From the E-mail:

Senator John Kerry today announced that members of his staff will hold office hours in Northampton on Thursday, November 19th. The office hours will be held from 1:00pm – 2:00pm at the Northampton Municipal Building, located at 210 Main Street.

“…I want to make sure that we are helping everyone we can in any way we can whether it’s answering questions, helping them navigate the system, or showing them all the options available if they need help. It is more important than ever that everyone from Pittsfield to Provincetown knows that assistance is available,” said Senator Kerry.

…In many cases, Kerry’s staff may be able to expedite the bureaucratic process and bring attention to individual cases that may have fallen through the cracks. Staff will also be available to discuss federal legislation and important local issues and concerns.

Okay, it’s me again. You don’t have to act like you’re listening intently anymore. Here’s the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE E-MAIL: No appointment is necessary.

Seeing as the Office Hours are really an Office Hour (that government sure does take a bite), you may want to get there ahead of time to make sure you get in for your chat.

Mail Jaime her sneakers. CHECK

Pay storage bill. CHECK

Read First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria.

See Up.

The inspiration for these was initially trying to look at the camera as though it was the person I love most in this world, looking with deep love and warmth.

I don’t know why exactly. I guess I wanted to see what that looked like from me. I remember one time thinking as I gazed on my lovely wife how I would never gaze like that at my own reflection. Who would? I don’t mean out of some narcissistic place but just out of pure affection for who you are in the world. I think it’s kind of sad that we can’t do that. It doesn’t take a Zen Master to know that most things we don’t like in other people stem from some sense of deep self-loathing of our own. So I figure if you could truly look at yourself with honest love, it would mean that much more love for the world around us.

But it’s too vulnerable to see yourself in that way. I think. And too weird. I tried it once. I turned away from the medicine cabinet mirror, pictured Jaime and then turned back to the medicine cabinet mirror. I think I gagged when I made eye contact with myself. And then did a bit of a Gross Dance to shake it out of my system, turned and walked out of the bathroom.

That’s when I went for the camera. I looked into it as though I were looking into Jaime’s eyes. That’s the first video on the page. It was definitely easier than the medicine cabinet mirror experiment because there was some distance in time between me looking into the camera and then me looking at the resulting video. I managed to edit it at least.

After that, I went on to imagine the camera as other people in my life and the project grew from there. I can’t say that I go to look at the lovey video so much as I do to look at the one where I’m steamed (the second one on the page). That one makes me feel more comfortable because I usually feel like the world is looking at me like that in the first place, truly pissed.

There will be more to come as the HLAY spirit moves me.

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I also tried to get Willa’s perspective but don’t know that she really gets what I’m looking for.

The setting...Hotel Northampton

…on MILF Island!

BYOMILF

Now…to the recipe!

1 1/2 TBspn olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed / minced / macerated

1 28-oz can tomatoes finely chopped in their juice (is that even kosher?)

1 16-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 14-oz can mild green chiles, minced and drained

12 corn tortillas

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic, sauté 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender.

2. Stir in the tomatoes and juice, kidney beans, and chiles.  Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices begin to thicken.  Remove from the heat.

3. Spread half the sauce in a 10 x 10 x 2 inch casserole.  Top with half the tortilla strips, half the sour cream, and half the cheese.  Complete with the remaining tortillas, then the remaining sauce, sour cream, and cheese.

4. Bake 35 mintues or until hot, dreamy and bubbly.

It all would have been fine with a level-funded budget had the Mayor not asked for a 12% reduction due to the city’s own budget shortfall of $6M.  Thwarted.

So here’s who ended up on the cutting room floor:

• 23 teachers and 4 aides across all four elementary schools
• 11 teachers at JFK Middle School
• 14 teachers at Northampton High

What will also be cut way back is busing.  Before, kids who paid for passes could ride the bus through twelfth grade, if I’m understanding the information correctly.  Now it’s been pushed back to the state mandatory minimum only for kindergarteners through sixth graders.  Superintendent Rodriguez clarified further that would mean seventh through twelfth graders would not be bused.  Again, if I’m understanding it correctly, that is a rather dire set up.

What also went into a different part of the budget meaning it was moved from allocated funds to revolving funds was stipends that pay for coaches and teachers who lead extra-curriculars afterschool.  This was immediately interpreted as sports and extracurriculars were being cut.  Not the case, Rodridguez said, just the funding of these posts.  She’s hoping that booster clubs will form to take up the costs.

I’m still a little unclear as to what this means.  I know the stipends of the coaches and teachers will be put out to booster clubs but does this also mean transportation to and from practices and games, rehearsals and the like?  Also how does equipment and uniforms figure in to this?  Any clarification would be much appreciated.

Also, if there are no boosters or boosters but still not enough funding, does this mean the activity is…cut?

Bleak times are ahead for our schools, friends.  It’s been bad before but having to cut close to 50 teachers across the school system is Brontë sisters depressing.

Having spent the last year covering school committee meetings for WHMP, I will say the committee is very responsive to parents that show up to speak during the public comment.  They truly seem to take a keen interest and listen intently to the concerns of those who show up to speak their minds.

Here’s the list of upcoming meetings.  They begin at 7:15pm and are in the community meeting room of JFK Middle School on Bridge Rd., the school that’s getting eleven teacher positions cut.