Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Happiness
"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place, but there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around."
- Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsberg
- Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsberg
Baltimore Reads!
Robin invited us to join her at her new obsession, Baltimore Reads! True to plan, the kids and I awoke before 8 to head up to the warehouse of the Baltimore Sun Building downtown. At first, I felt like a tourist, walking tentatively with my children among the well-organized shelves sorted by level, topic, and type. Robin, bit by the bug of Baltimore Reads!, was already attacking the newly obtained books in the back, sitting unshelved still in brown boxes.
A volunteer approached. Did you come with your friend? Do you know how this works? I indicated that we did come with Robin, evoking the response, "Then you already know the deal! She's a pro."
We tentatively touched a few books, but were not fully engulfed by the trove surrounding us... yet. I told the children, "Do you like any of the books? You can pick as many as you want..." It was as if they didn't really believe me. "We can keep them? We can just take them? As many as we want?"
"YUP"
We wandered a bit more. Finally, Ui-Seng saw an old National Geographic with the Titanic on the cover, "Carrie loves the Titanic. I can get this for her!" and then an old Atlas, "Ms. Erin's favorite book is the ATLAS. I will take this for her." It was as if gathering books for others gave us permission to take books for free. The full possibilities of this place began to permeate us. Evains took his first step by picking a book for his cousin, Sage. We couldn't find a book that was tear-proof enough for 1 year old Skye.
The deluge had commenced. We were sifting through boxes of books like old pros, sorting and selecting potential worlds to traverse. My entree, of course, was selecting appropriate stories I thought my children would like. And what a treasure trove, it was! I found several books from Walter R. Brooks "Freddy the Pig" series that both Tim and I loved as children, for Evains. Another about a young ten year old girl from pre-Columbus Carribean Isles who dreamed herself awake to find herself walking along the beach, for Ui-Seng.
The test of true gratification was in the aftermath of walking out of Baltimore Reads! warehouse with 28 books that Saturday morn. The excitement emanating from my children about books! They could hardly wait to delve into them, agonizing over which word world would get their attention first.
Thank you, Robin, for sharing your new obsession with us! Baltimore Reads! Baltimore Reads!
A volunteer approached. Did you come with your friend? Do you know how this works? I indicated that we did come with Robin, evoking the response, "Then you already know the deal! She's a pro."
We tentatively touched a few books, but were not fully engulfed by the trove surrounding us... yet. I told the children, "Do you like any of the books? You can pick as many as you want..." It was as if they didn't really believe me. "We can keep them? We can just take them? As many as we want?"
"YUP"
We wandered a bit more. Finally, Ui-Seng saw an old National Geographic with the Titanic on the cover, "Carrie loves the Titanic. I can get this for her!" and then an old Atlas, "Ms. Erin's favorite book is the ATLAS. I will take this for her." It was as if gathering books for others gave us permission to take books for free. The full possibilities of this place began to permeate us. Evains took his first step by picking a book for his cousin, Sage. We couldn't find a book that was tear-proof enough for 1 year old Skye.
The deluge had commenced. We were sifting through boxes of books like old pros, sorting and selecting potential worlds to traverse. My entree, of course, was selecting appropriate stories I thought my children would like. And what a treasure trove, it was! I found several books from Walter R. Brooks "Freddy the Pig" series that both Tim and I loved as children, for Evains. Another about a young ten year old girl from pre-Columbus Carribean Isles who dreamed herself awake to find herself walking along the beach, for Ui-Seng.
The test of true gratification was in the aftermath of walking out of Baltimore Reads! warehouse with 28 books that Saturday morn. The excitement emanating from my children about books! They could hardly wait to delve into them, agonizing over which word world would get their attention first.
Thank you, Robin, for sharing your new obsession with us! Baltimore Reads! Baltimore Reads!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
WORDS Words words
"I had expected to feel joy, but instead felt confusion of sorrow, or maybe fear, for it seemed that my life was a hungry story and I its source, and with this kiss I had now begun to deliver myself into the words."
-Evelina, Louise Erdrich.
FRUSTRATION
WORDS! WORDS! WORDS! You elude me! I can taste you on my tongue, grip you in my gut. But you do not take form. You remain a smell when I breathe.
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