First Day of School

Day 1, Virtual Vacation to Culver City, California.

Yesterday I shoveled for six, eight, or ten ours. I lost count. Me and Bob did it together (miss you, sweetie xoxoxo).

Today I went to the beach at Marina Del Rey with Santa and Mrs. Claus, my hosts for this California adventure. That's right folks, this is how I was picked up at LAX airport. Santa hats and all. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to fly into a new city, sick for leaving home, and hear a New York City accent on the other end of the cell phone.

The eagle has landed. And I am picked up by Bob's cousin from Long Island, Elaine, who now lives in Culver City with her husband, Marty. BAM. I am taken to lunch. I am taken to the beach. I am taken past Sony studios and Culver studios. I am taken to the really big hill across the street giving me a panorama of the Los Angeles area including the "Hollywood" sign.

After Elaine's spaghetti dinner, I went to my MFA orientation. We did a dry run earlier in the day so I mostly knew how to drive there. Only needed the GPS for the last leg home.

The MFA orientation. Put it this way. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I am. I wanted to meet people who are different from me. I did. I wanted to experience something new. I will. It's just that everyone else seems so widely published and confident in their writing. The MFA lead faculty person said that this program will change our lives. My problem tonight is that I don't want my life to change. I miss my kids. I felt nauseous and dizzy all the way through the Denver airport connection. What's the big deal about higher education? Who cares about a stupid MFA? I miss my abominable blizzard.

I'm a little overwhelmed to say the least. Marty and Elaine, still in Santa hat, gave me a pep talk tonight over our evening nightcap. That's right, Elaine, prepared for my visit with a bottle of Merlot, a new clock radio, and two books on my bed stand: the Good News Bible and Calm my Anxious Heart. And so on my first day of school, if you pray, if you could just pray that my anxious heart is calmed, I would really appreciate it.

Meanwhile, I must decide between these two seminars for the morning:

How to get swag, fame, and cash with your blog. -or- How to loot your friends and family for details in your fiction.

Which would you choose? Thanks much for coming over to the Charmer Blog.

With love, T

Please Vote for Kisasa Choristers, Aidan's Choir

VOTE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY!!! THANKS!!! :)

The Kisasa Choristers (St. John’s 3rd-6th grade choir) have advanced to the SEMI-FINALS of Lite 104.1’s Holiday Idol Competition to win $1000 for our church and $1000 for our favorite charity: ASAP (After School Arts Program).

Please help us and vote DECEMBER 9th and 10th to help push the Kisasa Choristers through to the final round of the competition!
There are TWO ways to vote:

Online through the Holiday Website
http://dmcontests.upickem.net/upickem/registration/login.asp?contestid=12026
(click on the tab “play game” to vote)

or

Text Vote.
(To join Lite 104.1’s Text Club listeners can text
‘Lite1041’ space JOIN to 50352).
The text vote code for Kisasa Choristers is: HI07

Thank you for your support of the Kisasa Choristers, SJLC & ASAP!

Photo: This is the gorgeous Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, where the winning choir will perfom in their holiday show. VERY cool!

Thanks much!!! xoxoxo

Love, T

P.S. Day 1 of the California Virtual Vacation has been twarted by a blizzard and airline anti-customer service. Stay tuned.

The Future is Working

Continuity

This moment,
somewhere,
the future is working,
like yeast!
in the formless dough.
It will take the kneading
and the fire of life
to make this shapeless mass
of the present
into the new loaf
for Time to eat again.
Then while he feasts
to the last crumb,
somewhere,
always,
the future is working,
like yeast
in the formless dough.

Prairie Images, Poems by Jo Pullen, page 53

I think I'll pack this lovely poetry book that was given to me by the charming Dr. Pullen, the author's son, and member of our congregation. In October I took a writing class and for the life of me I could not write a metaphor. My teacher -- who teaches at Iowa Writer's Workshop, ahem, the number one writing program in the world or so -- she said that metaphor is the hardest unit for all writing students. I would write up some essay that I thought was really cool, using lots of imagery that all synced up in nouns, verbs, and whatnot.

So what is your metaphor and what does it represent? My teacher would ask.

Um, I dunno, is how I usually would respond.

But the future like yeast? Now that's a metaphor. Bravo, Mrs. Pullen. Amen, sister. God rest your soul.

Thanks so much for coming over to the Charmer blog.

With love, T

P.S. This post is dedicated to my friends, family who are looking for work. The future is yours.

Perfection and Beauty

The snow is pretty but I tell you what, I hate driving in this. Tonight is when I wished we were back on the east coast because we would know that everything tomorrow is already closed and we could just cozy up at home.

