my father the (nerdy) hero

I spent the weekend with my parents in the hill country – it was my first time to visit their new house on Lake Marble Falls. (We closed out Turtle Rock Cove in late November, and soon found the house on Lake MFer.)

I always love time at the lake, winter or summer, it’s a great place to enjoy being outside, escaping to-do lists, alarm clocks, Houston traffic, and just enjoy life. This weekend has been particularly uneventful and a normal person would probably have nothing to blog about… however. I am not a normal person. Nor do I have a normal family.

I’m still adjusting to the difference between turtle rock cove and lake MFer. The house is pretty empty because we sold the other house mostly furnished and my mom is “taking it slow” when it comes to hanging things on the wall and adding her usual touch.

I’ll get to my point: my father, this weekend, has been both more entertaining and nerdy than his usual self. Tom and Cathy are putting in a dining room table made out of unfinished lumber which my mother will cover in a crazy, cool tablecloth that hangs to the floor and hides the unfinished lumber. They’ve done this for decades, very HGTV before HGTV.

Well, instead of just eyeballing the space or guesstimating what size table we’ll need, as done in previous homes, my father proceeded to get out the following supplies: painter’s tape, a pencil, a tape measure, AND a weighted contraption to hand from the ceiling to mark the center point of the room on the floor. (if you’re baffled you should just back up and reread that. I can’t make this stuff up.)

It was quite hilarious to watch, my dad on the floor spinning around, marking where the table would stand. I understand the need to be precise here Pops, but we’re talking about the difference between 6 ½ feet and 7 feet. Can it really be that big of a difference that we need to measure it out?

Well, just as I think I can’t giggle over this for much longer, my dad starts calculating the number of inches each person seated at the table would have, based on the circumference between the 6 ½ foot table or the 7 footer. Out comes the ipad, thank you Steve Jobs, and my dad goes to Wikipedia to doublecheck the formula for circumference. Repeat: my dad goes to Wikipedia to check the formula for circumference.

Seriously, most people perceive my dad as rebellious, hip, adventuresome. But let me tell you, if it requires an equation, a weighted string hanging from the ceiling, and thirty minutes (literally) of calculations to decide between a 6 ½ and a 7 foot table, you have some semi-serious issues. Seriously.

All that to stay, Robo has since decided on the 7 foot table. He announced proudly "We'll be able to sit 14.6 people comfortably." Um, dad, exactly who will the .6th person be? We're not sure exactly. But whoever they are, we'll have room for them. Comfortably.

the orange submarine

editor's note: i wrote this a few weeks back but never posted.

the sub i saw was MUCH bigger than this but about the same color.

picture this: i'm driving down I-10 on wednesday after school. It's around 6 pm, gray and cold outside, with weather reports on everyone minds’. It's below freezing, and supposed to be icing/snowing the following day.

I glance to my right as I, per usual, change lanes frequently and weave through traffic. And what do I see? A giant, bright orange submarine being towed on the bed of an 18 wheeler. Though it's a super-tall, super-duty 18 wheeler because the orange submarine is just that HUGE.

So, I sent a text message to a few people I figured would find this amusing. A) my roommate, stephie, because even if she doesn't find it amusing, as my roommate she's required to (and really good at) putting up with my weird announcements.

B) my brother, my dad, my uncle, and a few others.

I should have kept my discovery to myself and just told stephanie when I got home. Because almost immediately my crazy brother and uncle are calling and texting to inform me that I am wrong. My uncle called me "Einstein" and said he was sure that was an "escape pod" used on oil rigs and "not really" a submarine but "if you want it to be a submarine, it can be a submarine, sweetie."

My brother wanted to correct me. "It's not a submarine. It's an open ocean lifeboat for supertankers. It's watertight but is not submersible."

Who are you two?! Coastal watercraft experts?
You didn't see it. You don't know. And last time I checked neither of you work for the US Coast Guard. Can't you just let me have my moment?

It. was. a. submarine. Deal. with. it.

hello netherlands!

