Musicological journey through the 12 days of Christmas- also Hey Lisa Simpson

This is absolutely going to work for my class-

I also found a cheat sheet and will be able to introduce some of the pieces used at the end as part of this semesters work with style periods.

https://youtu.be/ryp8MTtznvU

Hey Lisa Simpson, you're the best and thanks for continuing to read the blog!

One hour for the win

I danced the whole hour at Zumba tonight (as opposed to having to stop because I feared I might have a heart attack)   A second new friend and I chatted- her name is Julie.  She counts every class we have as in "there's another one down."  Which is actually confusing to me because it sort of implies there's a set number that we'll get to.

There was a woman in the back who was struggling and I had planned on saying hey to her afterwards.  Then I heard "Hey Mrs. Terry!" and she was the mom of former students.  It's funny how it works.  I knew her last name- always called her "Mama Lastname."  Then as I drove home all three of her kids appeared in my head as well as the time I shut the youngest ones hand in a door on his birthday and the first baseball game of the season.  Her middle initial and signature also appeared in my head.

I get it-that's how people think and all- but I am the girl who remembers absolutely nothing prior to 1980.

And finally- music teacher friend story time.

Once upon a time I went to a summer workshop.  There was a music teacher I recognized from the southern part of the state.  She recognized me.  We were not friends.  In fact, I thought, by the looks of her she was probably a horrible judgy mcjudgejudge person. (note the irony) I later learned she thought the same of me. (We we’re both right, sort of.)We ended up sitting next to one another at a group lunch and after a glass of wine realized  we were sisters from a different mother.

This made us happy and made for a laughing summer- I paid a visit to her house once- then I got married, we lost touch- then Facebook.  We reconnect, exchange a few words etc etc.  Several years later I see that she has become a knitter.  And then a few years after that I discover that although she doesn't advertise it like I do, she is a fan of the ridiculous sci-fi movies that I love.  How can that even be?  Two friends, separate lives,  no keeping in touch, same favorite things. Same very eclectic favorite things.

Nowadays there are random Facebook texts with knitting questions and newly discovered movies (although she is much more a connoisseur than I am).  Also I've let her know that if, in our dotage, we both find ourselves occasion or need for companionship it would be a travesty not to grow old and die together.

Until then we always have these-

IMDb: The Twonky (10 June 1953 (USA))
Tweedy college professor discovers his new TV set is animate, apparently possessed by something from the future, and militantly intent on regulating his daily life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046475/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_tt

IMDb: The Tingler (29 July 1959 (USA))
An obsessed pathologist discovers and captures a parasitic creature that grows when fear grips its host.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053363/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_tt

And

IMDb: The Monster That Challenged the World (June 1957 (USA))
Giant mollusk monsters attack California.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050722/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_tt

Experimental Saturday

Did a Zumba class this morning.  Still have to stop in the middle so I don’t have a heart attack but I made an accountability friend.  Took the cousin shopping and then, having failed to find any recipes, looked to the produce section for inspiration.

Squash, zucchini, and baby bela mushrooms added to garlic sautéed in sesame oil. Flavored with red pepper and tamari sauce.  THEN some cornstarch to turn the liquid into a sauce.  It’s still cooking.  I’ll eat it over some brown rice.  I’m hoping it tastes amazing as I plan on it being the meal for the rest of the weekend.

Edited to add:  it was amazing!  Exceeded expectations.  Squash and zucchini added texture and variety.  Mushrooms were about the flavor and bulk.  Hint of red pepper so it wasn’t boring and the cornstarch sauce was perfect.  I can’t believe it. It’s the first time I’ve gotten cornstarch to do what it was supposed to.

A week later...

It has been a good week off.

Let's talk about laundry.  It's taken every bit of this entire week to this point to get all of the clothes clean and folded.  And by all I mean all of them except that last load in the dryer.  It's always been a chore but even more so when it involves sorting and trying to figure out which clothes still fit and which are too big.  Because there are in fact now some clothes that are just too big to wear.

Food- I made some fried tofu.  I did not hate it.  Marinated in red wine vinegar, tamari (vegetarian soy sauce), roasted sesame seeds and garlic and then coated in corn starch and fried in olive oil. Eaten over brown rice.  That was the weeks biggest adventure- The computer is now charged and I may go in quest of something to try this weekend.  There is still chili in the freezer for lunches next week.

