Tales from the Porch

I would just like to make it known to the world that my neighbor children are the cutest children in the entire world. No, don't try to protest. I know you think that you know or perhaps have even produced children more adorable, but...you haven't seen these kids. I don't even like kids. But it has to be said, beyond any murmur of contestation, that these kids are the quintessence of kid-ness.

In the house on our right lives a Chinese family, and they have two girls, one who's maybe 3 years old (and has pigtails!) and one who's maybe a year old. The other day I came out onto our porch to check on health of my fuschia plant, and there, on a porch completely strewn with toys, was the littlest girl and her grandma, who was squatting on some kind of box. As soon as I walk out, the little girl looks up at me, smiles, and starts waving, that little kid wave in which the hand opens and closes on itself like a clam shell. I, of course, smile and wave back. And the grandmother looks at her, looks at me, and beams ecstatically, pointing at her as if to say, "Look, do you see what she's doing? Isn't she the most brilliant child you've ever seen in your life?" I smile and nod, "Yes, she's amazing!"

On the left there are two houses before the end of the block, and I think a large Burmese family resides in each house. They each have a pack of kids who are always traipsing back and forth to each other's houses, pretending to fight with little swords, screaming at each other, riding bikes or roller skates up and down the block, while their mamas and aunties talk on the porch. These kids are much more free (largely because they are older) in roaming around and their wanderings occasionally seem to include our little postage stamp of front yard. But they never come when the door's open or when we're outside the house. You'll just see signs they have been there, like the visitations of little fairy children. One day I found a little strand of plastic beads flung in the yard, another day there was a plastic replica of the Death Star with different Star Wars character stickers all over it. And just the other day there was a fragile-looking pink rose, almost out of sight on the front step, with a few stray petals scattered over the porch.

Today I was working at my desk in front of the open window of my room and I heard little voices coming from very close by. I looked out casually, and didn't see anyone, and went back to work until I heard the voices again. This time I looked out and there were two little boys from next door, one of them had our hose and was yelling to the other to turn the water on (this is conjecture, they don't really speak English to each other, so I never have a clue what they're saying). Then when the water finally came, he took our hose and went, methodically and with precision, around the entire yard and watered our garden. No joke, they could not have done a neater or more careful job if we had hired them to do it. He went carefully around the entire perimeter, watering the mum and my marigold, the squash vines, then back to the flowers before his brother called him back to pay special attention to a weed growing at the edge of the squash plant. All the weeds that have filled in around the flowers, as well as the unruly patch of Queen Anne's Lace that's growing wild back there were all given careful attention. Even the heads of the daisies that hung over the concrete were given their fair share (I don't think they quite understood that only the roots of the plants really need the water). Then they started to give careful attention to watering the fire pit, I think they might actually have been trying to fill it with how much time they spent pouring water into it, and I was going to go down and say hello and probably mention that the fire pit didn't need quite so much water, but by the time I made it to the backyard, they were altogether gone, and the only sign that they had ever been there was that the hose had been left on. Fairy children indeed!

I really wished that I could go out and offer them each a homemade cookie, but I have none on hand at the moment. I suppose that after that every kid in the neighborhood would start coming around for cookies, but I don't know that I would mind. I have always had secret ambitions to grow up to be the lady who always had a fresh hot cookie, a hug and a story for any kid who came to her. Basically, I think I wanted to grow up to be Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Have I arrived already? Am I a Grown Up so soon? Small price to pay to be The Cookie Lady for the world's cutest children!

S.

More Pics

Back again briefly, for another swatch of pictures. Lame, I know, but there is not much to say at the moment, I think.
The pics are as follows:
1. I like funny signs
2. Sisters...sisters...
3. Clouds rolling in, Rocky Mountain National Park
4. Alluvial Fan, RMNP
5. Glass Shop, Manitou Springs, CO

Whoops

So, when I spoke of my triumphant return to bloggy land, did I fail to mention that I was currently spending time with friends who were in town and then subsequently leave Buffalo for a week and a half of vacation? No? Not even a little bit. Hmmm...

