My son's final high school prom was this weekend. How quickly the 4 years went! I gathered the 3 consecutive years of obligatory photos prior to the event by the "parent paparazzi"....
SNOW
Monday, April 26, 2010
Watching him grow.....
My son's final high school prom was this weekend. How quickly the 4 years went! I gathered the 3 consecutive years of obligatory photos prior to the event by the "parent paparazzi"....
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Orchids
One of my favorite events at the MO Botanical Gardens
The structure of these flowers are stunning...
The structure of these flowers are stunning...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Got Apathy?
(It has been quite a while since I last posted... not from apathy, just life)
Tonight I attended one of the last 3 board meetings of a parent group I support (and have for 4 years). Since my son is graduating, I will no longer be on the board, but will transition into a member role. The past 2 years, I have seen the same 8-10 faces attend these meetings yet I know that there are several other parents of students that could attend. Even when I was employed full time, I made an effort to attend meetings and get involved. It saddens me to see the group disintegrate into a group of 3 families supporting kids.
When starting in HS, you were overwhelmed with invitations to join the XYZ parent booster club of various activities & then there is the abyss of the school sponsored parent organization that was WAY too large of an umbrella to join. I opted to stick with the activities my son was involved in, a more direct route. In the past few years I have seen students become leaders in particular areas, yet I only see the parents pop up at performance time to bask in their child's skills. By no means do I expect to have near the involvement of elementary school, but sheesh! There are plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved in a way that is not too time-consuming. I am sure the kids notice the absence/presence of parents in the periphery of the activities.
I recall in middle school/high school when I played soccer. Dads & moms would be on the sidelines at home games shouting words of encouragement/frustration at their daughters. My parents never came to any games. I doubt my performance would have enhanced, but I just remember the emptiness when the game was over. My mother says that she would have been appalled if her parents attended one of her events as a teenager.."that was our time to do our thing". She attributes it to her generation.
Sure, society has changed with both parents working crazy hours (if they are lucky enough to still be gainfully employed) and there may be young children at home or other family matters to handle. Is 1 hour per month average too much too ask of parents? I can imagine they spend at LEAST that on self-indulgent activities.
For the last 9 weeks (hard to imagine) of my son's high school run, I am going to continue to show my support & hope that others take notice. Hope it sets a precedent!
Tonight I attended one of the last 3 board meetings of a parent group I support (and have for 4 years). Since my son is graduating, I will no longer be on the board, but will transition into a member role. The past 2 years, I have seen the same 8-10 faces attend these meetings yet I know that there are several other parents of students that could attend. Even when I was employed full time, I made an effort to attend meetings and get involved. It saddens me to see the group disintegrate into a group of 3 families supporting kids.
When starting in HS, you were overwhelmed with invitations to join the XYZ parent booster club of various activities & then there is the abyss of the school sponsored parent organization that was WAY too large of an umbrella to join. I opted to stick with the activities my son was involved in, a more direct route. In the past few years I have seen students become leaders in particular areas, yet I only see the parents pop up at performance time to bask in their child's skills. By no means do I expect to have near the involvement of elementary school, but sheesh! There are plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved in a way that is not too time-consuming. I am sure the kids notice the absence/presence of parents in the periphery of the activities.
I recall in middle school/high school when I played soccer. Dads & moms would be on the sidelines at home games shouting words of encouragement/frustration at their daughters. My parents never came to any games. I doubt my performance would have enhanced, but I just remember the emptiness when the game was over. My mother says that she would have been appalled if her parents attended one of her events as a teenager.."that was our time to do our thing". She attributes it to her generation.
Sure, society has changed with both parents working crazy hours (if they are lucky enough to still be gainfully employed) and there may be young children at home or other family matters to handle. Is 1 hour per month average too much too ask of parents? I can imagine they spend at LEAST that on self-indulgent activities.
For the last 9 weeks (hard to imagine) of my son's high school run, I am going to continue to show my support & hope that others take notice. Hope it sets a precedent!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Not what I expected...
Last night, my son & I attended a performance of "Dog Sees God" at the university he will be attending in the fall. Initially, I was surprised by the size of the theater. It has a capacity of 250 which is 1/2 the size of his high schools. I will say that the acoustics were fantastic and it does make for a more intimate performance.
