Tag: nsshere

3… 4… 2… 4…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today, my daughter got her new old bike.

To be more specific, my daughter outgrew her old bike, a Walmart 20″ special, quite a few years ago. Since then, she has been wanting a full-size bike. Our good family friend, Bob, was cleaning his garage and offered us his old Motobecane Super Mirage dating from the 1970s that had been sitting for years. This bike was in the $300-$400 range back in the mid-1970s, and was just about the same quality as the Peugeot Bike I’ve had since the mid-1970s. They last forever, so we jumped at the offer. A visit to the bike shop for both bikes for cleaning, and (ta-da) they are in great shape, for a refurbishment cost of under $300 for both (including a new lock and some new accessories).

After a few shaky minutes, she was off riding around the block. She seems to like this bike quite a bit; I envision joint bike rides when I get home from work. Yea for bike-riding togetherness.

[Has anyone figured out the title of this post yet?]

Share

Do You Know What Your Daughter Is Wearing?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Here’s a scary statistic for you: According to Time Magazine, in 2003, tweens (i.e., girls ranging in age from 7 to 12) spent $1.6 million on thong underwear.

Just think about that. What does a 7-12 year old need with thong underwear?

I discovered this statistic in today’s Washington Post, which had an interesting article on the sexualization of young girls. I’m seeing this directly in my daughter, who regularly wears makeup and is concerned about fashion. Luckily, she’s not wearing thongs (I know–I do the laundry!) or dressing provacatively, but I do know the message is there: from the shows she watches (she’s a big Charmed fan) to the magazines that she reads.

I regularly comment that I don’t remember the girls I was with in Jr. High dressing like that. I don’t remember the emphasis on sexuality in our youth. We hear more and more about the creeps and perverts out there, but I wonder how much of it is driven from the other direction, from a media that is pressing young girls and boys into dressing and acting much older than their age.

I’m lucky, I guess, that my daughter hasn’t bought into the media circus hook, line, and sinker. Still, it bothers me…

P.S. When I had my daughter read this before posting, she said “No, don’t use my picture. Use the “pron” picture.” Sigh.

Share

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar… Come in!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

And with this, the Nobel Middle School Theatre Arts department started their first production, An Evening of Silverstein, which was a combination of The Giving Tree with a number of Shel Silverstein poems. This was the first production of the reincarnated Theatre Arts Department, with 62 super-energetic kids. So, first and formost, how did they do? In my opinion (as I said yesterday), they did excellent. They all projected well, they all moved, they all spoke to the audience. No one forgot their lines, no one cracked up on stage, no one bumped into anyone else unintentionally, no one fell off the stage. More importantly, they danced, they conveyed emotion, they acted, they sang. They had fun. They became a theatre family. In the words of George Gershwin, “Who could ask for anything more?”

Were there things I would change? Yes. I wasn’t that enamored of the rap version of Unicorn, perhaps because the movement kept the kids from the microphone. Some of the poems that were selected were not ones I would have chosen — I wasn’t that crazy about Thumbs or Hot Dog, but that was more the poem, not the acting. I did find the acting in Tug of War a little creepy (and I can’t quite say why). I do wish they had included The Little Boy and the Little Man and Polar Bear in the Frigidare. I also wish nsshere had a larger part, but isn’t that always a parent’s lament?

Most importantly, unlike Thursday night, we had two Vice-Principals there for the performance, so they got to see the talent of the kids… plus the magnet coordinator saw all the performances during the day. Supposedly, they raised over $2K over two nights, which says something, as they sold no ads and publicity was primarily word of mouth.

I think they did great!

By the way, for those who think Shel Silverstein is only a kid’s poet, you’re wrong. Take a look at this site, which has Shel’s adult works. So let’s end this post with a few lyrics you don’t often see from Grizzly Bear:

Yeah, they call me Grizzly Bear.
They say I’m kooky and square.
They can say anything they want about me I don’t care. (I don’t care.)
Because I’m takin’ it day by day,
And I’m livin’ my own sweet way.
Let me tell ya’ that I howl, yowl, growl like a Grizzly Bear.
Share

Gather ’round fellas, I’ll tell you some tales / About murder and blueberry pies…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

… well, maybe not murder… at least yet.

The title of this post is from a poem by Shel Silverstein; the full verse is:

Gather ’round fellas, I’ll tell you some tales
About murder and blueberry pies
And heroes and hells and bottomless wells
And lullabys, legends and lies.


Why am I quoting Shel Silverstein to you? Because last night was the first performance of nsshere‘s drama class, and the reviewer in me must speak.

The show? The show was blueberry pie. Sweet and tasty, with lots of juicy bits. It was a collection of Shel Silverstein poems, together with a performance of The Giving Tree, the famous co-dependency story everyone knows far too well. Alas, they didn’t include my favorite Shel Silverstein (the ABZ book), or even my favorite kids poem (see the end of this post). But it was great nonetheless. How did the kids do? I was very impressed. This was a collection of enthusiastic 11-13 year olds. They spoke clearly, cleanly, and projected. They conveyed emotion. They made the poems come alive. A few were silly, but for an initial drama performance of a new drama program, they were excellent. I look forward to them doing even better tonight.

So where does the murder and the hell come in? That, dear friends, is reserved for the school administration. They provided this program no support. There wasn’t an article promoting it in the school newsletter (but they did promote the band and pep squad). There wasn’t anyone videotaping the program (but they do video the band and pep squad). There was no one from the administration there last night to encourage the students, tell them how proud the school was of them. I’m sorry, but I think that is the role of the principal and vice-p’s: build that school spirit, make the students want to come to school and enjoy learning. You don’t promote some programs and not others. Here you had a bunch of kids bonding, doing excellent work, learning skills that will serve them well in real-life even if they don’t go into the LA Media world — for the public speaking skills are critical in every field. They should be encouraging these kids, and I know there was disappointment that the administration wasn’t there.

Today, the drama class is doing presentations for the entire school. Tonight is the last performance. I have written a note to the one administrator’s address I could find on the web. Let’s see if they redeem themselves this evening.

Oh, and my favorite Shel Silverstein poem?

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”
Said the old man, “I do that, too.”
The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”
“I do that too,” laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, “I often cry.”
The old man nodded, “So do I.”
“But worst of all,” said the boy, “it seems
Grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.”
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
“I know what you mean,” said the little old man.
Share