing trip on Lake Whitney that was set for Wednesday morning. We got up around 4:30 and headed out to the lake, only to find out that our guide's boat had shut down and wouldn't start... It's ok - I got to salvage the morning reading virtually an entire Harry Potter book (2) and having lunch with JR. Yes, I know, the movie is fast approaching and I still have a ton more Potter's to read!
I ordered my first pair of TOMS shoes! I'll see how they work out. I went to church on Sunday morning (in long cargo shorts - which is common at Watermark in the summer) but couldn't get myself to wear sandals or flip-flops in church (overly casual shorts, but not overly casual shoes? Yes, it's ridiculous I know). Anyway - hence the TOMS shoes. I decided there was probably nothing more unstylish than cargo shorts, a polo, and crew length socks rolled down w/ old tennis shoes. Why should I care? Eh - I don't know, but I do so get over it.
By the way - Sunday's sermon - "Our need to for others to show us the way: because Mufasas become Maneaters" was, in my opinion, exceptional, partly because it included Huck Finn, My Side of the Mountain, and a real white siberian tiger cub! You can check it out at watermarkradio.com/.
5 things to do this week:
1) "The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page" so says my fortune cookie from Pei Wei. Read something worthwhile! Harry Potter counts - don't tell me otherwise!
2) Ponder the above question.
3) Start or update your blog!
4) Call those three people on your list that you were supposed to catch up with and didn't.
5) Have a ridiculously good time eating good food, connecting with people, and celebrating the 4th of July!
Oh - and I need a Harry Potter costume for All-State camp... any suggestions?
SDG.
I meant to publish this post with great pictures of a striper fishing trip on Lake Whitney that was set for Wednesday morning. We got up around 4:30 and headed out to the lake, only to find out that our guide's boat had shut down and wouldn't start... It's ok - I got to salvage the morning reading virtually an entire Harry Potter book (2) and having lunch with JR. Yes, I know, the movie is fast approaching and I still have a ton more Potter's to read!
I ordered my first pair of TOMS shoes! I'll see how they work out. I went to church on Sunday morning (in long cargo shorts - which is common at Watermark in the summer) but couldn't get myself to wear sandals or flip-flops in church (overly casual shorts, but not overly casual shoes? Yes, it's ridiculous I know). Anyway - hence the TOMS shoes. I decided there was probably nothing more unstylish than cargo shorts, a polo, and crew length socks rolled down w/ old tennis shoes. Why should I care? Eh - I don't know, but I do so get over it.
By the way - Sunday's sermon - "Our need to for others to show us the way: because Mufasas become Maneaters" was, in my opinion, exceptional, partly because it included Huck Finn, My Side of the Mountain, and a real white siberian tiger cub! You can check it out at watermarkradio.com/.
5 things to do this week:
1) "The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page" so says my fortune cookie from Pei Wei. Read something worthwhile! Harry Potter counts - don't tell me otherwise!
2) Ponder the above question.
3) Start or update your blog!
4) Call those three people on your list that you were supposed to catch up with and didn't.
5) Have a ridiculously good time eating good food, connecting with people, and celebrating the 4th of July!
Oh - and I need a Harry Potter costume for All-State camp... any suggestions?
SDG.
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