Queen of Her Forest

This song popped into my head yesterday when I was running. Growing up, Cynderballs used to sing it in the shower and while doing her hair. Like the goat song, 'b dep b delp, be deepah daaaah" from the credit card commercials, this song is also contagious.

I post this, however, because I'd like to inspire everyone to ask Cynde to sing her impersonation of the Lion from the Wizard of Oz like she used to do when we were kids. It was a good noise that I never grew tired of hearing.

July

I was thinking about the future and, for a second, I said, "Well, there's still the last Potter movie coming out." I think I will be sad when it brings an end to the J.K. Rowling experiences, but I am very anxious to see how the films culminate in the last hoorah. We shall see.

It seems like yesterday I was playing hooky from life so I could read the books when they came out. Finished, I kept thinking ahead to the movies. Now, the last of the movies is on its way.

It's beautiful and, in July, there's more to look forward to than fireworks and picnics. There's an end to a legacy.

Pep Talk

I met with my advisor today and admitted, over the weekend, I was ready to throw the towel in to this dissertation thing. When my heat went out, I was like ready for a good cry. I bucked-up, however, and have moved on to persevere. As they say, "it's not a race...it's a marathon," and although Rosie O'Donnell is this clip, she's not singing.

Kellymet me, however, with this clip from You Tube. She said, "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it." After watching the clip, I'm not sure where the connection is, but the clip cracked me up. I felt like that player (I admit, I've never seen the movie) and could have fallen apart with just the right word. I was close to the edge of defeat. I feel like I'm playing on a league of my own.

But, I didn't get there. There will be a time when I say "I worked harder than ever before, but I never want to do that again." Editing 30 pages is rough. Editing over 200 is taxing. I guess Kelly is right. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Off to the library I go.

Thanks, Mike

This is noisy, but that is not why I post this amateur footage. I post this to remind the world that a Flake Like Mike transcends the holiday season and does magical things even in the month of March. My furnace flooded and began gargling and I called Mike, who once again saved the day. I am forever grateful, appreciative, and thankful.

He's the best.

Inspiration for Nikki

I know it must be rough for Nikki knowing that she broke her foot the day before Mid-York Championships, two weeks before Northeast Championships, and three weeks before Nationals. Even so, she's done an amazing job in her first year of JV and our family is proud. When we were growing up, HBO often featured the Terry Fox story - a movie that inspired our generation. I post this video to remind you of the power of what you can do, despite whatever obstacles come your way.

Perhaps Larry would like to write next year's show based on your final Saturday run-through. The show can be called "Terry Fox" and you could perform like you are now, with injuries. You'd inspired numerous young people around the nation and could become a role model for many. You and your teammates can all perform like flamingoes. I'm not sure if the judges would like it, but I imagine the difficulty of the performance would score high points. Have you ever tried leaping when you only have the use of your left leg?

Either way, I am wishing you luck in that Sh...Sh...Sh...near Albany place. Thinking of you. Bryan

We're Becoming too Predictable

Week two of the Crandall/Barnwell/Isgar Friday night Catholicism of fish has me wondering where our McDonad's roots went. Fish Frys on Friday? We don't even participate in lent. What's up with my family?

On my way home from dinner, I got the McDonald's fish song in my head and I haven't been able to get it out. So, I'm sharing it with you on this Saturday morning so you'll be singing it all day long, too!

Give me that fish. Give me that fish.

This time next year

We should know where the tall kid from JD will attend: Syracuse University or University of Kentucky. It's between the two and I talked with Alice tonight who told me it is my duty to talk him into Wildcat country. He was in a class of one of my student teacher's when he was a freshmen. He was a good player then. Amazing.

Since it's March madness, I thought...hmmm. Recruiting must be maddening (and confusing) for a student still in high school.

Presents from Man's Best Friend

THE VIDEO SAYS IT ALL!!!

We can dream, right?

By now, I'm sure many of you have seen the forecast in the Northeast. It's spring, but the weather(wo)men are reporting terrible news.

I've figured out how we can endure this. We can use fantasy. The above is a day dream of me attacking winter. I'm the one who wins. Winter loses.

Instead of hearing the noise that more cold and snow is on its way, I'd rather hear all of us united as we kick the crap out of this never-ending winter. When we do, we can play the theme song from Rocky.

shoes off

Rhiannon sent me this YouTube clip a few weeks back and I used it last night to demonstrate monologue for writers, but asked them to think about how one would also "animate" the story told by a one-eyed shell with shoes on. It served its purposes.

Actually, more importantly, it is posted here so all of you know what to do with lint you have running around the house. Put it on a leash and make it a pet.

In my world, even a shell has noise to add to 2011.

Well

Mondays suck.

Sunday nights suck worse.

The Orangemen are out. The Cards are out. That leaves all my encouragement in the hands of Kentucky Wildcat fans. It's always more exciting to watch the tournament when you have partial investment in the outcome. March Madness is, after all, 99% of hopeful distraction to get us closer to summer. There's always so much work to do in March and listening to basketball is an easy thing to do while multitasking. I appreciate the noise of games, especially the last three minutes of them.

