Every March is the same. March is a useless month. With the exception of Jaycine Pontichello's birthday, March is just one big let down. Everyone THINKS that March is a 'spring' month. Perhaps because spring starts in March....but it doesnt really. And it isnt even a winter month, because it holds none of the romance of winter--no celebration, no beauty, no snowy-anticipation, and no charm. It is just wind. And gray. And black, greasy, sandy, mottled snow. Snow that wants to leave, to liquefy, to seep back into the earth and nourish grass or tulips or crocuses and be of use--it is snow that it is embarrassed, for it knows it serves to purpose.

Also, there are no days off for school :/

In other news Callum loves tacos. No, I mean the kid LOVES them. Our kids dont eat that much of ANYTHING (except yogurt, actually). But you put a taco in front of Callum, the kid will go to town. We had to cut him off at four the other night because we thought he would be sick. And they were LOADED tacos. Nice. Maira just likes the shredded cheese. 

Let's see--what else? Well, for about the 8th or 9th year in a row I hosted Winslow's culminating WinterCarnival Assembly, which is a school-wide hour and a half of debauchery resplendent with eating contests, dodge ball championships, tug of war, basketball, screaming, and more. So...yeah....try to get everyone's attention and attempt to get 600 kids to listen to directions. Needless to say I was EXHAUSTED after this--especially going from something so high and energetic like this...and moments later leaving to attend the funeral service of young Danny Morren.....a tough day....

Also, I am not good at taking selfies of myself....or anyone else.....yeah...

This year, for added fun, students could buy raffle tickets for "the pig." For each ticket purchased, students could write the name of a teacher whom they wanted to see 'kiss' the pig. On the mouth. In front of the whole school. The pig's name was Mumma-Gruntz, and she was a refined lady. And fellow lunch duty comrade (and gym teacher) Pete Bolduc unanimously was voted to kiss the lovely lady MummaG.....I was just lucky enough to get a picture with Mumma before her big show. I wear my 'salmon' blazer each year for this even.....that is all....

So, the other day, it was big news in Boston because the city surpassed the old record and set a new one for most snow (for Boston) in a single season at 108.6 inches. The previous record, as I had been telling my mom and dad a couple of weeks ago, was 107.6 inches, which was set in the very memorable winter of 1995-1996.

Besides 1996 being the year my friends and I graduated from high school, it was also the winter in which I was diagnosed with my cancer, and it was that winter in which I began the toughest part of my treatment. But if there is one thing I remember more about that year than the constant tests, needles, surgeries, and chemicals, it is doing all of this in some of the most impressive storms I have ever seen. In fact, I believe, on the day in which I was diagnosed (January 2 1996), we had a storm. If my memory serves me correct, we went right into the city that day--to New England Medical Center--and I stayed there for the next week or so as I began a series of tests, biopsies, etc. But I think I had no new clothes, books, or anything for at least the first few days because it was too stormy for my mom or dad to make the trip into the city from Easton/Bridgewater. Perhaps my dad remembers; I dont think my mom reads this blog

I remember the snow that winter and how it looked--so beautiful and out of place--falling peacefully and gracefully onto a roaringly busy city; from my 7th floor (west wing, to be exact) hospital window, I would lie in my bed and watch it and it would bring me a peaceful feeling. That winter brought all types of snow--the dry fluffy stuff and the heavy, wet, fluffy stuff. My mom, in an attempt to bring humor to an otherwise dark situation, used to remark at all the 'slush' on the roads and sidewalks, but she would pronounce the word 'slush' as if she had a speech impediment--she would emphasize the 'sh' sound at the end; it was funny. 

