09 March 2011
05 March 2011
Near death experience
There's nothing to bring you into reality like some sort of major scares.
These were/are all scary for different reasons and to different intensity levels.
Thursday I experienced a new kind of scare.
After school, I went to practice (yes, track is back in session - I am back being sore demonstrating drills and trying to pretend in front of the kids that it doesn't hurt and is still easy for my ever-aging body, and I will soon be losing most of my free Saturday time). Before practice, I decided to wipe down my dirty computer keyboard area.
When I came back in, I had to clean up and get ready for three hours of parent-teacher conferences. Then I packed up and headed down to meet, greet, share information.
At various times during these conferences, there are lulls where I can either sit and stare out the door (I was seated RIGHT in front of the entry door. Not sure if this was some sort of social justice move to let parents know that yes, there are some black women we hire as teachers, or just a coincidence), grade papers (which I had none on this second night), walk and talk with other teachers who are not meeting with parents, get a snack of pita chips and cheese (which would not turn out well for me or the parents), or I can get on my personal laptop and cruise through some of my favorite safe for work sites.
I pulled out the laptop and turned it on.
The light came on, but it took a while for the login screen to appear. When it did appear, my keys were not typing anything. I restarted it and then it did not come on at all.
It was dead or broken or about to implode or something.
I wanted to scream for fear of all the data I had put on in the past two weeks that I had not yet put onto a jump drive or my Time Machine. I wanted to get up and make a bunch of phone calls to see what could be done.
Instead I had to sit there for another 2 hours talking to parents (mostly about how well their student is doing since the parents who need to kick their kids into shape are often the ones who cannot make it for various work, school, a lot of other kids, not really paying attention/caring reasons - maybe they haven't heard of the proposed jail time and conferences issue in Detroit).
I had way more pressing issues.
That night and into yesterday morning the computer would still not turn on.
I had to go to the dreaded Apple Store. First, that meant I had to go into the mall. In itself a scary time, but I was hoping that since I would be in there around 1 on a weekday that it wouldn't be too bad. Then there is the Apple Store itself. Fun gadgets to play with, but too many people - many of them crazed gadget-hounds who think life revolves around their desire to acquire/fix whatever Apple devise they currently are servicing. I braved the lunch crowds, but would have to come back at 4:45 because there were too many people and I had to leave for practice.
Later came back and got to look at all the cool new computers with amazing mouse pads. They said that everything on my hard drive could be saved. Then one of the nice workers said that I was still under a warranty and that might cover fixing the power button. (I guess when I got the computer three years ago I must have done the normally unthinkable for me and purchased an awesome extended warranty)
The computer is fixed. Even have a new casing that they replaced, new keyboard, and new mouse pad.
I still have all of my information. I don't have to spend over a thousand dollars American on a new computer. And I can now stay out of the mall for a while longer.
- There are the not-so-serious scares (beauty, societal issues, occupational, parenting issues)
- There are the more serious scares (familial, near-death instances, physical pain, fears of cancer)
These were/are all scary for different reasons and to different intensity levels.
Thursday I experienced a new kind of scare.
After school, I went to practice (yes, track is back in session - I am back being sore demonstrating drills and trying to pretend in front of the kids that it doesn't hurt and is still easy for my ever-aging body, and I will soon be losing most of my free Saturday time). Before practice, I decided to wipe down my dirty computer keyboard area.
When I came back in, I had to clean up and get ready for three hours of parent-teacher conferences. Then I packed up and headed down to meet, greet, share information.
At various times during these conferences, there are lulls where I can either sit and stare out the door (I was seated RIGHT in front of the entry door. Not sure if this was some sort of social justice move to let parents know that yes, there are some black women we hire as teachers, or just a coincidence), grade papers (which I had none on this second night), walk and talk with other teachers who are not meeting with parents, get a snack of pita chips and cheese (which would not turn out well for me or the parents), or I can get on my personal laptop and cruise through some of my favorite safe for work sites.
I pulled out the laptop and turned it on.
The light came on, but it took a while for the login screen to appear. When it did appear, my keys were not typing anything. I restarted it and then it did not come on at all.
It was dead or broken or about to implode or something.
I wanted to scream for fear of all the data I had put on in the past two weeks that I had not yet put onto a jump drive or my Time Machine. I wanted to get up and make a bunch of phone calls to see what could be done.
Instead I had to sit there for another 2 hours talking to parents (mostly about how well their student is doing since the parents who need to kick their kids into shape are often the ones who cannot make it for various work, school, a lot of other kids, not really paying attention/caring reasons - maybe they haven't heard of the proposed jail time and conferences issue in Detroit).
