Video of Christmas concert

Here's a video I made of the Christmas concert last night. It's amazing what a Canon Powershot A510, Windows Movie Maker, and YouTube can do!

Christmas Concert...West Philly style

Since my dad is a music teacher, I've had the privilege of attending (even participating) in several of his Christmas concerts. Tonight was my first Christmas concert at Our Mother of Sorrows/St. Ignatius. It was quite different than the Disney-style my dad does so well! Still, the point of the evening was accomplished, the students were proud, and the parents left happy. For the amount of communication and preparation (or lack thereof) that went into it, the performance went well! I got to play a solo piano piece as well as accompany Silent Night for two other teachers. Try as I might, the soul/gospel style Silent Night just doesn't naturally go with my playing style! I'll have to work on that.

Here are pictures to tonight's concert. (that's Zion and me below)
I'll have a video posted soon, too!

Also...I'M ON CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!! I fly home tomorrow morning. Michigan, here I come!

Becoming a Master

Today I applied to become a master. Of education, that is. I'm applying to the Walden University Masters Program of Education, specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy. I chose this program because it's online (not land-locking me to Philly, Michigan, or anywhere else), offers a good program with interesting course descriptions, more affordable than most, and I will be able to complete the program in 20 months. Classes start January 2!

Sidewalk art

Here are several incredible pictures of sidewalk art. I'd love to walk up to one of these sometime! Wonder how long they last before weather attacks...

Carpe giftus

That's Latin for "seize the gifts", of course. Highly appropriate for this season, I'd say! =)

Last night home group had a white elephant gift exchange. (other events including singing Christmas carols and eating good Christmas-y foods, but those details aren't as important as the gifts) I drew number 14 of 16, so I had high hopes for my chances. My fellow home groupers, however, were quite deft at selecting and stealing gifts, so by the time my turn came around, most of the good stuff was "locked" after being stolen twice. Instead of stealing a mediocure gift, I went for the jugular and opened the last unwrapped gift. I gave a shriek when I opened it! Here's what was in it:
It was a picture of Nana--our home group leader's 82-year-old grandma! Her actual name is Margie. There was much laughter, and I couldn't think of a better way to end the game! As one of the other members pointed out to me, I could always throw away the frame and keep the picture. Hey--that's the risk of the white elephant!

And you thought road rage was bad

Here's something called "mouse rage". Why am I not surprised?

My student on Phillies website!

Check out Phillies.com today! My 7th grade student Michael is on the front page article about charities!! (he's left of the mascot Phanatic)

My trip to New York City

Sarah and I had a delightful time in New York City together! We had agreed that our purpose going in was to simply enjoy the city and quality time with each other. Both of those goals were accomplished.

We visited the Apple Store:

M&M World:


FAO Schwartz:
Times Square:

Central Park:


And the Rockefeller Center:


You'll have to talk with Sarah or me for the full scoop, but we were blessed with incredible weather for December. I don't think I would change a thing about our trip. Some of the memorable moments include eating at Little Italy, walking through blocks and blocks of China Town, the subway system (thanks to my NYC mission trip experience in 2004, the maps weren't tough!), Broadway, street venders, sardine-like crowds and MASSIVE tree at Rockefeller Center. Here is the rest of my NYC album.

Perhaps the strangest part was returning to Philadelphia. Right as we got off the bus, the air smelled fresher, the streets quiet, and the general aura more at home. It was quite a shocker; I never thought I'd feel that way about Philly! How far we've fallen if the air in downtown Philadelphia smells fresh! Still, it was a comforting feeling that encouraged me.

Bad news about Foxtrot

As of December 30 this year, Foxtrot will only be new on Sundays. This is just another one of my favorite comic strips (along with Farside and Calvin and Hobbes) to bite the dust in recent times. *sigh*

The body at work

Last week went by quickly! Looking back, I realized I spent a lot of time with friends (new and newer) from Liberti.

Monday: I went to a birthday party with Seth and some friends I met that Friday while salsa dancing.
Tuesday: My home group meeting in Center City.
Wednesday: Seth and I hosted part of a progressive dinner at our house! It was for his home group, and they let me join and hang out with them for the night.
Thursday: Practiced with Jesse and Alex, two other guys in my home group, at Jesse's house for singing in church Sunday.