Zumba- and then some. The burg of Wayne has a new rec center built by the energy company EQT and the local hospital foundation.  I am now a member.  I went to my first zumba class there on Monday.  It kicked my damn ass.  She's not inclined to stop.  Also there are more cute skinny perky there than fat old and trying to get it together people.  I prefer the latter. But I will go back.  It happens on Monday, Thursday nights and Saturday mornings.  I'm in it to win it.  There is also an indoor walking track.

I do much better on this than I do on a treadmill.  I managed 2 miles in 30 minutes today. Then moved to the thing that pretends you're skiing (apparently called a freestride trainer) which I can only do for 60 seconds at a time and then a thirty second rest- and that for only 5 minutes.  Then a little recumbent bike pedaling.  I listened to Beethoven today and the longer pieces seemed to keep me going longer.

And finally- I was hoping to get several weeks of music appreciation lesson plans completed.  I've got three documented days which will likely stretch into five because I always overplan.  We are moving from the Baroque to the Classical period.  Sonata form, Mozart, Beethoven, a little opera, some Bugs Bunny cartoons.  It's a little overwhelming.  What's important to learn, what's the best way to teach it, how do you teach it and make it interesting enough to feel relevant?  Is personal enthusiasm enough or are there more inspirational ways to approach it.  On the other hand I'm learning some stuff I didn't know and revisiting the time period with less hurried teachers eyes so it's been fun.

Greathusbandbob found the ecowool too itchy and has opted to use the Kaffe Fasset afghan.  This means I get the ecowool.  This little space could not be any cozier.

There are seven pairs of mittens completed.  Three to go. Sadly the last three are in the same color so it will seem endless.  I haven't woven in any ends.  I'm going to keep knitting and save the weaving for knit night.  I'm looking forward to doing some lace for the accountant and then with the sweaters from the past fitting a little better, I may soon heed the call of the top-down.

The Baroque Period

That's where we just finished in music appreciation- where statues art and music were all about the movement of things and the space they took up.  It seemed like a good day to bring out some clay.

What's most interesting to me is that the smartest kids in the class were the least motivated/creative and those who seem to be B-C students really took to it.

Take the words "Grandparents Tea" and attend to what comes to mind.  Then make it a little bit bigger and then make it bigger still.  We had one of those this morning.  There were 275+/- grandparents in attendance.  All of the tables in the school and all of the chairs in the school were gathered for a tea to begin at 9:30 which was supposed to end AND be cleaned out by 11:30 so the kids could have a reward dance.  And it worked.  Call me surprised.  My choir sang. The program was  Skiddamarink, You are My Sunshine, and Over the River and Through the Woods.

Yesterday one of those little choir people randomly asked me what my favorite pie was.  Getting such questions are not unusual but it's more often the K-er's than 5th graders asking.  When she got off the bus this morning, she handed me this-

It's one of the small kind (thankfully).  I ate 1/2 of it - which was about two pieces- and gave the rest to the school nurse.  It was just calling my name. And it really is more of a vegetable than other treats.

Spoiled much?

Note the empty chair and the dogged chair.  We used to have a love seat there.  Me near the wall, dog on her pillow on the other side.  The support of the love seat was no longer adequate.  I moved it. (out of picture at left).  Then we had center chair, husband chair, love seat with dog pillow over there.  We directed the dog to her new place.  She looked really pissed.  So I moved her pillow by the newly placed red chair (on the floor) along with her afghan.  She tolerated it but was disgusted to be in the same place as the cat- as in the floor.  When I got up to fold clothes, she hopped up onto the red chair as if to declare it her own and to express her displeasure.  Thus greathusbandbob and I could be seen carrying the lighter colored chair around the house, down to the basement (it wouldn’t go pas the railing on the stairs) and creating the set up you see here. All is well again.

Baby steps.

Somebody bought healthy treats for his wife today.  He still got muffins and ice cream, but baby steps.

A Letter

Dear arctic blast, 

I love you.

Also I can’t wait for some action in my new weather glass.

Dear school of mine,

The flags for veterans looked amazing today.  I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that you charged for them as a fundraiser.

Dear kids selling stuff for fundraisers,

Here's $20.  Take it as a donation or pick it up someting for me in your catalogue if you need credit for selling.  It’s not the money I mind.  It’s the deciding on which junk I don’t want less.  Although rumor has it that one of the high school choir kids ordered me a kitchen knife and a spatula which is totally awesome.

Midweek what the what?

Spotted this sign in the cafeteria this morning.  The juniors working on calculus nearby affirmed my suspicion that it was this sign, in fact, that keeps them from using drugs.

