Tammy Lynn turned me on to these guys. Now I can't stop hitting repeat. Thanks, TLF!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Today
Today (tonight) I am in an organizing frenzy in our home office, the first one in quite some time, or at least since my boyfriend and I moved into our Union Square apartment in September.
Perhaps it's because I am feeling an after-interview glow. Just got off the phone with Casey Kennedy (perfect name, right?) from Teach for America, after a 60-minute over-the-phone interview (was only supposed to be 30, I thought?). That makes it my 7th interview (5 in-person, 2 over-the-phone) since November, the start of my job search and new life chapter titled, How to Become a Teacher. (Don't know how it ends yet).
As of last week, I quit my job at Thompson Island to focus full-time on said mission. It has been one full week of unemployment! I think that deserves some sort of celebration. I am fully enjoying it so far, if not panicking in the back of my head that maybe it shouldn't be so enjoyable, but I am convinced that is the fearful, slave-to-the-man voice in my head that everyone has burrowed somewhere or another, and I stick to my belief that the triumphant one-- the one who is glowing after-the-interview, and with all the excitement of pursuing truly soul-inspiring opportunities, submitting resumes, emailing connector-folk, and booking appointments with fascinating, knowledgeable people, the ones who seem to have all the answers I seek and I only have to reach out and ask, ask, ask things of them-- yes the triumphant one, that is the voice that I should be listening to most of all.
I'm starting to understand something I never really did before. I am understanding what it is to have a clear idea of what I want out of life, and all of the wonderful benefits that go along with that. I have never experienced this before. I know I want to teach. I know I want to connect schools to communities. And I know I want to fully understand and in turn inspire a rich sense of natural and cultural place in myself and others, especially young people. The exact path to take is still not definitively laid out, but I think I'd rather it that way. The best part about the whole thing is that, not only do I sort of have a plan, I do feel like I'm putting together something wholly new, and not quite done before. Sure it has sort of been done before, but the image in my head of what needs to be done is unlike anything else I'm sure. (But like a lot of things too, which is a relief and an encouragement).
I'm meeting next Tuesday with a naturalist/research scientist and members of the board of director of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, located in Medford, Mass., to talk about educational program ideas for local schools. It all started with the Boston Sunday Globe, the first one that arrived at my house after I finally made the grown-up decision to subscribe (by paying) to a paper newspaper. It was the first week of the year, and the article was about resolutions, and how to get out and volunteer in the community (the "North" section, it was...I am a North Shorer now, eeek!). The article featured a Mr. Kittredge who was volunteering a lot of his naturalist skills to surveying plants and animals in the Fells, and developing programs for the public. So, the next day, (while I was still at my job) I took a few moments to write an email expressing interest in volunteering to help with the effort. Now, we've got a great conversation going, based on my background in environmental education, to work together on new nature activities and programs for schools!
So, sure, that's not all that new. But it sounds pretty darn new and exciting to me. And I'm not getting paid. Maybe that's the secret! I think it was in that documentary I recently saw about Bill Cunningham, the New York Times "street fashion" photographer, that I heard it said, "The trick is to not let them give you any money, then you can do whatever you want!" or something along those lines. I guess all I would need to do then is to live in a teeny spare room in Carnegie Hall surrounded by file cabinets and wear the same blue workman's shirt everyday, bought for $12.95 at Home Depot, and then perhaps I could follow his advice. But to some degree, while I am in this magical little transition period, perhaps I could give this whole "doing whatever I want" thing a bit of a whirl.
OK so that is my life update then! It has been a little while. I'm glad to be back.
Perhaps it's because I am feeling an after-interview glow. Just got off the phone with Casey Kennedy (perfect name, right?) from Teach for America, after a 60-minute over-the-phone interview (was only supposed to be 30, I thought?). That makes it my 7th interview (5 in-person, 2 over-the-phone) since November, the start of my job search and new life chapter titled, How to Become a Teacher. (Don't know how it ends yet).
As of last week, I quit my job at Thompson Island to focus full-time on said mission. It has been one full week of unemployment! I think that deserves some sort of celebration. I am fully enjoying it so far, if not panicking in the back of my head that maybe it shouldn't be so enjoyable, but I am convinced that is the fearful, slave-to-the-man voice in my head that everyone has burrowed somewhere or another, and I stick to my belief that the triumphant one-- the one who is glowing after-the-interview, and with all the excitement of pursuing truly soul-inspiring opportunities, submitting resumes, emailing connector-folk, and booking appointments with fascinating, knowledgeable people, the ones who seem to have all the answers I seek and I only have to reach out and ask, ask, ask things of them-- yes the triumphant one, that is the voice that I should be listening to most of all.
I'm starting to understand something I never really did before. I am understanding what it is to have a clear idea of what I want out of life, and all of the wonderful benefits that go along with that. I have never experienced this before. I know I want to teach. I know I want to connect schools to communities. And I know I want to fully understand and in turn inspire a rich sense of natural and cultural place in myself and others, especially young people. The exact path to take is still not definitively laid out, but I think I'd rather it that way. The best part about the whole thing is that, not only do I sort of have a plan, I do feel like I'm putting together something wholly new, and not quite done before. Sure it has sort of been done before, but the image in my head of what needs to be done is unlike anything else I'm sure. (But like a lot of things too, which is a relief and an encouragement).
I'm meeting next Tuesday with a naturalist/research scientist and members of the board of director of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, located in Medford, Mass., to talk about educational program ideas for local schools. It all started with the Boston Sunday Globe, the first one that arrived at my house after I finally made the grown-up decision to subscribe (by paying) to a paper newspaper. It was the first week of the year, and the article was about resolutions, and how to get out and volunteer in the community (the "North" section, it was...I am a North Shorer now, eeek!). The article featured a Mr. Kittredge who was volunteering a lot of his naturalist skills to surveying plants and animals in the Fells, and developing programs for the public. So, the next day, (while I was still at my job) I took a few moments to write an email expressing interest in volunteering to help with the effort. Now, we've got a great conversation going, based on my background in environmental education, to work together on new nature activities and programs for schools!
So, sure, that's not all that new. But it sounds pretty darn new and exciting to me. And I'm not getting paid. Maybe that's the secret! I think it was in that documentary I recently saw about Bill Cunningham, the New York Times "street fashion" photographer, that I heard it said, "The trick is to not let them give you any money, then you can do whatever you want!" or something along those lines. I guess all I would need to do then is to live in a teeny spare room in Carnegie Hall surrounded by file cabinets and wear the same blue workman's shirt everyday, bought for $12.95 at Home Depot, and then perhaps I could follow his advice. But to some degree, while I am in this magical little transition period, perhaps I could give this whole "doing whatever I want" thing a bit of a whirl.
OK so that is my life update then! It has been a little while. I'm glad to be back.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Going places
Thanks to Kira Lucier for sharing this video!
I'm at a new crossroads now.
"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked
Some windows are lighted but mostly they're dark.
A place you can sprain both your elbow and chin
Do you dare to stay out, do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose, how much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right
Or right and three quarters
Or maybe not quite
Or go around back and sneak in from behind
Simple it's not I'm afraid you will find
For a mind maker to make up her mind."
Couldn't think of a better place to be!
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