life of crime

Apparently, I have been leading Kooka to a life of crime.

This was taken from the police report in the local newspaper:

Graffiti was written on a sidewalk with chalk in the block of L.Parkway

Are you KIDDING ME?! Fricking CHALK?! On the sidewalk?!

It was probably us.

Seriously.

Kooka's hopscotches are truly works of art. But Punk has a more "calvin and hobbes" approach to street art . . .screaming monsters, FBI chalk outlines, signs that say "run me over" - you get the picture.

However, I am pretty sure that there was some crack being sold somewhere, a drunk driver on the road, or maybe even some petty larceny going on at Target at the same time this grafitti was being inspected.

I, for one will sleep better knowing that the police are on top of this - bout time somebody cracked down on these loosers.

summer

THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT SUMMER:
late nights on the porch with the twinkly lights on
sweet tea from McDonalds
the fountain in town square
sleeping in
road trips
tech week at the theater
kabobs
sidewalk chalk
camp liz
the smell of sunscreen (Hawaiian Tropic)
fireworks
freezie pops
tan lines
frog catching

just in case

Just in case I have not been emphatic enough in gushing over Michael Jackson . . .take a look at this and tell me how many 11 year olds you know that can do this.

(I've seen a lot of 5th graders and not one yet can pull this off . . . )

why i'm like this

My thing about Michael Jackson goes way back to 6th grade. It was an obsession. Not the glove-wearing, pepsi drinking kind of obsession - it was something less manic, but completely overwhelming.

When I saw him perform I didn't scream, didn't swoon - I studied. I mastered the moonwalk, broke down the isolations . . .he was the professor of pop, and I couldn't learn enough.

But it wasn't a terribly useful education . . .at least not on first glance.

It was not until I saw the video for Black or White that I knew. I didn't know what it was called, had no idea how to make it happen - but I knew - that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

We were sitting in our college dorm, making predictions about what people where really going to grow up to be. We figured the math major was predisposed to give up academia and start a family. The chemist would have her own infomercial for something everyone needs . . .and then it got to me . . . the political science major.

"She's going to be a senator."
"No way."
"Why not - she's good at arguing her point."
"No way - she is going to teach people to dance - kids I think - and make up dances for videos and shows and stuff."

I am the only one they got right.

By the end of the year, that's exactly what I was doing.

And the only reason I even considered it as an option, is because I saw that video and realized that I did not have to be a master ballerina to create something inspiring.

Even Punk, who is pretty technically savvy is inspired by that video - the effects (almost 20 years old) are still pretty sweet.

But the choreography is still my favorite part . . .

BLACK OR WHITE

fun part

Now comes the fun part.

For months - both Punk and I have been working on musical - he as an actor, me as the choreographer. It's been difficult. Working four jobs at once, getting Punk to his rehearsals, finishing up my stuff at school, and planning summer workshops almost drove me insane - almost. But this is the part I like best.

The best part of all, comes after the teaching - after all of the counting and questions, and music cuts. Now comes the watching, the waiting, the twisting and tweaking. I have three weeks to help the cast make this music theirs, to help Punk find his groove, to make Rosie and Albert really fall in love . . to make it all real.

This is the best part. It is why I love my job. It is why I do not miss acting myself anymore - not even a little bit. It is earth-moving to watch someone else carry out your creation - to watch it come to life.

And if you want to watch it too - you should go here, because tickets are selling quickly.

friday

FYI - Punk and Kooka will be performing at Carleton College Concert Hall this Friday at noon, as part of the Northfield Youth Choir's Summer Program.

I won't give it away by revealing what show they will be performing - but I will say this much . . . Punk plays a monkey, and Kooka won the much coveted role of "beautiful jungle princess."

obsolete

I am not sure when it happened, or how I feel about it, but somewhere along the line, I have become somewhat obsolete.

I walked into the kitchen tonight - and Punk had made both he and Kooka hot dogs for a midnight snack. They had also mixed a batch of green kool-aid ("we know it's your favorite"), which actually had the correct proportion of sugar/water/kool-aid.

It is nearly ten o'clock and my children are fixing full-fledged meals for themselves. Maybe next they will start paying the electric bill.

punk's party

I have been somebody's mom for over a decade. Actually when I think about it - it's been longer than that - but for all practical purposes, I'm rounding down.

To celebrate this milestone we hosted a Lego birthday for our architecturally inclined eldest child. Sounds like a simple plan - right?

Wrong.

If you are three years old this is a simple plan - buy the duplo themed plates from the Lego store, put out some Bob-the-Builder sets and you are ready to go.

But Punk is 10 - TEN - and this was not so easy.




First we tried to bake the lego cake - which took three tries as it is - I don't know whose anal-retentive mom frosted that "homemade cake" here - but poor Punk doesn't have a mother with the same mental disorder. And to compound this problem - the icing is deadly. Look at that thing. In order to make any frosting "Lego Red" or even "Lego Blue" you have to put enough food coloring in there to give an elephant cancer. And the bitter aftertaste of red #40 is enough to completely negate any sweetness the cake may have originally had - even for Punk, which is saying something.

