Happy Halloween!

A Finished Cookie
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

Today should be an enjoyable day at North. We've encouraged the kids to wear costumes, and we're taking them to North's costume party and Halloween dance. I hope everyone else is doing something fun (and spooky) today!

Spamalot

Last night was the night we'd been waiting for all fall: the night we had tickets to Spamalot. We'd bought our tickets as soon as they went on sale last summer, and we'd splurged on really good seats because we'd been waiting for Spamalot to tour since they'd announced they were turning Monty Python into a Broadway show. We've been singing the songs for a couple years now, and we could hardly wait to see how the show would be staged.

After the show, we're left with mixed feelings. We both enjoyed the sets, from the Vegas-like Camelot to the Andrew Lloyd Webber-esque lake from which the Lady of the Lake emerges. We agree that it was a lot of fun to hear the songs sung live, and to see the dancing that is supposed to go along with them. Several of the performances were outstanding. My personal favorites were Patsy, The Lady of the Lake, and Sir Robin. Lancelot's performance was also notable. We also thought it was great fun how much of the original dialogue from the "Grail" they'd incorporated into the show. We were able to mouth the words for much of the show just because we've both seen the movie so many times. The French knights and their taunting were very silly, and we were impressed that they managed to get the cow gag in. Another plus to the show is the way they managed to add in things I wasn't sure they'd be able to do, such as the dismemberment of the Black Knight. The bit I think I laughed the hardest at would have to be the killer bunny. Again, I didn't know if they'd be able to get it in, but they did, and in such an imaginative manner that it's still making me giggle to think about it now.

On the more negative side of things, I think the biggest disappointment was that the actor playing Arthur was a real dud. He was lackluster from the beginning, and seemed to be wandering around the stage without any enthusiasm, just waiting for his next line, then delivering the line with little emphasis. Then, in the first number of the second act, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," he botched a very important line, and if you didn't know what the line was supposed to be, the rest of the song wouldn't have made any sense. Yup--he forgot a line! It screwed up the background dancers/singers so much that one of them fell over.

Another problem with the show was that the sound system seemed to be screwed up. The sound was tinny through the whole show, sounding more like a recording than a live performance. We've heard much better sound in that theater, so we're wondering if maybe paying for expensive seats isn't really worth it. Perhaps the theater is built so that the better sounds go to the higher regions. Or maybe the guy running the sound wasn't doing a good job last night. Hard to tell.

Finally, let me say a few words about theater etiquette: there ought to be some sort of class people are required to take before they attend live theater. Live theater is not like a movie, where you only paid $9.00 for your ticket, and there's squished popcorn and spilled soda underfoot, and you can wear what you feel like wearing. It is a formal occasion, and people should dress accordingly. It is not okay to wear jeans, flannel, short shorts (or any kind of shorts), or grubby tennis shoes. When I pay $80 for my seat, I find it offensive to be seated next to some flannel and jeans wearing oaf who would look more at home at a Saturday afternoon barbeque. And for the record, it is definitely not okay to take out a cell phone before the show and take pictures of the stage. How tacky!

Next etiquette point: even if you've seen the Grail a thousand times, it is NOT okay to spend the entire show whispering the lines to the person next to you and explaining the jokes. I don't care if the person next to you is a complete moron, someone who can't possibly understand the jokes without your help. Keep your mouth shut, because some of us would rather hear the professional actors perform the lines than some random person who thinks he's smart. That is just as annoying as the person who goes to a musical and sings along. The guy sitting next to me last night talked through all the speaking bits, but apparently he hadn't heard the songs, so at least he didn't sing along. Still, I wanted to gag him by intermission.

Point three: Remember that you are not the only person in the theater. Find a comfortable position and hold it for as long as you can. The woman in front of me wiggled so much that at times I really couldn't see the stage because I couldn't figure out which direction to dodge. The oaf sitting next to me elbowed me in the side a number of times. The woman sitting behind me managed to catch my hair as she wildly applauded (goodness knows how far her hands had to be in front of her for her to manage that).

Final point: a standing ovation is supposed to be for a stellar performance. Last night's performance was certainly not a stellar performance. It was good. It was enjoyable. It didn't deserve an ovation. The lead actor forgot his lines, for goodness sake! Applaud, sure, but don't stand unless it's actually an outstanding show. I always end up standing out of self defense--it's the only way to see the actors take their bows. People seem to think it's polite to give a standing ovation, but in reality not every show deserves one. What will we do for a show that's actually worthy of an ovation? Stand on our chairs? Ridiculous!