I remember my buddies--Jay, John, Kevin Pray (Tim was working...lol) and others wanting to come visit me in the hospital, but having their visit constantly interrupted by bad weather. I remember that NCAA basketball season (perhaps the only basketball season I have ever paid attention to in my whole life) because that was the year that UMASS went undefeated all snowy-winter long, all through the March Madness, only to lose to Kentucky in the championship; my roommate that week was a young 11 year old boy from Kentucky who was up, staying at NewEnglandMedicalCenter, to seek treatment for his aggressive brain tumor. We watched the championship game in our room and he rejoiced--he was a giddy Kentucky fan--and then he died two weeks later. 

And, mostly, I remember that snowy season coming to an end--like all winters will eventually come to an end--and I remember my favorite nurse of all time, Linda, just KNOWING that I needed to get outside, since it was a gorgeous early April day and it was probably in the 60s. Down the elevator we went--me, my mom, and Linda--and out onto Tremont Street we stepped--I was resplendent in my hospital johnny, and I was attached to an IV poll via my wrist and my infusaport--two hoses bringing me heparin for my blood clot and zofran to prep me for my chemo later that day. I had no care in the world, and I had no shame to speak of as I stepped graciously into the sun, that gorgeous, heartwarming son, and the world stopped.

 I am crazy to try to remember what I was thinking about that day; I have no idea. It was probably something about graduation or chemotherapy or what girl I liked that week (still Susie by the way), or whatever. But I do remember the victorious feeling that we all feel when we overcome a 'season.' Particularly a season, a winter, that was as hard as that winter was. The record stood, after all, for nearly twenty years before it was broken this past Saturday. And now here I am, nearly twenty years later, in a new place--a new state--watching a record setting winter that is still not over. But, as we know, snow will continue to fall, seasons will continue to end, new seasons will continue to start, and the sun will always find a way of melting the ice, snow, and other obstacles that keep us so very locked up.....

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And then there's this goon and her fat, black cat.....

Playing QUIDDLER JUNIOR with Callum lately--a card game that is kind of like Scrabble...but dare I say more fun and more fast! He loves it and we look forward to playing more!

Paw Patrol Mania has infested the GoldsmithHouse; the kids are probably at an unhealthy level of obsession at this point...haha...they watch the videos and then use their figures/vehicles to role play their adventures for hours!

Another Saturday night doing what I love to be doing the most--sitting at home, listening to the mixture of sounds of the kids breathy sleeping and the pot of water on the wood stove as it burns, keeping the house warm as we get hit with another snow storm. This one, being mid March, is that heavy, wet, oppressive snow--it is sticky and easy to pack.

While Amanda takes a shower I am sitting on the couch listening to NPR's "The World Cafe," which is one of my favorite radio shows--it is out of WXPN (UPenn's college station) and showcases some of the most up-and-coming (as well as classic) singer-songwriters around. Wonderful music.

I got to thinking this past week about the disconnect involving listening to music that today's youth seem to have. I first started thinking this last Saturday as I looked around TheRecordConnection in Waterville--I was looking for some good used CDs to put on my ipod so I could have new albums to listen to while I run. The idea of "albums" today is almost a foreign one to today's casual music listener. It is no big surprise, for example, when I make the claim that, in today's culture, we are a very "song" (and not "album") consumer culture. Starting perhaps with cassette singles in the 90s....followed by iTunes purchases in the early 2000s...then to be usurped by Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify--we are a culture, perhaps, without the 'attention span' to listen to an entire record. And, arguably, I wonder if artists even set out to MAKE cohesive albums as they used to. As a note, I have to admit that I first got to thinking of this when a few of my students, for 'character day,' dressed up like the four Beatles on the cover of "Sgt Pepper," which is one of the most famous WHOLE albums of all time, right?

I got to blaming a lack of any 'attention span' or respect for the artist's 'craft on the part of today's young music consumer....but then, suddenly, I slapped myself in the face for saying that, because I came to the realization of the paradigm shift, if you will, among music......and (of all things) books! Music and books, arguably, have switched places, in a way, when it comes to the 'comprehensiveness' of an artist's work. Whereas years ago, musical artist put out entire ALBUMS to be honored, revered, and listened to, today artists arguably put out CDs containing songs they think will get the most air time--no continuity. However, if you look at what kids are READING these days, it becomes very clear that an attention span deficiency is NOT the problem: Kids are regularly reading 600-800 page tomes that are not STAND ALONE books, but, rather, cogs in a 'series' of other books (some of these series' contain perhaps 20 books....THOUSANDS of pages!).

