Richmond or Bust

We have finally decided upon, or it was decided for us (various factors fit together, some that we had control over and others that were precariously and blatantly out of our powers, proving that the universe works in unexplainable but wise ways and thankfully, I have learned the valuable lesson that stressing out gets one nowhere but deeper into a frenzy which was wholly unnecessary because it always works out in the end, etcetera, etcetera) on our next destination (this was my point, drumroll please): Richmond, VA. With two jobs in two high schools, a new mountain bike, and the sum of all our experiences, we head for the South as official English Teachers.
All we know is that there is whitewater kayaking right in downtown Richmond, and with that thought we rest a little easier, knowing we will at least become better paddlers in the rapids. And of course we now have the chance to have our own classrooms full of young people who's greatest chance for life success depends on what skills they learn and how they view the world. My goal is to foster compassion and critical thought.
Buffalo has been especially beautiful lately. This is due to the glorious spring we are having, and also that it is being viewed through departing eyes. My parents in-law just moved into a house around the corner, and it's been so wonderful to see them so often. We went to Pine Lot last weekend when my parents came to visit (miss them!) and we saw a huge bear running through a field. He stood up on his hind legs which showed his impressive height and a belly I wished I could touch. We all went to the Allentown Art Festival too, which was full of some great art as you might imagine.
Buffalo went through a time of hockey mania recently, when the Sabres fought it out to game 7 in the semi finals of the Stanley Cup. They lost eventually to N. Carolina. It was a treat to see Doug Janik, one great player who I went to high school with in Agawam, playing for Buffalo, and even scoring a goal! After they lost this city seemed a little unsure as to what to do with itself. But since then things are back to normal, and there are farmer's markets, glasses of wine on cafe patios, bike riders of every sort, flowers galore, rests in the grassy city parks, dogs catching each other's aromas on soft breezes, music festivals, camping expeditions, gay pride parades, barbecues, friends, and a plethora of gatherings. Buffalo: nestled in between two great lakes, on the gorge that divides the US and Canada, a place where no buffalo ever roamed, and where the Niagara just keeps raging and raging.

Spanish Moss

Beautiful Savannah! We went there briefly on Spring break along with W. Virginia and Virginia. A whirlwind tour full of beauty. And alligators. Dolphins slapping their tails just off of the beach too! We're done student teaching in 2 weeks and are now assessing our future plans. I've added another link to the 7th grade blog I made where my current students published their poetry. It's similar to the high school blog link that is also there.
We have an interesting neighbor across the street. For the past year he has been tallying up the American dead in Iraq on large posters stapled to his fence. It's eerie walking out of our apartment every morning to see the numbers increasing like an odometer. I remember when it hit the 1,000 mark some time ago. Today it says 2,390.

Canopy Tour

We have a new sport/hobby. Tree climbing! All it takes is a fairly simple getup of ropes and harnessess. And good knots of course. And a sling shot or a sock filled with enough pennies that it could kill you coming down the other side of the branch. It is a surprisingly vigorous workout, and once suspended in the trees it is quiet and you sway with the wind. Here are some pictures of Damien and his view from up above as we hiked with friends Bob Bill Kortni Bella and Blinker at the Eternal Flame south of Buffalo.

This blog needs some color

The orchid show at the botanical gardens. They really are fascinating plant-like creatures.

An insect tale

We took a walk around Buckhorn state park yesterday. I felt like a tiny insect in the reed-like plants all around me, which were forming uncommon angles in the wind and slicing up the scenery like venetian blinds. It was all golds, reds and grays. We saw a field full of fat Robins, and in the woods there were a few Red-Bellied Woodpeckers flying around us. Big pieces of ice floating down the Niagara. We are now student teaching at our second placement, which is going well so far. Click on the link to the right entitled English Class Page to see a blog I made for the high school I taught at. Students showcased their poetry on it based on the Holocaust, the topic of our unit. There are also a couple of pictures. Tomorrow is Spring and we woke up to big fat snowflakes falling down this morning.

Winter Kayaking Cruise

perspectives

This is an ice formation formed in the smooth hollows of the raging Niagara whose pools collect water which turns to ice and is picked up by a hiker (Bob Klug), placed to balance upright in a crack and peered through so that it frames the gorge.

Big Trees & No Keys

How we spent the last few days before student teaching starts (tomorrow!): we discovered a small patch of old growth trees right here in the Niagara region of New York. It was 10 acres of towering Red Oaks and other various giants. Then on the other side of the river (Canada), we hiked in a magical mossy forest to find tall Tulip trees, fat hemlocks and old Cedars. Beautiful. All was successful besides when I fell off a rock, bloodied up my knee and tore my pants. We had a lovely glass of local wine in the quaint Niagara on the Lake and saw some Oldsqaws swimming on the surface of Lake Ontario under a full moon. Our friend Chris Lisowski came up from Pittsburgh for the weekend, whom we relaxed with. He brought us a new piece of art he made. Then he went back to Pittsburgh with my car keys in his pocket. Above is a picture of a tall Red Oak and one of the culprit and our new print. Luckily, our friend Tara let us borrow her car as she and Storms went off to Italy. We'll still make it to our first day of teaching tomorrow.

