Cleaning Out

Having C move so close is a great opportunity to clear out stuff from our house. Here is a chair that usually sits unused in our guest room going over to the new house as it follows a cafe table and a dresser. Besides the furniture finding a new home, we are going through all the stuff that never travelled back and forth to college and are either throwing it out or donating it to Goodwill. It's not spring yet, but we are in the throes of spring cleaning!

365 Thank Yous

I saw John Kralik, promoting his book 365 Thank Yous on the Today Show a month or so ago, and I put his book on order at the library. It arrived a week ago, and I read it over the course of a few hours this weekend.

While this book chronicles how his life changed when he became grateful for what he DID have, rather than focus on what he didn't have, I think this book has broader implications for many people.

Oprah made the gratitude journal famous by having people write down 5 things they are grateful for every day. I think it's one thing to acknowledge the good in your life, and yet I think it gets better if you actually tell people why you are grateful for them. Especially if you take the time to hand write a note and mail it.

Being born a glass half-full person, I've rarely had trouble being thankful for what I have. But what would it be like if I took the time to let people know, in writing, how I feel about them and what they do to make the world a better place? What would happen if more people did that? For example, what would happen if the people in our communities (church, work, neighborhoods, and (gasp) politicians) wrote a thank you note once a week (less than Kralik's once a day self-challenge)?

Wouldn't you like to get real mail in your mailbox?

Hail

We were promised perhaps some snowflakes today. Instead we had about 5 minutes of smaller-than-pea-sized hail.

Claremont in Christchurch

The local news always likes to highlight a So Cal connection to any breaking news, and Claremont has an honest-to-goodness connection to the earthquakes in Christchurch, NZ. My friend and her family are on sabbatical right there this year. The first quake (seen in this graphic in as the large green star) was quite a jolt for them, but relatively little damage. This week's large, and much closer, aftershock has been a completely different story.

Although our friends are fine, their rental house is completely uninhabitable. Chunks of the walls fell, the windows all broke, the fireplace is in pieces. Fortunately for them, they have a relative about 40 minutes away with whom they can stay.

Their message for us in California - BE PREPARED!

Orchestra Party

Here is what it takes to make a party for 50 4th, 5th, and 6th grade string orchestra students. A sweet table and a salty table. A good time was had by all.

You Can Go Home Again, Kind Of

Today our youngest daughter moved back to Claremont for the foreseeable future and now lives 3 blocks from us. This town seems to have a draw for various reasons. Whatever those reasons, we are glad to have C back in town!

Bad Marie

Gotta love book club. Even when the book, Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky, is better suited for beach reading and not worth literary discussion, we manage to have a lively conversation about the merits of books anyway. And the food ain't bad, either.

A River Runs Through It

Every once in a while I try to revisit a book or movie that I encountered before. When Robert Redford's version of A River Runs Through It came to video, we rented it, and I had hoped that the movie would be a metaphor for how religion was like fly fishing. I didn't really see it, but the Montana scenery was beautiful.

So I read the novella/short story by Norman Maclean (all 100 pages of it), and rewatched the movie on a bigger, better screen. I'm sure that if I spent more time on understanding the story, I would get more out of it. I did enjoy the turns of phrases and the theme of the river as a life-blood, but the movie seemed to focus more on the brothers' relationship, but not as deeply as the short story did.

Reclaim Media

In January I blogged about some books and 45 records that I bought on eBay. Instead of trying to find a turntable to tape the records to cassettes and then turn them into mp3 files, I thought that there must be someone out there who would do it for a fee. A little bit of googling took me to Reclaim Media in Seattle. For $4.95, they will turn one 45 rmp record into a CD. Instead of sending all 6 records off, I thought I'd try 3. So this morning, I mailed off the records. If it works out, it will be money well spent.

Stay tuned.

Elementary, Dear Watson

Along with other Jeopardy! fans, we watched with interest the first three shows this week where the IBM computer, Watson, competed against Jeopardy's two best human contestants.

I found it entertaining to watch what Watson was "thinking" and which questions were harder to parse for it than others. I wonder, if timing and pressing the button fast enough were not an issue how the three would have fared. It seemed that if Watson was not as sure of its answer, it didn't ring in as quickly. Or was that just me?

Yet Another Sweet Potato Recipe

This recipe is pretty good. I used a real chipotle instead of powder and not only topped it with chopped cilantro, but also a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

Bike Friendly Claremont

These new bike racks have popped up in downtown Claremont recently. Kind of like sculpture, too.

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

This debut novel by Italian Paolo Giordano won the Primio Strega award in Italy and has been turned into a movie recently. For some reason, when I read the review, I thought it had more to do with math and prime numbers, especially since the author is a particle physicist.

Prime numbers are the metaphor for the two protagonists - misfit people who, due to childhood tragedies, never connect well with other people, and are, therefore, lonely. It's sad, but lovingly written in succinct prose.

