The news feels increasingly bleak lately - kids torn away from their families then lost, potentially trafficked. Twisted scandals in Washington DC. An electoral system we may no longer be able to trust. Violence in schools and homes. Foreign policy blunders all over. Unarmed, nonviolent immigrants and protesters being shot in the head. Everything feels … Continue reading May 26: so much sadness in the world
hope
May 14: my girl is 9. Wow.
Nine years ago I was laying in a hospital bed, completely numb from the chest down, exhausted, holding this girl. She was 6 pounds, 6 ounces, which, for my body's ability to carry children, was pretty darn big and I was proud we made it that far. She was supposed to come at the end … Continue reading May 14: my girl is 9. Wow.
May 10: too much
I have too much going on in my brain to focus enough to write anything worth reading, or at least that's how it feels. Everything is heavy. However, I did try a new snack: almond butter granola cups. They were really good and I recommend them wholeheartedly.
May 6: May Day Festival Day!
I love the May Day parade and festival. I started attending 20 years ago, in college. It was such a free day: great activism, important messages, good people, fun music and dancing... everything about it was great. I remember drumming for hours in a drum circle and dancing in the little lake. Once, I had … Continue reading May 6: May Day Festival Day!
May 2: Great Things at School
Everyday is a rollercoaster as a teacher. Today, I'm focusing on the great. We started reading Romeo and Juliet today with my 9th graders. I had some kids who were totally scared of the language, but by the end of the first day, they wanted to read bigger parts. One boy opened the play and … Continue reading May 2: Great Things at School
May 1: My back is messed up
I couldn't walk again today so I finally went to see my brother at his chiropractic practice. He was nice enough to stay late to help me out. I found out my back is all twisty and there's a little piece of one of my vertebrae that is broken off and just hanging out there. … Continue reading May 1: My back is messed up
April 27: Circus Night
Today was a super long day - I'm finally just getting into bed because I had a rare late night after a school day. I went to Circus Juventas's Spring Show to see my talented niece perform in a couple acts and to see all the other talented young people from our city. They put … Continue reading April 27: Circus Night
April 2: CTE and Head Injuries
I think many of us have heard the stories about athletes who go through significant personality, mental, and emotional changes as a result of concussions. I have followed some of these stories from afar - the stories of football players who take their own lives and then their brains reveal CTE from repetitive brain injuries. … Continue reading April 2: CTE and Head Injuries
April 1: The World Is Getting Me Down
It's Easter and April Fools Day and it was so cold, we still have to wear winter coats and mittens, and last night, a 61-year-old woman was hit by a sheriff's truck in Sacramento during a vigil-turned-protest for Stephon Clark, who was an unarmed black man shot 8 times by police. I try sometimes to … Continue reading April 1: The World Is Getting Me Down
March 30: Release
Today I began to realize how anxiety-ridden I have been for so long when my body seemed to release some of it today (that, or I'm getting sick again?). I haven't been able to fully wake up today, I've been a little dizzy when I do get up, and my entire gastrointestinal system is a … Continue reading March 30: Release
Adventures in Distraction 