Adios 2005

See ya. It was a good year, I'll spare the recap of all 365 days, but I'll look back on it with very fond memories. We spent our Christmas in Massachusetts and then headed up to New Hampshire for some much needed time in nature and to ring in the New Year with some excellent friends. We snowshoed in the Great Gulf Wilderness area (one of our favorite White Mountain spots) next to the Peabody River and found excellent views of Mount Washington and Mount Madison. We also explored the old Cedar forests around Christine Lake and the area around the hypnotic Crystal Falls. All day on New Years Eve day Damien was perfroming beautiful 360s on his snowboard off of a jump he had built in the backyard. Later, with a half hour left until the new year, he went out to celebrate 2006 on a sled, hit that very same jump on his belly and broke a rib (or 2, we're not sure). Sadly, he missed snowboarding the next day at Sunday River. Fortunatley, he is finally starting to heal up, but if you see him, resist the Python hugs.
Yesterday we went to the Body Worlds exhibit in Toronto, and you haven't heard of it, check this out: http://www.bodyworlds.com/ Wow. Also had a good Ethiopian lunch. Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

After finishing all of our classes, we have been spending our time snowshoeing, snowboarding, enjoying our friends, throwing parties, reading, watching movies, cooking, practicing our ninja moves and other things necessary for getting ready for Christmas. Damien has been painting up a storm (see above!) We're driving to Massachusetts tomorrow for the festivities. Hope your holdiay season is peaceful.

I'll Pay You 5$ to Write My Reseach Paper

Links

About the two links to the right: Joshua Bienko and Grace Spivak. Two amazing friends of mine. You can just click on thier name and it will take you directly to their blogs. Josh is in a graduate fine art program in Georgia. You can check out some of his amazing work on his blog (not to mention the wonderful pictures of his sweetpea baby Harper and his lovely wife Maryjo)! Grace is a friend that we made while we were studying in Prague, Czech Republic for our TEFL certification. Similar to when we taught English in Taiwan, Grace is teaching English in Korea. Her blog is full of stories, adventures, and cultural experiences that are truly unique. I hope you get a chance to check out these web pages. Ciao!

Snow in Buffalo

Well it officially snowed last night here in Buffalo. There is a fine coating of white all over everything this morning. The day before it was 65 degrees! Damien and I celebrated by eating ice cream for breakfast today (it's a tradition for the first snow) and we were out frolicking under the streetlamps last night.
We have only one month left of classes for the semester, so we are really going crazy getting all of our work done, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have both been observing and doing a little bit of teaching at an urban school here in Buffalo. It's pretty wild, but we are really enjoying it. Student teaching in January.
Sadly, my uncle Crit passed away last month. He was only 48. I'd like to dedicate a poem by e. e. cummings to him and to my family who will miss him very much.

2

to stand (alone) in some

autumnal afternoon:
breathing a fatal
stillness; while

enormous this how

patient creature (who's
never by never robbed of
day) puts always on by always

dream,is to

taste
not(beyond
death and

life)imaginable mysteries

recap of Bazoinker Ball

The gypsy & the sailor

1st Halloween

We had the pleasure of taking our Nepali friend Ajay to Rhubarb's Bazoinker Ball for his 1st Halloween. Needless to say it was a wild evening, and I think his perception of the United States has some storm troopers, fairies and bloody goblins written into it. Not to mention Rex-quan-doe. And lots of loud music and chicken wings of course. I assured him that his hunter costume was certainly not the weirdest one there. I look forward to Thanksgiving where Ajay will see just how much us fatties can shove into our gluttonous mouths! Also, one night this weekend Damien and I rented the new Aminityville Horror which was so scary that we had to take a break in the middle of it, turn on the lights, and have a conversation about regular things before we could continue watching (with the lights on)! Recently we saw poet John Ashberry read and then answer questions. He told us he was a pretty funny guy and he was too. I'm preparing a unit plan on the Harlem Renaissance and reading poetry from Langston Hughes again, and for the first time I'm really reading Countee Cullen. Once you get into the language and imagine Duke Ellington's jazz bustin out of clubs like the Cotton Club and W.E.B. Dubois talking about the souls of black people and progress and equality and all that art by folks like Aaron Douglas and Augusta Savage, and you listen to those lonely lines of poetry, those little threads connecting us to a wild time in the past, you're like, well, damn.

Pennsylvania

Damien and I and Bella the Puerto Rican dog drove down to Pine Lot Camp this past weekend for a romantic getaway and a quiet place to study. We took some nice walks in the brilliant colors of autumn, Damien cooked up a gourmet meal, we drank a bottle of wine that was a gift from our wedding, and kept warm in front of the wood burning stove. Best place to study on earth.

A little music session around the wood burning stove at Pine Lot Camp

Massachusetts

We've had a couple of nice weekends lately. Went to Massachusetts for a last minute relaxing getaway. Saw lots of great people, witnessed a flood of the Connecticut river valley, played lots of music, and enjoyed my family and friends immensely. It was nice not to be studying when I should have been. Went too fast of course!

"Flood Kayaking"