Due to Sarah and my trip to New York City, I was unable to attend another Liberti flag football game on Saturday!

As I look back on the friends and connections I've made here, I praise God for His leading me to Liberti. I know the community here has played a HUGE role in my feelings about being in Philadelphia. In direct and indirect ways, God has used the people at Liberti to get me a job, a roommate, and many good friends.

I've been able to start giving back more recently, too. I'm on the setup/take down team that arranges chairs and equipment before and after services every few months. I'm part of the children's church teaching team. I've sang in church twice. God has even timed my arrival with Liberti adding a third service and shaping the course of the church for the next season. As a result of this, they want to add more structure and elements to their children's ministries program! Somehow someone got word or remembered that I did that at First Reformed, and they asked me if I would be part of the process. God is using what I learned and experienced last year in order to help the development with Liberti! How cool it is God shows how the puzzle pieces of life fit in His plan!!!

Try this on for size

I've been showing this to my students at class today, and thought I might as well share it with you as well! Sarah and I went to the Apple store Saturday in New York. The store's architecture is really neat--glass building above ground, regular store underground. Here's a picture of the store, then another one of me with the newest iPod shuffle (only $79 for 1GB).


It has a small clip to connect it on your belt. I'd be afraid I would lose it!

NY or bust!

Good morning! And a good morning it is at that. Sarah and I are going to go to New York City today! She finished her big exam yesterday, and we got round trip tickets on a China Town bus to go up and back to the Big Apple from Philly. Our agenda? Enjoy the experience.

Yesterday Sarah joined me at my school's faculty Christmas party. It was at Sister Owen's convent! It was my first time at a convent--much less for a party! (the house felt kind of like a cottage at Hope. I think it'd be fun to live in a place like that with four other good friends!) The teachers were very welcoming to Sarah, and she got to meet all the people I've been talking about with her for the past few months. As my experience has been with teachers, student stories started coming out soon after the party got started...the stories are just a little more exciting here compared with Hudsonville. =)

We also were able to help cook food for Liberti's Friday homeless ministry. The recipe said, "how to cook for 75 hungry people." Unfortunately, due to the timing of my faculty party, we were unable to serve it and spend time with people as they ate it, but it was still a good thing to be a part of.

School's out on Thursday. I'm exciting for this week--even though Sarah is leaving Monday morning for home. My hope is to get a bunch of things done for school, as well as do more research on online institutions for a masters degree I'd like to get started in January. Unfortunately, those things aren't exactly free! Oh well...it's an investment, right?

Oh my darlin'...African-American style

Add today to the list of cultural experience I've had in Philadelphia. This morning I played piano for the prayer service introducing students to confession and communion. I had planned on playing one song at the beginning of the service, then some Jay Rouse Christmas music for communion and confession.

I got to the parish (church) as school was starting to give myself 15 minutes to warm up and get the feel of the piano. Sister Stephanie, who had asked me to play and had given me the music, was there, and I asked her to sing along as I played. When she started singing, I soon realized she was singing neither the notes nor the rhythm to the notes I was playing from the hymnal--only the same words! The hymn had the same root chords as "Oh My Darlin'", which is what she was singing, but a different melody and rhythm. So, we slowed way down, went through it several times, and I plunked out a melody and chords. She told me that pianists in the African-American church sometimes only play with the hymnal for the words; they adjust to the feel of the song for that congregation! More like jazz piano, I suppose.

Anyway, the service went very well. The 6th grade teacher led the words and I played along. In all openness, I was pretty nervous for this. Last time I had played for Our Mother of Sorrows, and this was my first time at St. Ignatius. Despite my tension/worries beforehand and last minute changes, I loved playing for the service. It was an opportunity to use my gifts and serve the school as a whole. Playing Rouse' music always relaxes me, so being able to practice the songs and play them today were fulfilling.

Christmas pictures

Here's the roommate, the dog, and me.

And the girlfriend. =)

Oh Christmas Tree

There she is! Not too shabby for a couple of 20-year-old guys, eh?

