Yesterday I was a speaker in Angela's classes for John Burroughs Middle School's career day. It was a good day, I always love visiting her classes mostly because I'm stared at a bit like an animal in the zoo.
"Are you and Ms. Knapp sisters?"
"Why do you and Ms. Knapp have the same last name?"
"I thought you were Ms. Knapp."
"Are you and Ms. Knapp twins?"
"Do you have a brother that looks like you?"
Yesterday was no exception but I also turned the tables on them a bit. I opened my career day discussion by asking them if they hated writing. Most said yes, happily. I asked them if they knew what a screenwriter was. Most of them did not. And then I just smiled and nodded when one child told me he thought my job sounded very easy. I wish.
All in all, a good day. One student told Angela I encouraged her to write seven stories about seven different animals. I think this came mostly from the prompt I had them write about for a few minutes: hippos who were found in the parking lot of their school. But still, it was pretty cool. And some of their stories about how the hippos got there or what they were doing was very imaginative. We had hippos who had come down from outer space via spaceship. We had hippos who had stolen a Ferrari. We had hippos who were there to go to school and hippos who were there to eat cars and students. We had hippos who carried signs protesting the legalization of pot. They were a creative bunch.
And the energy. You know, when you're in the trenches it's different, you don't notice how much energy they have and you have to give but I was reminded of it yesterday. And I was only there part of the day. God bless all the teachers out there. Seriously. If you know a teacher, do something kind for her. Tell her she's doing a good job. Take him a $5 gift card to Subway. Offer to watch her kids on the weekend for an hour. Seriously. You have no idea what they go through.
So yeah. Career day. I had fun, I'm hoping the kids learned something. And maybe, just maybe, I encouraged one of them to put pencil to paper and explore themselves a little bit.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
The newspaper
For the first few days of my mom's visit out here to Los Angeles I went to the gas station and bought her a copy of the L.A. Times newspaper. Then I decided it would be easier, and cheaper, to get it delivered. One call and the next morning, voila! newspaper on the front step.
I read bits and pieces of it while she was here but not the whole thing. She read it religiously and pointed out good articles and funny comics we cut out and mailed to my dad. Then she flew home Wednesday morning. But the newspaper didn't stop coming. Yesterday, on my way out of the driveway to take Ang's car to be service, I threw the paper in the passenger seat. And I read it while waiting at the dealership. I learned about the whale stuck in the nets at Dana Point. I learned about the overnight failures BP had with the oil mess. And I felt a little more educated than I had been that morning.
I've been thinking I should probably cancel the subscription but I haven't done it yet. So this morning I grabbed a bowl of cereal and headed toward the TV. Sometimes I eat at my desk, sometimes I eat in front of the Today show (which I really don't like after 7:20), and sometimes I eat while watching last night's The Daily Show. But instead, today, I saw the paper sitting there. So I sat down at the dining room table and I opened it up.
I learned that the whale has been freed (and nicknamed "Lilly", though they don't know it's sex) but won't go back out to sea. I learned that children who spend copious amounts in preschool have a tendency toward risky behavior as teens. I learned that LAUSD can't fire anymore teachers at 3 school because of a court order. And I learned that I really do like the newspaper.
It took me all of 15 minutes to go through the newsprint pages. There was a lot I didn't read -- ads and the sports mostly -- but I also got a chuckle out of the few comics I remember reading as a kid and I read my positive horoscope for the day (You'll do what you believe in, and that will work well for you.) and I felt a little accomplished.
I think I'll keep the subscription going for another week, see if this trend in slowing down and reading something not on a computer screen continues for me. I like it. I like the feel of the paper in my hands and the idea that I'm learning about my community a bit more by not skipping "all the boring" parts while reading the paper online.
