The Expressions

 

If you're 63 years old, you might want to make an appointment with a dermatologist.  Those weird age spots cropping up here and there?  Some of them just might be pre-cancerous, so go get checked.  

Waiting for my appointment, I read a sign about the prevention of premature aging. Use of sunscreen obviously topped the tip list, but we should also avoid repeatedly using the same facial expressions. Come to find out, repeated expressions can and will  lead to folded skin that eventually can't get unfolded. 

Too late for me to do much about my wrinkly visage. Repeated facial expressions are an essential part of the teaching profession and I've used the tight lipped mouth with piercing eyes and furrowed brow expression multiple times a day for 40 years now. Smiling also wrinkles the heck out of your face, and I frequently smile to foster meaningful relationships. Plus I find a ton of stuff in 3rdland amusing as all get out.

Pass on this info to any young teachers you know. Tell them to tone down their facial expressions. 

A blank, expressionless face now will make for smooth skin later.

The Learning

We had our first E-Learning Day on Friday.  We had a little snow and a lot of freezing cold, so everyone stayed at home.  We had a teams meeting and it didn't go well.  Lots of tech glitches. I get anxious when I teach online because I imagine parents listening to me and judging me harshly.  It's hard to create a meaningful, engaging challenging experience and I didn't feel like I lived up to my potential on Friday.   I hope we don't have another snow day soon because e-Learning makes my throat constrict. It took a few hours of TV watching on Friday afternoon to calm down and put it in the past. 

 Quiet weekend here.  We saw Poor Things.  Super weird and good.  Emma Stone.  Mark Ruffalo.  Willem Dafoe.  These are good actors who know what they're doing.  You should see it if you want to.

Also, we have a new oven. 

The Marauders

 The last of Merrill's Marauders died last month.  His name was Russell Hammer.  

I'm always in search of stories to share with my dad on our daily phone calls.  I knew Mr. Hammer's obituary in the NYT would be just the ticket. Of course Dad knew all about the Marauders, so as I read facts from the obituary, he added facts from his background knowledge. 

Even after the phone call, I can't stop thinking about the Marauders.  They went through hell trekking  through Burma fighting the Japanese in 1943. They only had what they could carry. Every once in awhile, parachutes would drop extra supplies. Between parachute drops, the Marauders were starving, so they threw grenades into a river, skimmed the dead fish from the surface, and cooked them in their helmets. 

Cooked the fish in their helmets.  I don't know why but that part really gets to me.

In the last few years of his amazing life, Russell Hammer spoke about his dream for a warless world:

He proposed a body of international leaders to solve the world’s problems. “This group would get together and iron it out in words instead of bullets,” he said. “I would like to see a peaceful world.”

I admire Mr. Hammer.  His life and his dream for peace will live on in my memory and on this blog.

The Reset

You're probably wondering about our holiday travels.  Here are some of the highlights of our trip in a bulleted list.  We loved...

• Watching It's a Wonderful Life and Saving Private Ryan with my dad and talking quite a lot about WWII.  
• Audio-touring the Biltmore with #30Something. The stunning estate was all decked out for the holiday. 
• Xmas lunch at Grove Park Inn.  This scenic and historic spot happened to be hosting the National Gingerbread House Competition.  BONUS! 
• Hearing #1 play music twice.  LOVED THIS!  
• Dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Rosabee's. Modern Hawaiian?
• Spending time in the outstanding shops in downtown Asheville. (I bought a new blue Santa for my Santa collection).  
• Jigsaw puzzling. (500 pieces). (Birds). 
• Talking, listening, laughing. A few quiet moments hitting the pages of the notebook. The trip could not have been better.

So after a crazy end of 2023 in 3rdLand, now I'm reset and feeling just fine.  

Happy New Year, Dear Reader. Let's hope it's a good one.