A narrow rope bridge leads to a mysterious ledge

My first week of teaching kids' video game programming with Scratch is winding down. It's been a challenge to balance all the ability levels and temperaments, but I think everything will turn out okay for today's presentations. There's a variety of delightful scenarios: a dog that attacks ninjas, a gumball being chased by a giant mouth, an elephant that collects peanuts, a cat that navigates mazes, and so forth. The class (on top of my other work, which has not received perhaps as much attention as it's due) has kept me pretty busy. Other than that, I can say that my culinary skills are improving (though very, very slowly. On Monday I made Swiss chard, which was not too bad. Had dinner with Stig at Benny's one night. Took Sprout on a long walk (past a tortilla factory--an interesting process to watch). Yesterday we tried to see Matt & Kim on Pier 54, but the sound and the visuals were not so good. But there was lots of interesting people and bike watching, and it was nice to be milling around as the sun went down.

While I accept my ageless aging

Friday marked the one-year anniversary of when we [rather unexpectedly] brought Sprout home from the pound. If you'll recall, the first few days were somewhat turbulent. A whole year later, I'm happy to report that she's become the most delightful dog anyone could ever hope for. Perhaps I'm biased, considering she's my first real dog (excepting Lady, the brutish, sausage-like German Shepard inherited from my grandmother, who mostly only understood Polish and wasn't the post sociable beast). Sprout is great at settling into routines, at breaking the ice at parties, and she's an expert cuddler. She's not without her quirks, of course. Her idiosyncrasies are part of her charm: the way she rears up like a horse when she hears a truck or bus, her tendency to get motion sick, and her habit of eating too quickly, then burping in your face are all part of what makes her so special and so easy to love. Here are some of her signature pastimes:
She loves doing yoga to keep her muscles stretched, and to proudly flex her nubbin.

She enjoys relaxing on this rug, and occasionally peeing on it (when she feels she's been wronged).

When people meet Sprout for the first time, they often think that they've formed a special bond with her because of how affectionate she is. In truth, she's just kind of slutty.

Although she does a great job of not taking herself too seriously, she can also be very dignified and brave. She quickly learns what constitutes her pack's territory and keeps a watchful eye on things (i.e., barks at trucks as they drive by). She often surveys the scene from the comfort of her little bed. Fair enough.

Undulations of another sort

Adjusting to city life again (well, my version of city life is considerably slower than most other folks'). Stig had an enchanting dinner party. Ran into Joey on the subway (also headed to the party). It was really nice to see some of the classic cougars gathered together again. Tim was coming through and had a friend subletting a place in Park Slope with a wonderful rooftop. As we were sitting up there, we were treated to an unexpected firework show somewhere in New Jersey. We also played bocci at Union Hall. My bocci days back in the trailer park in Rathdrum sort of paid off--I wasn't too bad. Went to an author talk (of a book I hadn't read). The author was charasmatic. She had smile lines around her eyes even though she's not yet 30. Met some of the old Museum folks for lunch in Astoria and milled around there for a bit (which included running into Bryna in a small shop, then Dennis Lim on the street). Coincidentally, and in a totally different neighborhood, I ran into Jon Spurney, who played (or still plays?) the piano for the silent film screenings at the Museum. The man in line in front of me at the Post Office was trying to mail a pepper grinder in a flat-rate envelope. Saw The Headless Woman at MoMA. I'd wanted to see it for so long. It was so crowded--sold out. There was a quasi-altercation between two elderly women next to us. One insisted upon resting her feet on the back of the other's chair. The offended party threatened to get security. The movie was only so-so, but I was still happy to see it. Ate at the Shake Shack. Tonight we ate at a French restaurant. Cafe Henri. Our sandwiches came with sprigs of rosemary sticking out of them like plumes on marching band hats. Relatedly, Megha said she'd seen a film starring Ronnie Bronstein (also formerly of the Museum) with the word "Rosemary" in the title. We talked about the founding of Waldorf Schools. While we were eating, a crack of thunder boomed so loudly in the street outside that I shrieked. Went to Film Forum to watch Agnes Varda's new film--The Beaches of Agnes. It was really very nice. In the theater, there was such a gurgling sound coming from nearby that I wondered if it was someone's stomach or a tremendous thunderstorm. On the way out, we passed Chloe Sevigny, and then [separately] Miranda July, both of whom were going to the next showing. Star-studded. Having lots of great quality time with Sprout, who is currently snoozing beside me, vexed by a truck rumbling past. Two trips to two farms tentatively planned for the coming days.

Excercises in rustic dining

Had a pretty nice visit home. The tail end of what turned out to be a very ill-fated trip up the river with my folks brought us to an old family favorite: the Snakepit. Built in the 1880s, the place has been a saloon, a whorehouse, and now a family-friendly eatery. It's a great place crammed full of ephemera from the old west, both then and now. I took the red eye to New York, landed at 4:30 am, and met Willis at the airport. Our paths criss crossed for just a moment as he was flying out to Iceland, and I was flying into JFK. Later that day, safely installed in the city, I awakened from my blurry, confused day/night sleep, and got a sandwich at Lodge, which interestingly sort of replicates the aura of the Snakepit. Of course, the Idaho establishment has history and authenticity on its side, whereas the New York place sort of has a California-clean version of "rustic" going on. Regardless, it was a nice atmosphere. And a nice sandwich.
Here are some of the carefully-crafted Antler lights:

There's a nice open area as you first walk in:

Last night, I saw Swan Lake at the ballet. Frankly, I wouldn't have had any idea what was going on if it hadn't been for that little synopsis in the program. The guy who played von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer, was magnificent--he looked like he was straight out of a Georges Melies film. At the end, when Odette took the plunge into the lake, I gasped. The Japanese tourist next to me glared. Whatever. She slept through just as much of the second act as I did, so she has no room to talk.

