Halloween x 2

Thanks to the party planning of the Brennan and Reid kids, we were able to enjoy Beggars' Night in Des Moines and Trick-or-Treat night in Minneapolis. Before the evening's festivities, we enjoyed a gorgeous 70 degree day in Des Moines.  I have to say, Des Moines is definitely a cooler place than when I was a small friend. We went to a fabulous French cafe for lunch, the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden downtown, and to a very hip shop called RAYGUN. Sadly, Shawn was not with us on this trip, but I scored him some cool t-shirts. Watch for him sporting one that says, "America: Only the Insured Survive" and "Clear Lake: The Hamptons of Mason City." I know that he can't wait to wear that one in Forest City where its humor will be thoroughly appreciated.

We carved pumpkins with the Brennans using their ample array of Pumpkin Wizard tools. The boys had also had another cousin carving party with Freddy, so we have sharpened these skills...what else can we carve before Halloween 2011?

Enjoy the photos of Lachen and Joe as Legolaf and Aksel and Lexi as hobbits, Frodo and Sam, respectively. Thank you Grandma Hemberger for turning out these Lord of the Rings costumes so quickly! I went to a surprise party for Jonathon. Vampires were sucking blood all night long. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Shawn's birthday is on Halloween, and once again, his day was trumped by pagan celebration and costuming. We'll celebrate you soon, Shawn!

Morning: Front Porch: Coffee=Evening:Back Yard: Surly

Saturday began bright and sunny. I eeked out an hour on the front porch in my poufy rocking chair with a cup of coffee and the newspaper online cradled in my lap. Glory!

Lachen and Aksel had an hour of hockey, and since their dad led the clinic, I felt perfectly fine leaving the ice rink, and walking across the street to school to organize my crazy mountain of mayhem, a.k.a. my desk in my classroom. I haven't had a desk at other schools, and it has a been a pain. However, my filing system of P.I.L.E.S. which I inherited from my father is now on full display for all students and administrators to see. Alas. Chink in my armor #27.

Literally traipsing across the street back to Parade Ice Arena, I had to peel off my trusty Adidas jacket. "Too hot!" (A rare utterance from the glacial ALR.) Lachen and Aksel's soccer team had a game soon after the hockey clinic, so we dashed home, changed gear, and we walked over to the soccer field while they ate sandwiches. Of course, both boys scored, and self-esteem soared. Lachen was asked to play in another game in the afternoon with older kids, and that too was a scoring event for him.

By now, it was 3:30, and still a glorious sunny day. Lachen could barely walk from fatigue, and Aksel's food crabbies were looming large. Even after a 2 hour respite at home, I conceded my hope that a art gallery opening for the evening's event was dead.

To ease my dissed self, I set myself up in the backyard Adirondack with a Surly beer, a new knitting project (because I know this warm weather isn't eternal), and the Prairie Home Companion. Musical guests: Storyhill.

 Don't think for a moment everyday is that blissful, but Saturday was. And now, Sunday is here, so I rose at 5:00 to grade papers. So many, many papers...It's grand to have two-day weekends after three years of 1/2 day weekends at St. Mark's.

Wishing you a moment in your favorite chair, with your favorite beverage, doing whatever brings you joy.

Quilt in an Art Show

One of my favorite quilt creations is being featured in a gallery at the Blake School. Click through the photo gallery to see the quilt.

Proper display really does showcase something that I would generally just curl up with on my couch. Now, the question is, will I feel guilty tucking it in around my toes after it has had its moment of glory in an art gallery?

Nope. Not a bit. Quilts are meant to be admired at lap level too.

Festivals!

