May 6, 2010
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The Daily News1 And now, the News.
2 I LOVED Cinco de Mayo yesterday. Went to Lucky, and gathered about a hundred-thousand dollars to create a purely perfect Mexican dinner, featuring carne'
asada, black beans, rice, and all assorted vegetables, all healthy.
3 Just great fun.
4 Underrated fiesta.
5 Ah, vell.
6 Today is a total poetry day, as is tomorrow. I'm LOVIN' it.
7 I stayed after school yesterday to clean up the room, and to start converting it into the Cafe' Verona.
8 Sheer poetry.
9 While I'm off the subject, I would like to send out a huge shout to everyone who emailed me and sent all those magic thoughts yesterday.
10 And to my FB peeps, keep it rollin', and keep it real. You guys rock. Enjoying the banter, and the re-connections.
11 Moving on, Part the First: Okay, so yesterday's lesson was somewhat of a buffer. You know, buffers? For whatever reason, every now and again I get this deal on YouTube that always says, "buffering". This little spinner thing spins around and gets the giggles annoying me. It just wants to pass the time so it doesn't have to do anything.
12 To me, that's the online equivalent of "goofing off".
13 It wasn't REALLY goofing off, because technically I taught a standard. It's just that the periods were WAY short so it wasn't high quality.
14 AnywayZ...
15 So yesterday's lesson was a buffer.
16 I openly admit this.
17 My students certainly got it. I was buying time for today and tomorrow, which should totally rock.
18 Still...
19 Today will rock.
20 I'm going to INTRODUCE the students to the songs and poetry of Paul Simon.
21 They will be introduced to the poet/merrymaker through five songs, including Cloudy, The Sound of Silence, Scarborough Fair, America, and the 59th Street Bride Song (Feelin' Groovy).
22 The room is already semi-dressed: My guitar is on a stand next to an open mic and amp. A chair has a picture of the the Café Verona. An ancient "book" leans against the chair. It's actually a box that holds papers, but it looks almost like something out of Harry Potter. I didn't take a picture, but I do have this:
23 It's actually a reflection from a picture I found online, printed, and framed for my classroom. Here's the actual picture:
24 I was leaving for the day last week and saw the reflection and stuff. I put this in a nice frame and it is in my classroom. I have it in a chair angled just so. Sort of gives the feel for the next two days.
25 On Friday I'll have Starbuck's lamps, fresh fruit, ice cold milk, orange juice, and Starbuck's Caffé Verona perking when the students come in wearing sunglasses. I'll have Dizzie Gillespie or Miles Davis going also. The students will share their poems, and then we have a reading. Finger snaps, beat stuff.
26 So it was okay to buffer yesterday.
27 They will listen to the songs today, and I will sing play guitar and sing America at the end of each period. I may be talked into playing Scarborough Fair, because yesterday afternoon I totally nailed it. Tough song to sing; you have to know right when to breathe or you might run out of air.
28 Remember me to one who lives there.
29 Wish me luck.
30 Have an awesome day. Go Sharks.
31 Peace.
~H~
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