one ringy dingy ...

While browsing Powell's today my phone rang:
Me: "Hello"
Voice: Hi CV. This is Mother F.
Me: Oh hi!
Mother F.: I was wondering of you had settled on a job yet?
Me: Why yes I have!
Mother F.: (Pause) Oh, I see
Me: ...... (see?see what?what is this about?)
Mother F.: Well congratulations
Me: Thank you.
Mother F.: Bye.
Me: Bye.

Then, two minutes later, as I was getting distracted by a book about the history of astronomy:

Ring!
Me: Hello, this is CV
Mother F.: Hi CV. This is Mother F. again. I was just talking with Sister K. and she wondered if you were happy.
Me: (pause) Happy?
Mother F.:Yes she was wondering if you would rather stay in Portland.
Me: ........
Mother F.:.........
Me: Well I signed the contract and they're helping me look for a place now.
Mother F.: So you're happy?
Me: Yes.
Mother F.: Okay then. Bye.
Me: Bye.
**
Ten minutes later I get a call from one of the people helping me look for a place. Still looking.
***
I spent the afternoon working on my Hester/Will socks. 14inches so far. Think I'll start the heel in another two***CV

Stir crazy

Goin' courtin', goin' courtin'
Oh it sets your senses in a whirl.
Goin' courtin', going courtin'
Duding up to go and see a .... flat? crib? squat? dig? hut? cave? squirrel?

Guess that doesn't work.

Where are Rogers &Hammerstein, or Gilbert & Sullivan; heck, good ole Noel when you need 'em?
**
Turned in my school keys today.
***
Threw away almost three years of lesson plans last night. Yikes. I'm afeared to look in the back room. Who knows what school related stuff lurks in the dark of the den.***CV

Munincipal Musings

Ah the joys of apartment hunting when one can't actually see the place before putting down a deposit. Trust. Yes. This is what we are developing here.

After my last move or two I've decided I would rather not ship everything; I would prefer to pack a truck and drive down. This is leading to all sorts of questions such as: is the price quoted to rent a truck per day or for the entire trip? do I have to buy all the packing supplies reccomended? and, just what distinguishes an apartment sized vehicle from a 1-2 bedroom truck? Dimensions not withstanding. I'm presuming from the images provided that "apartment" is a euphemism for studio or small dark cramped-space which even the Wild Child would have considered a bit of a tight fit.

I think, though, that I would qualify for the larger size hence my query as to whether the fee be per day, or, however long it takes.

In the housing area I just saw a cottage for rent within my budget, about 15 minutes from where I would be working. Hah! Did I go: Oh boy! Oh boy!?

I did not.

See. I know me. I know if I could walk to work, I would. Not just during the work week but on the weekends, at night, during holidays. In other words: work would be my home. So I want a place which is commuting distance. One which requires a knit project and a book to tide me over to and fro.

*Sigh* It was cute though***CV

And the winner is....

Out of 15 resumes sent I had about six (?) phonecall interviews and received three offers.

So Carrie better watch out. I'm headed her way :)

Um....supposing I can find an affordable place to live there of course***CV

the envelope please

Tomorrow night there will be an answer (unless something goes terribly awry)***CV

Ain't no Mountain High Enough

Girl Goddess #9, Franesca Lia Block

The Blck Sheep, Honore de Balzac

The Wasteland, Francesca Lia Block

**
10 textile books sold and three new lit.s bought. Not bad. I'm taking in quite a few Young Adult books tomorrow.
***
Asking advice of people is really interesting. One person advises directness and action. Call now!The other person (after you have acted upon the first persons advice because it made so much sense) says the direct approach in the given situation can do more harm than good. Furthermore, an offer is not an offer until it's on paper. Oh? Really? Does this mean I can say to one potential employer "Well even though you told me a starting salary I need to see all the stuff in writing before making up my mind?" A verbal is not enough?***CV

So where is that cave in the mountains I can retreat to?****CV

After Dark

There's a new Haruki Murakami out and I got me one! After Dark, Haruki Murakami, publ. May 2007.

At least this will keep me occupied and perhaps not biting my nails as I wait for a (hopefully) positive response. So I thought the admin. there wanted to call my admin. here after my interview before saying anything but they have apparently talked twice already.
***
This weekend was very productive in the:

Oh My G*** CV what a big wardrobe you have!
All the better to out goth you my dear.

