Training Log Archive: barb

Isabel did a fine job on orange today. She beat her dad in their first ever head-to-head race. And it looks like she ended up ahead of AdventureGirl! thanks to a couple legs with big time losses on the Emma's part. Generally Emma is faster than Izzy; Izzy only beat her on two out of 13 legs. Slow and steady wins the race, I guess, in this case.

C • Wildly 2

This is a little slice of life of a mother of a teenage boy and if you are not interested or inclined to be critical i'd just as soon you not read it. It is for my little ap diary with which I can do as I like because it is mine. It is for my ap friend mothers with kids. It is also for celebration of how we just go ahead and plow through life, and kids grow up in their families and move on, and it all comes out all right in the end, which is both false and true, because there is no end, really, but it is all right.

Geoff came over with a pizza for dinner. David sat down with us to eat, but I made the mistake of mentioning his scoliosis -- I had been researching online in the wake of the previous day's appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon who said he should wear a brace 20 hours a day for the next 3 years. I had found this alternative treatment (Schroth method) involving intensive training on exercising that seems to have some evidence of working, and that is a lot more appealing than passive bracing. I wanted to tell David about it. Bad timing when he's sitting down to eat, and with Geoff there. David left with his slice, back to his room to slouch in front of the computer and play more Portal 2.

After our separate pizza dinners, Geoff took us out to see the movie about the ancient paintings in the French cave, at the Coolidge Corner cinema. When we got out of the car, David started to get very angry and negative. He didn't want to be there. He hated little indy theaters with their pretensions and cheap fittings and stupid films. We were early, so I suggested stopping in at the drug store to pick up a few things for camp: flashlight, deodorant. I knew the embarrassing mention of deodorant was likely to inflame him; it was a calculated move balancing the real, practical need to get it and to be able to handle things like buying your own deodorant with the possibility of tantrum. He didn't want to shop; why not just shop tomorrow? Why were we early? - he could have played more of his computer game during this time. He got quite worked up. Then it turned out that the movie was sold out. Geoff and I settled on going to see the Woody Allen movie "Paris at Midnight" starring Owen Wilson with a bit role by Carla Bruni (wife of French Prez). It looked to be a fluffy romantic funny movie, and I wondered how David would take this, but I had been wanting to see it. Sometimes David complains and refuses to watch movies that are romances. But on the other hand lately he has been quite open to watching various movies. Example: we watched Kenneth Branagh's "Much Ado about Nothing" recently with the whole family and Robbie; David was engaged the whole time and enjoyed it. Another example: he and I started watching "Microcosmos", an excellent documentary about insects and other small creatures - highly recommended - and only stopped because his ride came to pick him up.

In the theater, David continued to be very angry about everything. I offered to get him something to eat or drink and ended up giving him money to get whatever he wanted. I asked him to get me popcorn, and he was pissed off when he had to come ask me whether I wanted butter or not. Meanwhile, Geoff and I had realized that they serve beer in this theater, and this was an extremely welcome finding in the situation, so we were in line for some locally brewed (Blue Hills) wheat beer on tap. Throughout all this, Geoff remained calm. "I think it's just an attack of hormones," I said to Geoff. Geoff pointed out that David is under a lot of stress - transitions - end of school, end of therapy, this horrible future of being braced, having to leave town. Geoff's attitude really helped me a lot, as did the beer. I mean, I was also staying calm externally, but the blood pressure was spiking some, and I was having to do all these calculations about what I was doing and saying.

In the movie, David relaxed. He started to engage. In movies he tends to talk a lot. About the movie. This movie was fun, about this writer who goes back in time in Paris and meets a lot of famous writers and artists, some of whom David is familiar with. The very first one was F Scott Fitzgerald, and of course David has just read the Great Gatsby in English class, and learned about Scott & his wife -- so that really hooked him. Then we met Hemingway, with whom David was not familiar, but the character spoke in such an overly simplified way that David got it: "Is that how his books sound?" Picasso shows up. Salvador Dali. And David got to meet Gertrude Stein, who read our protagonist's novel and gave some good feedback. And there were places that we visited a couple years ago, including Versailles, including a lovely shot of the Hall of Mirrors. So the movie outing was a success, in the end. Very literary, in an approachable way. Thanks, Woody!

When we got home I read the camp information booklet to David. He reacted with dismay to hearing that there would be activities other than just the two art workshops. Activities like singing and a campout and swimming and so on. By "reacting with dismay" I mean blustery angry sounding cuss-laced commentary and statement of refusal to do those things or to go to camp. Earlier, he was packing from the list which includes things NOT to bring (phone, computer, media players), and he was asking how the heck he was supposed to be in communication with his family and friends (spoken answer 1: they provide computers and some time for emailing; unspoken answer 2: since when is he in communication with his friends and family, much?). I figured he'd get over it. I'm pretty sure he looked at the camp information with me months back and either didn't notice that stuff or forgot. Eventually I talked to him about how we chose this camp partly for the reason that it is more like a camp, that they do take care of you, and feed you, and organize activities, and support you really making friends. Another choice might have been something like RISD where they give you housing and you spend all day in classes but they don't support you in the same way. He settled down.

At (my) bedtime (meaning David may have stayed up and played Portal 2 afterward), I read him the beginning of Kafka's Metamorphosis. David couldn't understand why Gregor kept thinking he was going to be able to carry on with his day, not dealing with the fact that he's a cockroach. Which I guess is exactly the right thing to be wondering.

I am going ahead with the Thompson Island project in July: 4-5 1.5-hour sessions with 20 inner-city kids. I'm excited.

I would like to have a big goal, like, every kid can navigate using the map to find something anywhere on the island. And, every kid can successfully execute a yellow course using my "fold, hold and O[rient]" method I adapted from Canadian whats-his-name.

Maybe I can start off by showing some ultimate challenge, handing out the map and just having an open discussion about how they might want to tackle it.

Maybe we can work up to playing the capture the flags game.

Maybe I can borrow a bunch of laptops and get them hooked on Catching Features.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could get the Thompson Island map into Catching Features before I work with the kids starting 2nd week July? They could orienteer virtually and then go out and do the course for real.

I guess things I might need to solicit besides someone doing that would be some laptops with CF. Do I need CF licenses? Um, some epunch equipment would be useful. Maps, obviously; already working on that.

C • Already a version in CF 2

David's final project for animation class

C • Nice! 1