b.rox

Yesterday’s front page story really captured our attention. All credit to reporter Sarah Carr. I’d never heard of the school she focused on, but the parallels to Xy’s experience are striking. I’ve quoted the story at length below, interspersing some of my own thoughts where relevant.

Early every morning, Akili Academy’s teachers gather for a daily [...]

It’s not quite official. Xy made the first cut and has been going to practice sessions. The rules are strict and harsh — you have to pass through many circles of hell before you can be considered a Big Easy Roller Girl. And it will be even longer before she sees any action in a [...]

It’s shaping up as something of a tradition in its own right. My birthday has an overt tendency to suck. A quick recap may be in order.

42: “Guess who forgot? That’s right. Xy.”
41: “I’ve got no festivity in my life whatsoever. Xy didn’t even say ‘Happy Birthday’ this morning, and she has report card conferences [...]

If I haven’t written here as much lately, perhaps it’s because I feel constrained from public discussion of many of the topics which are currently preoccupying me.

There’s an election coming up, and I’ve got opinions, but I’m afraid to express them. Whoever wins, FOLC will have to work with them. It won’t help FOLC’s cause [...]

There was a little frost outside this morning, but our cold snap seems to be coming to an end. The morning bike ride was chilly but not bone-chilling. It looks as though we won’t see freezing temperatures for the rest of the week. Hopefully the rest of the season! Personally I’d be happy if I [...]

I’m still trying to catch up to the present.
We celebrated Xy’s birthday last Tuesday. Since she was feeling sick and I was run ragged it was a pretty lame birthday, but of course she’s used to such disappointments, as are all children of late December. I tried to recontextualize the Escape as Xy’s birthday present, [...]

When we were out in Oregon there was a story on the news that caught my interest, out of the corner of my eye, about Jeff “Free” Luers being released from prison.
Luers was arrested and convicted for setting fire to three vehicles back in 2000. The guy was trying to make a protest statement about [...]

I wasn’t feeling quite right. When Xy offered to take our daughter with her on a shopping expedition I assented. It was just starting to rain so I urged her to drive carefully. Off she went.
We’d heard the weather reports the night before talking about a possibly severe “rain event” but I thought that was [...]

I found and scanned an old photo from my files. Here’s Brian Jones and I getting into a serious subterranean study session.

I’m not sure who took this photo. Possibly Shelley Richmond aka Michelle Richmond Vallejo. Circa 1988? Anyway it’s at Greene Hall, Collins Living Learning Center, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Naturally there is some music for underground [...]

Just in case you thought we were getting too sappy around here. Twelve anti-love songs by B.B. King, The Plastic Cheeses, Moon Cakes, and others. About 40 minutes of fun.

Actually we had a fun anniversary celebration last night. Our old friend Amanda was in town with her husband Michael (whom we’d never met before) and [...]

Xy and I are celebrating our 16th anniversary today. This might be a good time to revisit our infamous puppet-show wedding. Or if you’re in the mood for music rather than video, here’s sixteen tracks for sixteen years together — mixed with a minimum of saccharine because, like the song says, true love is not [...]

Sometimes it really sucks being married to a public school teacher. Sometimes? Well, pretty much all the time. But sometimes it sucks more than others.
We knew this would be a tough year for Xy going into it. Not only is she at a new school, it’s in a temporary location, with a move expected mid-year. [...]

Last night for the first time ever we left our daughter with a babysitter and had a fun night out on the town.
Actually it was a double date. We went over to Sue and Steve’s house just as the babysitter Althea arrived. (Not to be confused with my former co-worker, this Althea has done a [...]

I’d like to take a moment to salute all the teachers of the world who work so hard for our children. You rock!
Today is the first day of classes at Xy’s new school.

I took her traditional “first day” photo as she left the house. Not easy holding a toddler in one arm.
As I noted last [...]

Sunday we made a quick jaunt to the beach, kind of a last hurrah for our summer. It seems hard to believe but Xy’s vacation is pretty much over, and starting today she’s working to prepare her classroom at her new school.
We always find the ocean waters rejuvenating. Waveland, Mississippi, is less than an hour [...]

Lots of stuff going on lately, and so little time to write. The days slip away uncounted. I can’t stand that. So here are some things that have gone down over the last five days or more.

Xy made a trip to the north shore with Persephone and Daisy and Lavender to visit the splash park [...]

I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but we’ve got a rabbit in the house.

I’ve been able to piece together a few clues. Apparently somebody we don’t even know got a rabbit for their kid but then the kid wasn’t interested in it. This someone is apparently on the board of a local charter school. [...]

Posting’s been a little thin here lately because we were on a two-week vacation, visiting friends and family in Indiana and Tennessee. But I’m back now and hopefully will get caught up soon.
In the meantime, here’s a bit of fresh good news to chew on: Xy had an interview lined up for today — we [...]

Xy’s job hunt is in full force. She had a interview at a nearby elementary school last week. Yesterday I came home for lunch to look after the girl for an hour while she did a phone interview with another school. And this morning she went in to teach a sample lesson at the first [...]

When ROX #85 debuted on the internet, we sent out press releases every which way, and we got quite a bit of coverage, from Time magazine to local media outlets.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but Xy and I ended up on a drive-time radio show in St. Louis, live in the studio. That [...]