Lachen, Aksel, and I went to this festival on the shores of Lake Nokomis yesterday. We biked over, joined in some dancing lessons taught by two Native American dancers. The boys planted milkweed seeds, and we learned about the monarch's migration from Minnesota to Mexico through a game sort of like musical chairs. It was a short bike ride from our house, and a beautiful way to start a busy day of soccer, hockey, and a perfect late summer meal near Cedar Lake at one of Shawn's coach's house. It was a picture perfect fall day. Lest you think that's the only festival we attended this weekend, we also went to the inaugural Kramczuk's Kielbasa Festival in Northeast Minneapolis. The sheer quantity of festivals in this city is downright dizzying. Of course, I loved that festival because the entrance fee brought with it a commemorative stein. Lithuanian culture abounded including a organ grinder and some women dressed up as enormous felt Baltic Easter eggs.

Lachen's New Blog

Lachen has started a blog, so if you'd like to know what's going on in his world, check out www.lachenslife.blogspot.com

A Public Service Announcement

Public service announcement #437: Practice what you'll say when you hear a racist, homophobic, sexist, or insensitive comment. You'll need to pull out that little spiel when you least expect it.

I watched this video at a faculty workshop today. It's about 3 minutes long, concise, and pragmatic. It'll make you chuckle. It's called "How to Tell People They Sound Racist."

Also, here's another video that is worth a look. I'm increasingly concerned about anti-immigrant sentiments towards Latino/as and Muslim people. It's entitled "The Green War on Immigrants."

I also just read Zeitoun which I would love to loan to anyone looking for a good read. It's by David Eggers about one man's journey during and after Hurricane Katrina. It starts as the fulfillment of the American Dream, then suddenly shifts. Read it! Shawn and I both read it in just a few days. Let me know, and I'll lend you my copy.

I can't stop thinking about Japanese internment camps lately. Is that where we're headed? Decimation of Native Americans was grounded in (twisted) Christian theology. Slavery was also frequently justified using Bible passages. So, are all Christians terrorists too?

The dumbing down of American consciousness is stupifying, but don't let your incredulous reactions immobilize you. Why isn't there more uproar about Islamophobia and anti-immigration racism? Why isn't there more of an uproar? Maddening.

Blake!

I'm officially starting my new job at the Blake School tomorrow. However, I've been plugging away on several projects already. One of these projects is being the new adviser of the school newspaper. I went to a fabulous conference put on by the National Scholastic Press Association, and I learned how to post the paper. I'm going to link it here. I had nothing to do with this issue, but it will give you a sense of what I'll be working with this school year.Spectrum June 2010

I also just received a message from a woman who lived next door to me my first year at Gustavus. She also teaches at Blake, so it will be delightful to reconnect with her. I am seriously pinching myself because this gig seems too good to be true. I have a comically huge classroom, the curriculum is stellar, and the faculty are so positive, brilliant, and have such interesting life stories. I know it's going to be a mountain of work, but that's why someone is paying me. Cheers to tomorrow!

Hotdish from the Midwest with Love

 I love Adam Turman. His whimsical, edgy prints decorated my kitchen in Massachusetts. He connected me to my roots when I began to feel squelched by New England life. I have this one hanging in my kitchen. I'm on a quest to find one for my grandmother's kitchen in Anguilla.

After reading about the combination of white beans and collard greens on my sister's blog, I found this article and recipe. Click on this article, "How to Trash a Great Recipe" and feel the hotdish love!

August! Dog days? No way!

August. While August conjures images of green algae stagnating on too-warm lake water for some, August is a glorious month that I am sure to be warm, moist, and steamed like a perfect artichoke. Green, like the word "august" can be a fresh, grassy meadow or a canned, cold pea. So, like its greenish hue, August's connotations are many.

August means summer is starting to wind down. Summer projects have to be revved up if they are to be finished before school starts. Only a few more weekends to squeeze a weekend trip onto the mixed tape of Summer Road Trips of 2010.

The best flowers bloom in August: black-eyed susans, purple coneflowers, and sedum. These are hardy flowers, not afraid of hot, searing sun. The pansies have long since shriveled, dried up, and gone home. August means "marked by majestic dignity or grandeur " according to Webster's Dictionary. Well, of course! Only the robust, chest-thrust forward, dignified few can stand proudly with pitted-out arm pits and delirious heat headaches.Violets? Not-so-much. Shrinking.