I had way more pressing issues.
That night and into yesterday morning the computer would still not turn on.
I had to go to the dreaded Apple Store. First, that meant I had to go into the mall. In itself a scary time, but I was hoping that since I would be in there around 1 on a weekday that it wouldn't be too bad. Then there is the Apple Store itself. Fun gadgets to play with, but too many people - many of them crazed gadget-hounds who think life revolves around their desire to acquire/fix whatever Apple devise they currently are servicing. I braved the lunch crowds, but would have to come back at 4:45 because there were too many people and I had to leave for practice.
Later came back and got to look at all the cool new computers with amazing mouse pads. They said that everything on my hard drive could be saved. Then one of the nice workers said that I was still under a warranty and that might cover fixing the power button. (I guess when I got the computer three years ago I must have done the normally unthinkable for me and purchased an awesome extended warranty)
The computer is fixed. Even have a new casing that they replaced, new keyboard, and new mouse pad.
I still have all of my information. I don't have to spend over a thousand dollars American on a new computer. And I can now stay out of the mall for a while longer.
23 February 2011
09 February 2011
Six Items or Less - No, undies don't count
Since January 10th, I have been participating in the Six Items or Less experiment. Here is some information on it:
For my six, I chose
These were really good choices for me. I counted about 17 outfit options/combinations I could create with these six pieces (I only ended up wearing 7, but in different ways). I was able to go to work and hang out and even attend the Lauryn Hill concert all with ease and without looking out of place. The dress was something I have had for at least 8 years and have only probably worn about 5 times.
Initially I was worried about how hard this would be. But, it turns out that it was way easier than I thought. A couple years ago, I started getting rid of clothes that I didn't like. Last year I got rid of some more. When I decided to do SIOL in December, I got rid of even more. I by no means am living super simple with clothes, but I have definitely pared down. I also was worried about looking the same day in and day out.
Then I remembered that every summer I basically wear the same thing each day when I am not out coaching. When Kid Sis #3 found out I was doing this, she asked, "Isn't that what you always do anyway?" When I am not working, I am basically in similar clothes each day.
I was concerned that my students would notice my outfits and realize before anyone else what was going on. I am in front of them and in the halls with them each and every day for long periods of time.
All of my fears were for nothing.
I loved the clothes I chose. That dress that had seen so little wear in the past years has now become a favorite.
Scarves have become my favorite. I have tried out so many different ways of wearing them around my neck and around my body that it is truly amazing.
I got so many compliments on so many days on my outfits. Some one I don't normally see at work (outside of my coaching clothes) even asked me if I was going on interviews after school since I looked so nice. The kids even complimented me on my outfits. One girl compared another student to me as the after portion of "What Not To Wear" and the kid as the before. The minimal items and the desire not to look the same each day made me really focus on looking put together each day. It also made me use accessories, tights, and shoes to make my look different each time I wore something. In these pictures you can see two examples of how I mixed up the dress. In the first, I wore the black T on top with the scarf to break it up and make it look more like a skirt. I wore ballet shoes that day. In this picture I rocked my boots and just had the cardigan on top (the dress is short-sleeve, so I always had something on top. I wore the dress with the white shirt on top, with the gray sweater on top, tucked in to the jeans to look like a shirt, and different colored tights and shoes and a lot of different jewelry.
I was really impressed by my creativity throughout this. I have not seen myself as being really good with fashion, but perhaps with time and practice, that may be a calling of mine somehow.
I only told three people that I was doing SIOL, and no one else noticed (or at least said anything to my face about it).
I have always gotten my clothes ready for the week on Sunday nights, but with SIOL, it made it even easier to do so.
Today is the last day.
Next, I am going to up it to 15 items (no experiment, just doing it on my own) and continue to the end of February. When I picked my 15 pieces, I started trying to figure out how many ways I could mix them and had to stop counting, because I was becoming overwhelmed with all the choices.
Through this experiment, I have come even closer to figuring out a few things:
During the experiment I even tried things out with my ever growing TWA. I had my sister braid some of it and tried out some of those comb-thingies that you can slide into your hair. It may be time for me to invest in some of PeaceImages hair combs - I have been looking forward to the day my hair is long enough to mess around with since I became natural (finally stopping the cutting has really helped out - who would have thought, right?)
So SIOL no more.
It is still rather likely that I will keep wearing some of the same outfits in the next few weeks.
