FAME! I'm gonna live forever...

I'm sorry to say that this film was a little more lame than Fame. I know that you are really surprised by this. Being a former ballerina, I thought for sure it would at least appeal to dancers. I strolled into the theatre last night, on a rainy, misty, New York evening, looking ballerina-esque even in my normal clothes. I looked around to see that there were four others in the theatre besides me. That should've been my first indication. Anyway, to sum up the FAME experience, I will describe it like this. The acting in this film is as bad as it was in Center Stage, circa 1999. With a little High School Musical thrown in for good measure.

However, what has come from my brush with FAME, is that I am now back in the dance studio. I went over the other day, just to reacquaint myself with the barre, and today I start back in ballet class. I still feel at home in the dance studio, which is how I know I belong in one. I am fortunate enough to have the biggest, brightest studio imaginable to use any time.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that you see this film. But I do recommend you download Naturi Naughton's rendition of "FAME" and play it in the morning when you get out of bed. The song is hot, and what a way to start your day.

Baby look at me
And tell me what you see
You aint seen the best of me yet
Give me time I'll make you forget the rest

x.

Welcome President Obama!

Monday was an incredible day in Troy, New York. This day, we would line the streets to welcome the President of the United States. That is correct--President Obama actually came to my little town of Troy and spoke at Hudson Valley Community College. For my Modesto crew-- that would be like Obama showing up at MJC to give a talk. The energy in this town was amazing, and everyone was abuzz. The President spoke on clean energy, health care, education, and basic research. For more on President Obama's speech, click here http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hD03sMpMBLESf1hOl78LOnLV63xQD9ARR6082 Moreover, click on the photo to see it enlarged. You can actually see him in the car! I wish I could take credit for snapping this shot, but it was taken by the woman standing next to me.

After welcoming President Obama to my town and watchng him that night on Letterman (he was very funny, by the way) I felt hugely patriotic. And I liked it. I don't think we take enough time to be patriotic in this country. I sent President Obama a tweet that evening to thank him for his visit. Is it poor form to tweet the President?

The Heck With Sugar And Spice.

It is a crisp, fall, New England day. There are first day of school butterflies in my stomach. I sit up in bed, and see the chapel out my third story window. In just a couple of hours, Opening Convocation will take place there. I love this tradition. I take pride in being a part of this tradition.

Students file into the chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. Above the pulpit reads, Worship The Lord In The Beauty Of Holiness. Emma Willard is not affiliated with any religion, but nonetheless this statement is etched front and center in our chapel. I enjoy reading it and after I do, I take in a long, deep breath. I feel calm in this chapel.

I line up with my faculty colleagues in order of the length of time we have been at Emma. As it is now my fourth year, I am moving up, up, up in line. I love this. The line is led by Marilyn Hunter, my Italian teacher, and "the lady in the red hat." The faculty member who has been at Emma the longest has the honor of marching first, and wearing the red hat. And may I just say, Signora does rock this hat.

The organ plays and we march in and take our seats at the front of the chapel. By next year, I will be in row 2. Hollaaaaa... ;-) And when I get my Masters, you will really see my peacock feathers poofed, because with every degree one earns, you get an even more beautiful robe. We all know this would be reason enough for me to get busy on the Masters.

Once we are seated, our esteemed Head of School, will stand at the pulpit and deliver a knock out speech to inspire us all to work toward a year of excellence. Trudy's speeches always kill. The woman is such an example to me in her ability to bring down the house with her words. I will now recount the parts of Trudy's speech that most stood out to me, so that you too may take it in for consideration:

Set meaningful goals. Brassy, risky, nervy, adventurous, daring, courageous goals. What you can imagine is far more important that what you know. The secret to a successful commitment is to be able to see clearly the outcome in your mind, to visualize what it will look like when you have achieved the goal. See yourself winning the award, writing the book, being interviewed by the press--whatever it takes to get you jazzed.

Have the courage of your convictions. There is no such thing as a half-hearted commitment. Firmly announce your plans. When it comes to commitment--you are either in or you are out. Just do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Take initiative. You need a plan, one with tiny baby steps to get you started. You need gumption--some spunk and guts.

Keep going. Bethany Hamilton, the American surfing prodigy who lost her leg in a vicious shark attack in 2003, reminds us: "Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice."

Trudy concludes with the following: Frustration is an inevitable part of every worthy enterprise. You will have your share of setbacks. Just apply what you have learned to make each effort a better, more informed one. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It is whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.

That said, let me now firmly announce my plans to you. I am going to research, select, apply to, and be accepted into a Masters program this year. I am going to read, write, and devote myself to the written word this year-- in English and Italian. And-- I am going to look closely at different areas of my life (physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, etc.) and make this my best year yet of reaching my goals in each area. Operation A-game is on.

Who is going to join me? Firmly announce your plans--I want to hear them.

Love.. from New York.

I guarantee the first female president will be an Emma girl.

It has been a busy weekend of training student leaders! My colleague Gemma and I took a group of 19 individuals and turned them into a team. Following that, we taught them how to lead their peers. Training topics included: team building, effective listening, first impressions, confidentiality, creativity, diversity, tolerance, educating peers, facilitating a group, homesickness, crisis intervention, self-care, and most importantly... find out her story. So vital when working with anyone--knowing where they come from and what experiences have shaped them. Last week, my department gathered, and we were asked to share our "cultural story." It was an intense topic for many of us, and so important to share at the same time. I challenge each of you to ask someone you care about his or her cultural story.

I continue to be impressed by the crowd I roll with here. These women are bold, curious, compassionate, creative, seekers. It is fun to share a castle with them.

I am about to fall into bed, but before I do, I want to share a video that you will love. It will remind you that no matter our cultural story, we are all connected.

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

Goodnight.. x