And I think I'm done with my rant now. I actually did enjoy the show very much, and I'd recommend that anyone who likes Monty Python go to see it when it's in your city.

Plague!

Michael has been complaining since last week that he has a very sore throat, a really bad headache, and a hacking cough. These symptoms hadn't seemed to get any better, no matter how much juice and cold medicine I force fed him, and we all know he's not the sort of person to slow down and rest (although I did convince him to stay home last Thursday). This morning, he woke up with the same symptoms and said, "Cough! Cough! Groan! When will this end? My sinuses really hurt!"

I finally convinced him that it was time to consult a doctor, and we found a local drop-in clinic that opens at 8:00, so we were able to drop in and Michael was their first patient of the morning. This meant we didn't have a very leisurely morning, but we were able to consult a doctor before we had to be on campus, and it turns out that poor Michael has been suffering for the past week from a sinus infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, and hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.

I'm still planning to make sure he takes his vitamins and drinks lots of juice for the next few days...

The Halloween Cookies

The Halloween Cookies
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

Hope came over today for a sister visit, and we decided that the time was right to make a batch of Halloween sugar cookies (Michael and Peter's favorite). We're pretty proud of how they turned out (yeah, we sampled quite a few during the making).

I think the oak leaves and the gargoyle are my favorite shapes (upper right corner), but the ghost and pumpkins and little acorns are pretty cute too.

When Michael comes home for work, we'll frost a few of them (I'll try to remember to get pictures of the decorated ones).

The whole apartment smells like cookies right now. Yummy!

Through the Fire

I'm happy to report that all my Southern California relatives made it safely through the fires. Grandma and Grandpa, even though their house wasn't in the direct path of any of the fires, evacuated because Grandma was having trouble breathing with all the smoke (they were in the direct path of a lot of the smoke).

They first went to Sonja and Art's (my aunt and uncle, for those of you not familiar with my family) house, because it's up on a hill, but then Sonja and Art's whole neighborhood was told to evacuate. The family headed for Palm Springs, where they spent the past few days in a hotel before getting the okay to go home. Carl and Carolina's (another uncle and aunt) family stayed in Carlsbad, and they report that there's a lot of ash to wash away, but everyone is safe and settling back in at home this morning.

Everybody say a prayer for Grandma though, because the smoke was not good at all for her lungs. Send her some good vibes, if you have a minute to do so.

Raspberry M&Ms

This morning, I had to go to in to campus even though I don't usually work on Fridays because there was a faculty meeting at Career Link. Since the meeting (of course) was scheduled right in the middle of Michael's class schedule, this meant I had to go onto campus an hour before the meeting and stay around for an hour after the meeting if we wanted to carpool. I don't mind spending a little extra time in my office, so I headed in with Michael. Of course, after about ten minutes of paper grading, I was completely bored, so I wandered down to the bookstore to look at the new arrivals, snoop to see what books everyone else is teaching this quarter, and generally kill a bit of time.

On my way out of the store, carrying the newest edition of The Best American Short Stories--2007 (the one edited by Stephen King--gotta keep our King collection up to date), I saw a bright pink M&M display, which I at first figured was advertising the pink breast cancer awareness promotional. Upon a closer inspection, it turned out to be a display for the new "limited edition" raspberry (Razzberry) M&Ms. Intrigued, I bought a small bag of them, and Michael and I shared them after lunch this afternoon. We both agree that they're yummy, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who likes flavored chocolate (although chocolate purists might turn up their noses). The raspberry flavoring is subtle and doesn't overwhelm the chocolate, but it's a nice compliment to the usual M&M smooth milk chocolate. Worth a try, in my opinion.

Mom's Birthday

Hope, Mom, and Kima
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

I just got home from a weekend in Vancouver, helping my mom to celebrate her birthday. It was a fun-filled weekend with both of my sisters and my mom, which is something that we rarely get in these busy days.

We spent much of the weekend helping my mom with home improvement projects (painting the guest bathroom and cleaning out the rain gutters), walking Hope's dogs (Max and Loodie came along for the trip, since Mom hadn't seen the "grand-pups" in a while), and chatting like crazy to catch up on everything. It is really nice to get a weekend with my family!

Pictures of the weekend can be seen on my flickr page.

Now, I'm glad to be home... On to the next work week!

Proud Teacher Moment

Last week, my first student this year earned her GED. She'd started the program last spring, and had one test left to go. Last Thursday, she passed that last test with flying colors. I should also mention that ALL of the students who I sent to test last week passed the tests they were taking, so quite a few of them now have only four more tests to go. The year is off to a great start!

