Snowdrift

Brad's brother, Rod, lives in northwest Mandan, where the winds blow in from across the open prairie. With all the snow this season, the street and yards have been turned into one giant snowdrift.

The same thing happened in the blizzard of 1997. Back then, the local news did a story on him using a front-loader to clear his driveway. The story got picked up by other news outlets and made it all the way to Paris, France, where my uncle and aunt were living and saw it on TV.

I wish we could make headlines for something besides our outrageous weather.

Glasvegas

Glasvegas - Geraldine
We caught this performance on Letterman recently. I found it interesting, but not that compelling. However, I know if they had been around in the late 1980's, I would have been TOTALLY into them.

Wanted - NIN

I got the DVD of Wanted for Christmas. Love this movie. It's not the kind of movie that I typically like, but maybe a little diversity is a good thing for me.

If you've got five minutes, here's a very well-edited clip, which is a fan vid of scenes from the movie set to "Every Day is Exactly the Same" by Nine Inch Nails. The song is used in the movie, and it suits it perfectly.

Dino-tastic

Connor's Cub Scout den took in the grand opening of the new dinosaur exhibit at the Heritage Center this month. Don't they look adorable in their uniforms?

I also took Connor around to the other exhibits, which he really enjoyed. In the exhibit about children through the ages, I swear there's a picture of Mitch Albers in the 1980's, right next to the jelly shoes.

E A D G B E

A guitar lesson in their pajamas. How adorable.

Winter Show

Here's a shot from today of all my dancers in their seats just before our Winter Show started. The whole show went quickly and smoothly, and I'm so relieved that it's done. All my teams danced really well and seemed to have fun.

GO JFK!

Where The Hell Is Matt?

link

This video moved me. It demonstrates simply and effectively how dancing can bring joy to people all over the world, and how similar we humans are despite our differences.

Matt Harding is a former video game developer who has made three such videos. This one includes clips from 70 locations in 42 countries. His own dancing is intriguing, but I really like how he joins in with the Indian women at 2:30.

Student of the Week

Connor was Student of the Week just before the holiday break, so Brad made an appearance in his first grade classroom to play marimba and hand percussion. He played a few Christmas songs and the theme from Star Wars, but the biggest hit was Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter. Connor's teacher, Mrs. Vetter, was thrilled, and the kids were entertained.

The event must have made a big splash at the school because the next day several 5th grade girls excitedly told me at dance class that Mr. Stockert had played in Mrs. Vetter's room. Hopefully it is something Connor will always remember, too.