But seriously, there are only so many black silk shirts, velvet coats, lace skirts and blouses one can own before Johnny Depp comes a knocking. Hence the major goodwill shift. I also realized that while one may have a brown bag hoarde to outlast the coming apocalypse, still, there be an end to the brown bags eventually.***CV

bokes solde y boughte

More selling of books today. Before I went to Powell's though I went to practice where a fellow bookaholic had a look through the bag. She ended up with a copy of Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. The buyer at Powell's actually bought all I brought in today, inluding a twice rejected novel. I guess not everyone is a Malraux fan.
**
For a whole week I have been good and not bought a single book. Today I fell off the wagon and got Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon. Aaaah practical and erudite. Just what I need.
***
In spite of my "Don't jinx something you want by thinking too much about it" philosophy, I cannot help but wonder what would be good plants for a drought stricken desert garden?***CV

Repris

I am back. I liked what I saw. I will hopefully not jinx things any further ;)
**
Having finished The Doomsday Book (*sniff* that poor, poor cow) I am deciding whether to curl up with Ganesh Gaitonde or Lucien, hmmmm.***CV

two out of three so far

Interview 2. As I had thought, it was one of those, "Well let's see what the person is like even though we do not have any openings right now." That's not quite true. I was told that while all the guides had already signed contracts the school didn't suppose I was interested in any of the assistant positions.

Funny. If I wasn't where I am now in my career and in a self supporting role I wouldn't have minded. I see nothing bad or negative about being an assistant.

I will be flying out for one more interview this weekend. Unless something dramatically unexpected occurs I will be moving out of state this summer.
**
I've started reading Sacred Games again. Probably not the best book choice to bring on an airplane, huh?
*CV

Signorina meet Monsiuer

I've started re-reading Montessori's books. It's amazing , though not neccessarily surprising, how much more I can relate to what she says now then when I first started teaching almost ten years ago. At this point I can see where she is actually givng directions in to what to present to what children and and the reasons why. It really is very inspiring.
**
One interview has been done, one is coming midweek and I am arranging flight schedules for a third this weekend. Interesting how different schools are in their approaches. One school will take care of everything while another one insists that there is a joint responsibility. Hmmm and yet the latter charges a high end tuition and the former relies on state monies. What to think? or should I?

One school give much responsibility as in not only supervision of lessons but of four other adults as well and one says children and an assistant are enough.
***
Last night I went to a demonstration of acro-yoga which was accompanied by live music. I have experienced acro-yoga personally before, being supported in a backbend, off the ground, by a partner who is lifting me with just their feet. Partners have to have complete trust in each other and this adds I think to the beauty of it all.
****
(As an aside my reading is now fluctuating between Montessori and Balzac. perhaps there is some meaning in that)***CV

NB

I started Sugar and Other Stories a few days ago. I had forgotten how detailed, almost minaturist like, AS Byatt can be. Currently I am reading the fourth story, called Dried Witch.
**
I'm back home. I recieved a call from another school this afternoon and may be flying out next week, I'm not sure yet. Much to think about and not all that much time to do so in.***CV

One more for the road

Primavera, Francesca Lia Block (196pp) This is a definitely dark version of the rites of Spring or the rise of Proserpina. While not graphic in the sense of being explicit, it would take a very innocent/ or oblivious person to not understand what happens to our heroine and other characters. Ms. Block is very much about the equality and rights of people to exist in a world of care and beauty, regardless of preference: doesn't the love of one being for another preclude the physical aspect of either party? I was struck most by the very feminist aspect of this tale. It is told , as Ecstasia was, with poems interspersed among the narratve chapters.
**
I will not be seeing Pink Martini tomorrow night as I am flying out to an interview instead. I have a phone interview hopefully tomorrow morning (it would have been today except my co guide's child was sick) and an in person next Wednesday.

I am so leery of getting my hopes up.

One day at a time***CV

Synchronicity

Today after practice I entered a discussion in which the phrase "Ladder of abstraction" came up. As I understand it an abstraction is when a person generalizes from a specific experience in such a way that the specific situation no longer has to be dealt with. For example: "Today (x) yelled at me" becomes abstracted to, "Nobody likes me." A ladder is comprised of all the steps one takes from the specifc event to the generalization. The ladder idea is nice because it froms a path that one can follow back to the specific.

In a somewhat related situation I was browsing the local new age/ spiritual shop and as I was perusing the Thich Nach Hahn shelves I came across a slim volume related to Sangha building.

I found both of these situations insightful as in my particular line of work abstractions are continually being formed by the individuals in my care; beings who are not only learning how to become a community among themselves but developing the skills to create community no matter where they go.

(Not to mention the couple who asked one of the shop attendents what Ganesa represented. "Hmmm? Oh, most ommonly he is known as The Remover of Obstacles.) ***CV

adjustments

Talked with the children today about the changes that are coming. Most of them were very together about it. Apparently yesterday (I was out on a professional day) there was a bit of agitation and a group meeting was held.