And, the most robust expression of summer: tomatoes! Ah, at long last, the tomatoes! I'm catapulted back to a Sicilian patio after dusk with a hunk of crusty bread in my hand, dripping with olive oil and tomato innards that have been crushed into the spongy, holey bread.

Remember the sweat that's sitting on your upper lip as you wake up in the morning, as you wash dishes, as you exert yourself in the smallest of ways during the day. The sweaty back of your dress shirt, the healthy shine on the apples of children's cheeks. Remember this salty, sweaty month this winter. Once winter comes, I'll be shivering in five layers, with white fingers, flush faced from my niacin pills, and dreaming of this august day.
http://web.mac.com/peterhemberger/iWeb/august/photos_files/slideshow.html?slideIndex=73

Baltimore & D.C.

So, first let me acknowledge that I need to change the title of this blog. However, the address will stay the same. It's convenient that the change of state does not prevent me from the alliterative revelry of the M's. Love that literary device. Wow, am I a dorky English teacher...


One week before we moved, we squeezed a trip into the chaos that is life. My cousin Lexi is spending the summer in Baltimore to lengthen one of her legs so that both of her limbs are the same length. It's a dreadful, painful, and lengthy process involving the breaking of her femur and slow pulling apart of the bone so that the bone tissues literally grows in to fill the void. Lexi is a very beloved cousin verging on celebrity status in the eyes of Lachen and Aksel. So, it was without question that we would go to visit her and her mom, Liz.  And, since it's a mere 40 minute train ride to D.C., we'd go there too.

BALTIMORE

We took the overnight train from Boston, arriving in Baltimore shortly after 6:00 a.m. We stayed close to the Inner Harbor, visited the National Aquarium and the USS Torsk submarine. Shawn tried out one of the beds. Tiny!

Lexi was in a wheelchair, so we were able to experience the multi-leveled museum using many elevators, ramps, and even a secret passageway. Lachen had been researching sharks, so he was beyond delighted to see so many species of sharks. I'm always a fan of the jellyfish, and Aksel loves the dolphin show. He does love a performance!

We sampled several crab dishes, and my favorite was the Maryland crab soup. Once again, we had the argument with Aksel about why he can't have lobster even if it is on the menu. Shawn found an awesome Italian spot that played 1950s movies and TV shows on a ginormous screen behind the bar complimented by smarmy lounge music. FYI: Maryland fish and chips are cornmeal crusted, not battered like the New England variety that we know and love. Both perfect unions of fish and grease.


WASHINGTON D.C.

"One single day in the nation's capital?!?" you ask? It's clearly too short, but it's what we had. And, this was a reconnaissance tour to plan a longer trip with Grandma and Grandpa Hemberger in another year or two. So, we scoped out the places we wanted to spend more time next time. However, in one day, we did manage to see the Capitol, the entire Mall, the American Indian Museum, Air & Space, Natural History, the sculpture garden, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the White House. The photo is from the flight simulator. Aksel, the man of no fear, wanted "More! More! More!"

We also saw two political demonstrations. Since it was Father's Day, there was a father's rights rally. Also, we watched literally hundreds of skateboards careen down the hill of a city street and make a 90 degree turn towards the Capitol. When one boarder was nearly hit by a car, he hopped off his board. Shawn seized the moment without motion to ask what the event was. The boarder said, "Skateboarding for freedom, man." It was classic! And these guys (really not a girl in sight) really did take over the entire street, stopping traffic, and making a point. I saw a sign banning skateboarding on the sidewalk later that day. Of course I did a subversive "Rock on!" fist pump at that silly sign.

