Teaching an old broad new tricks

Every year in September, when my daughter goes back to school, I get restless. It's not that I want to go back to school (shudder), but I long to learn new things, to have my brain challenged (though perhaps not too much), and to meet new people who share my interests*. (Writing, especially writing from home, about the same thing, month after month, year after year, is lonely and mind numbing.)

So, for several years now, each fall, I have signed up for some sort of adult education class. One year it was jewelery making; another photography; last year it was drawing and bridge. While I haven't made any new friends (sadly), I have learned new skills and/or unmothballed some old ones -- and felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

Typically, I play it safe, picking classes I feel I will be good at, where I'll learn something but won't put too much strain on my brain. (I seriously underestimated the brain power, or memorization and rapid addition and subtraction skills, necessary to play bridge, however, even on the beginner level. Bridge is hard! Though I would love to find a friendly threesome I could play bridge with, preferably of my generation.)

This year, however, I decided to kick things up a notch -- and signed up for Pilates, advanced drawing, and beginner Italian.

Today I had my first Italian class. I really enjoyed it. The instructor is fabulous. But I was embarrassed and frustrated at how tongue-tied I was trying to speak Italian, even the simplest phrases! I was a straight A student in French and Russian! Then I remembered, Italian isn't French, and I'm not 16. (God, old age sucks.) And it's much harder to learn a new language in your 40s than it is in your teens, or even your 20s.

As for Pilates, which I started earlier this month, it's teaching my body a new language.

While I've been a gym rat most of my life, and have worked out with personal trainers, what I like about Pilates is that it combines strength training and flexibility with proper breathing and alignment and coordination (kind of like yoga) -- no deafening music that is de rigueur with spin and aerobic classes; and no flailing around in a classroom with 20 other sweaty women trying to figure out what the heck you are supposed to be doing.

I also really like working out on all the different Stott Pilates machines, many of which wouldn't look out of place in a torture chamber. (Fifty Shades of J.?) Best of all, not only is my body getting a good work out, my brain is, too.

Who says you can't teach an old broad new tricks?

Finally, to nourish my creative side, I'm taking a drawing class, the follow-up to last year's class. Hopefully, I will learn how to draw people and animals this session, two things I've never been good at. And who knows, maybe I'll make a new friend.

So, what classes are you all taking? Anything you'd recommend? (I'm dying to learn how to build furniture, but I don't have the time or patience at present, nor someone to teach me.)


*I am still looking for females to watch Giants and/or Jets games with me -- and go to Mets games with me in the spring.

Getting schooled

I can't believe my baby's starting... high school. How did that happen? It seems like just yesterday she was heading off to kindergarten (in a very similar outfit) -- and I was in high school. Sigh.

Here's hoping the teenager's first day of high school doesn't suck (like this poor guy's).



On a lighter note, my good friend, A., sent me this excerpt from a book titled F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers, which made me laugh out loud (and then silently weep, because it is so true):

There are 300 students in the 10th grade.
Mary and Mark want to find out the 10th grade's favorite color.
Mary asks 30 people. Mark asks 150 people.
Mark says, "My conclusions are more likely to be reliable than Mary's."
Why does Mark think he's right?

Answer: Because Mark is a man.

Here's to a good school year!

Back-to-school ads? In July?

While the teenager is already pining to go back to school (strange girl), I am still enjoying summer. And I was totally unprepared to see back-to-school ads in the middle of July. School just ended June 22! But I have to admit these back-to-school ads from Target, which all feature parodies of some of my favorite 1980s songs, are pretty awesome.

First up Target's "Science Teacher" ad featuring Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science":



Next, Target's "English Teacher" ad featuring The Go-Go's "We Got Beat":



And finally Target's back-to-school ad titled "Music Teacher," which does a riff on Cameo's "Word Up!":



Makes me wish we had a Target close by (though I am so not ready to go back-to-school shopping).

UPDATED: And this just in from Staples, a commercial titled "It's back to school time!" featuring  Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough":



Seriously, what is with all the 1980s new wave music in these back-to-school ads? (Not that I'm complaining.)

It's the most wonderful time of the year (aka the back-to-school blog post)

Yesterday our daughter went back to school, after nearly three months off, and while I love summertime, and my daughter, it was time -- for all concerned. But instead of using words to describe my feelings about the first day of school, I will let this Staples commercial speak for me. (Btw, those kids in the commercial? I am pretty sure they have graduated from college by now.)



For the record, the spouse and I will not be spending our new-found free time updating our Facebook and Twitter accounts every 30 seconds from our mobile phones (and not just because we don't have Verizon Wireless).



Another reason why this time of year is so great? Football season! Less than two weeks 'til Giants and Jets opening day! Woohoo! Now if Fat Tire Amber Ale was only sold here in the Northeast... life would be just about perfect.