A Weird Day

So, yesterday was just a bizarre day. I have no idea what was in the air but here's what happened.

First of all, I suddenly realized that with the students I have this semester, they would probably finish their debates really quickly and I'd have to have something planned for after their debates. I threw a few things together, hoping that they would work and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't need to use it. Luckily, my kids went above and beyond in their debates. The delivery of some wasn't great but in general, their arguments were pretty solid. Except for one kid. This kid is NOT a public speaker but we all have to do things we don't like doing. Anyway, his debate had some great statistic but it took him about three minutes. His opponent, a more confident public speaker, gave a great argument. Debater number 1 stood up for his rebuttal, stood there for a moment, then crumpled up his paper and said "I don't have anything to say." I asked him if he was sure, because part of the debate points were doing a rebuttal. He nodded and was about to sit down, when one of his classmates spoke up. "You can do it. I believe in you!" It was like from a movie. The entire class joined in, telling him he had some great stats and they knew he could do it. Finally, he stood back up, said a few things, which was so much better than doing nothing. I was so proud of the empathy exhibited by my students. At the end of each debate, I asked the students to share one thing the debates did well and one thing they could have done better. The students talking about debater #1 were so encouraging, even with what he could have improved upon.

This student showed up in my office about twenty minutes later, sobbing. Man, do I not envy mental health professionals. I had no idea what to say. We talked through what was stressing him out, which went into a discussion about why he feels like he's inferior, or why he was having so many breakdowns this year. He used up a lot of Kleenex in the process. I encouraged him to think about talking to the counselor because they were a lot more skilled than I am. It is exhausting and I give many props to those who do this every day (especially Megan!). It's hard to figure out what to say and not touch any nerves and be able to be encouraging without frustrating them or just saying platitudes or anything like that. I'm hoping he talks some of this out because he's an intelligent kid who has a lot to offer.

That afternoon, I was preparing to get some work done outside since it's been gorgeous lately and I was tired of being stuck in the house. It was not only sunny but finally warm and I sat down on my dinosaur blanket to get some work and some reading done. At some point, the daughter of the neighbor from across the street came over with her dog. We chatted for a bit about working the College, I asked her where she worked, we discussed living with your parents versus living by yourself and then, somehow, I'm still not quite sure how, she was telling me all about her writings and the stories that she comes up with. Now, I know all about writing stories. But she spent literally 45 minutes telling me all about her stories. I love my stories and I love writing them (especially now when I have the time) but I'm not going to subject anyone to my nonsense ramblings. One was about a religious family but the daughter also finds out that she's a spiritual medium. Another one was about this Pakistani woman who has Indian extended family and somehow she's also in an arranged marriage with someone in the US. There was a third pretty much the plot of "Gold" by Chris Cleve, just a bit more dramatic. They all have morals at the end. It was just strange but somehow I ended up offering to read and edit them. I think it was heatstroke. I had been out there at this point for more than an hour listening to her. I don't even know, guys. I may have gotten in too deep unexpectedly.

Also, the downstairs neighbor's first dog (the yappy one) apparently bit her so she brought it back to the shelter and now has a new one. This one wins, which I guess is better than yapping. Also, the next door house has people moving in. I haven't met them yet. I do know they own a hula hoop. Apparently the neighbors that moved out were the cousins of the guy who lives in the next door downstairs apartment. The things you learn when you sit outside on your dinosaur blanket...

Then I decided to watch like three episodes of "Call the Midwife" and cried at the end of every single one. This is not a healthy show for me to be watching. But, in true addictive form, I cannot stop.

Guys, it was a weird day. That is all.

Current Research

So within the next month, I have three research papers to write. This is very exciting stuff. At least to me. Here’s the breakdown of what I’m doing:

England class research paper: This paper has kidn of shifted focus a few times but in general, I believe I’m going to be writing about why Oswald Mosley is forgotten while Hitler and Mussolini are remembered. I’ll be looking at Mosley’s role in British fascism historiography and attempt to clunclude why his movement and he himself failed and isn’t remembered. Finally, I’ll explain that the only place he’s reallyimmortalized outside his few followers is through fiction, like in “Wigs on the Green” and as Roderick Spode in “Jeeves and Wooster”.

Miller’s research paper: This is also a historiography but a thematic one where I look at various themes within British communism and fascism and trace how historians have looked at those issues. These themes include BUF anti-senitism, use of violence politically and physicall, and the role of BUF culture. I still havea few more books to read aboutn communism (fingers crossed these Inter-Library Loan books arrive soon!) so I’m not entirely sure what the themes will be but possibly the use of youth in tye YCL and possibly the relationship of the CPGB to the Comintern. We’ll see. This is only supposed to be 20 pages so things may have to get cut.