Let’s step back for a moment and talk about the purpose of the blog. It is basically an online journal, collection of thoughts, photos, quotes, and ramblings. I love to write – about the serious, the nonsense, and mainly as a way to document memories and events I’d like to remember later. This blog stemmed from a blog I had while in DC – “this district” that was basically a ramblings of ridiculous things that happened to me while I was living in DC.

(For instance: A bird pooping on my head while I was on the way to deliver documents from our office to the West Wing. My three young, male bosses didn’t really care and I’m sure they didn’t even remember thirty minutes later. I, on the other hand, am still talking about it three years later.)

Basically, I didn’t read any blogs or follow any until I moved to Washington. Now, they are all over the place, and people far more insightful and adventurous than I are blogging, and blogging well. I continue to blog because it is a release of stress, or emotion, or brings a smile to my face to know that someone enjoys reading it. It all began when I was a White House intern and we had several – more than one!- ethical briefings about the importance of NOT blogging about this experience until you’ve completed the internship, shut down your blog for the semester, etc. I was like…blog? Blog? Should I do that? What is the fuss about? (Later it dawned on me this was probably a rule from previous administrations, not the George W. Bush era. Can you imagine if Monica Lewinsky had been a blogger?)

So, dear reader, here we are, three years later, and I continue to “blog.” Shout out to the devoted readers, I really appreciate you. You have no idea.

But it must be said that if Mom and Dad, Honey and B, Mary Chen, Renza, Steph, and Caitlin didn’t read the blog – oh, and Gentry, lets not forget the midget audience- I would without a doubt continue to write these things. I keep posts saved as documents on my computer, or tucked in a journal somewhere. Yet I am glad for the accountability that if I post my weird thoughts, someone might read it. And, it also warms my heart when my roommate yells at me, “Why haven’t you updated the blog?! I’m getting bored and about to give up clicking on it.”

This brings me to my point of this post. I learned late one evening last week that you can actually track the “statistics” of your blog. I can see how many hits I’ve had per day, week, month, and year. On top of that, they’ll give you a map of which countries your readers are coming from.

Breaking news: marvelous light has a reader in the Netherlands. What!? How cool is that?

Yes, someone in the Netherlands over the past 12 months has clicked on this blog over 118 times.
So, I ask you, dear Netherlander, introduce yourself! Post a comment, please! I’d love to know who you are and what brought you to this odd online rambling about randomness. I’d love to know where anyone is reading from, any and all of you. Leave a comment. Or email me! Crob.courtney@gmail.com

I’ll never forget when my old next-door neighbor from high school messaged me on face book that she had been reading my blog and was inspired to read more.

I know as a writer and just as a human in general, I find such joy and comfort and camaraderie from reading other’s blogs, memoirs, emails about their lives, and so, if you find that here from time to time, I am touched. Sending my e-love out into the world, and wishes for a happy, healthy, renewing Sunday afternoon!

-Courtney

just what i needed

i almost forgot about joe purdy's website. katherine mcclellan brought it back to my attention - and I jammed out to it during my planning period at school. ALL of his songs are free for listening. i recommend paris in the morning.

http://www.joepurdy.com/ or any song, especially the ones with the harmonica.

a three day weekend away from reality, in taos, new mexico, with some of the coolest ladies i know. i haven't laughed out loud that much in a long while.

and the final thing i'm just so thankful for that i have to share via the internet... a quick story from the classroom.

sometimes i feel like an ogre who snaps at her students when they're talking. sometimes i feel so rushed to get through all the math content and the reading lesson and the "this day in history" and let's say the pledge of allegiance and hurry up we have to go to lunch... that i worry i'm not telling my students how proud of them i feel each day, how awesome they are, how full of potential and hope, and how glad i am to see them each day.

and then, an affirmation that i'm not completely screwing it up. i asked two students to take my laptop upstairs to my classroom (i had been entering grades outside during part of recess) while we went to the driveway for dismissal. when i got back to my desk after an after-school meeting, i found two notes from them on my desk. "you rock, ms. rob. we love you so much. for real! we love you!!!!!! so much!" love, and then they signed their names with about 15 hearts.

it was such a sweet, simple surprise, but it completely made my day. as did seeing my student's faces when i told them we were calling my mom on speaker phone to let them sing happy birthday. it was like i had just given them 32 sour patch kids each, they were so thrilled and jumping around.

as always, thanks for reading. happy day!

let's dance in the glow of those 51 birthday candles!