We interrupt this week for the annual birthday post

There may be the 2nd annual banana split birthday knit night at Sarris' tomorrow.  Except I don't know if anyone is coming so I may have to entertain myself. Ice cream cake tonight with greathusbandbob so there's no chance of feeling pathetic.

Also in birthdayness-

Flowers from the big guy and a charm for my chamilia bracelet from the mama.

All that being fabulous- yet I don't have any lesson plans for the high school class tomorrow so there's still that to do.

An update on the Christmas/Winter program.  I ditched the spirituals for the year- a parent told her kid "tell Mrs. Terry to do some different songs" (she's had three kids come through the school).  So instead of that we are doing all of the classic hear on the radio carols.  

Third grade is singing Nutting for  Christmas and Up on the Housetop- one astute student said "Mrs. Terry- these songs don't have anything in common- "  

No Caitlyn, they do have something in common- it's just vacuous and shallow. Give the people what they want.

Back in the kitchen

Today's experiment is from The Minimalist Baker. Sweet potato coconut curry soup with roasted garbanzo beans.

Both spiced with curry, and lots of other good stuff.  Once it cooks it will go in the food processor and become a creamy soup.  I halved the amount of curry and added a pile of cinnamon.  I have a love/hate relationship with curry.  A little goes a long way.

It tasted absolutely delicious.  I couldn't make the chickpeas float on top the way they did on the site but they added perfect texture.  I've never worked with 100% coconut milk.  I have a sneaking suspicion (given the calorie content) that it's not unlike cream cheese in that added to anything makes it infinitely awesome.   And so I say- take that Panera's butternut squash.  I got this going on!

It's birthday week here in these parts.  Cousin said she wanted to get me a bathrobe but "Walmart didn't have any" so instead I got this.

Quel surprise- it's either going back or going to the school pantry. Again, she doesn't know about emoji or poop so just keep thinking warm pajamas.

Baby Rowan visited Facebook sporting her blanket and her fox hat- captioned "Aunt Becky knows me spirit animal" I agreed  but doubted my knowledge of the size of babies heads.

Cheating Cheating Cheating.  This has been two days of off diet chaos.  I had to go for one of those followup mammogram picture/ultrasound things (results on Wednesday) and just did not feel like thinking about food.  I ate a cheese pizza.  Then I ate ice cream bars- stress eating anyone?  

We went to the casino Saturday night and I ordered a double tequila in a tall glass of ice.  The bartender accidentally just filled the glass with tequila so however many calories that is as well.  This week will bring ice cream cake on Monday with husband and hopefully Sarris' banana split on Tuesday.  Then back on track. 

It's Saturday- that means it must be blog time

Where to start-

No food experiments this weekend.  The repertoire has expanded enough to allow for non-repetitive repeats.

I was knitting some lace in malabrigo lace weight and was wearing blue cotton pants.  Come to find they were heavily dyed blue cotton pants.  Dye on hands.  Dye on rows of lace.  Drawing board.

The high school kids.  They are great with class projects.  Not so much on taking, rereading, or using notes to learn stuff or take tests.  We have just started a quarter of western European music and even with using notes, only three passed with an A.

This weeks quarterly project, rather than becoming a report that would mean so little, will be a notebook with their notes turned in for  20% of their grade.  This is what I anticipated to some degree.  But, like I said, they've got the in-class projects figured out.

Last night was cousin's monthly night to eat out and we took her friend.  I refrained from the apple dumpling with ice cream but I did have fries on the salad.  The same salad I used to eat and call eating healthy was a guilty pleasure last night- fries AND ranch dressing on it.

For this morning's shopping trip, cousin informed me she would need extra money and to know my size so that she could shop for my birthday.  I unload her groceries into the car and into her house.  If I am not mistaken,  I believe that she has gotten me a plush hoodie in the design of the poop emoji.

  plus                

Equals my birthday present. She has no internet savvy.  I'm certain she thinks its chocolate frosting.

Happy Birthday- here's your pile of poop.

This week's experiment

So the recipe of the day was  Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra- which is kind of hilarious since today was also the day I went and had my tata's examined.)

Red potatoes, lemon, garlic (6 cloves!) red pepper flakes, tahini and fresh cilantro.  No cilantro to be found.  I bought some cilantro in a tube.  And then forgot to add it.  No wonder they tasted bland (I only just realized I forgot to add it as I posted this.  I may be able to squeeze a little taste into it yet.)  Those facts combined with the fact that I bought walmart red potatoes and its no surprise it wasn't may favorite experiment ever.   The cilantro would have cut the overwhelming tahini feel.  There are three potatoes left- I may try it again.