Now, for the actually show. I knew the premise of DSG (the Peanuts characters created by Charles Schultz have grown into teenagers and a pivotal event starts the show), but I knew this was an "edgy" show that was not endorsed by the Schultz estate.
The characters certainly have "issues" that are contemporary to society.... didn't they always ?
Many instances of colorful, harsh language was off putting at first but finally the storyline developed into introspective exchanges between the characters. Not all the characters are lovable, although they make light of the adolescent rites of passage.
The conclusion of the story is quite moving. Laughter had subsided, replaced by a few smiles when honest observations were stated in a melancholy manner. As an adult, I look back through my life & see people in my life who played a role.
As the pen pal correspondence was read, I will admit I teared up, such sage observations & the final puzzle piece was set in place.
It is definitely one of my favorite live performance shows.
Now, for the actually show. I knew the premise of DSG (the Peanuts characters created by Charles Schultz have grown into teenagers and a pivotal event starts the show), but I knew this was an "edgy" show that was not endorsed by the Schultz estate.
The characters certainly have "issues" that are contemporary to society.... didn't they always ?
Many instances of colorful, harsh language was off putting at first but finally the storyline developed into introspective exchanges between the characters. Not all the characters are lovable, although they make light of the adolescent rites of passage.
The conclusion of the story is quite moving. Laughter had subsided, replaced by a few smiles when honest observations were stated in a melancholy manner. As an adult, I look back through my life & see people in my life who played a role.
As the pen pal correspondence was read, I will admit I teared up, such sage observations & the final puzzle piece was set in place.
It is definitely one of my favorite live performance shows.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Art Imitates Life... or is it the other way around...
A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession. --Albert Camus
A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. -- Michelangelo
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.--Thomas Merton
I had a bit of an epiphany today. I was visiting a local art gallery and chatted for a while with one of the artists in this co-op. He had some health issues & turned to his art for comfort... also realized he is able to make some money as well as share his talent with others.
I have been creating resumes, re-creating resumes & completing application after application without much luck the past 10 months. Art has been my conscience nagging in a whisper throughout this process. Perhaps I need to give my artistic energy some time in the forefront and see what happens... shifting perspective.
A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. -- Michelangelo
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.--Thomas Merton
I had a bit of an epiphany today. I was visiting a local art gallery and chatted for a while with one of the artists in this co-op. He had some health issues & turned to his art for comfort... also realized he is able to make some money as well as share his talent with others.
I have been creating resumes, re-creating resumes & completing application after application without much luck the past 10 months. Art has been my conscience nagging in a whisper throughout this process. Perhaps I need to give my artistic energy some time in the forefront and see what happens... shifting perspective.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Girl for Hire
What does a girl need to get work in this town??
Current resume -- check
Glowing references--- check
Complete Work history detail---check
Professional attire-- check
Decent interpersonal skills -- check
I've done the song & dance plenty. I know what employers are looking for in an employee (I WAS the one inerviewing employees). As sincere as I am in these meetings, I really want to end the interview with.... "So rather than wasting any more time & energy, this job seems pleasant enough, just tell me now if my application is being tucked away by the time I leave this parking lot".
Occasionally I see potential in a position & I then learn from the cold voice at the other end "Oh... we forgot to update the website, sorry, we filled that last week."
I know I am a capable individual that can adapt to many environments, but it does get discouraging to get a foot halfway in the door to learn they just needed a doorstop.
Back to the drawing board....
Current resume -- check
Glowing references--- check
Complete Work history detail---check
Professional attire-- check
Decent interpersonal skills -- check
I've done the song & dance plenty. I know what employers are looking for in an employee (I WAS the one inerviewing employees). As sincere as I am in these meetings, I really want to end the interview with.... "So rather than wasting any more time & energy, this job seems pleasant enough, just tell me now if my application is being tucked away by the time I leave this parking lot".
Occasionally I see potential in a position & I then learn from the cold voice at the other end "Oh... we forgot to update the website, sorry, we filled that last week."
I know I am a capable individual that can adapt to many environments, but it does get discouraging to get a foot halfway in the door to learn they just needed a doorstop.
Back to the drawing board....
Frigid....
Seeking to find natural beauty in this time of year. Cold temperatures and grey clouds seem to drain the creative spirit. Caught a glimpse of the sun & had a moments inspiration....
Valentines Day... more snow!
I call these "branch-cicles". I will have plenty of work come spring..... enjoy this as it lasts!
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