Lachen and Aksel LOVED the day, and somehow their little legs managed the miles of walking. Next time, we want to go INTO the Capitol and White House, and spend a whole day at each museum, plus the Folger Shakespeare Library, the art gallery, and Washington Capitals ice arena. And, we learned that the best place to eat on the mall is in the American Indian museum. Lachen's busily planning the trip!

First Date Night

After spending a few days moving into our new house, Shawn and I went out on the town tonight. There's nothing like leaving the boys for an evening knowing that they'll have a fun time and it won't cost us $50 in babysitter fees. Wa-hoo! We went see Man som hatar kvinnor (incorrectly translated The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) at 50th & France and then we headed downtown to The Local for a drink on the patio. It was 81 degrees at 11:15 tonight. Gloriously steamy and breezy. Tons of people out on the town, free parking, cheap drinks. Dreamy!

I'm typing this on my mom's iPad. As I said at dinner tonight, I think Shawn has fallen in love with this contraption...someday, Shawn :)

"We'll get by with a little help from our friends"

This blog post is dedicated to our friends Will and Paul who helped us tremendously over the last two days. We'll miss their friendship (and strong backs) dearly. 

We spent two days loading and packing our Penske truck. Will, our friend and my colleague in the English Department, magically appeared on Thursday morning. He helped us get into gear and he helped Shawn carry our heaviest things--including the piano. The piano was slightly wider than the ramp into the truck, and because our driveway is on a hill, the ramp was also at a slant. The piano teetered at one point, I saw Will's eyes get larger than I thought possible, and we all made a major heave to get the piano in. Little did I know that had the teeter been successful, I would have been crushed by it. So, thanks for saving me, Will! Our neighbor Brian also stopped by and took a few loads for us. Every little bit helps.

On Friday, Shawn and I awoke expecting to finish the job ourselves. Lachen is getting stronger and he has Shawn's work ethic. Aksel is still easily distracted by a pile of cushions on the floor or re-discovering an old toy. So, the Reid Family Moving Company is not quite ready for hire. But, for this day, we were it. Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, we bucked up and starting hauling. An hour into the morning, another moving angel appeared in the form of Paul Secrist, a.k.a. our Iowan friend, who has been so much a part of our sports life, family life, and our general juggling of life, I feel like the boys should call him Uncle Paul. Paul boosted our spirits, not to mention boosting dozens of boxes, dressers, and some really dusty, neglected old speakers. For the last two years, an extended family of dust bunnies have been procreating behind our TV armoire. Truly gross.

The big yellow rig took up the entire driveway, and somehow we fit everything we own into it. Everything, that is, except the yellow chair. I discovered this 1960s chair in the basement of the dorm, recovered it in a sunny yellow fabric, and in the end, there just wasn't room for it. It was either that or my loom, and I chose to keep my loom. So, I put it back in the basement so that some other crafty, quirky woman can discover it and give it a place of honor in her home.

We are packed into every inch of the truck and our car. We'll take three days to drive to Minnesota where I here there are flash floods. Luckily, my parents have checked on our house, and we are pleasantly perched atop of a hill--no trash bins floating down our alley. Ah, I like the sound of that: our alley. I'm so excited about city living, urban closeness, walkability. Living in the leafy suburb of Southborough has been an adventure, and we made lifelong friends and a myriad of memories. And now, the adventure continues! Westward ho! to the urban cabin... (I'll post better pictures when we arrive.)

Happy Father's Day!

Aksel made this tie for his daddy for Father's Day. Inside of the artfully patterned tie is a stack of coupons for things like "A coupon to play hockey with me" and "A coupon to read stories together." Aksel gave it to his daddy at his end-of-year portfolio party at school. Aksel sang a song with his class called "Big, Big Dreams." Aksel has lots of big dreams! Happy Father's Day to the best dad in the whole world!