However, there's some great stuff going on Monday, December 7, in Des Moines so I'd rather go out after all.

I may be going to California, but my heart is in Iowa.

We just returned from a Rachmaninov concert at church. Except for the absence of vodka, it was incredible. Evidently, the Russian church didn't allow orchestration--perhaps there was a devil in every musician--so to compensate the choral composers wrote so that the combined voices sound like a full orchestra. It worked. Black velvet and rich tux acapella. Absolutely gorgeous.

I am determined to get video and sound on my blog so you can hear what goes on at our church. Aidan's choir sang this morning with one of the adult choirs (Kisasa Choristers plus the Cantorei) and it just made me cry even during rehearsals. A few minutes of perfection and beauty in a very cold world.

You may think I'm blogging, but in reality I am procrastinating writing a scholarship application. I've had my vodka, so now it's time to compose. Wish me lots-o-money.

With love and passion and drama, T

P.S. Kisasa Choristers next round of voting is this Wednesday and Thursday. Stay posted.

Join Me in a Virtual Vacation to California

Next week I start my first MFA residency at Antioch University in Culver City, California, and I want you all to come with me.

It's really amazing how things come together as it was just about one year ago that I saw an ad for this program in the Atlantic Monthly magazine, which I bought as my own stocking stuffer. I got it is because it had an article about daughters and vampires.

So next week I start a ten day whirlwind of seminars, readings, and student affairs. You will certainly want to join me on the night we attend the faculty reading at the Good Luck Bar in Hollywood.

Do you believe in signs? I have a friend who says that when something comes to you in three different ways, it's a sign. How's this for a sign. It turns out that Bob's cousins -- Elaine and Marty, who have their own amazing cross country love story -- live 3, three, THREE miles away from my new campus. They are providing airport pickup, guesthouse, hot meals, coffee pot, wifi, tourism, companionship, and, my dear Charmer friends, a Prius hybrid car. You must come with me because we will be handled with care! This is a highly luxurious telecommute style compared to my previous cruddy, lonely, horrible hotel room and depressing sports bar.

Pack your imaginary luggage! Departure is next Wednesday, December 9. (Let's not talk about the issue of tucking my kids into bed.) We will return just in time for the gorgeous Christmas Eve candlelight service at St. John's.

Please come!

With love, T

Barney and a Big Mac

Joy to the world, Barney's dead. They barbecued his head.

Today is Aidan's piano lesson and as you know that is a sensitive subject around here. Mrs. G, if you're reading this -- be assured, Aidan really likes you as his teacher. Honestly, I don't think anyone else could come close to doing what you are doing with him on the piano.

But it comes down to simple parent-child willpower. We force our kids to learn piano. They resist. Aidan is perfectly happy to keep honking his sax, but the piano brings him grief, misery, despair. This week after a little breakdown, we all agreed that mom or dad needs to literally sit next to Aidan each day for practice. (It's a great excuse to pour a glass of wine. I've decided that a lot of parenting involves simply sitting there. So why not make it enjoyable?)

If I could please clarify Aidan's breakdowns. They are reminiscent of his tantrums which were Gandhi-like. A quiet, passive resistance of gently laying flat on the ground, careful not to hurt one's self. His piano breakdown entailed sitting on the piano bench with a single stream of tears flowing down one cheek.

Last night, we successfully employed some incentive tactics. We pointed out that even Sarah, our brilliant organist and children's choir director, must practice. We emphasized that he can still play basketball and baseball even if he learns how to play piano. We promised him a Big Mac.

Most effectively, we laughed at his lyrics to Joy to the World, one of his hard-worked Christmas assignments. It brought smiles pure holiday joy. Bob has heard this satire from rascally kids for decades but to Aidan, it's fresh and fantastic.

Joy to the world, Barney's dead. They barbecued his head.
Don't worry about the body. We'll flush it down the potty.
And round and round it goes. And round and round it goes.

And now we've shared yet another parenting secret with you all. How to get your son to love music.

Thanks for coming over the the Charmer Blog.

With love, T

December Thanks

I would like to thank the Lutheran Magazine, specifically Julie Sevig, congregation and community section editor, for inviting me to write for the December issue. And I greatly appreciate the bio and head shot update, not to be vain, but I am. Best of all, I give thanks for the mention of the Snake Charmers Wife blog. I am also grateful for the people of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls for telling me their story of frozen food outreach.

Really appreciate the collaboration! And by the way, the cover story on the worldwide church is pretty compelling.

Thanks for coming over to the Charmer Blog.

With love, T