Mi Trabajo Rocks

…this past year the average California public school grew 6 points on the API and the average Aspire public School grew 37 points. We are outpacing the expected state performance by 5x;

…70% of American parents give their child's school a letter grade of either "A" or "B" and 92% of Aspire parents give that same rating;

…earlier this year the California State Board of Education awarded us a Statewide Benefit Charter, which enables us to open as many as 10 schools across the state.

…we are now serving about 6000 students in some of California's most underserved communities and here's what our students said on the Aspire survey:

• 91% of our students graded our teachers either good (11%) or excellent (80%)

• 96% of our students stated that they will go to college

• 89% reported learning a lot from their teachers this year

…students at Ben Holt, Cal Prep and Wilson Prep have amassed over 1600 college credits through matriculation at Universities and Community Colleges such as CSU-Stanislaus, UC Berkeley, CSU-Dominguez Hills, Laney College, Berkeley City College and Delta College.

Flame this, baby

I danced on stage with the Flaming Lips.
And it was awesome.

I'll try to post some pictures that I took with my camera phone from the stage...to the left of the UFO that Wayne popped out the top of and the band descended from.

It was the New Year's Eve Eve show at the Bill Graham Civic with Gnarls B. and Cat Power.
Fuckyeah.

Oh, and I wore an alien costume. Ironically, or not you might add, mine was the only one that was superslutty. They saw straight through me in the dressing room and handed me a slip of foil to wear under my lowcut dress that was way way smaller than my breasts are. It was also suggested that we dance sans pants. Seriously! If you were there you saw how short the alien skirt was...if i wasn't wearing my super skinny jeans that went well under the costume, I might add, you would have seen a lot more of me... A LOT!

Woo hoo!

Paper cut on that double edge

On the whole, having dual citizenship is like cognac after a perfectly balanced meal; not necessary, but like an underbelly rub with a velvet handled feather.

And yet, sometimes, when you have to drive, that last drink can push you over the limit. Remember childrens, you shouldn't drink and drive.

Thus is line I walk currently. Should I stay or should I go? For several years, every time I took a "trip" for several/six weeks I would return several/six months later. My vet came to know my family well, Nixon became part of a broken home like some cast off child of a heroin addict in search of her next fix; for clarification, fix=travel if your are a bit slow up top. The London School of Economics is whispering to me in soft soothing tones that it will coddle me in next phase and launch me successfully into my so called life after one quick year with a well-earned masters. My Mary -- my confidant, my friend, my grandmother -- has aged a bit in the last 18 months and I am reticent to commit myself so far from the motherland lest the next few years steal our late night boozy chats for an eternity.

The globe beckons: there is Spanish to secure, French calling out for fluency and Cantonese to learn, amongst others. There are old friends to visit and new ones to meet. The tango to learn, salsa to perfect, the bachata to lure...

Oh, life. How bittersweet you can be with your bountiful options.

Oh, George

Oh, George

World Cup mania has taken over this fair land and I admit, I too have fallen prey to some of the hype. However, stateside you won't see cars proudly flying the cross of King George (white/red -- see below) out of their windows and splashed across shop fronts like the shrapnel during the blitz. Nor drunkards with the aforementioned flag painted on their faces riding the train drunks as skunks before tea time. On 2 of the 5 channels on the tele, TWO were playing the same match -- Saudi Arabia versus Tunisia --earlier this afternoon. Justsoyouknow, the score was 2-2.

Other unrelated news, I am going to a beach party at a friends house in Central London (!?) on Saturday, will let you know how that works out...I've been instructed to wear a grass skirt and coconut shells; it should prove to be a fun tube ride accross town...

:: The Union Jack is the flag of Great Britain and it contains the flags of::

Scotland -- The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground.
England -- The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground.

Wales -- Not included in the Union Jack as it was already part of England when the flag was designed; it is a white flag with a dragon.

Ireland (Northern) -- diagonal red cross on a white ground.