The community on the website was really great - it was cool to read about their journeys, trials, and tribulations as well as to see some of the options they chose. I may do one of these experiments some of them suggested next. Each of which will be a breeze after limiting myself to 6 items for 31 days.
Or maybe something completely different that comes up or that I create - for now it will be 15IOL for the next 19 days. Perhaps after that, I will be able to pare my wardrobe down even more.
What do our clothes say about us? ...
The scope of the Six Items project expanded rapidly around the world, exposing individuals and even entire families to explore a life with less...
The experiment is simple: each participant gets to choose six (and only six) items of clothing and pledge to wear only these six items of clothing for a month...
Logistically, there are exceptions that don’t count towards the six: undergarments, swim wear, work-out clothes, work uniforms, outer wear (rain slicker, outdoor jacket), shoes and accessories. You can get multiples of the same item for laundry purposes, but different colors count as separate items.
For my six, I chose
- Black dress
- White button-up blouse
- Jeans
- Black cardigan
- Black long-sleeved t-shirt
- Gray sweater
Initially I was worried about how hard this would be. But, it turns out that it was way easier than I thought. A couple years ago, I started getting rid of clothes that I didn't like. Last year I got rid of some more. When I decided to do SIOL in December, I got rid of even more. I by no means am living super simple with clothes, but I have definitely pared down. I also was worried about looking the same day in and day out.
Then I remembered that every summer I basically wear the same thing each day when I am not out coaching. When Kid Sis #3 found out I was doing this, she asked, "Isn't that what you always do anyway?" When I am not working, I am basically in similar clothes each day.
I was concerned that my students would notice my outfits and realize before anyone else what was going on. I am in front of them and in the halls with them each and every day for long periods of time.
All of my fears were for nothing.
I loved the clothes I chose. That dress that had seen so little wear in the past years has now become a favorite.
Scarves have become my favorite. I have tried out so many different ways of wearing them around my neck and around my body that it is truly amazing.
I got so many compliments on so many days on my outfits. Some one I don't normally see at work (outside of my coaching clothes) even asked me if I was going on interviews after school since I looked so nice. The kids even complimented me on my outfits. One girl compared another student to me as the after portion of "What Not To Wear" and the kid as the before. The minimal items and the desire not to look the same each day made me really focus on looking put together each day. It also made me use accessories, tights, and shoes to make my look different each time I wore something. In these pictures you can see two examples of how I mixed up the dress. In the first, I wore the black T on top with the scarf to break it up and make it look more like a skirt. I wore ballet shoes that day. In this picture I rocked my boots and just had the cardigan on top (the dress is short-sleeve, so I always had something on top. I wore the dress with the white shirt on top, with the gray sweater on top, tucked in to the jeans to look like a shirt, and different colored tights and shoes and a lot of different jewelry.
I was really impressed by my creativity throughout this. I have not seen myself as being really good with fashion, but perhaps with time and practice, that may be a calling of mine somehow.
I only told three people that I was doing SIOL, and no one else noticed (or at least said anything to my face about it).
I have always gotten my clothes ready for the week on Sunday nights, but with SIOL, it made it even easier to do so.
Today is the last day.
Next, I am going to up it to 15 items (no experiment, just doing it on my own) and continue to the end of February. When I picked my 15 pieces, I started trying to figure out how many ways I could mix them and had to stop counting, because I was becoming overwhelmed with all the choices.
Through this experiment, I have come even closer to figuring out a few things:
- What type of clothes I really like and what I need to focus one when I go shopping for clothes - I know that quality is way better than cheap items that will only be ruined after a season of washing and wearing. Each of my items were good quality and made it through a lot of washing and (most of them) three times a week wear.
- I know that I can live off of very little - Again, no one noticed. That is a credit to my creativity, but as many on the SIOL site have said, no one really cares what you wear. It is really about wearing clothes that suit your body and lifestyle, and not looking out of place. I have donated or sold even more clothes.
- I have started trying to travel with just a carry on - After this, I know that this will be even easier.
- I love this six - With exception to the white shirt, and I don't totally love that because I feel like the arms aren't as long as I would like them to be. They are by no means the MJ of sleeves, but I have long arms for a woman and like my sleeves to come to a certain point on my hands. When I picked my 15 pieces, it was almost hard to get to 15 because I wanted to make sure that the pieces fit my style and that they would all look good together and be a decent quality.
- I am not easily bored with clothes - Not until this past Sunday did I get antsy about wearing something different. That was when I was getting my clothes ready for the week and was getting excited/anxious about all the options for Thursday. I stuck with my 6, and Thursday will wear something totally different. Though, I did consider wearing the dress again since I like it so much.