Well, sorry for getting your hopes up only to dash them again. I am recently returned from many adventures in the West, which kept me from the beloved blog, but were entirely worth it, as they were as rough and wild as the Old West itself. A sampling of our great exploits:

--A leisurely afternoon viewing the house of the Unsinkable Molly Brown and the capital building of Denver with my historically minded sis.
--Spending a few days among the hummingbirds in a cabin on the river
--Horseback riding through the mountains
--White water rafting on the Poudre River (one of the coolest things I have ever done, may have to expand on this in another post)
--A scenic drive up one of the most trecherous, unpaved, hairpin-turny, steep-drop-offy, serpentinest roads we have ever driven, for grand, glorious and oh so worth it views of the Rocky Mountains and the alpine tundra biosphere
--Waffles for breakfast in a castle
--Climbing the rocks in the Garden of the Gods and a quick hike to see Siamese Twins
--A train ride past Douglas Firs, marmots, and the Sangre de Cristo mountains, up to the tippy top of Pike's Peak (upon which America the Beautiful was composed, dontcha know?)
--A side splitting visit to a modest Old West museum that nonetheless provided the backdrop for some very fun photo ops
--a concert of Rogers and Hammerstein's classics (don't get me started!)
--Finally, collapsing in a friend's condo by a mountain lake for some well earned R&R, including a wonderful night of pizza and SYTYCD, a pool with a sauna and a eucalyptus scented steam room (!) and possibly the most hilariously swash-buckling paddleboat ride that was ever embarked on the high seas.

I love lists. I hope you love them too. They are the only way I know of to cover ten days of awesome in a way that doesn't put everyone but the participants to sleep. Perhaps I will post some more pictures soon. But for now I'm back in the Buff and on to more adventures!

S.

Reporting for Duty

Finally, finally! The long month of quasi-quiet is over and the chatter can resume full force. Oh, and do I ever have things to tell you today.

So I am full of joy because not only am I in my new room, but I have pretty much all my furniture and things are basically the way I want them, with the major exception being my workspace, which I think requires a little more furniture for the sake of organization. And maybe a bigger chair. That would be nice. Not necessary, but nice. And I am settling in nicely to my new home and daily discovering more delights. For example, just recently I discovered that the piano bench actually rests on legs that are shaped like a bird's claw clutching a glass ball. Who would expect such a fantastical, Lord of the Ringsy sort of furnishing in a commonplace house such as ours? But this is clearly a place of many secrets.

But, aside from all that, today's topic is the long promised, long awaited one in which I finally fill you in on the job situation! Aren't you so excited? I knew you would be! So I have not gone far from the sheltering nest of Americorps work, but I have made a very significant switch from Americorps VISTA to Americorps ABLE. The most significant differences are that ABLEs get to be more hands on in their work, and they have a lot less paperwork to worry about. Both big bonuses in my view. So I ended up being able to create the project plan for my new job, a circumstance which has come about in the most circuitous way that I won't even tell you the story because there are so many steps and dead ends and yet every step was completely necessary to get where I have ended up. But that is also a great gift to be able to insist, in a way, on what I want to do.

The new job basically has three components: 1.) To bring collaborative, large scale art projects to Grant St., an endeavor which has, as I understand it, already been started, but just needs a little more juice to get finished. Grant St. is really close to my neighborhood, but is also kind of infamous for not being such a good section of town. 2.) Work to connect the Houghton College arts community to the Buffalo arts community, both by bringing Buffalo artists to Houghton for workshops/lectures/exhibits and by bringing Houghton to Buffalo through keeping students informed about the different things happening in Buffalo and trying to arrange internships or jobs in the arts field for Houghton students. And the very best part is part 3.) Freelance work for different arts non-profit groups which could include anything from helping them with a marketing campaign or designing a new brochure or helping them recruit volunteers to helping as a teacher's aid in an arts-in-education classroom. I am very open to working with all kinds of groups, but of course I'm particularly excited about working with dance groups. The great thing about my job description is that it is very flexible and I can adapt it to the opportunities that present themselves and what catches my interest.

