Category Archives: Slice of Life

(This is for the Slice of Life challenge for March, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. We are writing each day about the small moments in the larger perspective … or is that the larger perspective in the smaller moments? You write, too.)

I walked in, unenrolled. Walked out, unenrolled. In between, I was a Republican, not for the first time ever but I can truthfully say, not very often, either. I wanted to lodge a protest vote in our Primary Elections, as some sort of individual counter to the Trump push.

So, I voted for Kasich, who at least has a positive message even if he has no chance at all in gaining the nomination of his party. And I can’t say I agree with him on many issues, either. He just seemed like the only one on the GOP ticket that I could vote for with any kind of good conscience.

Turns out, my protest vote didn’t matter much. Our liberal New England state’s Republicans, often seen as moderates on the local and national stage, went all-out for Trump, too, with 49 percent of the vote. Kasich came in distant second, however, so that’s something.

Strange days …

Peace (in the vote),
Kevin

(This is for the Slice of Life challenge for March, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. We are writing each day about the small moments in the larger perspective … or is that the larger perspective in the smaller moments? You write, too.)

“Is it in your desk?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Well, was it in your desk when you left school?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is your desk even big enough to hold it?”

“No.”

“Why didn’t you say that when I asked, then? How about your locker? Was it in there?”

“I don’t know.”

<grumble>

“Did you use your locker yesterday? Before you came home?”

“Yeah. I think.”

“When you looked,” voice slowing down to ensure comprehension, enunciating each syllable, “was it in there?”

“Maybe.”

<grumblegrumble>

“So, you have no idea where it is? No idea?”

<silence>

“?”

“?”

Peace (gone missing),
Kevin

(This is part of Slice of Life, a weekly writing activity hosted by Two Writing Teachers. In March, the Slice of Life Challenge happens. Every day of March, writers will find small moments to write about. You write, too.)

A neighbor passed along a book about youth sports to my son, telling him to give the book to me. When I finally opened up the inside of the book, there was this beautiful note from my neighbor, a friend who has coached my sons in youth baseball over the years. We’re at a point in our lives where my youngest is now too old to play in the level that he coaches.

We’ve had many conversations over the years about teaching, about books (he is retired but worked in the library of the local VA Hospital), about kids growing up over the years, about technology for good and for ill, and about politics and more.

I was struck by the kind words that he wrote and also about how the physical writing (and in a book, to boot) has a certain emotional power that an email would not have had. This friend doesn’t like technology all that much, and uses computers at the library when he needs to do anything with computers, so it is no surprise that he would handwrite out the note.

Still … his note reminds me of our ongoing CLMOOC Postcard Project, where a handful of people are sending out postcards now and then to each other. Seeing words that have been written on the page by hand, as opposed to typed on the screen by fingers, still holds an allure, particularly when there is a human connection from reader to writer.

Peace (in notes),
Kevin

(This is part of Slice of Life, a weekly writing activity hosted through Two Writing Teachers. In March, they host a daily Slice of Life writing adventure. Come write.)

flickr photo shared by livewombat under a Creative Commons ( BY-NC-SA ) license

Yesterday, when I woke up to walk the dog and do my early day writing, the temperature outside was negative ten degrees. That’s -10. The day before, at same time, it was negative 14. That’s -14. The wind chill factor made Sunday feel like negative 30. That’s … well, you get the picture. Cold. Wicked cold.

This morning, at the same time, it is 25 degrees and rising. Later today, it could reach 50 degrees. That’s about a 60 degree swing towards warm from yesterday morning that might happen. Mother Nature is going bonkers on us here in New England, and the evidence is not just the temperature but also the coat of ice on top of an inch of snow on the driveway. Shoveling will not be fun.

Good thing we are on our winter break right now. I sure hope Mother Nature settles down into Spring soon. Right? Right?

Peace (in the swinging of the season),
Kevin

(This is a post for Slice of Life, a weekly writing activity hosted by Two Writing Teachers.)

Sunday was unseasonably warm, and so we took our kids and dog on a forced march through the woods and river near our house.

Someone had been up to their artistic tricks again, making sculptures out of found wood and rocks and objects washed downstream in the river.

I once used some of these community sculptures for a backdrop to a welcoming video to Making Learning Connected. But the city highway crews redid the bike path, and took away all of the sculptures. They have been “returned.”

A wander through our woods is like a walk through a fresh air art gallery. You never know what you will find.

Peace (in the found),
Kevin

 

(This is for Slice of Life, a weekly writing activity hosted by Two Writing Teachers. The aim is to capture the small moments of life. You write, too.)

flickr photo shared by dianecordell under a Creative Commons ( BY-NC-ND ) license

A bunch of us teachers wandered down the hallway. After a long Monday of teaching (on the heels of a disappointing loss by the New England Patriots that seemed to cast a solemn glow on all of the classes), and then an even longer afternoon of a staff meeting, our working day was nearing an end. Many of us were checking our phones for messages from home or maybe glancing at a cat video to transition away from work.

We stepped out through the door towards the parking lot of our school and paused. All of us. Just stopped. Phones were put away, or at least, feigned towards pockets. The sun was shining, although the soft wind still had a winter bite to it. Faces turned upward.

“Last staff meeting, it was dark when we came out,” someone observed. “The days are definitely getting longer.”

We all just stood there, a small group in silence, nodding.

“I guess Spring will be coming,” another added, and we all gave quiet thanks that the storm that walloped the East Coast not far south of us had deemed us an area not worth visiting. None of us wanted to acknowledge that it is still only January, and New England weather has a way of making its presence known right through April some years.

“I guess so,” I said, and smiled, and then we all wandered off to our cars, making our individual ways back home after a short communal gathering in observation of the changing nature of Nature.

Peace (in the moment),
Kevin