Current obsession

I cannot get enough of this song. It's been on repeat for the last three days. I don't know why I love it so much but it's #1 in my book right now.

Hahahahahahahaha

Oh Children....

... how you amuse me.

Gala Extravaganza!

Last night was the C of I Scholarship Gala/Advance the Legacy Campaign Kick-off. Which, of course, meant getting gussied up and drinking and dancing the night away. I didn't have too much time in between school getting out and heading into Boise so I did my hair and makeup that morning after my run at 6:30 and managed to keep myself looking decent. I had some errands to run on my way into Boise to pick up some accessories and made it to the Center on the Grove at 5:15 to change into concert black and wait for the rest of the trio.

Katie, Tim and I spent about an hour playing all the usuals. For the most part we sounded good but folks, let me tell you, it is a lot harder to sightread music when you play the same thing over and over again. There were more than a few times that Katie and I got pretty lost and Tim had to whisper to us what measure we were on. But people listened (for the most part) and our payment was getting into the gala for free so Katie and I went to go change into our dresses. Out front there was a silent auction and inside the beautiful room were all the gorgeously decorated tables and dinner. I ran into one of my students from last semester and we chatted about the gala. I think his quote sums it up the best: I've never been under one roof with some much money before. Too true, Alex, too true. It would have been lovely to have enough money that you could donate and big in an auction. The food for dinner was quite good and I chatted with Ben and Brian at my table.

Then there were a bunch of kinda boring speeches. The one thing I liked was the new campaign video they had created and it made me so proud to be a College of Idaho alumna (and now faculty!). The funny part was that one of my students from last semester was in the video... going and working in the library.... which I'm pretty sure he didn't often do... good times. Then began the auction- question: how does an auctioneer learn how to speak like they do? And how good of a rapper must he be? Just thoughts, folks, just thoughts. During the auction, we chatted, drank, wandered and ran into alumni we hadn't seen for years or professors who were out on the town for the night. A crazy swing band began to play, dressed in the greatest outfits ever. Major fail on my part for now getting a picture. Lots of dancing and shenanigans.

Eventually I had to bow out because of exhaustion and the call of my bed being too strong. It was 19F as I was driving home and falling into the guest room bed at Brooke's with its electric blanket was heavenly! Still, overall the gala was a blast. Another epic fail on my part for not getting a picture of the entire outfit (I tried in the mirror when I got home but it didn't work out too well) so just imagine ;) Can't wait for next year!

the beautiful room

Kate, Katie and Emma

delicious dessert

me and Emma

Allan rockin' the tux!

me and Howard

Jasper, Yosh, Katie, Chris and me

me and Katie

Shermintor

me and Abby

Me and Yosh (and Abby's wine)

The perfect gentlemen

Christine and Kelsey- lovely library ladies

People/Things I Miss

I've been thinking a lot about the people from my childhood and who shaped me to be the person that I am.

Rosenshontz- I didn't find out until about a year ago that Gary Rosen passed away from ALS in April 2007. I was heartbroken! Even though they weren't making new music, I absolutely loved them. Rosenshontz, Tom Knight, Sarah Pirtle, Raffi and Fred Penner shaped my childhood musical inclinations. I still listen to them but listening to Rosenshontz now is always a little sadder.

And the fact that there are NO videos of Rosenshontz online is a travestry!

