Iyindo

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It's INSANE how much I love my baby and how much that love keeps growing. Truly amazing.

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Every once in a while, I stop and marvel at how much happier I am with my job this year, and it's because this is the first year since becoming a teacher that I haven't been doing something else on top of teaching. It's incredible how much more time and space I have... and how much more I can commit to teaching well.

I'm glad that I tried being Lead Teacher on for size. I'm also glad that I stepped down. I learned that I'm in no hurry at all to leave the classroom for any kind of administrative position. The classroom is the most fun place to be, and -- despite what people say -- I still firmly believe that the classroom is where we can have the biggest impact on kids' lives.

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As I have been at home unable to do much of anything for the past 3 days, I have resorted to reliving Olympic figure skating -- scouring NBC's poorly designed website for replays of the pairs short & free and the mens short & free programs. Now, it may be because I'm an elitist fan who (at ONE point, at least) could name every jump by sight and all of the major players on the chess board... but I've been feeling let down by figure skating recently. I'm particularly disappointed in the mens short program results.

Here's what I've seen, starting with 6th place:

Johnny Weir: What a performer! This guy is a ham & a half and was absolutely adorable on the ice. He's got good speed and covers the ice well, including covering lots of ice with his jumps. Beautiful artistry, definitely gets the crowd involved. Also, I think his choreography was some of the most excellently matched to his music. His hits, his jumps, his arm positions, even his flying camel were perfectly timed to the sound -- unlike some of the other guys in the competition. Downsides: Ummm???  I'm not sure. Apparently, he "doesn't have transitions" but I call shenanigans on that, as did the crowd in Vancouver. They were NOT liking the judges after his scores, and neither was I. He may have been cheated out of the 5th place spot.

Stephane Lambiel: Hands down the best spinner of the pack, IMO. His body positions during his spins, his speed, and his ability to keep rotating over the same patch of ice were beautiful to watch. I seriously think that some of the other guys should take note and spice up their spinning. It got a little old to see the same position over and over again. Lambiel made the spins stand out. He also had a rather nice 2nd half to his program. That being said, I just don't think he opened strong. The first part of his program was just bleh, and he didn't have the same popping energy that the other top guys have. For this reason, I'm not sure he should've placed above Weir, who seemed to have more speed and artistry than Lambiel.

Oda Nobunari: I don't agree with this placing at all. This guy had energy to spare, but I think I'm biased by how little I enjoyed his music. Technically, there were no major errors and he did have massive, enduring energy, but the program just didn't convince me of itself. I feel like he's just too "young" on the ice.

Daisuke Takahashi: Awesome! Great costume, great artistry, great technique, good choreography... Like Johnny, this guy got the crowd going, never let up, and absolutely sold his short program for every cent it was worth. Even his footwork passes were more than a check next to a requirement; they were downright enjoyable. I'm not sure that Lysacek should have ranked above him at all. To be honest, I'm not sure Plushenko should've either. Just watch Takahashi and you'll have fun... something that you can't necessarily say about the top two.

Evan Lysacek: Here is where I really start to get conflicted. Here's a guy with a very conservative, classic looking style. He's taller than the rest, so his lines are gorgeous to watch. His exits out of jumps are picture perfect. He also has good endurance and carries consistent energy throughout his program. His footwork passes are intricate and he carries tremendous speed throughout them (which isn't always the case). However, I'm totally not sold on his choreography... and if we're going to get on people about transitions, I'm definitely not sure that Lysacek has them any better than Weir does. He also doesn't have incredible spins.... or even an incredible flying camel.  In fact, he doesn't have incredible height on his jumps either (although I may not fault him for that given his height). He's good... I'm just not sure that his short program was better than Takahashi's. I'm really not sure about that.

Evgeny Plushenko: This is my WTF? moment. What the hell is this guy doing at the top? I felt like his choreography was terrible for the piece he chose. His footwork was slow and boring, and he didn't seem to have transition at all. I felt like he was a serious case of "connecting jumps," and, indeed, that's his specialty. He's the only guy in the world, apparently, who can do a quad axel in combination. I'm down, I think that's awesome, but I feel like he got into gold medal standing with that one trick. I'm very annoyed that he's ranked above Takahashi & Lysacek. He's a technical master, but his artistry and choreography leave much to be desired as far as I'm concerned.

