Monthly Archives: November 2013

Feasts, inside and out

Posted on November 30, 2013 by jyourist

Ah yes, Thanksgiving. Truly the best holiday. All about delicious foods and the rich relationships of family and friends. What could be more important? This year, the awesomeness of the holiday was even further extended by the surprise jacuzzi we … Continue reading →

Posted in family, food, Holidays | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Diagramming the heart

Posted on November 25, 2013 by jyourist

In class today, we actually did some grammar. Another teacher in our school does diagramming of sentences and the kids were curious exactly what that was. I’m not a big fan of diagramming, which always seems to help the kids … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, school, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Necessity for Irony” by Eavan Boland

Posted on November 23, 2013 by jyourist

On Sundays, when the rain held off, after lunch or later, I would go with my twelve year old daughter into town, and put down the time at junk sales, antique fairs. There I would lean over tables, absorbed by … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, poetry | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Where were you the day JFK was shot?

Posted on November 22, 2013 by jyourist

Fifty years ago today, E.J. Fritsche came running down the hall of our middle school, just as we were leaving Mr. Stranahan’s history class, shouting that the President had been shot. E.J. was a jokester and of course none of … Continue reading →

Posted in memory | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

the right to an eternity

Posted on November 21, 2013 by jyourist

For the past 24 hours, with a short period of sleep inserted, I have worked like crazy to grade and get back my 37 page Constitution test to the students. It was a commitment I made to them to get … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Constitution, mindfulness, school, Teaching | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Danielle

Posted on November 20, 2013 by jyourist

An remarkably nuanced vision of aging directed by Anthony Cerniello.

Posted in aging, animation, short films | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

272 words

Posted on November 19, 2013 by jyourist

150 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln spoke his famous address at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery. This speech clarified the goals of the Civil War by broadening the notion of who “We the people” were, first mentioned at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Constitution | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Doris Lessing 1919-2013

Posted on November 18, 2013 by jyourist

Doris Lessing died yesterday at 94. I remember reading her Golden Notebook over 40 years ago and although the details of the novel are little more than vague in my brain, my emotional response as a reader is not. I … Continue reading →

Posted in art, literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An intimate Raisin in the Sun

Posted on November 17, 2013 by jyourist

Last night we saw a production of Raisin in the Sun at the Timeline Theater in Chicago, directed by OJ Parsons. It was a spell-binding production in part because of its complete intimacy. Timeline is a small theater and the … Continue reading →

Posted in performance, race, theater | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“Problem” by Lydia Davis

Posted on November 16, 2013 by jyourist
Posted in authors, creativity, literature, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment