Week 22 of 52

As I squeeze this blog entry in to my life I realize how much of my time is spent doing things that I'm trying to hold up. When I left teaching to work at a school as a coordinator of programs, I found that I was coordinating more than just programs. I was doing what most Coordinators do which is the last item listed in the job description, 'other duties as assigned'. Because of this, I equated my job as being a plate spinner.

As a child, Sunday night entertainment was The Ed Sullivan Show. This was back when we had only three TV channels and everybody watched the same thing because that's all there was to watch. Ed Sullivan brought the world to your living room. Dancing Russian bears, Polish acrobats, a Italian hand puppet named Topo Gigio, and a Spanish hand puppet named, Señor Wences. Wenceslao Moreno, the puppeteer for Señor Wences, would usually end his act with a juggling and plate spinning. As a plate spinner, you are watching all of the plates so you can attend to the next one that needs spinning in order to keep it on the stick and everything up and going.

As a Principal of a small elementary school, I've found that I have expand my act. I'm still spinning plates but I've added juggling knives, chainsaws and live kittens, dancing and a few singing gigs. All of this seems necessary to do my job and live my life the way I thinks I want to live, so I keep going. According to Joyce Meyer, Christian author and speaker, once said, "Ninety percent of life is maintenance." If 90% of life is maintaining what you already have, the wise thing to do would be not to add anything more without taking something out. But that is not how I have learned to live my life. So, by adding in something that I want to create needs to come from the 10% of my life to do so. I'm not great in math, but that doesn't leave a lot of time.

This weeks MCP Project 52 theme is Reflection. I've been reflecting on many things even if I didn't take a picture of me doing it. So I selected a picture of an structure, my 2011 theme on the 4th Street wall of the Santa Monica Place Mall. You can see the small reflections in each one of the balls in this structure. If you are interested in the other photos of I took this week please visit my flickr site and enjoy.

Week 21 of 52

The month of May has been challenging for me. I have not been able to remember dates, appointment times or remember to put items in my calendar. I didn't remember to pay bills, send invoices or that I got paid. That's bad! I'm glad there's only a few more days to the month. Photography has also taken a backseat in trying to keep up with things, but I've made this commitment to myself and I'm following through. The MCP Project 52 theme for Week 21 was 'The Need for Speed' and my theme is Structure. Again, I remembered the shoot deadline when leaving late from work on Friday, I took a route home that would allow me to pass by the construction of the new Metro line.

The Metro Line is not finished but the claims are that you can get downtown in 20 minutes 'The Need for Speed'. That a pretty good claim in L.A. The Structure is the day-to-day commuters that will use this Line to get to and from work.

Week 20 of 52

I'm glad that I found the MCP Project 52 because it is keeping me going. It is so easy not to follow through with a goal you've set during stressful times that having the commitment to completing the project keeps me, at least anchored to submitting something every week. This is shot was taken around 10:00 p.m. Friday night, the last day to shoot. I pulled out my iPhone and took the shot.

This does not represent either of the themes for this week or this year. This is a desperate attempt to shoot something before it's too late. So I did.

This is not representative of my main goal to improve my photographic eye but it is a side effect of it. It is honoring a commitment. I believe that commitment maybe a lost concept. I also believe that I can help show what it means and its benefits. This is now a tangential thought to photography but it does relate to my past weeks and commitment. I will continue this thought in the next entry.

Week 19 of 52

This is the time of year that it gets crazy. Just this past week, the Testing Season began, we had Open House, a Star Party and End-of-the-Year preparations. I'm not as young as I used to be and I need my beauty rest more than in the past. This past week has taken a toll and everyone, even the young at heart. Even amongst the madness, it is weeks like this that reminded me why I'm in public education.

Testing is always stressful with the affidavits, proctors, schedules, keeping materials under lock and key, make-up tests, attendance accounting. It's a good thing it only comes once a year. And the results, which are not available until August, determine how our entire school rates within the state of California with and API and an AYP. A little stress inducing, maybe? Testing is the obligatory part of every public school. Sort of like leeching in the Dark Ages. Do you see the similarities? We do this because it is required.