Klein’s research paper: This is the one most cosely related to my thesis. All semester long, I’ve been reading articles, biographies, autobiographies, memories, etc. of members of the upper-class and why they became communist or fascist for a short period of time. This paper will be looking at common themes- generational responses to WWI, push back against their fathers, a pacifistic belief that morphed into communism, etc. There will need to be a LOT of outlining for this because there is so much and I’ve read SO many dang books this semester. It’s the one I feel most confident about though, although I still have some books arriving which could be helpful.

It’s gonna be a busy few weeks!!!

Impossible!

How it is possible that there’s a Madeleine L’Engle book out there I haven’t heard about!? There are definitely some I have yet to read- the Crosswick Journals, for example, because it turns out I have two copies of “The Summer of the Great-Grandmother” and am missing “The Circle of Quiet” (Rubiyaat Bookstores downtown has it though- I just have to pick it up at some point) and “Two-Part Invention”. I’ve read most of her adult ones and all of her young adult ones (or so I thought!). I was at the Caldwell Public Library a few days ago, picking up “Garment of Shadows” on CD and decided, on a whim, to check the Young Adult Section. There I found a copy of “Other Side of the Sun.” What is this madness!? I had never heard of it before but it sounds fascinating. I haven’t had a lot of time to read it yet because I have a million other books to skim through and three research papers to write but so far I’m loving it. I love how Madeleine doesn’t give anything away at first and lets the layers of stories build up and at the same time, pull apart. Some of her characters remind me of her other characters and there’s  strong connection to the O’Keefe stories because they take place in the same area. I thought at first there might be a connection to the Renier family from “House Like a Lotus” and “Dragons in the Water” but it’s not. Anyway, I can’t wait to be able to finish it. If you ever find a Madeleine L’Engle book at the thrift store or library sale, text me the name and if I don’t have it, pick it up for me! My goal is to one day own all of her books but I’d rather get them all from thrift stores. It’s just a thing….

Oh, and if you’ve never read any of her books (or nothing more than “A Wrinkle in Time”, then run to your library and do it right now!

Stuff That's Been On My Mind Lately

Value- Last week, we had an Alumni Book Club led by Jim Angresano where he talked about the slow food movement in Italy. He showed some great pictures, told some wonderful stories as only Jim can, but the thing that stuck with me was one of the ideas of slow food is that you pay more but buy less. Usually we look for the best prices but in some cases, the food goes to waste because you end up buying so much. I started to think about that idea of value and how that relates to other things in my life. Yes, gas is expensive and it takes 30 minutes to get in and out of Boise but can you really put a price on the memories that you have with friends? Memories that could include doing a house sweep for wasps nexts with Abbey or cocktails on the patio at Bardenay or getting coffee with Lucas before a meeting or hanging out at Goldy’s Corner with some of my closest friends. In the long run, am I going to remember that I had to buy gas a few days earlier or that I had an incredible time with some fantastically wonderful friends?

I also thought about it yesterday when I went to a campus discussion yesterday led by Don Burwell, Ellen Batt, Wally Lonergan, and Don Miller, four members of the faculty who are retiring this year but also have been at the college for over 100 year cumulatively. They each talked about their experiences at the college, their memories from the last 20-25 years, told some fun stories, reminisced, made us laugh and at one point, a little teary. I didn’t give myself enough time before the event to drop off my Netflix and so was hoping I’d be able to drop it off afterwards so that I’d stay on schedule. Then again, I got to thinking…. So what if I don’t get the Netflix on Monday like I usually do. It’ll come a day later and it’s not a big deal because what’s important is that these people who have set the stage for what I hope to be a long career for me at C of I are sharing their experiences and that’s important to listen to. Again, it’s this idea of value and what’s important and how money isn’t as important as memories and experiences.

