Accepted?

I think I might have been accepted into Endicott's M.Ed. program. I turned my application in to the Dean. He opened the envelope, said, "Great, it looks like it's all here," and told me he'd call me with the day, toward the end of September, when the class meetings will be held. He might have used "all set" or "good to go" language. I definitely left feeling like I was in.

He didn't even open the letters of recommendation!

He did say something like, "Do you have your MAT score yet?" Of course, I don't. But I did hear, when I went to take the test, that a raw score of 66 is a top-25% percent score. Fingers crossed.

J-Stroke

I took a kayaking lesson this morning. It was FUN.

I learned about paddles, how to hold them and which side is up and paddle angles and how paddles can act as sails if it's windy.

I learned strokes: draw, sculling, J, backwards and forwards and combos, and more that I can't recall at the moment.

I learned positioning, but I can't really get to the third position. That's a lean with the water lapping the cockpit. I learned the importance of increasing the body's points of connection to the kayak. I learned rescue techniques, and the importance of paddle floats and pumps.

I heartily endorse ERBA (in Essex), for anyone interested in learning about kayaking.

Cube (Truly Post-GM?)

Watching Comedy Central last night, I saw an ad that left me unsure as to its seriousness. It =might= have been a joke...

It was for a hideous vehicle, rectangular, with a Jetsons-like gizmo on the dash (in the radio spot) and...maybe a refrigerator section in the back?

The thing is, the words CAR, VEHICLE, and VAN were noticeably missing. The ad was for a MOBILE DEVICE. The wheeled rectangle was a MOBILE DEVICE.

Seriously. How post-GM is that?

Garden

I'm distressed that I took no pictures of my Carol Mackie daphne or my Josée lilac. I just kept walking up to sniff the air around them. It was lovely.

This is how my garden looks today. Stay tuned for its development over the season.

This year, we planted the vegetables that feed our pizza habit (not the kind of pizza you think), and chard, basil, thyme, cilanro, and radishes. My sister Gill tells me that radishes (and nasturtium) are effective in discouraging bugs and worms. Bonus.

The Stadium

I heard on the radio today that they're going to tear down "the rest" of Tiger Stadium.

I was unlucky enough to be in Detroit when the tear-down started; hence the picture. The whole deal has taken less than a year—we were there during August 2008.

I remember when the Renaissance Center, the Ren-Cen, was a ritzy mall. It is now, of course, GM HQ. I remember Trammell as an All-Star, not as a failed and fired manager.

Tiger Stadium was built in 1912, the same year that Fenway went up. How would you (folks in my state of MA) feel if the last bit of Fenway was being torn down?

Confidence

I am nearly miserable. I may have betrayed a confidence. The memory plays tricks—-was I cautioned to hold the story close to the vest? I don't trust my own mind. Different motivations can affect what we hold as truth, as memory. Dammit.

I value the truth, and I value holding my tongue. It is a terrible thing when these priorities are not compatible, and especially when we do not realize any incompatibility until it is too late.

Simple

So this is what I sent to the "jury" for the October Sea Glass Festival. Like I said, I don't go for elaborate stuff.