I'm a little nervous about the whole enterprise, though, to be perfectly honest. Sometimes I do wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I feel like that feeling comes from the fact that right now I'm thinking about the job instead of doing it. And besides, I need a challenge. Oh, do I ever. I won't be starting until after the 13th of this month because I leave next week for a little vacation with the fam in the great state of Colorado. I have to say at this point I don't know that it's a well deserved rest since this vacation comes promptly following two weeks of...vacation. And I can't say it's been a terribly productive vacation either. But I think of these two weeks as a time of rest, whereas our time in Colorado promises to be more of a time of adventure. We need all three, I think, work, rest, and play, so I should have all my bases covered.

Hopefully I should be able to check in before I go, but lately the most interesting news behind my new job is the absurd amount of time I've spent watching the first season of House since I finished my last job. Thanks a lot, Netflix! Oh, but then there was that one day I spent exploring caves and wrangling turkeys. Maybe that will be the meat of my next post...

Until then,
S.

Taking Stock

So, here is where we stand: the move is done, although none of the unpacking, decorating, cleaning up, etc. have been accomplished. We have one wedding down and one to go, along with one accompanying visitation of friends down and one to go. But, then again, we have almost two full weeks off of work. And how are we spending them--hmmm...? Well, it must be said, though I have lofty hopes and much to do in terms of encouraging myself in my writing discipline, as well as some other projects I have up my sleeve, not much of that has been going down. There has, however, been a lot of lounging about, idly trolling around the internet, cooking lots of amazing food, and watching lots of House (thank you Netflix! If only your turnaround time was just a little bit faster.) Not the steely eyed discipline I've come to expect from myself (rather wistfully, though, as opposed to an expectation that might actually be fulfilled)but still, let's remember. I'm on vacation. Never mind the fact that two days after I start work I'm...going on vacation. Well, at least I should be extremely well rested by the time I start...

But, in the meantime, here is the thing (of the thing) my own room is a federally declared disaster area of unpacked boxes, but other glories reside in this new humble abode of mine:
--an upstairs AND a downstairs bathroom
--a room of one's own (not to be underestimated, eh Virginia?)
--lots of very international neighbors
--a secret staircase at the back of the house (I like to think of it as being my own personal secret passageway, since it's next to MY room)
--a window that overlooks our wild, tangly yard, waiting to be unearthed (The Secret Garden) and a fine view of the expansive, lush, neatly tended garden next door (which I like to think of as the Witch's garden from Rapunzel, into which I shall sneak after night falls and have to sacrifice my first born child as a penalty (ha, the joke's on you, Witch, I'm not having any children!))as well as a tempting view of the pool in the neighbor's yard beyond that (speaking of sneaking into things after dark...)
--grape arbors belonging to the houses on both sides of us (we live amongst horticulturalists, apparently)
--a Wusthof chef's knife in the kitchen. This is the glory of glories, I do not think I have words to convey to you the esteem and love in my heart for a good chef's knife. And it's a Wusthof!!!
--a very chipper patch of daisies in the back yard, though they seem to be rather infested with aphids, as I discovered when I tried to domesticate some the other day.
--an attic and a basement, which have not yet been explored to discover if they be glorious or terrifying, but there is at least adventure to be had there.
--And finally, the most tempting, beautiful strawberry pie I've ever laid eyes on, resting quietly in the fridge, while I wait with bated breath to see if the fruits of my labor (ha!) will set properly.

I'm sure there are still charms uncounted waiting for my discovery, but I think the above list is not too shabby for a week's adjustment.

Toast to the Queen City

Okay, I know I said that this would be a quiet month (and it has been, yes?) but we have to do at least a little something to commemorate a very important anniversary. June 8 marks the one year anniversary of my arrival in Buffalo, remember? Remember the grueling road trip and my family's one night stay in our Lafayette apartment before I whisked them off to the airport at 6:00 AM the next day? Oh yeah, good times. And, even more importantly, as we all know, the first anniversary is the paper anniversary!! Very special. I will celebrate by giving myself...a printed copy of this blog entry. Or a paper hat! Or a paper crane! Okay, enough of that.