Madeleine L'Engle- This incredible lady also passed away in 2007 and left behind an incredible legacy. I have no read a single story or book by her that I have not loved and adored. I always look for her books at used bookstores and I'm on my way towards getting an entire collection. Most famously known for her Wrinkle in Time series, I'm actually more of a fan of her Austin series. I am Vicky Austin. I think the same things that Vicky thinks. I sometimes feel lost even in a big family. To take a line out of Anne Shirley's mouth, Vicky and I are kindred spirits. I can't get enough of her and wish I was able to known how Madeleine saw Vicky as an adult. Sadly now, that won't happen. Madeleine also was a master at weaving storylines and characters over several books. Zachary Grey, for example, first woos Vicky in The Moon By Night, returns in the midst of tragedy and suicide during A Ring of Endless Light but ends his chances with Vicky when he abandons her. He then appears in House Like a Lotus several years later, now a UCLA law student taking some time off and meet Polly O'Keeffe, daughter of Calvin O'Keeffe and Meg Murray, in Greece. Polly and Zachary help each other, although in a slightly dysfunctional way, heal from their past experiences. Finally, Zachary makes his last appearance in An Acceptable Time, also considered the final book in the Time Cycle (the books dealing with the Murray/O'Keeffe family). In this one, Zachary travels back in time and helps the People on the other side of the Lake kidnap Polly so that his heart can be healed. Ultimately, Zachary, who has started off as a cynical teenagers, redeems himself and begins to turn his life around

.

Madeleine is also well known for her religious writings. I own two of her Christmas books- one the retelling of the story of Christ using Giotto's murals as the illustrations, as well as one that includes her own poetry, stories, articles, columns, etc., about spirituality, Christmas, Jesus and our role in the world. She is so wise, so inspiring, so beautiful, so missed by me!

Bli-Sodot- So when I was in Israel, I watched Bli Sodot a whole lot (and ParPar Nechmad and Booli Eish Ha SHeleg) but we brought the Bli Sodot books home with us and for a while, I would learn more Hebrew with my parents. I just found this clip on youtube, but it definitely takes me back to those days sitting at the table with Abba and sounding out words.

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?- Um, ok, FAVORITE show growing up. I wanted to be on this show soooooo badly. I loved the Chief, I loved Greg Lee, I loved Rockapella, I loved geography, I loved the guest stars, I loved the clues. There was nothing about this show I didn't love other than the fact that I wasn't on it.

I didn't love Where in Time as much but I did love the theme song. Funny, since I love history.... enjoy the theme anyway.

There was also this animated series. I liked it too. I thought Zach and Ivy were cute names. And I loved Ivy's cargo pants.

C.S. Lewis- I don't think this need any explanation. I grew up on Narnia and then moved over to his religious material- Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, The Great Divorce, Surprised by Joy, etc. I wish that I could sit down and talk to him. I know I will one day. For now, I can pretend we're talking while listening to him talk about the Four Loves in the audio book I have. Oh Jack, I wish you were around and kept writing. You were so good.

Anectodes

So today, I'm about to start discussing with 8th period about why American joined World War One when Payton, the kid who sits in the front row, raises his hand. "Yes, Payton?" I ask. "Miss Yadlin, did you fall from heaven because you're-" he begins with a cheeky grin. "Payton, stop right there." I quickly say. Oy, do I have my hands full with this kid. I had a little chat with him and Quentin after school about appropriate time and place. Oh and maybe not fake hitting on the teacher.

Maddie: Miss Yadlin, do you like music?

Me: Yes of course.

Maddie: What's your favorite music?

Me: Oh, I don't know, I have a lot of favorites.

Lizveth: What's your favorite song?

Me: Um, I'm not sure. I like a lot of different songs.

Brandon: Mine's Pokerface.

Me: Brandon? Your favorite song is Pokerface?

Brandon: (no response but gives me a big cheesy grin and nods)

This of course, reminds me of a day I had with the Somalian kidlets last March. Here is it as recapped in an email to my sisters:

First of all, they volunteraily wanted to do spelling tests but they were such cheaters! WHen we were checking over the answers, they would be like "look, Miss, I spelled it right!" The only way to get them to stop cheating and be honest was to withhold high fives. So one or two would go to Rob, one of the other teachers and the first time he, being unaware, gave them a high five and then looked at me and I nodded disapprovingly (at them, not him) and so he was also far more cautious with the high fives. Then we were playing this math game and I told them they needed to calm down and one of them started stroking my long hair (it's down and straight right now) and was like "You should let me so first because I'm calming your hair and giving you a massage). We played a few rounds of aniamls and a few rounds of hot potato and then they decided to tell stories. One told a story about Prince Abdi-Fatah (his name) and how he had a sword for fighting dragons and this guy named Feisal (another kid) stole the sword and so he chased after him and fought a two-headed lion and then chopping up Feisal in a cave and fed him to people (clearly no concern about cannibalism....) Then Feisal told a story that sounded hauntingly familiar.... turns out it was the exact same plot of James and the Giant Peach with a few changes. Intead of James, the kid was named.... of course... Feisal.... and instead of seagulls, they used eagles. However, the eagles were clearly not as strong as teh seagulls since they only made it to London, not New York. I was dying with laughter- tears were coming out. He was hillarious.

