misc. wednesday

-Went to Belle and Sebastian last night. I had great company, it was a great show and they are one of my favorite bands, but I must say that, save those of independent hip-hop or music festivals (OK, OK, or Indigo Girls), I'm a tad over concerts in general. They are fun and it has nothing to do with the music, but sometimes it's weird to just stand there and watch the people perform. I like going to concerts and hanging out, but it gets odd when you can't really do that because the venue or crowd mood and you're just kind of standing there watching from a distance a band that is playing pretty much the exact stuff on their albums. With the hip-hop, the bluegrass, the music festivals, (and the Indigo Girls), there is usually improvisation and crowd engagement/dancing. But especially the indie rock I've noticed, it's a hilarious bunch of indie hipsters standing like statues facing forward, kind of swaying. Cracks me up.

-Song Du Jour: No More Drama by Mary J
"It feels so good/when you let go of all the drama in your life/Now you're free from all the pain, free from all the games/free from all the stress/to find your happiness."

-Started coaching lacrosse at Mercy HS. It’s so interesting to see how new the sport is out here on the west coast, but how enthusiastic kids are to learn it despite the fact that it was never one of those sports they grew up with, like soccer or softball. The girls are so excited to learn even though they've lost their first few games and keep getting called for rules they don't know yet. I'm looking forward to their progress.

-Also finishing up training this week for ProjectRead, the adult literacy program at the SF library. I really can't believe how many adults out there can't read or write, and, even more interesting, how they got to that point. Some just fell through the cracks and made it through the school system--diploma and all--but can't read above second grade. Others never got to go to school past third or fourth grade because of family problems or moving. Whatever the reason, they've decided to get help, which is where PR comes in. We work with the learners as their learning partner to get them to where they want to be. That could be as simple as wanting to know enough just to fill out a job application, or as long of a journey as getting to college.
Just in the training, which has been a few weeks, 6 hours a week, we've learned so much ourselves. From how and why the learners are where they are, to how we fit in to getting them to achieve their goals, to seeing how complex reading and writing actually is when taken in the context of someone who can't. I've learned that there are a million things I take for granted everytime I read something as simple as a menu or write an email. Good stuff.

-Congratulations to Brad who got into a lot of his top choice of grad schools, including Yale and the Fletcher School at Tufts.

-I was talking to my friend Molly from home yesterday and she's been back there for about a month just chillin' as a Carlisle townie for a bit. She was telling me all about her townie life and how she hangs out with some guys from our high school class--they were never 'best friends' or 'not friends'--just friends. She said her and one of them "go on bike rides." I was laughing out loud because only in Carlisle would two people who happen to be there at the same time start hanging out regularly and go on bike rides through the country.
I can't say I don't miss it:)

-When two people created between them, over the years and perhaps unknowingly, a crappy, unhealthy and untrusting relationship, it is really hard for them each to get to the point where each of them is comfortable and wants to establish a friendship. There is no fault; it just happened that way. To some, it might be 'sad' that it is that way, but that is not the way I see it. I see it as a huge learning experience that couldn't really have happened either way. In exchange for the heaps of personal lessons gained, a friendship may have been sacrificed. A friendship is carefree, loving and fun. I feel none of these things. At least not yet.

-Today's Compare and Contrast: Apples and Oranges
Apples are either red, green, yellow or a combination of the three. Oranges are orange or red, and can also be a combination of both. Apples can be sweet, tart, or both at the same time. Oranges can claim the same flavor spectrum. Apples and Oranges are both juicy and have seeds and stems, but Apples have cores, which Oranges don't. I've never come across a mealy Orange though. Both have peels, but it is easier to remove an Orange peel than that of an Apple.
Underpaid Central-American migrant workers usually pick both, sometimes within the same year.