Also, I think I'm a bit prejudiced toward actual print newspapers. I've spent a good chunk of my life writing and a good portion of that has been writing for newspapers. I still vividly remember finding out that a story I'd written had been selected to run in the Lansing State Journal back when I was in community college. Some friends told my parents the good news at church that Sunday morning and we had to go meet up with the Old Car Club for a trip that afternoon. As we were waiting for everyone to arrive I saw a paper box and I ran down to the corner with the requisite 50 cents. I put my money in, opened the box, and promptly took out every single copy of the paper in there. I don't think that's how the paper box is supposed to work but hey, I was excited!
So, for what it's worth, long live the newspaper! And here's to reading it with a bowl of cereal every morning!
I read bits and pieces of it while she was here but not the whole thing. She read it religiously and pointed out good articles and funny comics we cut out and mailed to my dad. Then she flew home Wednesday morning. But the newspaper didn't stop coming. Yesterday, on my way out of the driveway to take Ang's car to be service, I threw the paper in the passenger seat. And I read it while waiting at the dealership. I learned about the whale stuck in the nets at Dana Point. I learned about the overnight failures BP had with the oil mess. And I felt a little more educated than I had been that morning.
I've been thinking I should probably cancel the subscription but I haven't done it yet. So this morning I grabbed a bowl of cereal and headed toward the TV. Sometimes I eat at my desk, sometimes I eat in front of the Today show (which I really don't like after 7:20), and sometimes I eat while watching last night's The Daily Show. But instead, today, I saw the paper sitting there. So I sat down at the dining room table and I opened it up.
I learned that the whale has been freed (and nicknamed "Lilly", though they don't know it's sex) but won't go back out to sea. I learned that children who spend copious amounts in preschool have a tendency toward risky behavior as teens. I learned that LAUSD can't fire anymore teachers at 3 school because of a court order. And I learned that I really do like the newspaper.
It took me all of 15 minutes to go through the newsprint pages. There was a lot I didn't read -- ads and the sports mostly -- but I also got a chuckle out of the few comics I remember reading as a kid and I read my positive horoscope for the day (You'll do what you believe in, and that will work well for you.) and I felt a little accomplished.
I think I'll keep the subscription going for another week, see if this trend in slowing down and reading something not on a computer screen continues for me. I like it. I like the feel of the paper in my hands and the idea that I'm learning about my community a bit more by not skipping "all the boring" parts while reading the paper online.
Also, I think I'm a bit prejudiced toward actual print newspapers. I've spent a good chunk of my life writing and a good portion of that has been writing for newspapers. I still vividly remember finding out that a story I'd written had been selected to run in the Lansing State Journal back when I was in community college. Some friends told my parents the good news at church that Sunday morning and we had to go meet up with the Old Car Club for a trip that afternoon. As we were waiting for everyone to arrive I saw a paper box and I ran down to the corner with the requisite 50 cents. I put my money in, opened the box, and promptly took out every single copy of the paper in there. I don't think that's how the paper box is supposed to work but hey, I was excited!
So, for what it's worth, long live the newspaper! And here's to reading it with a bowl of cereal every morning!
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Womentum
(WOMENTUM> is an inspirational force gained over a distance of 5 kilometers applied to the eradication of cancers in women. (According to the EIF Revlon Run/Walk)
And today we saw that (Womentum> in full force. Us and over 50,000 other people on the University of Southern California campus, at the Olympic Coliseum, all walking with one purpose, for one reason. Because cancer has touched our lives.
It was an amazing day that started at 7am. When we got there the place was already packed. And the people had only started to arrive. But here's the thing that stood out to me the most:
Everyone there was there to help.
Everyone there wanted to make a difference and to remember someone.
Everyone there was showing their love in an outward fashion. By wearing it proudly on their chests and back and putting their feet into motion.
And it was a very cool thing.
Thank you if you donated money or prayers or kind thoughts to our walk this morning. We walked for Marilyn and Grandpa Jim but we also walked for so many others. We walked for everyone who fights this disease on a daily basis, we walked for everyone who fought with all they have and has gone on to a place where there is no cancer, we walked for everyone who has shed a tear or had their heart broken because of this awful disease.
"The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, many are strong at the broken places." --Ernest Hemingway
Today we saw how strong everyone is afterwards. We have womentum and we're still moving forward.
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