My life would be so boring if I didn't work with kids. Oh, and I'd really like a hair massage right about now...

Hot springs Part 2 or How I Spent My Morning Completely Alone

My alarm went off at 7 am this morning and within 20 minutes I was back on the road with a cup of coffee aiming for Snively Gulch Hot springs, a mission to find my watch. My heart was hopeful as I drove along now familiar and also much more well-lit roads. The sun was rising in my rear-view mirror and the snow-covered Owyhee Mountains were in front of me. I drove through measly little Adrian again and then headed down Owyhee Lake Road. It was definitely much easier in the daytime and I laughed out loud when I saw a cow just hanging out by the side of the road. I never will make fun of cow signs again. I also discovered that the fenced in area was just a market place. Why there is such security, I have no idea, but it certainly was not a prison like we expected. I was also pleasantly surprised to look out my right window and see a bunch of deer on the hill. I also will never again laugh at deer signs. They were so beautiful and picturesque, quietly grazing up on the hill.

I parked my car in the same spot as we had the night before and carrying my coffee and a few other things, made my way down to the hot springs. SUCCESS!! Sitting on the ground, right where my bag had been the night before, was my beloved watch. A little dirty but working and ticking away and I immediately put it back on my wrist where it belonged. The weather and the surrounding scenery were gorgeous. I sat down on a big rock, looking at the river and the mountains, listening to the sounds of the birds and the rushing water and did my morning devotional. I didn't take the time to do it before I left and where I was sitting was just so beautiful that it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

I did my morning devotions which was about Trust and Thanksgiving- so fitting for my situation. I was trusting that my watch would still be there and I would find my way back out safely and I was certainly thankful that those prayers were answered. When I finished my devotion, I read Psalm 121: I lift my eyes up to the mountains, from where comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, maker of the heavens and the earth.

I sang some songs out loud since nobody was around to listen or judge and at one point, looked up to see an eagle fly by. I haven't seen one of those in the wild in years. It prompted me to read Isaiah 40: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.
It was so refreshing to be out there in God's beautiful creation, to see the wonderful things that He made. I prayed out loud, which I rarely do, and it, for the first time, brought me to tears. I certainly cry when others pray for me but I have never cried when I pray myself. There was just something this time about the words I was saying and where I was saying it and what it meant to me that brought me to tears. No better place to do that though.
I sang a few more songs, all with the theme of how beautiful God's creation in nature is and then finally had to leave. My fingers were numb at that point and my butt was certainly cold. Plus I REALLY had to pee (which I ended up doing in the bushes- again, no one was around and I had tissues in the car...) On the drive home, I spent a lot more time looking at the scenery around me, the valleys and the hills and the fields with snow and frost. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I love how a frustrating experience can turn into something so spectacular.

Hot springs Part 1 or How We Didn't Die Numerous Times

What I though was going to be a quiet Sunday turned into a far more exciting day. In the afternoon, Tiff drove into Caldwell to pick me up and we went wine tasting with Christine, another alum, and her husband Tim. We went to the Fujishin's place and then up to the Bitner's, who I believe have the most gorgeous view of the Snake River Valley ever. I love it up there. Yummy wine, good chat, laughter, it was great. Tiff came back to Caldwell with me, we went to the Acapulco for dinner and then went to go pick up her friends Tim and Jen to go to Snively Hot springs.