Boston- I could go on and on about Boston and what happened there- from the marathon explosions to the lockdown to the gunfight. I don’t even know where to begin and instead of repeating what others have been saying, I’m going to share what my experiences were. This is the first major event (tragedy? Experience? I don’t even know what word is appropriate to use….) that I’ve followed without having television. I would sometimes listen to the radio but this was the first time I learned everything that I learned through social media and the internet. On that first day, as well as pretty much all day Friday, through Saturday morning, I was checking twitter every few minutes, I was following Boston PD, the Boston Globe (I already follow NY Times, NPR, Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart, etc.), I think at one point I was following Boston’s FBI twitter page. I was getting email alerts from the NY Times onto my phone, facebook was giving me a little bit less but still covering what was going on. I was on various news websites (and let’s be real, Buzzfeed, because they kept a pretty good record of what was going on), but never any television. It was a completely different experience. It keeps me wondering how social media is changing the face of law enforcement. I was wondering what 9/11 would have been like if we all had facebook and twitter and wifi on planes. Did social media get in the way of the investigations or did putting the faces of the perpetrators out onto the Internet and on news networks help? We’ll probably never know and everyone has their own opinion, but it certainly keeps me thinking. That being said, ultimately, I’m incredibly thankful for the tremendous efforts of every single person involved from beginning to end, be it the first responders running towards the explosions or the FBI, marshals, officers and National Guard members who were part of that final shoot out. Things could have been a thousand times worse but thank God that things went the way that they did.

Birthday Week!

I had such a great birthday this year! It was kind of an extended birthday over a few days but don’t take that as a complaint! In a way, it started the Friday before when I got a text from Megan saying that they were in Boise for the weekend. I ended up driving out to see them and have dinner at Bier 30 in Bown’s Crossing. I had wanted to go there for awhile but never had the opportunity so I’m glad that we did- the food was delicious and their cider was great and, best of all, I got to hang out with Megan and Thad! When they arrived, Megan handed me a stuffed owl and said “Happy Birthday!” Apparently, there was a slight shop-lifting incident over at Bird’s of Prey and although it had been paid for, there was no way they were keeping the owl. It is the softest stuffed animal I have ever felt- let’s be real, I probably would have considered shop-lifting it too!

Regan came by on Sunday night for some dinner and also gave me a bottle of double-decker wine, which is perfect for a London lover like me! I had it a few days later and it was actually quite good! Just the right amount of sweetness. My actual birthday was a bit busy but not in a bad way. I skyped briefly with Mom and Abba from my phone, went to class, and then had a meeting cancelled. That allowed me to have a long lunch with Aly and Regan at Simplot. There was even a yummy dessert for birthday celebrations! Out in Boise, Lucas bought me coffee and because my meeting didn’t go too long, I got a chance to have a quick chat with Kelsey. That evening, my small group girls came over, helped me cook tacos for dinner and then sat on my couch for a little while. Aimee had grated so much cheese, the girls ate it with a spoon! (They’re ridiculous…) They even made me a huge card and we had some champagne, which was very yummy. Before I headed to bed, Abbey stopped by with some homemade banana bread and sang Happy Birthday.

I don't know why it's upside-down. Deal with it.

This is how I cook and do dishes when it's cold and I don't have to leave the house.

That weekend, I was out in Boise. After a fun game night with the C of I Faculty folk on Friday night, Bailie took me to dinner on Saturday and I took her to see Swan Lake. Dinner at Hyde Park Pub and Grill was delicious and we hdad both gotten dressed up smartly for our classy night out on the town. It wasn’t too cold so we walked from the park over to the Morrison Center and found out seats. The program waent through all of the ballet’s Ballet Idaho did that year so we perused the different ones while we waited for Swan Lake to begin. I’ve played the suite about million times but this was the first time seing it on stage. They did a fabulous job (although I have to admit I nodded off a tad bit during the second act when all the swans danced… it just got a little bit too much like the snowflakes in Nutcracker, which is my least favorite part…) and I loved the ethnic dances- Hungarian Dance, Neopolitan Dance, Spanish Dance- the best. Again, there were bits and pieces that reminded me, both musically and costume-wise, of the Nutcracker, which I’m sure isn’t a far stretch. I’m pretty excited for the ballet’s next year and I’m thinking about getting tickets for more shows- especially since I get two discounted tickets with my BSU ID. Brooke and Kevin had gotten me a bottle of wine and some awesome running socks for my birthday and on Sunday, Kevin cooked an amazing big, family breakfast with mimosas. I had a coffee date with Abbey, Jon and Bobcat at Goldy’s Corner before going to lunch with Tessa. She gave me a Keep Calm and Carry On picture that fits on my wall perfectly. Aly and I hiked Tablerock and all the calories I had burned off with the hike, I put back on with the dinner we all helped make back at the Godwins- tri-tip, homemade guacamole and homemade bruschetta, baked beans, baby peppers stuffed with goat cheese, so delicious! I slept well Sunday night!

On Monday I got a manicure, which was so relaxing and after some studying and my favorite coffee with my favorite whipped cream at Java, finished off my birthday week reading about the jungle to Abbey’s first graders. I’ve missed reading with them!

Thank you to everyone who made my 28^th birthday week so special!