Lachen's Author Day

Lachen's Author Day was a major event with songs, portfolio sharing, many flowers and gifts, and most importantly, a reading by each student in the class. Some students read stories, others biographies, and some read personal reflective essay on what they do in different seasons of the year. At the end, Lachen read two poems. He says with a shrug, "Writing poems is easy. I just do it." So, not only does Lachen write spy novels and funny stories with wacky characters, now he has discovered poetry. Here is my personal favorite:

"The Strange Pastries"

by Lachen

The croissants are poisonous.

The cannolis are attacking.

The bread has command over Asia.

Cookies have made a wall around

China, so they can't get out.

You are not safe.

Lachen read two other poems for his classmates and their parents. His poem about the number pi is a shape poem so you have to see it to appreciate it. The other, "Green Anaconda," was a crowd favorite.

"Green Anaconda"

by Lachen

I looked up.

A green rope was falling.

One second later

550 pounds of anaconda 

Crushed

And ate me.

I'm having a great time 

Being digested. 

Water Park at St. Mark's

As part of the end of the school year celebration, the JV lacrosse field turned into a waterpark one Saturday afternoon. Lachen and Aksel had loads of fun with their big St. Mark's friends. Splashing, running, and sneak-attacking with super squirters. Good times!cheese is good

Easter 2010

Easter was on a warm, sunny day in Southborough. While we missed being with our cousins, it was fun to know that Jonah and Freddy were coloring Easter eggs at the exact same time that we were dipping our eggs. Lachen and Aksel are standing in front of a huge hedge of forsythia that bloomed two days before Easter. It is such a splash of yellow flowers that it looks like fall foliage!







Aksel said, "I miss the egg hunts when Uncle Peter plays the bunny." :( NEXT YEAR!

Feature on Lachen

My iPhoto has not been working for months, but with the help of an Apple Store genius (or 3), I'm back in business. So, here is a photo montage of the recent events in our family. Easter, a Bruins game, Lachen climbing the rock face near our house, and Lachen's heritage project.

I'm at The Angry Catfish Coffee & Bike Shop reveling in their WiFi. I just overheard that Adam Turman has a show opening this weekend in Uptown. I love Minneapolis. Here's one of his posters below. I have a Hotdish Mama poster in my kitchen. It's tater-tot hotdish in art form.

I also need to use my blog to host an image from a student for my wiki.

Reflections on my Career Path

Last night, a 2003 St. Mark's alumnus challenged the student body to let their career paths meander and wander. He encouraged them not to be too quick to climb the corporate ladder or take the "right" internship. As he listed his unusual list of employment over the last several years, I mused about what a winding stream my working life has become--sometimes a raging river, sometimes a trickle, but always flowing. I'm nowhere near ready to say I've hit my Gulf of Mexico, but I do think it's been an interesting ride. Here are some things people have paid me to do:
Landscape and grounds crew
Cheerleading coach
Golf instructor
Farmer's Market Vendor selling focaccia and breadsticks
Painter, Holden Village, Washington
Pastry chef at St. Mary's Resort, Glacier Park, Montana
Barista, New French Bakery, Minneapolis
Costume shop seamstress
Quilt designer
Quilt shop sales clerk
Editorial assistant
Website manager
Knitting instructor
Writing tutor
Research assistant for Scandinavian Studies professor
Teaching assistant in English and Classics departments
AFS Intercultural Programs Lead Phone Family Recruiter
ESL teacher
Community organizer for early childhood initiatives
Freelance editor and writer
English teacher
Dormhead

A lot of words, food, fabric, and children. A little dirt and paint. Actually, it does describe me.

I've never had a job that I didn't learn something valuable. It's definitely not a logical path, but it does actually make some good sense. I wonder what my list will be like in another decade or two. Hopefully some international locales, some more of the same elements, and some turns that I cannot fathom yet. I'm certainly not an expert in anything. But, yesterday, I helped mend costumes for the theater department, and I had nearly forgotten that I worked in the Gustavus costume shop. I wonder what wacky jobs I've left off my list. Hmmm...

February Vacation=Grandparents Galore!

