White Christmas with the Family Stone

So, I've been on a Christmas movie kick this year, even more than usual it seems.  Tonight was a double feature: White Christmas and The Family Stone.  It was Greg's first time seeing White Christmas and we both giggled all the way through.  I was thrilled to find out that my childhood memory of Vera-Ellen's hummingbird speed toe tapping held up.  And she does it with both feet!  The scene where the enlisted men pay tribute to the General at the end of the movie was more touching than I had remembered. 

The Family Stone makes me want to have a big family someday and live up in New England somewhere.  That big white house in the snow is so appealing, filled with so much family love.  And Luke Wilson--typically adorable but a bit of a bust--is fabulous in this film.  His character is gentle and wise, urging his brother's uptight girl to fly her freak flag.  I like that.  We all need to fly our freak flag now and again.  Not that people in NYC seem to have much inhibition in that area.

The other big news here is that it's finally snowing!  A nighttime shot of the snow glow filtering in through our windows this evening.

And what with all the snow, I am reminded of one of my favorite poems by Billy Collins: "Shoveling Snow with Buddha." You can check the snow-flocked Buddha here: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/shoveling-snow-with-buddha/.  It's worth a read.

Toward Me

A few days ago I had a rare, stolen day off work.  Rather than grading papers or planning next week's curriculum, I basked in a day all to myself: yoga, home made soup, a manicure, movie trailers, and a moment to ponder future possibilities.

For a while now I've been dreaming up a school I want to one day open.  This week it all came a little more in to focus.  Interdisciplinary inquiry learning; authentic projects; strong habits of mind; college preparation.  And food!  Cooking, gardening, growing, and eating.  It could happen.  I think I can see it.  Virginia Woolf said every woman needs a room of one's own.  My problem is that I can't decide if my room should be a kitchen or a classroom.  Ms. Woolf, I want them both, please.

Just to be clear, I know almost nothing about cultivating food.  In fact, I'm so bad with plants that Greg has taken over the care of all green things living with us.  And I'm still just learning to cook.  I'm hoping (a la Julia Child and Ina Garten) to continue on my path of self-taught chefery.  But, I do know a thing or two about eating.  Had I been born a bit shorter and stouter, I would've made a great hobbit.  Breakfast, second breakfast, elevensees, lunch, afternoon tea, and supper.  This dining schedule works perfectly for me on two accounts: 1) one gets to enjoy six meals a day, and 2) as a girl who enjoys the early morning, I subscribe to the notion of three meals before lunch has rolled around.

So, here's to the journey.  Toward learning, toward growing, toward teaching, and eating.