Having said all of that, I only have one thing to add... go back and look... just look at Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Kurt Browning, Elvis Stojko (the first guy to DO a quad in combination, btw) and Scott Hamilton... go back and look at their gold medal performances and tell me that they don't put most of the current guys to shame. Sure, they weren't stringing triple-triple combinations together, but they had style. Kurt Browning and Brian Boitano, in particular. When I go back and watch Boitano's gold medal performance, it still gives me the chills... every last piece of footwork, every last detail (the raised arm for the opening triple jump), his toe touches, the AIR on his flying camels right into a sit spin.... the theme of the soldier beautifully represented throughout the length of the whole program. It's sheer perfection. And while Plushenko might be sheer technical perfection, he doesn't move me the way Boitano used to. Takahashi and Lysacek could, I think... but it remains to be seen what they'll pull out for the short program.

I'm kind of secretly hoping that they'll bring the goods so that Plushenko can taste a slice of humble pie... AND so that I can see some good and beautiful figure skating... please.

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Emelin Cruz was a student of mine last year, and she routinely visits my room during lunch to hang out with the rest of us crazies who are in there. She is an avid reader, a huge Twilight and Vampire Diaries fan, a good student, and a good person. She was always a little round in the middle, but she joined Volleyball last year and has since been in better shape. Oh.. I should mention, she lost her mom when she was really young, and her dad is a single parent raising her and her siblings. Money is so tight for them that Emelin had to save for two years just to get herself 3 out of the 4 books in the Twilight series. She originally read them by checking them out of the library over and over again.

Anyway, she showed up in my room a few days ago bemoaning the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to play volleyball this year. I asked her why, and she said, "It's expensive to join the team." I asked her what cost so much, and she said, "Well, we need to pay $35 for the team sweater that has our name and number on it." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was basically considering not playing because she couldn't scrounge together $35 for a sweater.

Of course, I told her I would give it to her. No kid should sacrifice a sport they love and one that helps their physical fitness because of $35. Then I thought about what she gave me for my birthday: a handmade chain of blue paper rings all hand decorated with Twilight things. I was so moved again to think that she made it for me because she cared that much and didn't have any money to buy me something.

I love that kid.

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http://jzqphotography.blogspot.com/2010/01/lucky-7.html
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Enjoy!

http://jzqphotography.blogspot.com/2010/01/bowl.html

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U2

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Last night, I got the call that Lama Gyatso had passed away. I am so glad for him and for all of us who knew him. I know that with every last breath, every last moment, he was in meditation and dedicating whatever merit might come from his life AND death to all of us. I know he knew what he was doing, and he died in the presence of his most beloved teacher.

In the last years of his life, I didn't see him much. In fact, the last time I remember seeing him is at the end of Tools for Peace Camp last year. Yet, it doesn't matter. Not because I didn't love him, not because he didn't love me, but because there is never separation. We have remained connected in the dharma, and we will continue to be.

I'm so grateful for his unconditional acceptance, the inspiration of his egolessness, and his indefatigable commitment to those around him. It is in the spirit of becoming more like him -- and Chhoje Rinpoche -- that I became a teacher. Though I may never manifest enlightenment in the way they do, I take comfort in knowing that my heart is the same.

Thank you, Lama, for your teachings, and more importantly for your example. I pray that your sangha will follow your example and not just the rites and words of your teachings or texts. I pray that the peace and openness you had for all beings will continue through all of us who knew you. Thank you for giving me one of the most defining periods of my life, in Sikkim. I have never been the same since then, and I know it was you who magnetized that. I know I have been thankless and you loved me anyway. Thank you for continuing to live in my heart. I will do my best to honor you in body, speech, and mind.

OM MANI PADMA HUNG

OM VAJRA SATTVA HUNG

GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA

Onward.







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http://jzqphotography.blogspot.com/2009/10/eulogy.html

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I'm more depressed than I've been in a long time; Ariel, my best good friend at Monroe, is being displaced. The 9GAs, which were two, are likely going to be recombined. This means that I will lose my amazing team. Back to the nay-sayers... Did I mention? -- the biggest asshole one of those is the person displacing Ariel. I hope no one fucks him (except in the ass with a hot iron poker) until the day he dies, and I hope he dies the most long and painful death imaginable. He is irredeemable, and I have lost all patience for people who are worse than Satan.

I am so angry, hurt, and shocked... I don't even know what to do.

It's a good thing I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow. I need it to balance this out.

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