Dried tears that waited months to fall

I spent 12 hours at UCSF today waiting patiently in the waiting room on a vinyl chair that left marks on my cheek when I got some much needed slumber.

My brother had it worse. He spent six hours having the tumor that has been slowing encroaching into his brain removed. And then several in the recovery room, and when I left he was throwing up in the ICU.

My family was fighting and barely speaking when he had the first major seizure a few months ago, the one in which he collapsed in 1015 Evans into a mess and smashed his glasses, bloodied his shirt. I sped to Alta Bates, again, to visit him in the ER, again, and to sit in uncomfortable silence with the family I was loved and hurt by. It's weird, my brother always seems to go to hospital when we are all fragmented and hurting and separate, but that is another story to be told another time.

The surgery went well, apparently without a glitch, and the tumor appears to be beneign, though we won't know for certain until Thursday when the results return. And I am sitting at home needing to write a paper that seems so inconsequential now that I can cry the tears I have kept in for the fear of the reality that his diagnosis was really true. If it was all going to be okay, than I didn't worry.

I felt relieved and happy the fear and the hurt can be finally released.
I love my brother more than words can convey.

On the up

Lots of people make resolutions for the coming of a new calendar year. i don't. I suppose I don't get down with making life changes with an arbitrary date in mind. That being said, i do believe in making life changes. Sometimes I create change, oi, at MAWS I was publicized as agent of change when I did presentations in high schools and stuff, and sometimes change drops into my lap. Last week was one of those weeks.

I met a United Nations reporter lady who seems keen to aid me in my future endeavors, including, perhaps, helping me get a hefty internship or a place in an exclusive program. We chatted. We drank tea. We laughed. She charmed the pants off of me (in a not pervy kinda way) and gave me interesting books to read. Most importantly, she inspired me. She ignited in me the passion I had let dim due to more menial pursuits. She brought out some of my most favorite parts of myself and she wants me to stay in touch.

Then, a guest lecturer in one of my classes in Cal and I chatted after the neato lecture she gave. I pointed out that Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, connected much of her research: Barbie, advertising, bankruptcy, breast implants et al. and she was stoked. We chattered about her research, law school, debt and so forth...then she gave me her email address and phone number before inviting to show me around the East Coast if I end up thatta way for further academic/professional pursuits. She seemed interested in my research and me; it was a huge confidence boost. And she was nice, super nice, and wearing a foxy suit and knee-high boots. My kinda lady.

Also, I learnt something inadvertently from my internship attorney lady. She called me to ask me to help her out. I was at work and, figuring she wasn't there, I waited until noon the next day to call her. Poor choice. She gave it to someone else. Lesson learnt: if you want it, don't play it cool, don't wait. BUT then she called a few days later and asked me if I would like to take over for her law clerk that just passed the bar. Like every week. Woop woo, ask and you shall receive. Lesson learnt: all is well that ends well.

And I have my first race in one week after about an eight-year hiatus from racing. I am racing with my best friend and her (marathon runner) husband. I am nervous, excited, scared, and proud of myself for getting back into one of my passions.

I don't feel old by any means and I keep making poor adult choices , but I feel empowered to find my niche academically and professionally, something I momentarily had lost. And I am glad to have it back.

Dance Dance Revolution

The funnest game. Ever. I had to opportunity to play the "at-home" version with some childrens and Walt over Christmas Break. It was some good times. And, I must admit, I felt pretty money when I won. Perhaps it was this triumph that reminded me of my enjoyment and inclination towards dance in general, thus prompting me to return to both jazz and ballet this semester.

Whoa, Nelly. My ballet muscles seem to have died during my hiatus and my battement tendu jete and pirouettes are not what they used to be. In fact, I do not seem to glide like the swan I once was in jazz either.

I will keep you posted on my progress. Yasmin has already threatened to come to my recital and she is trying to lure Carman, Molly, and Natalie with the promise of pre-, post-, and, of course, during performance drinks. Perhaps that would loosen up my inner thighs, seems to work in other circumstances...