We had googled the directions and I had a fairly good idea of how to get there so we took off towards Roswell and church. Tim and Jen were in the back, I was navigating and Tiff was driving. A tad bit too fast. There were several turns that released a stream of cursing from most mouthes in the car which led to Jen becoming maybe the greatest backseat driver I have ever met. Someone we made it across the border to Adrian and attempted to find Snively Gulch Road. Turns out it was a tiny little dirt road. Nothing the Solara was ready to take on so Jen pulled out her GPS which told us to turn down Washington Street in Adrian. That was just a lie because really, it was sending us on one big U-turn. We redirected and headed through Adrian to take the northern route. Again, nearly dying during some fast turns which only prompted Jen to be an ever bigger back-seat driver. You must realize that it was super dark, no lights except the stars (which were amazing, FYI) and tiny little backcountry roads. It didn't help that there were signs for both prancing deer and cows on the road, as well as a suicidal bunny, huge sewer pipe, what we were concerned may have been a prison (it was a really heavy-duty fence...) and massive rocks on the road. But finally, our lives intact, we made it to Snively Gulch Hot springs.

Only to find that the water was like five inches deep. This was no jacuzzi, folks. It was bloody hot though. When we finally decided to get in and kind of lay back against some rocks, we found that one side of the pool was hell and the other side was cold from the river. We attempted to find a happy medium in what we eventually dubbed purgatory, poured ourselves some wine and settled back to relax. The location was gorgeous, for being so dark. There was a lone tree up by the car whose illusion was ruined when Tiff asked: What would you do if you looked up there and saw Death standing there with a sickle? Awesome, Tiff, thanks for that. The stars were so bright and gorgeous, we saw a satellite, some shooting stars but for the most part relaxed, enjoyed the hot water and freaked out whenever we'd get a rush of boiling water coming towards us.

We eventually decided that we had been boiled enough so we awkwardly attempted to dry off, put on warm socks, get redressed and back up to the car. There was a pee break in the bushes and then it was back off down the tiny little roads with all its obstacles. We missed a turn and ended up a little farther north than expected but passed the time by story-telling, including one that Tim told about when he was in a hot spring with some friends naked and a Girl Scout troop showed up to also enjoy the hot springs. We decided to grab a drink at the Mirage, the only thing open in the bustling metropolis of Adrian but it turned out to smell of desperation so we turned around and headed home. We took a different route home which, after a lot of twists and turns and shouts to Tiff to slow down again, spat us out in the middle of Wilder, which is totally my home turf. Jen, Tim and Tiff decided they wanted French toast at Denny's but it was at this moment when I discovered my watch was no longer either on my wrist or in my bag. Most of you know how much I love my Fossil watch that I bought at Cabazon on the way to Palm Springs and I was really upset. I decided that I may have to go back the next day and get an early start to they dropped me off and after taking a quick shower to get all the hot springs water off of me, fell straight into bed. (It was about 1 am at this point and I was knackered!)

Other than the watch situation, it was an awesome night. SO beautiful and relaxing and now I know where the heck I'm going so I'll definitely go again. Maybe when there's more water, next time.

Advisory

What do you do when you don't have any plans for advisory? Um... duh.... Human knot.

Dat sum crazyness up in here

My drive home on Wednesday.

Enough said. Just listen.

no words....

if you have the great desire to watch a version of alice in wonderland where....

-the white rabbit is this weird animatronic figure who eats either stuffing (stuffed animal stuffing) or mashed potatoes

-the white rabbit is physically and mentally abusive to alice (i.e. throwing rocks at her, chucking plates at her, and whacking her with sticks)

-alice becomes a doll at times (or has the creepiest doll mask on)

-alice eats wood chips that make trees grow and shrink instead of a mushroom that makes her grow and shrink

-there is a tiny box that constantly makes the sound of a crying baby

-the caterpillar is actually a sock with eyes and dentures

-there is the creepiest animation (not cartoon but objects moving around)

-there are incredibly bizarre and freaky animals (including a frog and a weird rat)

-the effing baby box doesn't shut up

-the effing baby box turns into a piglet (WTF?)