Football remains

Saturday afternoon Seth and I played flag football with about 12 other guys from Liberti. We had a great time! My jeans got nice and dirty, which is always the goal. I "tackled" a few people accidentally, but hey--that's part of the game. The weather was perfect for football--crisp with no wind. The air was cool enough to keep the hands chilled and just enough to keep you moving. Nothing like football with a bunch of guys (including a pastor) to liven up a Saturday. =)
Sarah and I also went out to La Luna with people from our church's home group for some salsa dancing! There were lessons, dancing, and even some performances from locals who are competing in the national event this week in Las Vegas! They used the event as a warm-up. What they did was so amazing, it didn't even seem like they were salsa-ing any more! Very cool.

The cutting edge of photographs

Kudos to Krista Carter. While she and Dan were here, they taught me a new way to take pictures of people: have them blow air through their lips! As they do that, snap a candid picture of them! They're pretty funny. Here are the results so far:
My roommate Seth

My girlfriend Sarah

Dan the man

And me.

Philadelphia Murals

One of the coolest and most unique parts of Philadelphia is its murals. Each one tells a story, builds community, and discourages graffiti. I had expected to see a great deal of vandalism, but I believe that the city's murals do an excellent job of discouraging "casual artists". They are one of my favorite parts of Philadelphia. Here are a few examples. Or, here is an entire database of them.

Snow and suppositories

Tonight was a delightful evening! Sarah and I attended a free performance of a musical theater class!! It was a small group of five actors/actresses who have been taking classes this fall. One of the students is in our home group, and she invited us to the performance. There were several solo acts, as well as a group improv activity where students weren't given a scene or goal or characters--only some chairs and two tables...oh, and they had to SING ALL THEIR WORDS. I can't imagine how hard that is. The whole event was quite entertaining! It made me want to be in another musical. Not that I'll actually follow through with it, but it's one of those feelings that pops up every now and then to remind you of your interests. If only there were all the time in the world!

BUT THEN! While walking back to Sarah's apartment, WE SAW SNOW!!! There were at first just a few flakes, then more, then it actually felt like winter for a minute! (the day started off with 51-degree temperatures, mind you) It was wonderful! Granted, it wasn't the foot of snow that Holland received today, but it's a start.

In a way I can pretend I have a snow day tomorrow because I have the day off! I have never celebrated immaculate conception as I will tomorrow. Can't wait!

With my day off, I hope to do some picture organization. I'm writing this down today so I'm more motivated to do so tomorrow. So, expect a picture or three!

In other news, Sarah found $20 on the street! I found $0.33 today, but somehow it seems just a little less exciting than her success.

Something else that happened today was less exciting: I had a doctor's appointment. Not just any doctor--a rectal specialist. I have been getting some blood from time to time in my stool, and my med school girlfriend Sarah encouraged me to get it checked out. It turns out I have a small blood clot in there. After several less-than-comfortable probings, he gave me some suppository pills to insert daily and said to come back in a month. Oh, the inconvenience of it all!

Conferences

I'm sitting here in my computer lab at St. Ignatius School, where parent/teacher conferences are going on all over the building. It feels strange--to be a teacher required to be in the building, but not really having any conferences! I had one parent stop in to check on her son's progress. I also went to another one where there was a student who had trouble in my class last week, but that parent didn't show (this perhaps explains more behind the student's behavior). As a specialist, I am required to be at school, but I have two schools to be at! So, I've been using the time to update the lab.

GEEK ALERT: I uninstalled the newest version of Internet Explorer. last week I installed IE7 on all the computers in the Windows XP lab, but according to my testing, IE7 takes approximately 7 seconds longer to load the same page than IE6! When you're dealing with students with a short attention span who have never dealt with dial-up and a world without microwaves, it's hard to wait 10 seconds for the class homepage to come up! There are a few reports out there about IE7 and its speed. Personally, I'm a Firefox fan, but I'd like to stick with IE for now. We'll see if a fix comes along before I upgrade though.

It's been kind of fun hanging around school tonight, however. I've been able to have casual conversations with my colleagues about subjects from swiss army knives to floffels to youtube to polycarbonate molding!

Yesterday my principal had asked me if I could take morning yard duty for her since she had an early morning meeting. You see, when the kids come in the morning, they run around the school yard for about 20 minutes before school opens for them. The principal is the only adult out there, and I imagine it can get busy out there before school (although things are generally more quiet early on rather than later).

