It’s 10 am and I’ve gotten my kid off to school, I’ve shined my sink the way FLYLADY says to and I’ve handwritten my Morning Pages the way Julia Cameron suggests, I’ve researched, composed and sent e-mails regarding potential solo performance options and now I’m sorting laundry. Why am I so productive during my alone time in this manner on this day. Because anything is easier than getting ready for this evenings meeting with the tax preparer.
After the long weekend
After my Pilates mat class I had extra time at the Y thanks to the other mom who took the girls to their ballet at Mark Morris. I took extra long in the steam room and thought about some clown stuff. I was going to swim laps but forgot my goggles so I walked down 6th Avenue into Greenwich Village. I bought a latte at Joe’s on Waverly but there weren’t any open seats so I kept walking and ended up at Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargan Books on Carmine Street where I bought essays by Virginia Woolfe and books about Tracy Ullman and Spike Mulligan with the intention of learning more about the creative processes of others. Tracy Takes On was interesting to me because I am doing a costume based character at the next Downtown Clown and I picked up The Unpublished Spike Milligan Box 18 because of all the photographs of all the scraps of ideas that the British comedian kept in his own unique filing system that he used to develop material:
Box 18 – Ideas. This contained Spikes notes. He would scribble a poem and put it in this file. Sometimes it would be incomplete and he would work on it perhaps a week or a month later, or it would be ‘chucked’. The file contained ideas for speeches, stories or sketches for one of his television programmes… When he decided to work on any one of his ideas he would sit at the typewriter and the writing simply flowed. –Norma Farnes
I would have enjoyed going to Clownlab this weekend but it got cancelled like everything else because of the snow.
It’s hard to believe Friday was a snow day today was so sunny and bright. Spring is definitely here! …unless it snows again.
No Snow Day Yes
Thursday evening
NEW YORK, NY February 25, 2010 —Because of the snowstorm, the city has decided to postpone parent teacher conferences for junior high and intermediate schools, but Mayor Bloomberg says otherwise, it’s business as usual in the classroom.
“Our main objective is to keep our kids in school,” Bloomberg says. “That’s why we have an education system. And right now we expect that snowfall tomorrow will be manageable enough that we can keep all schools open.”
The mayor says the city will let parents know if they decide to close schools as soon as possible, but no decision has been made.
The mayor says the sanitation department also has 365 salt spreaders that can disperse 170,000 tons of salt and 1,600 snow plows can begin clearing city streets once 2 inches of snow accumulate on the ground.
But, because temperatures are in the mid-30s, the mayor says much of the snow that has fallen is melting on city streets.
Friday Morning
NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Michael Bloomberg says safety was the reason for the rare decision to close New York City’s public schools.
In Albany, the sun was shining Friday and schools were open. But hundreds of schools – from Rochester to the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island – were closed. It was the week’s second snow day for many upstate districts.
New York City officials originally had hoped that the snowfall would be manageable. But Bloomberg says his top advisers spoke on Thursday night and decided keeping schools open “may not be safe.”
There are 1.1 million pupils in the nation’s largest school system. During a Feb. 10 storm, they enjoyed their third snow day in only six years.
Said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein: “Everybody better do their homework this weekend.”
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Daydreams
It’s Monday morning. The Husband has taken My Kid to school and I have a couple of hours on my own in the apartment before I have to leave for a class. Because I’m using my laptop to get organized for my day I somehow ended up on facebook where friends were complementing Chris Bayes on his new website. So I had to check it out. The text invites one to classes that may be inspiring and I think, that sounds fun. Then I remember I already have a connection to Jef Johnson’s Clownlab. He’s getting inspired teaching children in Sudan at the moment and may have a lab in New York this weekend. I wasn’t able to attend the workshop a couple of weeks ago. I would like to go this Saturday, but I will have to get a babysitter because The Husband will be out of town and wether or not I can go also depends on the time of My Kid’s soccer game and we have tickets for the Brooklyn Children’s Film festival… Jango Edwards is spearheading a monthlong Nouveau Clown Institute course in Barcelona next month. Some people I know are going (mostly single performers not that long out of college). I would very much like to go but of course I can’t for innumerable reasons. But, there is always that little question why can’t I go? It’s not like I have a corporate job. Theoretically I could decide to go and take out my credit card… buy a plane ticket… find a babysitter… Does it mean I’m not sufficiently committed to my home and family if I daydream of clowning in Spain?