Open House is also required but the premise is for all of the students to share what they have been doing since the beginning of the school year. I is a happy time. Parents and family get to see how much their children have learned and students get to share how much more they know. At our Open House we have be having our Academic Challenge Science Super Quiz. This is my baby, based loosely on the Academic Decathlon in High School and I love it. Briefly, teams of students in grades 3 - 5 get together to earn individual and team medals in a public jeopardy-style game and the audience applauds all of their hard work. Well, seeing the students, teachers, coaches and families cheer, applaud, console and encourage these students. I remember why I work in public education. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

Two days later was the Star Party. This was, again another reason I love working in public education. A group of amateur astronomers bring their telescopes, their enthusiasm and their passion. This was a BLAST! I saw Saturn and it's rings along with the mountains of the moon. Truly awesome. That was exciting, but I also enjoyed the look on the faces of the families, and the amateur astronomers. It was joy of seeing something precious. It was exciting seeing everyone realize how rare a opportunity it was and that fact that we all shared it together. Wow! This is another event that reminds me why I'm in public education. The joy of learning. The joy of learning in community. Priceless. I hope you enjoy this photo I took at dusk of one of the astronomers who hooked his telescope up to a monitor and was able to show a group what they were looking at and did a little Q&A.

Week 18 of 52

The weeks after Spring Break have been brimstone and treacle. I have been taking the time to rest because this is the stressful season, the State Testing Season. This is means high stakes for schools. So you'd think I'd spend more time shooting. But I've been spending more time vegging not recreating. I have rekindled and old habit, Morning Meditation, Bible reading and prayer. With the nebulous future of my passion and work, public education, I have the need to center myself. I have returned to my morning ritual of Bible reading and prayer.

This story falls into place because the MCP 52 Project theme is First Thing in the Morning. So much of what I do in the morning is mechanical that it was hard to think of anything that could be shot. Morning is one of those times that comes in quietly and is gone before you know it. Breakfast becomes brunch at different times for different people. So, by the time I thought about it it was late morning and lighting was not always the best. I remembered Friday evening about my revived routine. The lighting of dusk is similar to that of dawn. The context is my First Thing in the Morning. I now have to wear my glasses, which I am trying to delay the need to do for as long as possible, and begin my morning meditation, my morning structure. So the placed them in the photo. They make a nice addition to the composition. I whipped out my iPhone and took the shot. This also fulfills my photographic theme of Structure for 2011. I hope you enjoy the photo and a time of meditation.

Week 17 of 52

I'm not sure if following a weekly theme is too confining or I just couldn't find any Princess to shoot. I was not able to shoot MCP 52 Project Week 17's theme, Princess for a Day. The week after Spring Break was very hectic. When I realized that the I was short on Princess' I decided to go to my list of things to shoot. I have been making a list for my year round theme of Structure. So, I went to my list and decided to shoot a fence around a Culver City Catholic School, St. Augustine.

This is the reflection of the top a the fence. The structure is obvious, the art pleasant. I hope you enjoy this. Check out my flickr site for the other photos I took of this fence.

Week 16 of 52

This past week was my Spring Break, a week away from work. So, you'd think I'd spend time shooting all of the things I have on my list to shoot and them some. Well, it didn't work like that, because when I have free time, I do all of the things I don't get done while at work. I have all of these other thoughts roaming around in my head that normally are competing with work-a-day requirements, schedules and obligations. So, remembering to shoot for the 52 Project was put on the backshelf with all of those thing. It wasn't until went into work yesterday did all of my routine thoughts flood back in. I remembered the MCP 52 Project theme of Our Furry Friends came to mind.

Yesterday I needed to go into work to prepare for the coming week. As I'm sitting at my desk, all of these work-a-day thoughts come rolling back in to the forefront. They come in small waves like ripples in a pond. They slowly lap into my current short term memory, and I do mean short, and make me aware of all that I need to do. It was during one of these waves that this week's theme came and I looked across from my desk and saw my faithful companions, three eagles and Cat-in-the-Hat. I then whipped out my iPhone 3G and snapped a couple of photos.

Theses are my furry friends. I don't have any pets, although I do want a dog badly, but I don't have the time to commit to the care of one. So, for the time being, these type of furry friends will have to do. Anyway back to my Co-workers. Eagles are the mascot of my school so people have been giving them to me and Cat-in-the-Hat is because he's magical. These guys are always there. They hear all of the complaints and praise, the discipline and praises. They hear and see all that goes on in the Principal's Office, a place where secrets go to die. They keep it all. This is part of my daily work structure. Structure is my theme for the 52 Project for this year.

I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think.