Boston #4

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Another entry from my trip journal.

2/14 Walden

As I write this I am sitting on Walden Pond, frozen over and covered with snow.

About 150 years ago, Henry David Thoreau may have been standing in this spot, looking at the bare trees dressed in a layer of snow. Maybe he even made snow angels, like my students did.

From where I sit, I hear the traffic of a nearby busy road. The moment of solitude and silence interrupted by progress, I guess.

Still, this place is here. My kids are here, walking on the frozen water, and it seems to me no less a miracle than when Jesus is said to have done so 2000 years ago.

I hear birds still here after many flew south — perhaps to our home in Georgia. I hear snow crunching under the feet of my students.

Being here makes it so clear to me. Even though I hear and see the nearby road, it seems a place cut off — another world, frozen in time and unchanged though everything around it — the road, the buildings, the entire country, is changed.

At this moment I feel like Emerson’s transparent eyeball. I finally, really understand what it is to know all, see all, and feel like I’m part or particle of God.


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Boston #3

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Another entry from my paper journal of my trip to Boston.

I had an incredible day. I am so glad I came. I feel closer to the kids. I really enjoyed the feeling of, well, I guess communion seems a funny word to use when speaking of Jewish kids, but it fits for me. I enjoyed joking, talking, taking pictures of everything they did. I had so much fun.

The kids staged a memorable snowball fight at Bunker Hill. I think it will go down as the Second Battle of Bunker Hill. We followed J- to Cheesecake Heaven at Mike’s Pastry. I enjoyed Little Italy. All the Boston accents, the smell of Italian food.

I walked everywhere today. I saw Paul Revere’s grave. And Ben Franklin’s parents’ graves, too. I took pictures of the kids in an ancient cemetery established in 1660, I believe (Granary Burial Ground).

The Holocaust Memorial was incredible. To see the Shoah through the eyes of 31 Jewish kids… I took pictures of them standing in silence, reading, thinking. It cuts me to the core that if we lived in another time or place, they might have been numbered among the dead. I looked down into the vents and saw stars — number all the stars. How does that Bible verse go? (Take your pick — Psalm 147:4 is nice — “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”)

In the sidewalk, in Hebrew and English, the single word “Remember” was inscribed.

My caption for the day was “Companionship.” Today I saw the Freedom Trail, Boston’s North End, Blue Man Group, and Brookline. Tomorrow I’m learning about Power to the People.

When I told the group I had had an excellent day and was really glad I came, there were some “awwws” and a couple of kids said “We love you Mrs. Huff.”

“A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit.” ~ Hebrew Proverb.


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Boston #2

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A second entry from my paper journal, a record of my trip to Boston.

2/13: Circle Time in the Evening

We were asked to mention “something that tasted good.” M- said chocolate cheesecake. A- said cannoli. J- said chicken marsala. I loved the chocolate chip cheesecake at Mike’s Pastry. I don’t know where we had that pizza, but it was amazing (as was the company!) — ricotta cheese, peppers, and what else? I forgot. I tried my first real Israeli food — or at least I think it was Israeli — shwarma. I have to thank E- for recommending it. It was excellent. We ate dinner at kosher Rami’s in Jewish Brookline. Very small, but great food.

Next we were asked to mention “something that caught your eye.” J- said a $3500 Panasonic massage chair. I said a section of the graveyard (Granary Burial Ground) where an entire family was buried — all had died young. S- said baked goods. What didn’t catch my eye? I was all eyes today. I wanted to soak in every sight. Or is it site? I looked at everything.

Last, we were asked to mention “something that struck your ear.” M- said all the yelling, people in cars. L- said people noises, yelling, homeless begging. R- said the silence of the Holocaust Memorial. M- said the music of Blue Man Group.

More later.


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Boston #1

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I’m back from Boston, and I had an incredible experience. I am too tired to unload all of it now, but over the next few days I will post entries from the paper journal I kept on the trip. I will not be posting pictures, because I do not want to compromise the anonymity of my students. They are all underage, and I don’t have their permission, nor that of their parents, to expose them to the masses on the WWW. Please don’t be disappointed about that.

The following comes from my paper journal and was written while I was en route to Boston and had just flown over New York City.