The title itself is poetic.

Lunch and a Concert

Who needs a good excuse to have lunch with a friend and then take in a concert on a Friday afternoon? Of course I don't need an excuse, but if I did, it would be that 1) I need to eat lunch 2) the concert was free and 3) it's Friday, of course.

It used to be that college cafeteria food was something to be avoided, but that has all changed. My friend and I went to Malott Commons Dining Hall at Scripps College about 11:30, just before the lunch rush and enjoyed a tasty salad bar, chicken tostada and dessert (well, two desserts for me!).

Adjacent to the dining hall is Balch Auditorium, an intimate setting for a Friday noon-ish (12:15) concert. We were treated to music by Pomona College composer (and orchestra director) Eric Lindholm. I especially enjoyed the Aria and Pastorale for solo viola, performed by Lindholm's wife - Kira Blumberg.

Where Were You When You Heard?

I rarely blog about current events, but in order to add some international context to this space, I will say that I was working out at the CMC Ducey Gym yesterday when I saw on CNN that Hosni Mubarak had officially resigned. The volume is not up on the two tvs in that room, but the elliptical machines face them, and when I glanced up, it was hard to miss the headlines.

Winter Garden Haiku

Winter garden in backyard

Broccoli started

But something keeps eating it

The Writing on my Forehead

I usually like books about Indian ex-pats living in the US. Actually, I really like Jhumpa Lahiri books. In a few weeks our women's book club will be discussing Nafisa Haji's novel about Pakistani ex-pats, but I can't say I will have many positive things to say about this one.

My two major problems with this book are its writing style (pedantic) and not knowing what it is about. It's about so many different things, it ends up being about nothing.

It reminded me a bit of a NY Times article I read a few weeks ago about the problem with memoirs. I know this is not a memoir, but it reads like one in which the protagonist does not discover anything important, or even in particular.

Wow. Writing this down I realize how much I did not like this book.

Winter Strings Concert

I am always a happy camper when our CUSD string concerts are over, usually because they go very well. Last night was no exception. Our beginners made it through their first concert with three memorized pieces, including Frere Jacques in a round. The district orchestra played four pieces, including Pachelbel's Canon, and they sounded remarkably good. The El Roble Orchestra also played quite well, which shows the elementary kids what to look forward to in jr. high.

The bar is set pretty high now for our May concert!

Party Parade 2011

Today my Claremont Community Foundation Party Parade information came in the mail. For 15 years, this philanthropic organization has created a series of hosted events on "a variety of themes, food, and entertainment to appeal to every taste. Participants will meet new and interesting folks, share food, fun, and friendship - while benefiting the Foundation."

So, which events pique my interest....Urban Farms in Claremont, Los Angeles Walking Tour, Mirth and Magic at Doms, Wine Tasting and Artisan Cheese, or the famous Chair-ity Auction? I'll just have to check my calendar!

Korean to English Translation

Today a student returned his progress report to me. We require a parent's signature to verify that they received the report, and we give them a spot to write us a comment if they feel so led.

In response to my comment that xxxx "is making great progress on the violin and is a pleasure to have in class" the Korean parent wrote, "He is funny to this class."

I hope that means that this great student is enjoying the class, because he is too quiet to be funny to me!

Superbowl Commercials

My three favorite ads for this year's Superbowl were:

The New VW Beetle Ad

The Darth Vader VW Ad

The Pepsi Max First Date Ad

Leadership Retreat

Most people wouldn't want to spend the bulk of their Saturday at a leadership retreat at church, but I heard that our main speaker for the day - the Rev. Michael Piazza (not the former Dodger) - was not to be missed. An inspirational speaker, some might consider him quite an oxymoron - a gay minister of a liberal megachurch in Texas.

Mike has recently retired as head minister from the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, and now works for the Center for Progressive Renewal to help UCC churches grow their membership and vitality. His down-to-earth talk is indeed inspiring and gave us much food for thought.

Tennis Ball Lesson

This week we are listening to different meters in music class by bouncing tennis balls to 4/4 and 3/4 time. Thanks to the Claremont Rotary, we have enough for each student to have their own.

Last November, the Rotary had a fundraiser called The Running of the Balls where they sold around 500 tennis balls for $20 each. The green spheres were numbered, and they rolled down a soggy street until the first three to cross the finish line won the prize - $1,000 each. Upon my request, the Rotary gave Vista 40 of the balls, while the rest were donated to Casa Colina.

Not In Chicago Anymore

Sitting here in warm SoCal, I watch with interest the impending snowstorms in the midwest. News reports say that Chicago is going to get the worst storm it's had since January 1967. I remember that snowstorm well. I recall that we had 2-3 days off from school and that when the snowplows came through the alleyway, they piled the snow up so high that we really had mountains that we could climb up and also dig a little cave into.

The LA Times has some photos from that snowstorm here.