So then we decided to try the Lego ice cube thing. For $15, Punk's dad got a little ice cube tray that would make 8 mini-legos. Which would have been great if we only needed 8 ice cubes - or even if they would have held their shape in the freezer. Unfortunately, all we got was perfectly formed frozen legos, that turned into unrecognizable heaps in the freezer.

Eventually we worked a few things out . . . Lego candy from the Mall of America, a relay race to put together a Lego truck, guessing how many legos were stuffed into a blown up balloon, a Lego Punk on a bakery cake - and water balloons - lots of water balloons - which had nothing to do with Legos, but made it so nobody cared anyway.

At the end of the day, Punk said he had a great time - and he got to spend a few extra hours with "Lama Face" which he hadn't seen in months - and that he said, was the best present of all.

perspective

I used to love this show . . . would actually plan my fifth grade week around when I would get to see Arnold and Willis and Mrs. Garret . . . but when I found this with alternative music . . . it sorta put the plot in a whole new perspective.

kooka's big day

June 5th was the very last day of first grade - and what better way to celebrate than by having your birthday on the very same day!

After having a day full of games and picnics with her whole entire class (and her most wonderful teacher), Kooka got to top the day off with her much anticipated SPY BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Her friends arrived at the party only to discover that the Birthday Bandit had stolen all of the party favors and candles - so to help Kooka turn seven, her friends had to solve the clues and help crack the case.

After being fingerprinted and donning their disguises, the crew had to check in with the Captain via video satellite. (Check out one of his updates here or here.) He was a master of disguise and always managed to help them find their next clue.

When they finally cracked the case - the whole group met the captain back at headquarters for a birthday celebration.

We finished the night with s'mores at the neighbors, and a moonlight stroll with Kooka's new "night vision goggles" - a much needed birthday gift from who else . . . . the captain.


Kooka's team of top-ranked spies decked out in disguise - do you recognize her?


Kooka hot on a shoe print trail.

help!

Finally - our homeschool adventure will continue.

This summer we are taking a road trip to California. Even though we will be driving through a lot of cornfields and deserts - I can't wait to get started. We've got some cool stuff on the pit stop list: Antelope Canyon, Henry Doorly Zoo, Hoover Dam and the Pacific Ocean. At the same time there will be hours upon hours when the only thing we see are soybeans, prairie dogs (lying prone on the asphalt), and the occasional Kum & Go.

We have scoured Roadside America for kitchy little places to stop (if you haven't checked it out - do), but the fact remains that no matter how hard we search - Nebraska sort of blows.

Aside from the Henry Doorly Zoo - which sounds amazing . . .here is a sample of our choices along I-80:

Monument of Where Brothers Were Pinned Together By An Arrow
The Martin brothers, Nat age 15 and Bob age 12, were returning home with a load of hay when they were attacked by a party of Sioux and Cheyenne in August 1864. The boys jumped onto a horse and fled, with Nat holding onto Bob. The Indians followed and shot Nat twice with arrows, once in his elbow and once in his side. The second arrow had enough velocity to continue through Nat and lodge in Bob's back. The boys, pinned together, tumbled off of the horse and were left for dead.
They did not die. Nat and Bob eventually, and no doubt awkwardly, made their way to a doctor and were unpinned. Bob survived into middle age -- although he always had a bad back -- and Nat died as an old man.

Grotto Next to a Mental Hospital
The grotto is still there. It is really neat to see. You can go inside, as I was told it is open to the public. However, was told there is no longer electricity inside, therefore you may want to bring a flashlight with you even during the day. 24/7 although kinda creepy at night.

World's Largest Ball of Stamps:
The ball is a relic from a time when people had more hobbies and less entertainment. And people mailed things to each other affixed with postal stamps. The sphere is 32 inches in diameter, weighs 600 pounds, and contains a reported 4,655,000 canceled stamps. It was stuck together, layer upon layer, by the Boys Town Stamp Collecting Club starting in 1953.

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
If two-headed pigs and 6-legged steers fascinate you, consider an educational visit to the US Meat Animal Research Center. They probably don't have those oddities, but you can get an inside peek at the complicated world of keeping America fed with meat. Tasty, healthy meat.
There are thousands of cows, sheep, and pigs at this government facility, where scientists fret about... Spoilage bacteria! Foodborne illness! Contamination! Carcasses and pathogens! More efficient breeding!

Needless to say - none of these are the rockin' start to a memorable family vacation that I had hoped. Anyone who knows us can just imagine me taking Punk the meat museum, or showing Kooka the restraints at the mental hospital . . . seriously, don't they have waterparks in Nebraska?

If anybody out there cares to pitch ideas that don't involve a Bob's Big Boy statue, or 1940's shock treatments - we would really appreciate it,

quickie

Kooka's spy party was a rollicking success - pictures coming soon.

Both kids were a bit wistful about the last day of school - which was nice to see.

Unfortunately updates will have to wait until one of my three jobs comes to a close.

Grrrrrrrrr.

irony

I would just like to take a moment to point out the sweet irony of trying to choreograph "Put On A Happy Face" while simultaneously vomiting and sucking up gallons of water from the 13th flood our house has incurred in the past 4 months.

I have said it before and will again - God hates the east side of town . . . apparently me in particular.