2/13: The Flight

Flying over New York was amazing. N- and I were looking for landmarks. I recognized the shape of Manhattan from all the maps I’ve studied. I could pick out several building and Central Park. J- found the Statue of Liberty. Conspicuously absent, of course, was the World Trade Center — we could see very clearly where it had been. As we flew over Long Island, I recognized Fitzgerald’s East Egg and West Egg (Manhasset Neck and Great Neck) — they looked just like the maps in the The Great Gatsby. N- told me all about how much fun New York is (I’ve never been). But he said New Orleans (where the 9th graders are going for their trip) is a must. The kids are all talking about food. Clam chowder is number one on their list. I did my civic duty as an educator of Jewish children and reminded them it wasn’t kosher. Beyond that, I can’t stop them.

This is amazing.

Before we took off, E- reminded me I was going to Boston with 21 16-year-old boys. Yikes! As we took off, N- said it was too late to turn back now. I’m already glad I came — just to share this with the students.

Aerial view of Manhattan posted at Wired New York.


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Boston

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I’m leaving for Boston early tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to the trip, but I’m having a bout of pre-trip nerves right now. I can’t wait to see Walden. Tomorrow looks like it will be exhausting. I need to pack, but it shouldn’t take long to do so. I’m not bringing a lot. I hope everything will run smoothly.

In other news, Steve was mentioned in the Access Atlanta version of Pierre Ruhe’s review of the Atlanta Opera Company’s production of La Bohème. Steve’s part of Parpignol only has two lines, which is why it is remarkable that Ruhe would even mention him. I only wish I could have seen it. Pop over to his blog and congratulate him. And here’s to Steve’s next performance in La Bohème, in which I’m sure he’ll be Rodolfo.


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Arthur Miller

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Playwright Arthur Miller died yesterday at the age of 89. He was best known, perhaps, for Death of a Salesman, an examination of the death of the American Dream, in my opinion similiar to The Great Gatsby. His most often produced play is The Crucible. I have taught that play several times. Students usually really like it. He’s made some valuable contributions to American drama.


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Favorites in Pictures

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It’s been a long time since I participated in a meme, but I thought this one was clever, via Jennifer.

  1. First car:


    Mazda 626 (this color, too)

  2. Where I grew up:

    Denver, Colorado

    Nighttime skyline:

  3. Where I live now:


    Atlanta, Georgia

  4. My name:


    Dana (but not quite Dana Delaney)

  5. Grandmother’s name:


    Doris

  6. Favorite food:


    Bread and dipping spices, but I make my own (click link for recipe)

  7. Favorite drink:


    The Real Thing

  8. Favorite song:


    “Ten Years Gone,” Led Zeppelin
    Then as it was then again it will be,
    Though the course may change sometimes
    Rivers always reach the sea…

  9. Favorite smell:


    Honeysuckle

  10. Favorite pair of shoes:


    These look brown, but mine are black.

Bread Dipping Spices Recipe:

1 T basil (recommend fresh)
1 T parsley (recommend fresh Italian)
1 T minced garlic (recommend fresh or jar-kind, not dehydrated)
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground black pepper
1/2 t minced rosemary (recommend fresh)
1/2 t salt (recommend kosher salt or ground sea salt)
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t olive oil
1/8 t lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. You can use a food processor if you like, but I don’t and it comes out okay. Put on a dish and pour olive oil over spices. Dip bread in mixture. Crusty french bread is good.


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Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles

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Prince Charles and the future Princess Consort

Prince Charles will marry his long-time love Camilla Parker-Bowles on April 8. I am a huge fan of Princess Diana, but I am very happy this has come about. William and Harry have issued a statement of support, and the Queen has put her blessing upon it. The two of them have been in love for about 30 years.

To those who say this is the death knell of Charles’s hopes for the throne, I say bullshit (and pardon my language, but it’s true). I couldn’t have said it any better than a letter to the London Times Online:

Sir, I am just thankful that the Church of England’s founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, and his wife Anne Boleyn, and his wife Jane Seymour, and his wife Anne of Cleves, and his wife Catherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr, are no longer here to witness this assault on traditional Christian marriage.

And to Bonnie Prince Charlie, I say congratulations, and it’s about time you were able to wed your true love.


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OCD in Teens

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Joseph Alterman, a student at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, published a guest editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. I thought it was very informative, but I really hate that AJC makes you register to view archives — and by the time you, whoever you are, happen upon this article, it might be in the archive. So to that end, if you click on the link below, you can read the entire text of the article.
Continue reading “OCD in Teens”


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