Clown Families Riding the Subway to Brooklyn
I spent most of the day in Manhattan with my kid because there is no school this week and it was a good day to have a midtown lunch date with The Daddy-Husband who works at Rockefeller Center. We ate noodles at the Sapporo Japanese restaurant on 49th Street (We used to eat at Sapporo East all the time when The Kid took Japanese language classes at the 14th Street Y in the East Village. Then there were virtually inevitable side trips to Toys R Us Times Square (www.toysrustimessquare.com) and FAO Schwarz® on 5th Avenue. My Kid did an art project, bought some bedding for her doll and added “Cookie Monster” to her menagerie because last night we watched the “Cake Boss” episode where they made a replica of the Sesame Street set out of cake and fondant.
So after I, being a cultural Catholic, “got my ashes” at Saint Patrick Cathedral and My reluctant Kid got a blessing, we had dinner at The Brooklyn Diner (ironic right?!)
On the C train riding home we found ourselves in the same car as Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley and their kids, in town for the New York Goofs classes and on their way to the hosting home of yet another New York Clown Family.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Do you like my hat?”
Actually that is not how we greeted each other– that’s some Dr. Seuss text…
So anyway…
It was fun to run into another clown family out and about in New York City.
We’re everywhere.
You’d be surprised!
Mortality
Via facebook I learn of the death of an elementary school classmate.
Five days older than me, she will never be the age I am now.
The Husband, My Kid and I took the train to Union Square and bought books at Strand.
We ate guacamole and drank margaritas at the Mexican restaurant where the plastic men dive from the wall.
They went back to Brooklyn and I went to the Krane Theatre to see the New York Downtown Clown Revue.
Afterwards Phoebe’s Bar was the place to be.
One will go to Las Vegas to work for Cirque du Soleil. Another will teach a class. A third has his arm in a sling.
There is only one more Downtown Clown Revue left.
bluebird
Last week I read an interview with Ariel Gore in hip Mama the parenting zine. Yesterday afternoon I bought her new book bluebird, women and the new psychology of happiness and inhaled it.
Whoops I did it again
D@#$ I didn’t leave home in time to get to the Y in time for the Pilates class I like AGAIN! It’s like I’m not even trying. And yet I am. The Husband took My Kid to school on his way to work so I had three whole hours to get stuff done before I had to leave the apartment at noon. It’s that combination of writing and housework that I just can’t seem to get a handle on since both are invariably more time consuming than I anticipate, not to mention the fact that when I made a rough plan of my morning I left out: personal hygiene, getting dressed; eating breakfast and/or lunch; running out to the corner store for dish detergent; looking for unwanted socks and gloves for this afternoons Girl Scout craft project; finding my daughters Girl Scout uniform vest; checking my e-mail and signing up for the parent end of Sunday’s religious education program… So now that I’ve given up on today’s personal fitness regime and suddenly have a free hour, I can instead work on laundry or dinner or PTA fundraisers or turn the hour my attention to laundry or dinner or PTA fundraisers or maybe one of those pesky writing projects…
Scheduling issues
This weekend I’m going to let my desires to do clown work slide by the wayside. Jef Johnson is teaching a workshop at Theatrelab and I would like to spend my weekend there. But, it’s not a public performance so it doesn’t get that clear-the-deck priority. I already know Jef and enjoy his approach. The topic appeals.
I always enjoy talking with Jef about what clown things he’s been thinking during this last leg of touring with Slava’s Snowshow.
Yet, between herding my child to her scheduled soccer game, ice skating party, piano lesson and religious education class, I fear that I can’t allow myself to enjoy art supply explorations without my kid. Although as I write this, it seems to me that perhaps my daughter and I may be in need of some time spent with Play-doh, tempera paint and crayons.
A little something
I’m excited.
When Chris Lueck announced the end of the Downtown Clown Revue he also put out a call for performers for the last few performances. I sent him an e-mail. I don’t have an act that I want to do. But I do have a character I would like to play while helping to set up and clear the stage.
Chris said yes!
I’ll be playing on March 15.
I’m looking forward to it.