Long car trips

We have always taken long car trips. My husband and I drove to Florida and back for our honeymoon, we regularly drove to Colorado when we were first married, and now, with the boys, we drive from Syracuse to Indiana a few times a year. The trip takes about 11 hours. Our kids are great travelers, always have been. I don't know if it is a natural temperment, or good parenting, or what (I like the parenting explanation!) The kids listen to songs, read, we play games, and we talk. Some if it is just mindless banter, but even in that there are some important tidbits that slip in. Last month I made the trip alone, and really enjoyed that, too. You get set up with some drinks, some snacks, books on tape, good music on the ipod...it is like being in your own private little world.

Teacher Conferences

Just came back from my last ever "official" parent-teacher conference for my 8th grader. From now on we meet only with teachers on an "as needed" basis. This was my son's best conference ever. These teachers seem to understand him better and are willing to work around his quirkiness. For instance, if he finishes work early, he pulls out a book to read. Some teachers find this terrribly annoying. Personally, I view it as a good coping strategy...so do these teachers. That's good. He is a child who never studies, likes to work independently, and wants to be challenged. He is mostly bored at school. These teachers kept saying, "he's a great kid," "contributes a lot in class," "has interesting ideas," etc. I kept looking for the negative--"is he disrespectful?" "does he pay attention?" "is he disruptive?" It was a great way to start the Thanksgiving week!

Soccer, musicals, and physics

It has been a busy week for us. On Saturday my son's soccer team played in the state semifinals..and lost. It was heartbreaking. It has been a hard year in some ways for my son, a senior, and I have so much respect for the way he has handled the year. He thought he would be a starter, but ended up not even getting into some games. He didn't complain or grouse. We talked about playing as well as he could when he did play, and he did. On Saturday, the last game of his high school career, he had the best game of his life. A good way to end.

On Friday my other son will be performing in Willy Wonka, the middle school musical this year. He enjoys being on stage, acting, and dancing. I am glad to see him involved in the program and hope that he continues to find joy in acting. He is also going to join the math league, so he is diverse.

Right now they are both watching Mythbusters, one of the favorite programs in this household. At the same time, my older son is doing his physics homework and explaining to his little brother all about vectors and the force of gravity. I love to just sit back and listen to them.

Book Reviews

I have read some books recently that I would recommend to others. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. An outstanding novel translated from Norwegian. I think I have already written about it here, but I feel like I can't talk about it enough. The story revolves around an older man who moves to rural Norway after his wife dies. The themes of loss, solitutude, and dealing with the past are prominent. The writing is sparse, but the descriptions of place and events is very powerful. It is a book that just really hit home for me.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson. A novel set in the early 1900s in western Canada. The young woman in the story is fleeing her brothers in law after the murder of her husband. She teeters on the brink of sanity as she escapes across the wilderness. Adamson is a poet and her language and descriptions have a lyrical quality. The story is compelling and, ultimately, leaves you with hope.

There are more, but I'll save those for another day.

The bane of my existence

A few years ago I agreed to take on the role of secretary/treasurer for a professional organization. A good friend and mentor of mine had done this for many years and was anxious to unload the job. She assured me that it would be fairly straightforward. It is not. It is a constant source of irritation and annoyance for me. The organization publishes a journal, but we are 2 years behind. We manage our own subscriptions, so I get all the checks, claims, complaints, etc. I cannot keep track of it all. The mail is still often sent to her, which she forwards to me in bulk packages, months later. I can never keep up. I hate the job. I regret the day I ever agreed to do it. I want to quit. I need to find someone as naive as I was. But first, in all good conscience, I need to get the current situation under control. Hopefully we will find a new publisher who will take over all of the subscription management. I can only hope.

The last acceptable stigma

Tonight I made my son a "fat suit" for the school musical. He is playing Augustus Gloop in the musical, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He is slim, Augustus is a character who eats constantly and is overweight. So, some extra padding was needed. The irony of the situation is that I do research on obesity, primarily on the health effects, but also on the social stigma attached to those who are overweight. There is some really interesting research on the negative connotations associated with those who are overweight--they earn less, are less likely to be hired, are less likely to be invited to social events, the list goes on...I felt a little guilty creating a costume for my son that perpetuated the stereotype of those who are overweight as lazy, lacking self control, and unmotivated.

Happy Day at Home

We had a happy day today in the Himes household. Son #1 is a member of the varsity soccer team and they won their regional game, putting them into the state semifinals. Who-hoo! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the game because I was with son #2 who was playing in the All-State band. He and I had a great discussion about Bach fugues on the way home. What a nice problem for a mom to have--trying to be with two great kids in two wonderful places at the same time!

New Day in the USA?

There is a lot of excitement in the air. The victory of Barack Obama has brought together many people who are hoping for a new America.

I sat with tears on my cheeks watching and listening to his victory speech. I liked how he was able to bring in elements of Lincoln, King, and others to emphasize the importance of the win. He has great speech writers. When I read political speeches from the past I am often impressed with the language used, the strength of feeling, and the depth of the content. I think Obama has that gift as well.

I hope that the new direction of the country is actually more centrist than left. I think younger voters are more pragmatic than ideological...let's get done what needs to be done. I think it is time to turn away from political partisanship and to work towards solutions to problems, solutions that are not unique to any one political party.

Think I can get a job in DC?

Election Day and Grandma

Election Day. It always reminds me of my grandmother. Growing up , GM, as she was known to us, was the Democratic precint committee chair. Because she needed to have a vice chair, my dad served that role, but I don't remember him ever doing any active political work. GM, however, had us stuffing envelopes and delivering literature from a young age. We would stand outside polling places with signs, help keep track of who voted, and attend political rallies. The Democrats always had a chicken barbeque that she would take me and my older sisters to attend. I even remember going to a fancy fundraiser for someone...can't remember who now! As I got older, my interest continued and as a teen I worked tirelessly for the campaign of Floyd Fithian, who ran for Congress. If I remember right his opponent was a guy named Landgrebe....but I could be wrong. Floyd had gotten a high school boy interested in his campaign, and Dave recruited most of his friends to work along with him. Dave had been diagnosed with leukemia earlier and decided to drop out of high school and work in politics full-time. He died a few years later, and I hope he thought that he had made the right decision.

I certainly hope that my husband and I are able to instill some of that respect for the democratic process in our sons.

The art of teaching exercise classes

I've been taking a pilates/yoga class for the last 4 or 5 months. It has been a great addition to my life. I enjoy getting some physical exercise, I like the relaxation of the yoga, and it is fun to be part of a class. After all, what is it I have done best in my life? Be a student.

I'm really impressed with our instructor, Annie. She is a former dancer of indeterminate age--30+/- 10 years. She is always pleasant and friendly to the class. But what impresses me the most is her ability to communicate to the class rather complex physical moves. She never mixes up her right and left, she counts repetitions and reminds us to breathe, and is able to describe exactly what to do with our bodies in ways that I find incredible. As we are moving she calls out little hints like, "keep your shoulders down" "lengthen your neck" "tighten your arms." They always seem to be exactly on target for what I need to do. When she says "press your shoulders down" I realize that mine were NOT pressed down. I wonder how she is able to describe the physical sensations and moves so well.

Some days she changes her "lesson plan" based on what she feels the class may need. For example, a few weeks ago we were doing some balancing poses in yoga and everyone was falling over. She commented about the "anger" in the room and we switched to some mat work and relaxation. Another gray snowy day we did some extra time in relaxation since everyone seemed so tired and worn. I like that she is able to so accurately read the mood of the class or of individual students.