My argument, then, is that today's BOOKS have become the 'albums' of the age; authors are the 'artists' crafting and creating a totality of work that consumers are eating up ("you have to read the whole series!" kids say...or "make sure you start at the beginning or it wont make sense!" they tell me). This is how it used to be with musical albums, right? You listened all the way through to get the full effect? I dont know. Maybe I am wrong. Just my idea. But it is interesting to see how books and music--two of my favorite things in all the world--have traded roles. It seems to me that the only book 'albums' that existed years ago were Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys--haha! We were a world full of 'stand alone' book 'hits' (Salinger, Lee, Wharton, and so many authors had that one GREAT work). Today, it is difficult to find a book that ISN'T part of a series.

It is just cool to see how things change shape. I love it. I love our cultural shifts--I love the people who are movers, shakers, and trendsetters...and I love the people who love to preserve the way things used to be.....

THROWBACK...MARCH OF 2010!!! These pictures were taken five years ago this week!! There is a significant difference in the snow amounts, for one! haha

You know what really annoys me lately? Brunch. How dumb is the idea of 'brunch.' More liberal entitlement in America. You're too lazy to get up like a normal person? No problem: We'll create a whole separate freakin meal for you to have your goat-cheese-reduction-balsamic-truffle omlette for 18.95. Nothing wrong with breakfast OR lunch OR dinner. If you are a lazy hipster yuppie and have to sleep in, then have a 'late' breakfast or an 'early' lunch. Don't expect society to invent another meal for you just cuz you listen to NPR. And if brunch REALLY IS a combination of 'breakfast' and 'lunch,' then where does all the foofy-food come into play? Like, the food you cant ever find anywhere else in the globe? Very cute. Very cute. Now don't get me wrong: I love food. I love eating food. I love trying new food. But, in my experience, something that inherently goes along with brunch is 'waiting' for your food--like, a LONG time. You either have to wait for the rest of your party to 'arrive' for brunch...then you need to wait your 'turn' for brunch so you can be 'seated' for brunch. Then you have to wait for your foofy chive-infused-free-range-english-muffin to arrive (with salmon on it). Breakfast, for me, is a run. out. the. clock. operation. Get in. Get out. I have stuff to do. Just give me eggs and Scrapple. Hey, if you love brunch, then be my guest. God knows I love some weird, stupid, moronic stuff (darkness, snow, cold, cold-darkness, joy, happiness, modern things, things that offer joy,  teaching high school students, etc). Just my two cents :/

Maira reading me "YODA: A STORY OF A CAT AND HIS KITTENS" by Beth Stern (wife of the great Howard Stern). Papa and Grammie Goldsmith got this for Maira and Callum for Christmas--both kids have the book memorized....

....and then, all of the sudden, Lupine and Craphead (I mean, Cupcake) show up to read the book about cats. Cupcake sucks.. Anyone want her?

I hosted the schoolwide Winter Carnival assembly last Friday and tried to do a selfie in front of the senior section. I obviously suck at selfies like I suck at most things :/

Will you just look at all this snow? It is amazing. I hope it never leaves....

So last week after the big school spirit pep rally we had, Callum and Maira wanted to come over to the school to a) see if the sweet frogs were still there and b) check out all the cool decorations the students had made for the Sadie Hawkins dance--the theme they chose was STAR WARS, and Callum really was excited to see the Tie Fighter...it was pretty cool...all made out of cardboard...