Argh. Raindrops from my eyes, taking all the sadness from me.

At least the CNS Northstars Varsity Girls team one their first state championship. That was exciting.

It's all about Ginette's shirt

I believe this post needs to be a secret, because it's not supposed to be in public domain. I figure, though, how many people competing with the JV team will find my website? Not many, I figure.

Besides, this is about Ginette's t-shirt anyway. The rest of the performance is a precursor to her debut and mastermind finale. It was as if the two of us planned it.

Either way, this is a congratulations to my niece and her "teammates" for another job well done. Their improvement is obvious and their skill base has increased.

Bravo.

The first lap of Cherry Heights in a long time..

What do good, religious people do on Fridays for lent?

They eat fish.

What do non-religious Crandalls do? They eat fish, too, and go for a walk around the ol' neighborhood of Cherry Heights with a talkative nephew and much needed fresh air.

Here's to the optimism of better days. I know we're not done with snow and cold, but hints like we received yesterday provide hope that lighter times are ahead.

throwback to the beastie boys

Observing a student teacher yesterday and hearing his tales (tails?) about saving squirrels reminded me of this Beastie boy parody.

Paul, the student teacher, is known for missing classes because he's found squirrels hit by cars on the side of the road and he tries to save them. His goal in life is to raise squirrels from infancy and, if possible, to make them domestic.

I am recalling my buddy Matt had a similar quest in our undergraduate years. My memory tells me that the experiment failed miserably and the squirrel he tried to raise went crazy in our house. He had to be let go. Matt was much more successful raising lady bugs on his Eucalyptus tree. Those he could make tame.

This post is in honor of Paul and his rodent fascination. I wish him much luck with their species, especially when he tries to get them on a leash so he can take them for a walk on the moon.

Every Year

It's been moving in day for the green goblins of allergy season. I'm not sure what it is about night, but that is when I become an advertisement for Nyquil and my sinus cavities fill up so they can drip down my throat while I sleep. Then I wake up to a dead, furry cat in my chest that needs to be coughed out.

During the day, I am fine. I work, I run, I don't even think about it. Then 8 p.m. hits and I fill up with gunk, my eyes water and go crusty, and my ears plug up.

The Mucinex commercials are spot-on. I don't know how many of the goobers I've spit up and coughed out in my 39 years of life. I also don't know the biological reasons for them. It makes no sense to me.

My post today is a giant whine.

IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT (#blog4nwp)

I post this video today to adhere to Chad Sansing's call for a blogging campaign in support of the National Writing Project.

At the beginning of March, President Barak Obama signed a bill that removed several federal earmarks, including a financial string that funded the work of the National Writing Project. As a teacher consultant out of Louisville, Kentucky, I post this video as part of Sansing's campaign. I'm operating on an old Mac with an ancient version of I-Movie. I send apologies for the quality, but I knew I only had a short window of time to articulate what it is I wanted to say before I needed to move on with my life.

For those of you who don't know, the National Writing Project is an organization that works with and trains teachers to be advocates of their practice, proponents of writing instruction, and leaders in their community. Their professional model is one of the best in the nation. As I finish my doctoral studies I see, more than ever, why the work of the National Writing Project is needed.

Schools need it. Teachers need it. Students need it.

I blog today to show my support of the National Writing Project.

Eclectic tastes

One of my LeMoyne students showed this clip today during a presentation and I loved it. I think it is great that kids are rapping about textual features of nonfiction, and pardon my dorkiness, they're doing so in a genre relevant to them. What's crazier is that it is educational and effective in ways that I fail with.

I love the noise of the 21st century when it delivers ways to reach youth like this.

Off to the library!

flashback to friday

On Friday, I was at a suburban school where a young man did a presentation on Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." It is a classic, and I remember listening to Frost, himself, recite the poem on a record player in one of my junior high school teacher's classroom. Yawn. I was bored.

The young man who presented, too, read the poem and, I must say, did a better job than Frost on his own poem.

The above rendition adds even more life to the classic.

I guess I'm posting this because there's a tremendous difference between reading a poem, hearing a poem, performing a poem, and living a poem. I worry at times that students in school are getting the record player version of poetry that bored me to death when I was young. I much prefer hip-hop renditions of vibrant slams in the 21st century. But that is just me. Words are emotional, so why read them without emotion.

Blah Blah Blah.

Spring Forward

I've listened to this song for years and never put a face to the musician. Funny that it takes her some time to get going, but I thought this might be a good song to bring day light savings time back to the forefront of our days. Lighter nights. Darker mornings. One less hour to sleep and have nightmares about Louisville's tragic Big East championship game loss.

That poor kid. Missed one shot of his three free throws.

I bet I sleep better than he does.

I'm All Shook Up, Oo Hoo Oo

I can now add 8.9 Earthquake on the Richter scale as an event that I don't think I want to experience in my life. I can only imagine what it would be like at Price Chopper if this was to occur. All the toothless people with greasy hair hanging onto their kielbasa and Cheese Doodles absolute panic. Not fun.

I hope my Japanese family is safe. I will have to send them an email.

Well, it finally stopped snowing

AND NOW IT'S RAINING.