This time last year my mom turned 50! That same week she was diagnosed with uterine cancer – something that I prayed about, thought about, but didn’t talk much about. The same week as her fiftieth birthday and the scary, shocking news from the doctors, I was in the final rounds of interviewing to be Barbara Bush’s aide. What!? So many things going on. One of my students was an ongoing Child Protection Services case and an emotional roller coaster daily. I didn’t really know how to cope with it all.

I could ramble on about the stress in our lives last year and how I seemed to navigate on autopilot. I could talk about the blessings of cancer and the grace of God and having friends jumping out of the woodwork to love on my mom and our family. I could talk about how angry I felt that my mom was able to kick the cancer’s ass and that Jay Chenoweth wasn’t. I could talk about how it isn’t just a positive attitude and a good doctor that beats cancer – as if Homie was ready to leave Earth.

But, I won't go into all of that. I will talk about how glad I am that my mom, my closest friend, my confidante, my crazy, loud, and loving mother, has made another trip around the sun.
My mom turns 51 tomorrow. I think of all the tragedy in the world and how we can’t explain it. I think of the loss and the suffering and the pain and then I think of…my mom’s birthday. A wise, funny, courageous, genuine, caring, funny, supportive, delightful woman is turning another year older tomorrow. And in the days of botox and wrinkle creams and a lot of another nonsense to appear younger, I think about what a gift it is to grow old. We learned the hard way, alongside Mary and John and Willie and all the Chens – that growing old is not guaranteed. Growing old is a gift.

I can’t imagine a day on this earth without my mom. Abraham Lincoln said that he everything he was, he owed it all to his “angel mother.” Mohammad Ali said that the most important lesson in the world is how to be a friend. How blessed I am that my mother is one of my most wonderful friends!

We beat the cancer, through the grace of God. We learned to enjoy each day. We learned to share your life with others. We learned the value of kind friends. I learned that a hug is really not something you should push away. (Yes, I was 23 and still a “crack-baby” according to my family.)

I think my mom handled this past year with amazing courage and consistent grace. She didn’t have a pity party, but she wasn’t overly heroic. She stayed strong for all of us, but she was vulnerable enough to be loved on by dozens of friends and family. I don’t know why my mom beat cancer when others around the world, and so close to our hearts, do not. But I do know this: I’m so glad my mom is 51. I’m so glad she has laugh-lines and white hairs at her temple (look closely, people) and is getting…gasp!... “older.” I’m glad I can still hear her loud laugh when I want, and call her to vent or seek advice whenever necessary. (Everyday, yep.) I’m so glad I can give her a hug each time I see her.

My mom is SouthernLiving Magazine in the flesh. She is supportive, genuine, funny, fun to be around, a generous friend. She is hard-headed, opinionated, feisty, and charming. She delights in the joys of others, she is a glass-half-full kind of gal, she is a true hostess and full of grace and wit. She puts her faith in something solid. I can’t wait to see where the next year takes her.

My mom is turning 51 tomorrow! Some people think birthdays shouldn’t be a big deal – we all have them. But birthdays mark the fact that we have been given a gift. Life is finite. Life is short. Life has an expiration date. I love the quote from poet St. Edna Vincent Millay, which was used as a toast in a “River Runs Through It.”

“My candle burns at both ends,

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -

It gives a lovely light.”

Our candles eventually blow out, but my mom is a wonderful example of burning your candle bright until it’s gone. (Her favorite color is lime green. If that’s not bright, I don’t know what is.)

So let's keep those candles lit for as long they are burning, and dance in the glow of the flame!