A Visit

Last night, Michael and I went on a little adventure. My friend Sarena, who I met when we were both living in Ellensburg, who now lives in the Bellingham area, was in the Seattle area catching up with friends. We'd agreed to meet her (and her two kids, Amanda and Dillon) at the Everett Olive Garden for dinner. She's one of the best friends I've made as an adult (I just don't seem to pick up real friends--plenty of acquaintances, but real friends are few and far between), and it's always a joy to see her and the kids, even just for a short dinner party.

And before people start to roll their eyes about the Olive Garden, let's clarify the choice. Firstly, none of us knows our way around Everett, making it impossible to suggest a four-star restaurant for this meeting. Secondly, with a five year old and a ten year old (both well behaved but still active little kids), a large, family-friendly chain restaurant is always a good choice. They greeted the kids with crayons and coloring books (not just place mats, but actual little coloring books). Finally, Michael had never eaten at an Olive Garden before, and it seemed a good chance to let him have the experience, since there isn't one in Seattle anywhere near us anymore.

The kids greeted us when we got there with a small wicker pumpkin filled with fresh flowers, and were thrilled when we handed them the goody bags full of cute school supplies we'd gotten them as a back-to-school present (light-up Tigger pens and such). Since it's the only Olive Garden in the area, we had to wait for over half an hour for a table, which is a trial even for really well behaved children. When we finally got to the table, Sarena asked that the breadsticks be brought out immediately, so the kids could snack. After two breadsticks (and half the croutons from the top of the salad bowl), Dillon was getting tired of snacking and really wanted his chicken strips and French fries. Sarena suggested that he have another breadstick, to which he responded, sounding like a tiny adult instead of a five-year-old boy, "I want my FOOD!"

When the food did finally make it to the table, Dillon was happily distracted by the large dish of ketchup in the middle of his plate, promptly turning his French fried into a doomed army: "Die, French fry, die!"

Sarena and I used to get together once a week at a little restaurant in Ellensburg, for lunch and gossip. One of our traditions has always been that we order a dessert to share (we used to try a different one every week). Last night, deciding (with Amanda's avid encouragement) that we should continue the tradition, we tried a couple different kinds of cheesecake, one chocolate and one pumpkin. The chocolate one was soon claimed by Amanda, but the adults at the table were more impressed with the pumpkin one, which is something that I'm now going to need to learn to make for Thanksgiving (Michael is completely hooked).

It was a really fun evening. I wish they lived closer!

About Whining

Some people say that whining is a foolish thing to do. They say that people should go through life without ever complaining about anything. Just "tough it up" and go on, no matter what happens, and never stop to analyze anything that's happening to you. Why whine--it's not going to change anything. (Ever notice that these are the people who tend to be the biggest whiners, who can't stand for even a second to have the attention taken off of them and put onto someone else? The sort of people who will make up a problem in order to one-up your own real problem.)

Psychologically though, whining fulfills an important function. What those uneducated people term whining is actually the process of venting, whether it's done in private in a journal or with a trusted friend, or publicly on a blog like this one. It's a way to work through emotions that will do a person more damage if they're kept inside than if they're released in some form. Therefore, when I'm stressed out about something, when I'm feeling gloomy and a bit sorry for myself, expect to see a few "whines" here on my blog. It helps me to focus on my problems and to work my way through them. I've chosen to make these entries public because I appreciate the support and helpful comments I get from my friends and family. To those of you who have suggested that I (and others like me) stop whining, here's my advice to you: Stop reading my blog!

Looking Southward

Okay, so my career seems to have stalled here in Seattle. I've known this for over a year, but I've been hopeful that something would miraculously change. It doesn't seem that I'm going to get my miracle. I'm unhappy about this, but I can't let myself mope about it indefinitely. I need to move on with my life. Michael and I have spent the past couple evenings brainstorming about a positive new direction that might give my career the jump start it needs while at the same time being good for his academic goals.

We've decided that after he graduates this spring, I'll expand my job search. For the past two years, I've been looking (and applying) for jobs only in the Seattle area, easily commutable from North Seattle. As they come up this year, I'm going to start applying for jobs in other places in the state (anywhere that also has a decent sized city and a university as well as a community college). I'm also going to check opportunities in Oregon and California.