Scenes from the Portland Zoo

Oh wow, here are a lot of pictures of the Portland Zoo--probably more than anyone would care to see, but I had such fun with my brother and nephews that I wanted to showcase some of the highlights. My brother's family visits the zoo pretty regularly, so I'm not sure they were as dazzled and delighted as I was, given that I haven't been to a zoo in many years.
One of my favorite things was a lovely carved mural in the "Northwest" section of the zoo. The creatures in it are sublime.

A set of miniature train tracks threads through the zoo, but the train itself seemed quite inoperational. I spied it, abandoned and in disrepair, further down the tracks. I assumed it was haunted.

Monkeys are often sort of depressing or disquieting, and these chimps were no different. Still, fun to see. The orangutans were very morose. (But deadly).

The sea lions were among the most majestic and beautiful creatures we spied. They glided around and around their pool. I wanted to harness their courageous and playful spirits. Or I wanted to harness the sea lions themselves and ride them into the sunset.

These frogs were really awesome. They're called tomato frogs, but apparently, they're pretty poisonous, so don't eat them by mistake!

I wasn't expecting to see any wolves at the zoo, because my brother told me that all of their wolves mysteriously died last year. Much to my excitement, the zoo apparently got two wolves from Minnesota this year. A noble spirit animal, this wolf came very close to me, and its friend started to howl, just like wolves do on television! Amazing!

The zoo is in a great location, and the "Northwest" section seamlessly blends into the dense Oregon forest around it. What a radical visit! And we got cotton candy, too.

Detective work, and flying the coop

I'm taking off for the Pacific Northwest for a little while. Excited to see my bro and his family: nephews and now even a little niece! Then off to see my folks amidst the mountains and lakes. It is going to be a great time.
I had high hopes of crafting my nephews lovely little gifts, or bringing them impressive trinkets, and as usual, I got so busy with school that it was hard to find the time and mental energy (for example, I have not even packed yet even though I am leaving today). The little wooden people that I began working on remain half-painted, but they will surely be a fine gift down the road. But the point is: one thing I did pick up for them, which I've been meaning to get hold of for awhile, is Erich Kastner's Emil and the Detectives. Originally published in 1929, it sounds like a wonderful mystery set in Berlin, featuring Emil, who is robbed on the train, and who later mobilizes a gang of kid detectives to help get the money back. Hopefully I will be able to read it to my nephews in mellower moments.

I got the Barnes and Noble edition, which I think has the original illustrations. They're very charming and vaguely TinTin-esque.

Imagine my elation when I saw it was for me

Ah, here it comes, that birthday update you've all been awaiting!
There were so many things to get done for finals week--writing, thinking, grading, etc--and lots of photos to go through commemorating my great day. Now that things are slowing down, I have a chance to process and write all about it.
My birthday was a Tuesday, the day before many of us had our fancy final presentations in Film Theory. Naturally, I figured everyone would be too busy to hang out. Fair enough. So the plan was to order pizza with Ryan and E & B and and maybe watch some Jeopardy. Low key, but very pleasant. Before that, I was going to meet up with Jeff for a quick howdy and hello, since he was moving to LA later that week. When I got back home, planning to order the pizza, I opened the door to find ALL MY FRIENDS HERE IN MY HOUSE!!!! It was amazing. I was seriously 100% surprised. It was radical.
Turns out, a few weeks earlier, Jordan started imagining the party and coordinating with Ryan and E & B from all the way in NYC, and my pals here executed it, adding their own special details. I couldn't believe how thoughtful and sweet it all was. They ordered 6 different pizzas from 5 different places (and even drove to pick them all up!) because they know how much I love pizza. There were also balloons sprucing up every corner of the house. Ryan baked amazing cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting. Awesome. It was so wonderful, and particularly special to get to see everyone together near the end of the year, since we'll all be going our separate ways for the summer and beyond.
Here are some of the highlights. I also made a flickr set with all the pics.
Ryan has a great quad-cam feature on her iphone. It's really handy for capturing the essence of an event:

Nicole brought her new camera, and there were lots of group pictures taken. For some reason, many of these groups were arranged by gender. Here are all of the gals. In this shot, we're all in the process of toppling over:

Here are the fellas, looking macho and tough:

My spectacular cupcake tree:

I really wanted to get a shot with the beautiful balloons, but it didn't happen on the night of my birthday. The following day, when I went to pose with them, they were sadly already beginning to lose their helium, so I clutched them close and threw them into the air with glee. It looked like this:

So obviously, as you can see, it was pretty much one of the best birthdays ever. I feel so lucky and loved. It's a great way to start my 27th year.