There are red lentils in the crockpot.  The tata squeezing place is right next to the middle eastern grocery store and I sort of  bought some stuff.  Cracked wheat, red lentils, more green lentils, ghee, medjool dates (5 lbs!) another container of tahini.  The dates are for the brownies.  As they last forever it was easier to buy in bulk.

The ghee is to spice the red lentils- I'll eat them in tortilla shells for dinner.

There will be hummus and carrots for the game tonight, red lentils for dinner and I'll likely get to the brownies tomorrow.  It's just so sticky and messy.  They are a must have though.  There were no healthy late night snacks to nibble on last week and I accidentally sleep walked and ate an ice cream bar.

There are also bananas and honey crisp apples to have as a back up.  I finally made a master list of all ingredients that I always forget at the store so this weeks shopping trip was pretty thorough.  I figure I'll experiment with bulgar later on.

Again, adventures aren't so bad when you don't lose so much money when you have to toss it.

Win Some, Lose Some

Losers-

Coat of arms activity-  I failed to give an example of how exactly I wanted it done so several of them took it as a writing assignment and just wrote words.

Shishkabob Catapult- The premise was nice.  The construction was not strong enough to actually apply any physics to hitting premade targets.  So when in doubt- just throw the ammo (marshmallows)  One kid invented the cross bow with his and it was plenty effective.  Then he held it up and said "Look, it looks like a cross."  And I said "hence the name...."  A light bulb went on.

Winners-

Using runes to code the notes for class and having them decode them.  One student said "it made my brain tired but I liked it."

Transcribing compositions using a feather quill pen and a bottle of ink.  One said "this is a disaster waiting to happen."  To which I repliied, "Yes, Mrs. Terry, Danger is my middle name."  No disaster yet.  A little ink on the back of a chair- barely there.  They were completely engaged AND asking questions about medieval times.  "What exactly is a monk?"  "What did they do?"  "That's all?"  "didn't they have to copy books?" (yes- remember that part in our notes about the church holding all cultural and academic knowledge!"  "I can see why it took all day."

Next week a little more on daily life with costumed paper dolls, a game of Nim, a game of chess culminating in the making of the knight's helmet.  Meanwhile their ears are being acclimated to the sound of medieval sacred and secular music.  My guess is they will easily be able to tell the difference by the time the two weeks are finished.

Double Trouble

These two little monkeys finally fit their hats!

Later in the week

Yes,I am going to try to get high school kids to create knight in shining armor hats.  Time will tell

On the menu

Last night was mushroom stroganoff with brown rice. I tried baking pears and apples again. Did 25 minutes at 350 and realized it was supposed to be 450. Did fifteen more minutes there and had some burnt maple syrup but it was close enough to an apple dumpling that I felt rewarded.

I took a short vacation from cooking last weekend and struggled through the week with chili frozen from the week before and tortillas and refried beans.

This week I will be more prepared. Lunches will be individually frozen black beans and cauliflower rice. I will enjoy hummus and carrots through the weekend and have baked a spaghetti squash as the new thing to try. I'm thinking of adding a curry butter seasoning to it for dinner tonight.

 

I'm always surprised when food does what the recipe says it's going to do.

I also knit. I've finished one of ten pairs of mittens for the high school students. Brought them donuts last week. I think I'm just grateful to have almost adults to start my day. Next week begins the history of Western European music- starting with the Middle Ages. I believe it should be taught in the context of history rather than out of thin air so there will be several blog worthy projects in the next week. And while their doing them I will ply their brains with facts and sounds.

I am continuing the lace wrap in white malabrigo laceweight. I love the pattern and the accountant recipient so It's been an enjoyable non tedious project.

I missed both Zumbas this past week and rather than losing any lbs., simply maintained. There might have been some Mexican food in there as well. I bought my first pair of pants that really feel like tights and wore them with a long gray tunic top. I was just one of the kids.

Maybe I should change the name of this blog to on the menu and on the needles.

 

An observation at Panera's

 

The women in this picture, they MADE the little people with them with their bodies. Life is amazingly complicated and amazingly simple.

 

Just so you can be part of the fun...