Mizpe Ramon

On our way home from the desert, we stopped at some pretty cool geologically places in the desert. One was a lot like Devil’s Postpile in Wyoming- you could hike up these pumice looking stones to get to the top and see the desert for miles in each direction. There was also an area that had this gorgeous colored sand. It reminded me of my past talent with making sand bottles.

We also went to Mizpe Ramon, at the top of the crater, which was also home to the Ilan Ramon Museum. There was a wonderful exhibit with a lot of his space and air force memorabilia (including a picture of Abba) and several movies about his time in both space and the air force. The movies were especially hard to watch and I was tearing up both times. The last movie was mainly about the last few days in space. What was wonderful about it though was the movie was in the very dark room and when the movie finished, you were in the dark for a few moments, contemplating what you had just watched, when all of a sudden the curtains open in front of you and a huge glass window with an endless vista of stark beauty appears before you. The juxtaposition of dark and light is very impactful and I thought it was wonderfully done. There was also an exhibit that focused just on the geological aspects of the area which was also quite informative.

After dropping Maya off at Sde Boker, we stopped in quickly to pay our respects to David Ben Gurion before heading back to the kibbutz. As much as I love the mountains and foothills of Boise and the valleys of Caldwell, the deserts of Israel are gorgeous.

Pesach

The day after Jerusalem, we headed down to the desert. Here’s the back-story- from what I understand, someone brought up the idea of recreating Passover in the desert. Although it started as a joke, it became more and more of a reality. Karen and Amir kind of spear-headed the entire thing, booking the place out in the desert, organizing everybody’s jobs for the two days and assigning parts for us to read while we acted out the story. Fastforward to Passover “eve” and we were loading up vans and heading down to a place called Heart of the Desert, down in the Arava.

We picked up Maya at the bus station in Beer Sheva and then headed down, driving past a Dead Sea overlook and the road towards Masada. The “campsite” had five large domed tents that had ceiling fans as well as mattresses on the ground with bedding. There was a closed off building with a fridge and air conditioning, with more mattresses on the floor as seats, a building with bathrooms and showers and then the outdoor area with an outdoor kitchen, tables, mini-pool, low couches and tables and a fire pit. It overlooked the large wadi and expanse of desert that would be our Egypt several hours late.

While we unpacked, there was much dressing up to be had- we tried on gallabiyot, head scarves, practiced our instruments, played around, passed out Hagadas and then packed up the wine before heading out on our journey. Amir and Karen had this planned out to a T. Everyone had roles to play (Amos was Moses, Dan was Elohim, Raz was Pharoah and Amit was either Miram or Pharoah’s wife, the rest of us were children of Israel) and everyone had their parts to read. We would trek a little bit, then stop and have a dramatic reading with all of our parts. Then we’d trek some more and do some more dramatic reading. At one point, Dan stood in a bush to represent God speaking to Moses from the burning bush (we elected NOT to set this one on fire…), at another point, Amos pretended to hit a stone and Karen threw water on it. There was singing, dancing, instrument playing, running from Pharoah, I’m pretty sure anyone watching us thought we had all escaped from an insane asylum. But how much did fun we have!? Oh, so much. Finally, we climbed back up the hill to meet with Aharon who asked us who we were (the Children of Israel!), where we had come from (from Egypt), and where we were going (to Jerusalem!). Then it was dinner time- we ate all the usual foods, we sang, we drank our cups of wine, we sang some more, Ori showed us this hysterical video, we drank some more, it was wonderful.

our dining room 

our tents and the air conditioned room past them

me and Amir

our living room area

nieces and uncles

mom and daughters

the whole crew!

trekking through the desert

one of our many stops

such long shadows cast

"God" in the burning bush

one of the many cups of wine

ready to go to the Promise Land!

recorder solo

posing with Saba

one-mooned Tatooine

"Why did you make us leave Egypt!?" 

ready to party in the Promise Land!

almost there....

Up we go to the Promise Land

Seder!

Lots of singing

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, Mom, Abba, Shiri and I went for a walk around the desert. It was incredible how much plant life there was for a place that got practically no water. The rest of the day was family time- we did a family activity led by Amir that forced us to work together (and learn that the Yadlin family has a lot of leaders and not many followers), we relaxed and took naps, listened to an international relations lecture/discussion led by Amos, and I actually got some homework done, which was unexpected. I just loved how we were able to spend so much time together as a family, well into the night.

The nineteen-hour travel day to Tel Aviv and the twenty-eight hour travel day home from Israel was totally worth these three days. I’m so lucky that I was able to go!

walk in the desert

desert blooms

Activity Time

Too hot and dusty outside? Let's eat matzah and chocolate!

yep

my little love