During the experiment I even tried things out with my ever growing TWA. I had my sister braid some of it and tried out some of those comb-thingies that you can slide into your hair. It may be time for me to invest in some of PeaceImages hair combs - I have been looking forward to the day my hair is long enough to mess around with since I became natural (finally stopping the cutting has really helped out - who would have thought, right?)
So SIOL no more.
It is still rather likely that I will keep wearing some of the same outfits in the next few weeks.
The community on the website was really great - it was cool to read about their journeys, trials, and tribulations as well as to see some of the options they chose. I may do one of these experiments some of them suggested next. Each of which will be a breeze after limiting myself to 6 items for 31 days.
Or maybe something completely different that comes up or that I create - for now it will be 15IOL for the next 19 days. Perhaps after that, I will be able to pare my wardrobe down even more.
19 January 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Sign language
I really hope this girl got a good grade on this assignment. It is super cool and I hope she gets an invite from Cee-Lo to do one of his shows.
17 January 2011
Lauryn Hill is still amazing: Pageant concert review
I know there was incredible anticipation and questioning about how the Lauryn Hill show would turn out here in St.L at the Pageant, but as a good friend put it, "She can show up and be kind of horrible, and it would still sound and be great!"
Well, she definitely did more than just show up.
I got an email a few weeks back that pushed the door opening time back from 7 to 9. That actually reassured me that she was going to come and that it wouldn't be too late like in some previous concerts. There was still no official start time on the tickets, but I was feeling good.
The DJ that was on when we entered the Pageant was good. Played a mix of mostly old-school jams that got the crowd hyped up. Almost didn't seem like he was on the stage for the whole two hours that he was up there. Close to 11 (the time the doorman said the show would start around), a second DJ came on stage (onto the actual stage) and started to hype the crowd up even more. He played for another 52 minutes. Around minute 40, the band came on. Bassist even started playing along with the DJ - sounding super cool as he thrashed his locks around to the beat.
About the band, they kind of looked like they had been found by Ms Lauryn on Craigslist yesterday morning. There was just no cohesive look about them. One of the bassists kept trying to take pictures of the crowd with his cell phone. One of the keyboardists looked like he would rather be about 100 different places than on the stage. When the DJ said that Lauryn would be out soon after the crowd started chanting her name, two of the back up singers gave a look that basically looked like "We'll see if you still want her when she comes out."
Well. At 11:52, she came out and told everyone that she was going to "do old music new ways." And with that the show started.
Set list:
"Forever Loving Jah" by Bob Marley
"Lost Ones"
"When it Hurts So Bad"
"Ex-Factor"
"Final Hour"
"How Many Mics"
"I Only Have Eyes for YOu"
"Fu-Gee-La"
"Killing Me Softly"
And two encore songs:
"Turn Your Lights Down Low"
"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
She changed a lot of the songs up, but I thought it was musically amazing. She had the live band (Which played better than I expected - way better, though the level of their sound was really high and sometimes distorted.)
The way she played most of the songs was more upbeat and more rocked out. Kind of a funk-rock fusion of some kind. It was mesmerizing. It was still possible to sing along to favorites once you caught on to the new beat and sound.
I'm sure that some fans were disgusted because they are so attached to the old songs (those songs have such strong meaning to me as well as so many other people). I saw some people leaving and not coming back... not sure if it was their disdain for the music or the fact that it was getting late and they may have had to work on this MLK day.
I feel like a lot of the songs have a really strong meaning to Hill, as well, and that makes it hard to play them the same way she played them years ago without starting to (possibly) feel as vulnerable as she did when she first made them.
The new sound was amazing. She even did "Ex-Factor" two different ways. Really, really fast and rocked out, and then more slow and mellow. Kind of weird, but it was ok.
She seemed really, really sincere and passionate. She many times thanked the crowd for coming out and supporting her for all this time.
One thing that made the show even better was the genuine looks of enjoyment from her and the band at several points. It was almost like they were shocked that things were going so well. The bassist took his phone out a few more times to snap pictures of the crowd. And the back up singers and one of the keyboardists looked like they were truly amazed by the show and sometimes amazed by Lauryn's singing and rapping and interactions with the crowd. I even heard later that night that she had stuck around out back in her vehicle saying hey and greeting people. Very much seemed like the Lauryn Hill that I believed was the most beautiful person on the planet back in her heyday.
She danced a-la James Brown at times, she sang in her trademark raspy voice (now a bit raspier with age), she rapped with such speed and fluidity that I was in awe. And. It. Was. Awesome.
