Yea, Sam!

This past week Sam has learned how to clap and it's so stinkin' cute! Any time he doesn't know what to do, he just sits there, smiles, and claps his hands. Usually when he's headed toward the kitty food, the shoes, or something else he shouldn't have, I'll say, "No, no, Sam." He'll stop, look at me, and clap. What a cutie pie.

Pleasantly Surprised

Today was Eden's first day of band. I knew the varsity soccer and volleyball teams had early dismissals for games, so I was only expecting about four kids to show up. I had tentatively planned to go over all the typical first day stuff (kids' info sheets, rules, get to knows the kids a little, tell them about myself, etc.) but I wasn't really going to do all that with four kids.

To my surprise there were twelve kids who showed up including several promising new kids! There were at least three our four kids who were absent because of the games, so that makes for a pretty decent group.


I have had years where I only had flute, clarinet, trumpet, and percussion players. Those are all "high" sounding instruments, leading to a very unbalanced sound. This year I have a tenor sax player, two trombone players and a baritone player! I also have two flute players, three clarinet players, three alto sax players, one trumpet player, and two percussion players. I think I may be forgetting a few, but for a small band, it's pretty balanced!


The new kids seemed nice and there seemed to be a good atmosphere. The year is off to a great start.

School craziness

I went to school today to make some copies and work on my classroom. When I got there, I found out I no longer had a classroom. I had just been there last week to check things out, and I was supposed to be in the band room that I had used in other years. Today I found out that an English classroom would be temporarily located in there.

See, the upper school ordered some portable classrooms which were supposed to be usable by today. I saw the truck moving them into their permanent positions today. So they still need put together. I don't really know how all that works, but I know that right now they are in four separate pieces and definitely not ready for students. Apparently the company the school is working with overcommitted itself and is now behind schedule.

It's not that I really care where band meets. But band involves a lot of equipment: percussion, music stands, etc. To move all of that repeatedly is not only a pain, but having middle and high school students move equipment wears on it very quickly as they aren't always that careful.

The latest that I've heard is that the new classrooms should be ready in the next few days. I just hope they are ready by next Tuesday for my first official day of band.

The silver lining? Eden's space challenges exist because we are growing. That is a good thing!

So today I made all my copies, got a quick tutorial on changes in the grading program, and saw some familiar faces that I had missed this past year. It is good to be back.

Unsafe Alert

This morning I saw a advertisement for a product called Phantom Alert. It's slogan is: "No more unfair traffic tickets." Apparently if you subscribe to this service, your gps can download information about local speed traps, sobriety checkpoints, and traffic signals about to turn red. It claims that it will reduce the number of traffic tickets you get.

I have an idea that's safer for everyone and free: don't drink and drive, slow down, and pay attention.

Outdoor ballet performance

Tonight Dan and I went to a free outdoor performance by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at Hartwood Acres. The night was just beautiful. We could see the stars through a thin layer of clouds. Cool and warm breezes swirled around. Smells of cheese and wine reached our noses. (Why didn't we think of bringing snacks!?!) Kids threw frisbees. The audience lounged on blankets and camp chairs. Dogs lay on the grass. One man even brought his pet snake. The snake was wrapped around his upper body and was really big. We weren't sure what that was about.

The dancing was beautiful. They danced to a variety of music from modern to classical. There were solo dances, then some with about twenty dancers.

We couldn't think of anyone who would not have enjoyed it. They are performing the same program tomorrow night at the Cranberry Community Park. Click here for more info. I would highly recommend it if you're in the mood for a relaxing, enjoyable summer evening.