CT High School Musical Theater Awards

Wow!  That was some show.  Those kids are absolutely incredible.

The "kids" on Glee have got nothing on these guys.  They sang their hearts out with no electronic sweetening, and did a fantastic job.

And to see my Daniel up on the Palace Theater stage - wow!  But I swear he looked taller than he did when I left home last night!

Back to School!

I am safely ensconced in a hotel in Hartford.  Tomorrow, I start my classes.  The alarm clock is ready to go.  I have to write a short paper and then I can go to bed, although I don’t expect to sleep well tonight.

The town where Daniel’s gala is tomorrow night is actually closer than home, so I’ll see my guys tomorrow night in Waterbury.  The kids are performing 2 numbers from Fiddler, and the cast is up for 9 awards.  I’m so excited to be able to go!

As we loaded up the car, Dumbledore ran down to the garage and tried to get in the car.  He was certain he was going with me (after all he always has before!).  I felt really bad for the little guy, he doesn’t understand.

Excited About The Challenge

Thursday night was the orientation for the program I'll be doing this summer.  It was a long evening, but I came away very pumped and excited about it.  The work is starting already, with a ton of reading and some projects due by the time we get started in June.  I awoke this morning, not just undaunted by all the work, but excited to get started.

I'm hoping to find somewhere inexpensive to stay over in the Hartford area during the week, because Momma needs her sleep and you know the one hour drive each way will be done at the expense of at least two hours of sleep every day.  It's also two hours a day more I could be working on school work.  Each day long lecture is going to be an entire college course worth of information condensed and I'll be plenty busy!

We're also probably talking a tank of gas every other day if I go home every night- yikes!

A Puppy's Dreams

Inspired by this crazy quilt at Piecemakers, my aunt and I have been working on this square - since last Spring!  (I didn't much feel like crafting while I was dealing with breast cancer, but my mood's been looking up lately and I've been crafting again!)

I called it A Puppy's Dreams because the Yorkie in the corner has been wandering in a misty garden and watching the spider and butterfly going about heir business.

Here are some detail shots:

The puppy.

The spider.

The butterfly.

Our signatures.

The puppy and his trail of footprints in the dew.

The bottom right corner of the square where nothing much is happening.

I'm loving my Singer embroidery machine!

Veering in Another Direction Yet Again

I'm not sure if this is plan D or E or what, but I've been accepted into Connecticut's ARC program.  For 9 weeks this summer, full time, I'll be taking classes and student teaching, and when I'm done I'll be certified to teach math in middle and high school.

I no longer enjoy programming the way I used to, and my sanity can't take living apart from my guys any more.  I'm looking forward to the new challenges.

Blue Funk Necklace and Earrings

My aunt gave me a broken shard of flow blue pottery, and I've been playing with it for months.  Mostly I designed it by changing stitches when I got bored!

Fiddler

Dan played a merchant in Fiddler on the Roof at his high school this past weekend.  We're so proud of him for just trying out, and besides ourselves that our freshman was in all the big ensemble numbers and even scored a few lines!

Here he is selling bagels (wait for the transition from the previous scene):

And amongst "the sons" in "Tradition":

A couple more photos:

Meeting The "Obamas"

Me, Blair and Daniel at Madame Tussaud's in NYC, 12/29/10.

The Next Phase

Today I had my follow up appointment with the oncologist.  He started me on tamoxifen.  (He also wants me to start taking baby aspirin to counter balance the increased risk of clotting from the tamoxifen.)  I'm to come back in a month if I'm experiencing side effects.  

I also spoke to the gal who was supposed to set me up with PT for my shoulder and a personal trainer.  She made an appointment for me for tonight.  The cancer center has an arrangement with an assisted living facility (that coincidentally Blair used to work at) to use their fitness center two nights a week.  The trainer showed me how to use the machines and I tried them all and used the recumbent bike and a recumbent stepper.  I can go Monday and Friday afternoons.  And I can do yoga Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings.  That seems like a good start.

It's also time to stop eating like I'm bulking up for an endless winter.  I decided not to worry about it too much while I was in treatment, but it's time to get serious.

Happy Anniversary!

To my parents - 50 years today! We're all meeting up in the Bronx for dinner (but Mom doesn't know), and my youngest sister came through by letting Dad know that an eternity band would go over well. They couldn't afford a diamond when they got married (she 19, he 23).

Photos! clockwise from top left: My Mom and her mother; dad and mom;
dad and his mother; mom's mom and dad's dad - they were soooo young!!

And here they are at their party 50 years later!

And she was thrilled and overwhelmed with her ring. We went back to my brother's for dessert and he gave it to her there. She was surprised and loved it. She kept watching it sparkle all night. Dad did good.

Wish Me Luck!

I just finished my application for CT's ARC program this summer.  Hopefully I can start next fall as a High School Math teacher.



The program runs for 8 or 9 weeks this summer in Hartford including student teaching. It runs all day each week.
It's about an hour or so drive from here and I don't know whether to suck up the drive or stay up there during the week.

Typical Teenager

A friend's teen "liked" this on Facebook:


> I'm just a typical teenager?
> I have a messy room.
> I'm moody.
> I get up late.
> I swear.
> I complain most of the time.
> I spend most of my time on my pc.
> I have private things on my phone.
> I go to bed late.
> So mom and dad .. Deal with it.

So I came up with:

I'm just the parent of a typical teenager?
I know a messy room can make it hard to concentrate (not to mention it being unsanitary).
I'd prefer you didn't take your mood out on the rest of us.
It makes the rest of us late when you get up late.
I'd like you to swear only when it's appropriate to the situation and audience.
Instead of complaining, pitch in and fix it.
Take some breaks from the computer to rest your eyes and exercise your body.
Until you're 18, privacy is a privilege and not a right - earn it. And until you are paying your own phone bill, your phone is really mine.
You can go to bed when you want to, as long as you wake up on time and in a good mood..
So teenager .. Deal with it.