-"alice" narrates the entire thing through badly dubbed shots of her lips

-the march hare and mad hatter are bizarre wooden and plush puppets

-there are clocks ALL OVER THE PLACE

-the mad hatter keeps trying to get alice (who is all of like 6) to drink wine

-14 minutes from the end you still haven't gotten a glimpse of the queen

-you're in desperate need of watching alice walk through someone's white laundry hanging to dry

-when the queen does show up, she's a bloody paper doll!!!!!

-every time the queen says "off with their heads" a paper doll/card gets its head cut off with a large pair of scissors

-despite the abuse, alice keeps following the white rabbit around

-the king of hearts may be worst than the queen of hearts

-alice's head turns into all the other character's heads

-i'm not making any of this up

...then please watch "alice" directed by czech director jan svankmajer.

(also enjoy this synopsis from netflix to know i am not makign this up: after her stuffed rabbit opens a portal inside her dresser, alice crosses over into a world of puppets and dead animals in czech director jan svankmajer's bizarre adaptation of lewis carroll's children's book, considered a classic of surreal cinema. svankmajer gives the caterpillar, the mad hatter and the cheshire cat equally warped makeovers via stop-motion animation and stark cinematography.

Hail to the Chief.... by Bill Bryson

It's President's Day tomorrow. I know. I can hardly stand the excitement either.

President's Day is a new holiday to me. When I was growing up, we had two presidential holidays in February- Lincoln's Birthday on February 12th and Washington's Birthday on February 22. I may not be exactly right on those dates, or indeed even very close, because frankly it's been a long time since I was growing up and anyway they weren't very interesting holidays. You didn't receive presents or get to go on a picnic or anything.

The obvious shortcoming with having a holiday on a date like February 12 and February 22 is that it can fall on any day of the week, whereas most people like to have their public holidays on Mondays, which gives them a long weekend. So for a while American celebrated Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's Birthday on the Mondays nearest the appropriate dates. However, this bothered some people of a particular nature, so it was decided to have a single holiday on the third Monday of February and call it Presidents Day.

The idea now is to honor all the presidents, whether they were good or bad, which I think is swell because it gives us an opportunity to commemorate the more obscure or peculiar presidents- people like Grover Cleveland, who reportedly had the interesting habit of relieving himself out of the Oval Office window, or Zachary Taylor, who never voted in an election and didn't even vote for himself.

Far more noteworthy in my mind is the great Chester A. Arthur, who was sworn in as president in 1881, posed for an official photograph, and then, as far as I can make out, was never heard from again. If Arthur's goal in life was to grow rather splendid facial hair and leave plenty of room in the history books for the achievements of other men, then his presidency can be ranked a sterling success.

Also admirable in their way were Rutherford B. Hayes, who was president from 1877 to 1881 and whose principal devotions were the advocacy of "hard money" and the repeal of the Bland-Allison Act, preoccupations so pointless and abstruse that on one can remember now what they were, and Franklin Pierece, whose term of office from 1853 to 1857 was an interlude of indistinction between two longer periods of anonymity. He spent virtually the whole of his incumbency hopelessly intoxicated, prompting the affectionate slogan "Franklin Pierce, the Hero of Many a Well-Fought Bottle".

My favorites, however, are the two presidents Harrison. The first was William Henry Harrison, who heroically refused to don an overcoat for his inaugural ceremony in 1841, consequently caught pneumonia and with engaging switfness expired. He was president for just thirty days, nearly all of it spent unconscious. Forty years later, his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was elected president and succeeded in the challenging ambition of achieving as little in four years as his grandfather had in a month.

As far as I'm concerned, all these men deserve public holidays of their own. So you may conceive my dismay at news that moves are afoot in Congress to abolish President's Day and return to observing Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays separately, on the grounds that Lincoln and Washington were truly great men and, moreover, didn't pee out the window. Can you believe that? Some people have no sense of history.

excerpt from Bill Bryson's "I'm a Stranger Here Myself."

images from Married to the Sea

Happy President's Day! Who's YOUR favorite President?