Several times she got on the band (in jest?) to let them know that they need to "move the crowd." She even told them once that they needed to not "waste this tune."
I cannot express the vibe of the crowd jumping in unison with the each other and the band during "Fu-Gee-La" as soon as the familiar beat and tones came out to let us know that was the next song.
So glad I got the tickets. So glad to share that experience with friends, and strangers, and the band, and Lauryn.
Only complaint would be that she didn't take off the crazy shrug-thing that she had to keep annoyingly adjusting the whole night (like, every 20 seconds throughout the night).
I am pretty sure this may be the last time she goes on tour sounding so good.
I hope she makes some kind of recordings of the new versions of her songs. I would buy that just like her early Fugees, the big Fugees, and her solo stock.
Well, she definitely did more than just show up.
I got an email a few weeks back that pushed the door opening time back from 7 to 9. That actually reassured me that she was going to come and that it wouldn't be too late like in some previous concerts. There was still no official start time on the tickets, but I was feeling good.
The DJ that was on when we entered the Pageant was good. Played a mix of mostly old-school jams that got the crowd hyped up. Almost didn't seem like he was on the stage for the whole two hours that he was up there. Close to 11 (the time the doorman said the show would start around), a second DJ came on stage (onto the actual stage) and started to hype the crowd up even more. He played for another 52 minutes. Around minute 40, the band came on. Bassist even started playing along with the DJ - sounding super cool as he thrashed his locks around to the beat.
About the band, they kind of looked like they had been found by Ms Lauryn on Craigslist yesterday morning. There was just no cohesive look about them. One of the bassists kept trying to take pictures of the crowd with his cell phone. One of the keyboardists looked like he would rather be about 100 different places than on the stage. When the DJ said that Lauryn would be out soon after the crowd started chanting her name, two of the back up singers gave a look that basically looked like "We'll see if you still want her when she comes out."
 |
| From my phone, you can kind of see the shrug-thing |
Set list:
"Forever Loving Jah" by Bob Marley
"Lost Ones"
"When it Hurts So Bad"
"Ex-Factor"
"Final Hour"
"How Many Mics"
"I Only Have Eyes for YOu"
"Fu-Gee-La"
"Killing Me Softly"
And two encore songs:
"Turn Your Lights Down Low"
"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
She changed a lot of the songs up, but I thought it was musically amazing. She had the live band (Which played better than I expected - way better, though the level of their sound was really high and sometimes distorted.)
The way she played most of the songs was more upbeat and more rocked out. Kind of a funk-rock fusion of some kind. It was mesmerizing. It was still possible to sing along to favorites once you caught on to the new beat and sound.
I'm sure that some fans were disgusted because they are so attached to the old songs (those songs have such strong meaning to me as well as so many other people). I saw some people leaving and not coming back... not sure if it was their disdain for the music or the fact that it was getting late and they may have had to work on this MLK day.
I feel like a lot of the songs have a really strong meaning to Hill, as well, and that makes it hard to play them the same way she played them years ago without starting to (possibly) feel as vulnerable as she did when she first made them.
The new sound was amazing. She even did "Ex-Factor" two different ways. Really, really fast and rocked out, and then more slow and mellow. Kind of weird, but it was ok.
She seemed really, really sincere and passionate. She many times thanked the crowd for coming out and supporting her for all this time.
One thing that made the show even better was the genuine looks of enjoyment from her and the band at several points. It was almost like they were shocked that things were going so well. The bassist took his phone out a few more times to snap pictures of the crowd. And the back up singers and one of the keyboardists looked like they were truly amazed by the show and sometimes amazed by Lauryn's singing and rapping and interactions with the crowd. I even heard later that night that she had stuck around out back in her vehicle saying hey and greeting people. Very much seemed like the Lauryn Hill that I believed was the most beautiful person on the planet back in her heyday.
Several times she got on the band (in jest?) to let them know that they need to "move the crowd." She even told them once that they needed to not "waste this tune."
I cannot express the vibe of the crowd jumping in unison with the each other and the band during "Fu-Gee-La" as soon as the familiar beat and tones came out to let us know that was the next song.
So glad I got the tickets. So glad to share that experience with friends, and strangers, and the band, and Lauryn.
Only complaint would be that she didn't take off the crazy shrug-thing that she had to keep annoyingly adjusting the whole night (like, every 20 seconds throughout the night).
I am pretty sure this may be the last time she goes on tour sounding so good.
I hope she makes some kind of recordings of the new versions of her songs. I would buy that just like her early Fugees, the big Fugees, and her solo stock.
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