I think it's funny to be commemorating my anniversary in this particular month, as it is once again a time of transition. Last year--new job and new place to live. This year, new job and new place to live. Don't worry Buffalo, I'm not leaving you, just relocating up and over a block. But as always, for me at least, anniversaries are times to reflect and this one is no exception.

Oh Buffalo, Buffalo, you've been so good to me. I remember the most striking thing to me about life when I first moved here is that I felt like I was getting to do everything I had always wanted to do, all at once. Planting a garden, learning to play the guitar, eating ethnic food any time I wanted to, learning to swing dance. It was magical. And, really, I think that that has been characteristic of my life since then. I remember talking to my sister on the phone once and she said that my life sounded "glamourous." Well, besides being one of the highlights of my life thus far (because who doesn't want the kind of life their little sister will envy?) it's actually kind of true. We should label June 2008--June 2009 the year of trying new things or maybe just the year of doing whatever I wanted to do (if you can come up with something catchier, please go ahead. cause that was not catchy). I have so much freedom in my life right now, and I've been able to do so much. Let's not forget the introduction of Argentine tango into my life, lots of choral concerts, the ballet and other dance performances at UB, becoming a yoga devotee and a Real Dancer. If I want to do things now, I do them. And, more than that, I look for things that I want to do rather than just waiting for someone else to come up with an idea. This often backfires on me because a lot of times other people don't really want to do the things I'm doing, but in those cases, I do them by myself.

And that in itself is something. When I moved here, if I didn't have people to do things with, I just didn't do anything. And, oh hell, I'm just going to say it, even though it sounds all sorts of arrogant: I think it's brave of me to go and do things by myself. Seriously, there are a lot of people who go there whole lives without ever being able to do that. And I think it's brave that I can try new things as well. I've met so many people who say "I can't" without even taking the faintest stab at something. But isn't life much more boring when you just stick to what you already know? I think this year has also been the year of becoming brave, which is ironic, since in the midst of becoming brave, circumstances have often conspired to scare the shit out of me. (Remember when we caught that guy watching us through the window? Remember when somebody set that car on fire on our street? Yep. Good times.)Maybe not so much not being afraid of things that are actually threatening, but of becoming not afraid of being alone. More than that, even being able to embrace the aloneness and recognize the ways that it nourishes me.

However, it would not be a fair surmise of this year if I failed to mention how incredibly frustrating and horrible my job was. Obviously, this is an experience that I hope not to repeat. But you know, even though I felt in so many ways that my job wasn't pushing me, I was learning things. I think I feel much more confident of myself as an adult now, if that makes any sense. I've developed an ability to approach people in work situations with an attitude that's more like, "Hey, how are you? I'm here to do X and I know how to do it and I can do it well." This is entirely different than that feeling I used to get when I would first have to approach people, you know the one I'm talking about, where you're around people who are clearly not taking you seriously and you feel about 4 yrs. old and generally just want to throw a tantrum because everyone is being so gosh darn patronizing. I think a large part of growing past that feeling comes from learning that these so-called "adults" are often no more knowledgeable or mature than you, and oftentimes less. I have made presentations to large groups, dealt with unruly high schoolers, spoken my mind in opposition to other points of view at meetings, and along the way I've even learned a few of thems that you'd call marketable skills. Not bad for a year of labor. And, just the thing to give me the confidence to equip me for my new job.

What? New job? What new job? Well, I'd love to tell you all about it, but that will just have to wait for another post...

So thank you Buffalo, for a fine, fine year of growing, stretching, and trying new things. I know we had some harsh words round about March when it looked like the whole winter thing was never going to end, but I think we've both moved on from that, and it must be said, you've grown on me. Let's drink to another year of lovely life in the lovely Queen City...

S.

Taking a Break

Well, as some have noted, I have not been posting as regularly as I should be. Believe it or not, I have set a goal to post here twice a week, and I haven't been doing that. But you have to understand, June be crazy. Three weddings, two housemates moving out, two more moving in, me moving out and changing jobs, friends coming in and out of town. There's not that much spare time for the bloggy. I have some big plans, but let's ease off of our expectations for June. We're just going to extend a little grace. If I can get over here to post, I will, but if not, I promise to be back on a regular schedule in July.

Alrighty then, see you soon!
S.