Here are the girls from brunch who get a regular scolding from the dining hall manager for not knowing how many we will have for lunch.  Juanita on the left is teased for talking to much. (in fact the face she made is after I told her to stop talking so I could take the picture- I knew Lorna was in a hurry)  Lorna on the right is called "cookie" and asked if she wants oatmeal regularly because she hates both.  Showing her buckeye balls in the center is greatauntofmine.

It's so hard to explain the conversation.  It is peppered with misunderstanding, mishearing and miscommunication.  And laughing at all of it.  Also picking on each other.  They like to pick on each other.

They talked about the Ohio State and WVU football games, never realizing they were actually talking about two separate games.  Aunt assumed they understood she was talking about Ohio State.  They assumed the same thing about West Virginia.  They never realized what games the others were talking about.  It would have been free of misunderstanding if both teams had played a similar game.

At one point the conversation went from the boys in the football games to the gnats in the dining hall.  Not realizing we had moved on, Lorna said "I saw them taking one away on a stretcher"  And we thought she meant the gnat and I made my fingers into a gnat sized ambulance- sound effects included.

In other news, this weekend was one of accomplishment.  I found the secret file electronically tax pin that I've been looking for and harassing the previous accountant for after many months of searching.  It was in the "important document" folder where I had looked for it at least 1000 times.

I also took the final steps to transfer one of the previously untransferred investment accounts from deceased brother in laws account to her name.

Both were absolutely horrible tasks that make me crazy with the fear of details I won't be able to find what I need to complete the tasks.  I was not expecting success on either front. And yet karma ruled in my favor.

The food making of the weekend included more hummus and some black beans and quinoa in burrito shells.  Both had three cloves of garlic.  I heart garlic.  I've noticed that the variety of possible meals has increased with each week. Other than the pears, I took a week off.  I'll make them again tonight with the walnuts this time.  The bonus of cooking with beans is that if you screw up you're not throwing out $10 worth of food.

On the knitting front I have four projects I'm rotating between.  The connected triangle scarf (I've hit an uneven decreasing snafu that has put it into time out), the frank lloyd wright inspired scarf (the perfect knit night all garter knit), a lace wrap I'm making for the patient accountant (out of white malabrigo lace weight.  she is such  beautiful brown color, it will look spectacular on her) and the mittens I'm going to make for the high school kids.  They might not ever wear them but they will remember that someone cared enough about them to knit them mittens.

And so it goes.

So very openmi... oh.. Nevermind.

I NEVER bring up religion in conversation.  I live and teach in the middle of some Jesusville and prefer not to make a fuss.

Today I found myself talking to the grandparent of Sally (at Zumba.)  We were talking about how shy Sally is.  Grandma was a rambler so hang on.

GM: We took Sally to bible school.  We go to the Presbyterian one sometimes and the Baptist one other times.  I like to expose her to all different religions.  I mean, we're all going to the same heaven anyway.  There aren't different compartments. Well, I don't know what you believe, but I believe we all go to the same heaven any way (and then she went into serious non-affective cult voice and said) Imeanaslongasweallbelieveinourlordandsaviorjesuschrist.

Me:

I got nothing.  I don't share her belief.  I don't care to share mine.  The conversation was about how Sally had stage fright at both bible schools and as the music teacher I didn't want to say "yea, I don't know if she has a good voice- she's always too afraid to sing."

The longer I live the more adamant I feel about my Judgy McJudgerson opinion on religion.  Because if I were being really honest (which I can do here because it is in fact my blog and so very few read it) I mostly just wanted to say "I think you're full of shit."

The openminded/Jesus only dichotomy was what sent me to write a post about it.

Item Number Two

Another Zumba friend (who's religious preferences I don't know and can therefore engage in regular conversation with her without judging in either direction) brought me pears from her pear tree tonight.  I was going to just eat them plain but then I got this idea:

Baked pears- I've added maple syrup and cinnamon.  The recipe I read  also called for walnuts which I did not have so I did without.  The date brownies also call for walnuts.  I may need to keep those around.  The recipe also suggests topping it with vanilla soy yogurt.  Whatev.  I have been served whipped topping  made from coconut milk which seemed like a possibility but not on a school night.

Greathusbandbob went to visit Greatauntofmine today.  He told her he wanted to visit since he doesn't come with me to Sunday brunch with the girls.  She said, " yea, Becky hasn't been here in a long time."  If by long time she means every Sunday then she is correct.  I think we just observed the first sign of mental decline.

And finally.  I was standing next to a first grade line this afternoon when a little tiny one looked up and said "Hey, you got skinny."  WHAT THE WHAT!!!! My new favorite friend forever.