The darling buds of May

Spring rushes on so swiftly. Last week, I stepped out on the front porch, and a giant lilac bloom appeared in front of me. Surely the day before, the branches were only dotted with tiny green shoots amid just a hint of lavender buds. Out back, the ostrich ferns thrust higher every day, while the columbine comes on strong. The bleeding hearts approach full glory amid a sea of foamy sweet woodruff.

This weekend, I made my final Critical Links sojourn to Cincinnati. The drive down on Friday was under dramatic skies with scattered storms popping up along the way. There had been a tornado warning in Columbus an hour or so before I passed through. I left Akron late, and so didn't get into the hotel until almost midnight.

Cincinnati's trees were much further along than those in northern Ohio, and I spotted great big iris buds rising high from their beds. The rain vanished on Saturday, and we were drawn from our conferencing to walk outside to bask in the warmth of the day. By Sunday morning, light rain and clouds greeted the Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon runners. By the time I headed the smart car for home, the rain had vanished making the drive home most pleasant. I admit to applying more pressure than usual to the gas pedal, and zipped home in record time! First time away from young pup Hamlet. The sitter took good care of him and Ophelia cat while I was gone.

In case you forgot to celebrate it, Shakespeare's birthday was April 23rd. At the conference, we had an opportunity to win some theatre books by identifying quotes from plays old and new. I jumped on top of lines from Hamlet and Richard III. We all ended up with two new books each, along with a wealth of new knowledge and ideas. Little buds that burst into blossom in our classrooms. Can't wait to get up and go to school tomorrow!

A Professional Development Weekend

I'm in Cincinnati for the weekend, staying at a hotel for two nights. Having spent four days in NYC very recently, I am in a bit of shock walking into this hotel room. In NYC, the hotel room was so small there was barely enough room to turn around in and there were precious few amenities. No phone, a narrow hard single bed and the bathroom was across the hallway. But it was cheap and it was convenient, and it did have air conditioning and a tiny refrigerator.

I thought this one in Cincinnati would also have a frig, but alas -- no. I brought some vegan food stuffs along so I wouldn't have to worry about finding an appropriate place to eat my meals. Guess I'll have to keep the salsa and vegan cheese in the ice bucket!

This room I'm in tonight is so huge my living room could fit in it. The bed could sleep three adults or six kids, but tonight is all mine. Unlike my NYC flop house, this place has wireless Internet and all kinds of business class attractions like a work center and a fitness room. The best thing about this hotel room, however, is that I am not paying for it!

I'm in Cincinnati for a weekend of professional development in which I will learn how to set up an inquiry into a problem in theatre education. It is an opportunity to combine my two favorite subjects -- drama and science -- to enhance my teaching skills for the benefit of my students. It's a two year project and involves several weekends a year in Cincinnati. So I guess I better get used to this opulent if not downright ostentatious hotel room.

After tomorrow's all day training, we are going to see a production of Othello at the Playhouse here. Looking forward to that very much. Hope to get some pictures of the city as well -- this is only my second visit to Cincinnati, although I've lived in Ohio a good part of my life.