But I'm not singing. I'm typing, thinking, stressing, working, writing, reading, editing, and hoping. I most definitely am not singing.

Nor am I dancing.

Even so, the noise of 2011 wouldn't be complete without this classic. When I'm in a better mood, I may even get an umbrella and attempt a song, myself.

The way my brain is working these days...

Remember THAT'S INCREDIBLE?

Well, I began to think about how fast my mind is racing these days as I try to push the boulder up the mountain once again. I decided I'd try to find the world's fastest talker to see if I could find someone who moves their mouth as quickly as I wish my brain would go.

Truth is, if my brain worked this fast (sort of the way Casey used to talk when she was a kid), I wouldn't be able to keep up. I need the pace to be more tranquil and serene.

With this said, it would be nice to be able to talk as fast as this guy spits out his words.

Where'd you Find It?

My singing career was short-lived. I believe I was in 9th grade and I was casted simply because I was tall. I was the Pirate King in the Pirates of Penzance. I sucked. Even so, someone posted this video of me singing as a young man. I don't remember the setting being so realistic or having such costuming. Wow. Look at me and that mustache.

Happy International Women's Day

Well, this was news to me. I didn't know there was an International Women's Day, but I am glad there is. March 8th - a day to think about the advances made by women around the world.

But this video. I'm wondering about whether it is supposed to make us optimistic for spring or if it is an attempt by some dude to win the hearts of women all over the globe. I don't know. It uses Kenny Rogers - thats a good thing.

Either way, here's to the XX's who are central to every good deed in the world. The XYs live life to screw things up (trust me, I know), and women make everything better. In celebration of the better half.

Baby Shakespeare

1. My parents came back to snowy NY. Why? Are they crazy?
2. I'm sick of snow.
3. The Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon is wounded.
4. I need a beach real bad.
5. I'm cold.
6. It's Monday again. Why is it always Monday again?
7. Cheesecake is heavy.
8. I have to snowblow.
9. I'm sick of snow.
10. I'm done complaining.

Stuck in Miami

My dad's worst fear of flying is getting stranded somewhere due to full flights. To avoid this, he and my mom left Key West to get out of Miami. Well, they got stranded there (or at least that is what was reported to me from my sisters.

Today's noise is theme music for their airport adventure. Although I doubt they'll see Don Johnson and I'm sure my father is wearing socks. I am hoping they are enjoying the mini-voyage they are on. They have a little Bryan in them: they're stranded in an airport with a destination just out of reach.

Here's to sending them Good Luck!

Uncle Bry

I did my good Friday deed and allowed my younger sister time to get her nails done. Actually, we accomplished a lot in the morning: shopped for papi Butch's birthday gift, dropped off my truck, and got Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I will forever be amazed how quickly kids can turn a messy house into a messier house. We had fun, however, and I loved Sean's get up for lunch. That was his own design, and I thought about Adam Sandler in Big Daddy and his kid's choice of style. Let kids be kids. They enjoyed themselves, even though I made them cranky for naptime. Even so, it is precious. Youth is too magical for words.

Sending Beach Music to the World

The sky was blue yesterday in Syracuse and the sun made it appear that it might be warm. Nope. It was 24 degrees and too cold to run outdoors. It made me long for the summer days to come and the scenery my parents are currently experiencing in Key West. I post the Beach Boys as a reminder that warmer times are coming and that what my parents are experiencing in Florida will soon be available to those of us in the nordic northeastern United States.

A Word From Butch's Truck

Dad's truck saved the day by offering me alternative wheels while I got my bearings greased to stop the squeak of tire axles. I may need to borrow it again on Friday as I try to fix the electrical problem in my truck. I will let it rest for a day, though...sit in the garage and avoid the wind-chill.

Joy of March.

The Wisdom To Know the Difference

When I was in high school, I became a peer counselor for a social work agency in central New York when I first learned the Serenity Prayer and thought deeply of the motto used by many agencies as inspirational verse. Lately, I've been saying the prayer before I go to sleep so I can calm my brain about my learning and to let me rest without worrying about the world and all the changes that will come my way because of it. In this early March of 2011, I'm shifting the possibilities of what tomorrow will bring and am relying on the ways wisdom presents itself. Decisions need to be made and I want serenity with the choices I made.

I offer this song today for all of us who can use the courage offered in the prayer. It may be simplistic in my philosophy, but I've used these words to guide me on many occasions.

Dedicated to the 'Tives in Key West

My parents have left Syracuse, New York, for the first time in a long time. Looking out at the snow banks and channeling the northern winds, I can't imagine why they'd want to leave. But they have and I am proud of them.

I was singing the trailer song to THE GOLDEN GIRLS all day while thinking about their flight to sunny Florida. Although Rose, Blanche, and Sophia never entertained Butch and Sue, I'm hoping that my uncle Milford and Aunt Sue are offering the best sitcom they can.

I envy the temperature and scenery of their experience and I wish them the best mini-vacation ever. It is greatly deserved. I will pretend I'm on the beach listening to the seagulls and lapping waves with them. And I will celebrate the fact that we may hit 40 degrees while they're gone!