Today one child asked if I would be staying when the school moved and I said no. Why not? Because things are changing and one of those things that I will be most likely moving.

"Are you happy where you might move?" asked another child.

I said, "Yes"

"Then that's what's important."

"But I'll miss you", said the first one.

"Yes, but she's happy where she's going", the second child told her.
**
I guess even when you think what you're saying is not being heard, it is :)

Gabe and the Sibyl

Prom Nights From Hell, Meg Cabot et al (304pp) I finished this last night before going to sleep. I kept wondering if maybe the title should have been Buffy at Prom but I guess not. It's an Ok collection of stories. By which I mean it wasn't bad enough to be offensive but my goodness could it have been fluffier? Yes, I read the Monkey's Paw when I was nine and so the terror supposed to be induced by the Corsage was not going to happen. I suppose what bothered me was that the girls were so unheroine-ish. I did kind of like the Sibyl tale but the Wonder Woman part, egads. And honestly how could Gabe's middle name not be Michael? So if you're looking for a fluff book that is okay to drop in the tub, or leave on a plane, you could do worse than this one. I'd class it with Gothic.
**
Still trying to assess the interview. The first was "Oh I guess that didn't go so good". Then I got a second call tonight and we're trying to arrange an in person. Still.... I think I'm too honest. Must work on that answering without answering technique.....
***
56/246 complete****CV

contemplation

I had several interesting conversations with parents today. One of the central themes of these discussions was when does writing actually click and become a natural means of communication. Was there a certain age or are there signs of its emergence? Is there some way of teaching this skill so that unlike reading it is actually teachable rather than a realization that only the individual can come to?

I don't know when this moment occurred for me. At some point though I realized that writing is conversation without sound. Perhaps somewhere in my voracious reading this thought was presented to me by an author and I unconsciously accepted it as very sensible and the next time I was asked to write, I did. It must have happened sometime after that Presidential report I was required to do in the fourth grade though.

That was a struggle. I had never written any report until that moment and had no idea how to go about it. Maybe I had done a book report but nothing else I'm sure.

We keep journals and everyday the children record what work they are doing, the times they did it and a sentence or two about the work itself. At least that is the vision; but many, many times I hear:

"What should I write?"

To which I reply by asking:

"What did you do?"

Then they tell me what they have done, so I say:

"Then write that."

Which is followed by a confused look and the query, "Write what?"

"What you just told me."

"What I just told you?"

"Yes."

"What did I say?"

***
So maybe writing as communication comes only after you can hear yourself speak.***CV

arboreal masque

The big announcement was made today and one of the parents came in tears to the class. The next few months should be interesting.
**
If you have not read any of Catherine Fisher's work I suggest you do so now. Of the two I have read Corbenic is dark (but it is Parsifal so how could it not be) and Darkhenge is a combined retelling of Taleisin and the Battle of the Trees with some Persephone thrown into the mix.

I may have to suffer the trade edition of Snow Walker after all.
***
I have an interview scheduled for next Monday. ****CV

Ding Dong Dell

Darkhenge, Catherine Fisher
Dangerous Angels, Lia Block
Prom Nights From Hell, Meg Cabot and others

**
I think I may have found a new author to collect: Ms. Fisher. I only wish Snow Walker would come out in a better edition. It's too thick to read comfortably in paperback.

***
It would seem the intuition I tend to ignore was right again. Big changes are a'coming***CV

Wallflower

Waiting is very hard. Usually it is something I am fairly good at. The model of patience. Whooops, out the door when it comes to call backs.

*tap*tap*tap*

I had to tell one person that I couldn't accept their offer to come see the school as I can't afford to, even with their offer of assistance. Had a different interview on Sunday which sounds very nice but she is, like I am, a processor. Which means that we like to think things over and not come to hasty decisions. *sigh*

Then there is the local place which, though challenging, could be wonderful only I don't quite know how to proceed. I've been in contact but saying, "Hey how's about an interview?" seems somewhat crass.

Or is that just me?
***
History of the Thirteen, Honore Balzac (321pp) Not his best that I've read. I think he may have been having issues with his Hungarian Countess at the time. Either that or he simply wanted to demonstrate what egotistial pigs men can be on the one hand and what pathetic self sacrificing creatures women can be on the other. The Girl with the Amber Eyes was strange to say the least. More Radcliffe than Radcliffe: More conspiritorial then Fouquet: I kept expecting the hero and heroine to turn out to be brother and sister intead of what they were, which was still rather sick and abrupt. Maybe Honore needed some quick money.
****
I've started Carlyle's, The French Revolution, but I may break into one of my YA purchases first. ***CV