Monday, October 31, 2016

NaNoWriMo 2016

Been gearing up for something big, scary and exciting...



My first ever NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where you sign up and pledge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. Mother did this last year with a Young Adult fiction project and I have been stymied by a lack of urgency and focus throughout 2016 so I believe this is just the thing I need. Luckily I have also found a writing program called Scrivener and it may not write the book for you but it is a powerful tool to help organize and consolidate all of your work in one place. I just love it.

It's a lot of words and I still have all my normal responsibilities and activities to manage, not to mention the Thanksgiving Holiday. But my story has been churning in my brain for over a year and it needs to be realized. The toughest thing is not to squander time or get distracted. Let's do this thing...

Saturday, October 01, 2016

Sia in Seattle

Sia shone bright like a diamond in Key Arena last Thursday during the first stop of her new tour. A spectacular blend of performance art with music and a sophisticated application of cameras, screens, lighting and dance to really make you pay attention. Plus that amazing voice! Such a memorable performance by a talented artist. Wishing Sia and team a smooth and successful tour!




I'm pretty sure that's Tig Notaro there with the shiny gloves. 
Kristin Wiig in a wig brings the emotional resonance 



Friday, September 23, 2016

'WTF Seattle School District?' Part 2

So what happened since I last posted?

Tuesday: Protest
A considerable showing of parents and community members came out. News crews came out too as well as Seattle School District Reps. It was an impressive show of concern. It also showcased how serious we are about getting a new teacher instead of disrupting our entire school that is already weary from so many transitional issues at the temporary site. 







Media Coverage




Wednesday: School Board Testimony 
This is where I have to take a moment and gush about our parents and teachers. People are allowed during the meeting to sign up for 2 minute slots to talk to the Board about any issue. Over 2/3 of the 25 speakers were Loyal Heights people on this day. Every one of them had thoughtful and detailed speeches. Ranging from a young student to a teacher to many, many concerned parents. Watch it for yourself, it's impressive. THIS LINK starts from where Loyal Heights Speakers begin.

It's also telling that the comments after testimony from the Board Members acknowledge the great groundswell of support that Loyal Heights showed up with. 


Friday: Final Decision
And here we are. At the District, the decisions are being made about staff allotments today and it feels like the community has done everything to make the point and make big noise. So now we wait. Having put faith in the system and in ourselves. We wait.