Anyway, I was a little nervous about how things would go. I usually only have 15 students who I am responsible for at a time, and I didn't know how they would handle the dynamic of me addressing the school at one time. Well, I don't see how it could have gone better! Some of the things I had going for me was I know almost all the kids--even the kids I don't teach know me because I come into their classroom to work on their computer. I found my voice got more firm and had more authority in it. Kinda cool? I think so.

The biggest fulfilling part of the experience was that I felt the kids respect me. Sure, they may talk in my class from time to time, but they listen when I want them to. That, above everything else, makes me feel successful at my job.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Seth and I made a shopping trip tonight for food, an electric blanket, IBC root beer, a candle, and a Christmas tree! It looks great in the corner of our living room. I made an impulse purchase and bought a red poinsettia to go with our curtains. Now we just need some ornaments...

I'll be home for Christmas

My official flight information for returning home for Christmas is as follows:
Friday, December 22
United Flight 883 from PHL to ORD 9:30-11:56AM EST
United Flight 5633 from ORD to GRR 2:27-3:17PM EST

Monday, January 1
United Flight 5623 from GRR to ORD 3:51-4:54PM EST
United Flight 148 from ORD to PHL 7:00-9:09PM EST


Woo hoo!!!

Battlefield

This weekend I think I got to witness the purest college football in the country: the annual Army/Navy game. The players who play on these teams aren't after money or fame...they're on their way to serve their country! They just like to play. Both teams were very disciplined (few penalties, little to minimal celebrations, and complete silence for two ceremonial songs after the game before celebrating). The seniors for Navy had quite the accomplishment: they've beaten Air Force and Army all 8 times they've played them in the last four years.

As for the game itself, Navy won. Despite not having real personal connections to the game, I got into it! There were over 3000 cadets from the army and 3000 midshipmen from the navy all in uniform. Each school took a turn getting on the field and standing at attention. They were all very impressive! I felt honored to have them serve me and my country, and even undeserving of their hard work, perseverance, and protection. It brought the Iraq war closer to home too as I pictured them giving their energy, blood, sweat, and tears for others. In a way, it's a beautiful example of how we as Christians ought to serve other people.

We were all FREEZING cold, however. Friday was 70 degrees; Saturday was 40 with 30+MPH winds. And we were out there from 11AM to 6PM. Yikes! It was well worth it, however...I'll probably never get another opportunity to see something like this again. In terms of rivalries, there aren't many more deeply rooted in tradition or intensity. What a day. More pictures here.

Today is nearing to a close, but it was a very good day. Just overall, I felt really strong in a deep way. Filled with peace, patience, contentment. Praise God!

Michigan was kept out of the national championship game officially today. Despite losing to the best team all year by only three points, they were shuffled off to the Rose Bowl. Here's more about what I think about the idea.

Weird weather and Genevers

Today is the 1st of December, and I walked to my car in 66 degree weather at 7:20AM. This afternoon, wind will pick up to 45MPH with thunderstorms! I got a school cancellation notice that all West Michigan schools are closed today, too. Is there a better first snow day than a Friday? I think not. We'd better soak up the balmy Philadelphia weather while we can (high of 50 tomorrow).

Both schools had the Internet go out this week. Sorrows simply needed a modem restart, and St. Ignatius had an issue with Comcast. They fixed the problem last night, and we're up and running again today! Almost all of my assignments are web-based, so it made things more exciting yesterday. Kids were disappointed, but not frustrated, which excited me.

My time with Chief and Kevin VanderKlok was wonderful. We went out to the Continental and, of course, Franklin Fountain. Our conversation ranged from Anna's musical abilities (Chief's daughter) to the book Freakonomics to Camp Geneva marketing and development. They were in town for a national camp conference, and it was wonderful to see them. Three hours went by quickly!

Tomorrow I'm going to the Army/Navy game! A few friends from Jefferson got tickets, so four of us are going. I'm excited! Since my Grandpa De Boer was in the army, I'm going to be rooting for them. It's not Michigan/Ohio State, but it's still a classic rivalry.

Sarah is dancing tonight in an Indian night at Jefferson. She's been practicing with her Indian friends for it this past month. It's a whole night of Indian entertainment, food, and fun.