We went online a couple nights ago to check out housing prices in the Portland/Vancouver area (our first choice if we have to leave Seattle), and we were really pleased to discover that housing in that area would actually be in our price range as soon as we're both into career-type jobs. Within the next couple of years, we'd be able to buy a house that we'd never be able to afford in Seattle. That alone makes moving to a different city worth thinking about. We don't want to live in an apartment forever!

Vancouver has WSU Vancouver (with a great education program) for Michael, and right across the river is Portland, with Portland State, Reed, University of Portland, and Lewis and Clark. He'd have his pick of really good schools, and we wouldn't be giving up the city lifestyle we enjoy. We'd just be gaining the opportunity to explore a new city together.

Besides, I grew up in that area, and it's always going to feel just a little bit more like home than Seattle does. I'm familiar with the people and the politics, and I understand how schools work there. Seattle has been a baffling nightmare for me with regard to my career, and I think it's time to see what I can do in a more familiar setting.

So, cross your fingers that there are some opportunities in the Portland/Vancouver area this spring! I know mine are crossed tightly. If I keep telling myself I only have to spend one more year here, it seems a lot more bearable. Not that I don't like my job at Career Link--I'm going to miss my friends, colleagues, and students here a lot. It's time for a change though.

Work Woes

While I've been doing my best to move on with my life after not getting the Loft directorship, I'll admit that I've been pretty down in the dumps so far this fall. It's seemed that everyone on the hiring committee is doing their best not to cross my path, and I've been trying to walk lightly so as to not upset anyone. Those committee members who I've seen have been cordial, but I've still been feeling sort of invisible. Until today, no one even acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation (not hiring someone with whom they'd been working for two years, then having to continue to work with that person). I had considered not going back to the Loft at all this fall considering the discomfort it would cause a lot of people, but in the end my concern for my students won out, and I decided to swallow some pride and return to the Loft. I don't regret that decision, because I think I'm still helping people by staying. However, my confidence has been severely shaken by the experience, however, and I've been trying to think of some way to ask some of the committee members exactly what went wrong. Am I simply not cut out for education? Am I a horrible teacher? Am I giving students bad advice when they come to me for help? Have I chosen the wrong career? Or was the person they hired simply superior? What went wrong? I've been plagued with doubts and uncertainties for the past couple of months, and over the past couple week or so, the spiral of self-doubt has been leading steadily downward as everyone continued to refuse to acknowledge the situation. I don't know how to approach the people who rejected me and ask them why--but it's driving me nuts not to know.

This afternoon, much to my initial relief, one of my Loft colleagues who was on the committee finally approached me and said, "Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room, shall we?" I can't tell you how good it felt to hear someone on the committee admit that it's been weird this fall. Unfortunately, her explanation for why I wasn't chosen fell a bit flat: they didn't like the font my CV is in because it's hard to read. THAT'S a reason to not hire someone? She couldn't remember any of the other things they'd said about me. But at least someone is admitting that everything isn't peachy, and I really appreciate her willingness to initiate a conversation that I know was difficult for her to have with me. However, her explanation shakes my confidence a lot more: the font of my CV was so bad that it overshadowed my qualifications? How bad of a font is it?! There MUST be a deeper reason than that. I suppose I'm going to have to go searching for someone who will be willing to share a bit more. I'm not sure who to go to though, since everyone else is still pretending I never applied for the job.

I feel completely stuck, as if my career has stalled and I can't get it started again. I've hit a brick wall at North, and I'm not sure how to find a door through to any sort of advancement. Even if I stay at Career Link for this school year, where will I be at the end of the year? Exactly where I was three years ago! Looking for a teaching job at a Seattle-area community college that pays me enough to pay my bills every month. After seven years of teaching, I'll still be working from quarter to quarter (if I'm lucky) without knowing if I'll have a job the following quarter. I'll have absolutely no job security, no guarantee that I'll be working three months after the quarter starts. Is this really how I want to live my life? Did I work so hard to earn an advanced degree that is essentially useless in the real world? What the hell else am I going to do with an M.A. in American literature? I still love teaching, but maybe I suck at it, and this is North's not-so-subtle way of letting me know. Anyone know how to grow back one's self confidence once it's been trampled?

Sick Me

I was hoping to avoid Michael's cold, but last night when I lay down in bed, my nose started running. Yesterday morning I woke up a little bit stuffy. This morning I woke up with a full-blown cold. Stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, the works! Yuck. And it's only Wednesday. The weekend is a long way away. Colds are just so annoying. I'm not sick enough to stay home from work, but I'm sick enough that I'll be uncomfortable all day. Whimper!