It's been just over two months since my last post. I guess it's time to check in. Needless to say, this spring has been busy.
So the Red Sox are off to a terrific start. If we can keep this rolling through the summer, then the fall promises to be most exciting.
My man Obama has climbed up in the polls, but I fear he may have plateaued. I think he's banking on a significant Hillary misstep. Meanwhile, on the GOP side I fear the rise of Mitt Romney. McCain can't get his act moving, Rudy is slipping by the week, and no one else has a name anyone knows. Mitt is on the ascent and I'm not feeling too good about it.
On a recent trek to New York I saw some of the more recent additions to the theater season. Legally Blonde - entirely missable. Deuce - ditto, unless you just feel like seeing a legend like Angela Lansbury. Inherit the Wind - a classic done well and in good hands with Christopher Plummer in the lead. Curtains - not too bad, and on the whole, very entertaining, but about 30 minutes too long. Frost/Nixon - a master class in fine acting from Frank Langella and a compelling script.
Off to London at the end of the month to catch Equus, The Lady from Dubuque, and Lord of the Rings. And making a return visit to Billy Elliot. Looking forward to each, for different reasons.
Because these things always go this way, I'm missing a chance to see Keane in Boston during the time I'm in England. Oh well, next time around. Is it me or is "Nothing in My Way" totally addictive?
Spent nine days in Italy over April vacation. Over the course of the nine days, we enjoyed virtually cloudless skies and flawless weather. Started in Venice, which I found full of personality and charm. When I stepped on to a pedestrian foot bridge and caught my first glimpse of the Rialto and Grand Canal, I had one of those "moments." It was like something out of a storybook. Verona was quaint, as was Padua. Florence was everything they say it is. Michelangelo's David was another of those moments. It's so much bigger than I expected. Assisi was impressive. We finished in Rome. Had a papal audience, which even for a virtual non-believer like me, was quite thrilling and impressive. Vatican City was breathtaking, as was the Coliseum. Took the journey to Pompeii, which was totally cool. Walking through those ruins is like stepping back 2000 years. Caught a good glimpse of Napoli on the way. And of course, got a good look at the looming Mount Vesuvius.
As if that wasn't enough, I'm going back to Italy just after school gets out, this time for a 14 day tour. This takes a more southerly route. We start in the Mediterranean with a few days on the island of Lipari. Then to Sorrento for a few days, including a brief visit to Capri. Then up to Rome for a few, which will give me a chance to catch some of the things I missed last month. I know I will return to the Vatican for a longer and more detailed look.
Work is good. We're in the midst of some labor strife because our contract expired in August and the negotations have gone nowhere in the ten months since. The haggling point is employee health insurance contributions and it's been ugly for some time. I get the sense that we're headed for a strike, even if only for a single day, which is regrettable, but sadly, perhaps necessary. Even then, I'm not sure we will gain what we want from it.
Meanwhile, another school year races to its conclusion. The seniors are down to single digits in terms of days left. On the warm days, it gets disgustingly humid and uncomfortable in the building and no one wants to do a thing.
My new role as department chair requires me to work with the graduation speaker. We've selected the speaker, she completed a draft, and now begins my work of helping her to edit and revise her work by the end of the week. Next week we'll put her before a small audience and coach her on delivery.
I'm also in the midst of 2007-2008 scheduling, which means creating and revising a master schedule for the entire department. That's 16 teachers at 5 classes each, plus my own two. All while trying to keep classes at reasonable sizes. Next week, I get to compete with other department heads as we fight over periods and such.
And there's the decisions to be made about the rehiring (or not) of two third-year teachers (whose rehires would earn them each tenure) and two first-years.
Hence ... the busy spring. A villa on Lipari can't come fast enough.
