Special Events
Windshield Repair
This was the week of excitement and idealism for most of us AISD teachers. The week we dream about what a wonderful school year it’s gonna be, set up our classroom, dust off, modify or create brand-spanking new lesson plans, pray not to have a crowded class size and run around to get everything else … Continue reading
What’s SUP?
SUP or stand up paddle boarding is yet another non-motorized way people can enjoy spending time on Lady Bird lake. Since Austin is currently experiencing 100+ weather, I met a group of other women around 10:30 Saturday morning to SUP in relatively cool 80-degree weather. GPS got me in the vicinity of water sports rental … Continue reading
Jasmine’s Visit
Every time one of my nieces or nephews turn 16, they fly out to where I’m living to spend a week with me. As soon as I whisked Jasmine from the airport, we went straight to a locally owned 24-hour diner. As much as I wanted to impress my niece, I loved my entree as well: … Continue reading
Beach Camping
I recently went on a beach camping trip with three other capoeira friends of mine. We all met up at one friend’s house who’d recently bought a truck and saw how much we could safely load up the bed. She even got all dressed up for our all-female, Texas road trip. So after loading up … Continue reading
Brewery Tour
I’ve always professed not to be a beer drinker, but I jumped on the opportunity to join a social group of 30- and 40-somethings for a nearby small brewery tour. I made sure that I arrived on the early side of noon since one of the social group organizers advertised that he’d have a canopy. I … Continue reading
Firedancing!
You know I’m on vacation when I have enough energy to go to a morning capoeira class, two afternoon tango classes and then take a firedancing class in the evening. That’s exactly what I did this past Saturday and much to my surprise, getting eight hours of sleep and having virtually no stress means … Continue reading
An Evening with Walter Mosley
Although I was not planning to go listen to Walter Mosley, I’m glad a friend encouraged me to do so. He’s a prolific writer and of course a fantastic speaker–very down-to-earth and entertaining just like his books. I arrived at the bookstore early enough to get a good seat and briefly talk with a woman who had been … Continue reading
And the Winner Is…
Years ago, I participated in an overnight bat workshop for teachers. One of the fun activities was a raffle with 14 must-have teacher gifts. There were 15 of us. Guess who didn’t win a prize? After that experience, I stated with much mathematical and scientific certainty that I had bad luck. This was beyond the garden … Continue reading
Passaporte Brasil
One of my favorite upscale grocery stores that has weekly live music groups and performances also sponsors a weeklong special, featuring foods from a particular country. In the past, they’ve had the spotlight on France and Argentina. This year, they highlighted Brazil. I sacrificed a yoga workout in order to rehearse on Monday and Tuesday for the … Continue reading
Black & Brown Don’t Mess Around
I got up extra early on Tuesday morning in order to get to school and knock out some work that had magically collected . As I drove along, watching out for the fools in the morning traffic, I listened to the latest details of the attack during the Boston Marathon. The reporter had just read a … Continue reading