Since Lachen and Aksel had the week off--and Shawn and I did not--the grandparents came to the rescue. G & G Hemberger came in just in time for Valentine's Day to take the boys to hockey, attend their art show opening, play with them when we had to work, and generally give them the grandparent attention that was on "E" since their Christmas fueling.

We also found Freddy Farkel's Fabric in Watertown. I found an abandoned chair with excellent bones. I'll post photos of the finished product. Luckily, my mom re-upholstered other furniture gems with her mom, Jeanne. The skills are trickling down the generations, and now Aksel is my apprentice.

G & G Reid arrived on Friday. They were able to see Shawn coach a game, and tonight they are staying in "The Castle" with Lachen and Aksel. "The Castle" is a Sheraton Hotel that really does look like a castle, complete with turrets, that is just down the road in Framingham. Tomorrow there will be much hockey to take in, followed by a concert, and more G&G time. I have an all-day Photoshop class, so they'll be busy following the life and times of two young boys.

In the middle of the visits, I successfully hosted Taylor Mali, spoken word artist, for two days. After much promotion, cajoling, daring, and prodding, over 200 people came to see him at the poetry reading. It was a joy to behold: students bought all of the books he brought, they clamored for his autograph, and they were buzzing about "how cool" he is, and "can we have him back next year?" It was a grand success. Event planning is exhausting, but when it's successful, it makes it all worth it. Wheh.

Archaeologist Lecture

After skating on the pond with the high school hockey players, our family went to a lecture by Dr. Koloski-Ostrow from Brandeis University. She has not only dug in Pompeii, North Africa, and all over the world, but she is the world's leading expert on ancient Roman plumbing and toilets. Quite a specialty! So, I knew that my boy would like this talk: archaeology and scatology!

Both boys listened with wide eyes as she gave background information about Pompeii, its people, customs, bathing, and yes, its toilets. While Shawn had to get out of his chair to wake up some dozing high schoolers, Lachen and Aksel were totally into it. (If anything, Lachen was giving a running commentary about which Greek gods correlated to the Roman ones the professor was discussing.) When the professor opened for questions from audience of over 100, guess who raised their hands first. Lachen took the microphone and asked the first question, closely followed by questioner number two, Aksel. I was bursting with pride. My two little classicists!!!

In honor of their impressive showing tonight, Lachen has given me permission to post a quiz on Greek mythology he wrote for us tonight. He wanted me to write the quiz for him to answer, but I reminded him that he knows more about the subject than I do. After tonight, we're clearly going to have to do some reading on Pompeii. The Head of School caught us after the talk and asked when the Reids were going to take a trip to Pompeii. Had I been thinking quicker, I might have asked when he would like to fund one! Okay, here's the quiz. Answers will be posted below.
Lachen is anxious to hear how you do.

1. How many tasks did Hercules have?
a. 11 b. 12 c. 5

2. How was Athena born?

3. What did the Hydra do after you cut off one of its heads?
a. die b. grow two more c. nothing

4. How did Hercules kill the Hydra?

5. Who is the god of healing?
a. Hermes b. Zeus c. Apollo

6. Who are the big three? What are their names?

7. Who invented the chariot?

8. If there is a party, which god comes?
a. Zeus b. Dionysus c. Apollo

9. What did Poseidon make a horse out of?
a. sea foam b. coral c. water

ANSWERS
1. b (12)
2. She was born from Zues's head in full battle armor
3. b (grown two more heads)
4. He cut off all the heads and put fire on them before they could re-grow.
5. c (Apollo)
6. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades
7. Poseidon
8. b (Dionysus--who is Bacchus in Roman mythology)
9. a (sea foam)

Let us know how you do in the comments section! Lachen wrote this quiz from 7:45 until 8:00 tonight. All I did was put a mask on my face and pluck my eyebrows. Clearly, I'm going to have to be a more serious academic if I'm going to keep up in this house!