Thanks for reading, and happy birthday Catherine Gentry Robinson!

last year's party, for old times sake. RESPECT.

tfa 20th anniversary was LEGENDary

i returned to houston yesterday after a fast weekend in d.c. i enjoyed every moment with the infamous caitlin hodges, and her lovely roommates made time to grab drinks with me friday after work. (claudia and margaret also made an appearance, but that's a story for another day.)

despite how much fun i had with the locals, i was there for the 20th anniversary celebration/rally/renewing of Teach for America. Heard of it? Well, I certainly have. TFA has rocked my world over the past 18 months, bringing me literally to my knees some days, and on others, putting a very meaningful shine in my ear-to-ear smile. (no pun intended.)

I'll be back to share my ramblings and personal reflections, but more importantly share with those who couldn't be there the thoughts of the famous panelists i was able to hear - gloria steinem. the honorable john lewis, civil rights activist. secretary of education arne duncan.

i have to be ready for the classroom tomorrow so i'll leave you with only one announcement, one antedote. john legend performed at summit on Saturday night, and it meant a lot to a lot of people. (roughly 11,000 who were in the room listening.)

Who is John Legend? He's a grammy winning singer songwriter, wrote some music for the movie "Waiting for Superman" the education documentary. Then in September he joined the TFA national board. sweet. Then, the night before the Grammy Awards, where he was presenting an award and rocking the red carpet, he flew to DC to applaud TFA's efforts, but also to just celebrate edcuators and school leaders today. He played piano and belted his amazing voice alongside the amazing, truly amazing KIPP DC orchestra, for not one, not two, but THREE songs.

I'm sure we didn't pay him. I know he didn't receive much press for this nor will it be a big deal for his career. But, on rehearsal night of the grammys, he was on the opposite coast of the USA because he believes in our cause. He believes that "One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education." It won't be solely teach for america that gets us to that one day. But it will be a larger, broader movement, supported and partially fueled by the fire of TFA corps members, staff, donors, supporters, they will help get the entire country to that point.

And it will take talented, beautiful celebrities like john legend, to stop focusing solely on awards, paychecks, and fame. his music lyrics are moving and creative and thought provoking. it will take all of us, our entire country, to make this work.

do i think that john legend writing songs and singing them will make me a better teacher? no. but did i have goosebumps as he rocked out, knowing that he agrees this ed reform, these children, are worth fighting for? yes. did i feel inspired that he is using his talents to continue the conversation about what is happening in today's classrooms? yes. did i enjoy listening to his AWEsome voice belt out lines about "they can't read, if we don't teach em. they can't eat, if we don't feed em?" you bet.

i have a way of rambling off topic and losing my readers, listeners, even myself. if you're still here, i'll close with this: shine on, john legend. shine on.

PLEASE listen. you'll love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DML6G9Ga7OA

a conversation overheard

Scene: Third grade classroom. Students are just beginning to eat a special snack because we had a class average of 85% last week on math TAKS practice. I’m at my desk to glance at emails while the wild things chatter amongst themselves for 4 minutes. (I put it on a timer.) At the table within two feet of my desk, there are several conversations going on at once. For this story we’ll focus on two boys, whom we will refer to as Sam and Bob. Sam is socially different and prone to outbursts. Bob is socially different and prone to talk to himself frequently about zombies or death or both.

Bob: Hissing loudly like a cat, repeatedly, to none in particular, while eating a mini-donut

Sam: “Bob. Are you a cat?”

Bob: “Noooo.... I am a dog.” (He says this very matter-of-fact.)

Sam: Pauses for a brief moment and very politely announces: “Well, Bob, dogs do not say (insert awesome facial expression) hissssss. Only cats.”

Bob silently continues to eat his mini-donut, and does not seem upset that Sam has pointed out dogs do not hiss. Less than ten seconds later, Sam’s eyes light up.

“And dragons!! Dragons also say hissssss!!!!”

At her desk, Ms. Rob is hiding her laughter. And her delight that these boys are interacting socially quite effortlessly.
However, before this conversation can go any further she claps her hands three times and announces, “Time to line up for the restroom break! Quickly! Let’s go!”

-End scene-