The kids got invited to their friend Zephyr's birthday party. Zephyr is Sarah and Jesse's son. Sarah is Cindy and Dana's daughter--Cindy and Dana live in back of us, and we are all great friends. Sarah and Jesse live over in Benton, which is the next town over, and we had a blast at the party! As you can see, it was a snow party, complete with sledding, snowforts, and more. They have a heated garage, so that is where we all hung out inside and enjoyed beers and snacks. By the way--it is great that the kids are now both at the age where they can kind of just 'go play' on their own with the other kids, so mom and dad can actually have real conversations with real people...haha...

Callum and Zephyr have never had a bad time together...we would like to get them together more often, cuz they are buddies and both complement each other very well. Every time Zephyr comes over to his MeeMee and papa's, he ends up stopping by to play with Callum and Maira. He's a great kid....

There is just so much snow...it is incredible. The ITS snowmobile trails are accessible from their house, and Jesse told me I should just trailer my sled over to his place and get on the trails from there! Great idea....too bad I didnt plan very well, and now my trailer is blocked by about a ten foot snowdrift (WOMP WOMP WOMP......)

Below, Callum pulls Zephyr in a sled, and Maira pulls Robert (Robert is Adam and Ariel's little guy...and Robert is Cindy and Dana's son). Callum and Maira were completely exhausted by the time we left...a great day playing in the snow!

Oh, and this is pretty cool huh? This is Jesse's vintage 1973 ski doo snowmobile...the thing is awesome! It has a 250 engine in it (by comparison, mine is a 700) and Jesse says that the engine is almost 'too much' for the sled (he proceeded to show me how light the sled was by lifting the back with one hand...haha). I'd love to take this antique out sometime! Everyone who knows me knows I love classic, antique, old stuff! haha

What's up?

Haven't checked in for a while....

Weather has sucked lately...and by sucked, I mean that we havent had any significant snowstorms and the temps have moderated a bit into the upper 20s and low 30s...it sucks

I hope we get slammed soon with some snow

Last Friday was a red letter day at Winslow High....we are involved in this state wide school spirit contest sponsored by WGME new (CBS) in Portland. Winslow and about five other schools are doing this community contest, and the goal is to raise enough money/collect enough food donations to donate to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. In addition, we as a school showcase a 'pep rally' of sorts--open to the whole community--to demonstrate our school spirit. But here is the kicker: Because the pep rally was to be broadcast LIVE on the news, it had to be from 6-8 AM....so wrap that one around your head...try and guess if high school students, in the winter, in Maine, would come to school, at 6AM, when they didnt have to, JUST for a pep rally. Well, as the pictures demonstrate, the place was PACKED at 6...and probably most of the school was there by 7 (students arent required to be there til 735).

just some of the food we collected.......

...getting ready for a 'live shot' with the football and hockey team....the reporter and the producer (in the white hat) are getting everyone ready...

oh hi

It was a bit surreal actually.....haha....I walked into my classroom and heard, in the gym, about 50 yards away, the resplendent sounds of teenagers screaming and hooting and hollering! It was awesome. At 618 AM, kids and community members and area bank employees were having grocery bagging contests....off in another part of the gym was a slam dunk contest....off in the corner was a pie eating competition....then there was the band playing...and the drama club performing excerpts from a play...and, of course,, me, hosting THE PRICE IS RIGHT for some lucky contestants

Oh, and don't forget the Sweet Frog characters.....

Ask me how everyone felt at 8 AM...when the pep rally ended...and we were staring down the school day actually STARTING...haha...kids were NUTS by the last block of the day....

I really am very blessed to be able to say that I truly love my job and I look forward to going each day. There is never a day where I dread going to work (well.....almost......haha)

I ended up taking Maira for her first ever snowmobile ride on Saturday...it was a short one because I wasnt feeling well (but she had never been and she was excited to go!). We went just a couple of miles and we went nice and slow because she doesnt like speedy things (just like her dad!)

I hate March. There is no reason for March to exist. America should just take March off.