Solid Ether

Sweet Princess

Saturday, February 3rd, 2007

Whatever your wish for…

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Tough Princess

Thursday, February 1st, 2007

Watch what happens if you try to give her a poison apple.

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Lost Grade Book Recovered at Hackley

Tuesday, March 7th, 2006

Lower School Spanish teacher finds missing grade book. Tells search crews, “Never mind.”

The search for the book, containing the Spanish grades of Hackley School third and fourth graders, involved a large scale dismantling of the Hackley Lower School building by professional crews trained for just such an emergency. (See picture below.)

Spanish teacher Anne Gatschet said she was, “slightly embarrassed,” when she discovered that the missing book was, “under the front seat of my car the whole time.”

Gradebook Search Area - Hackley Lower School

Hackley School headmaster Walter Johnson had this to say when told of the grade book’s recovery. “I’m just happy that the grades of these students have been recovered, and that we can get started on the restoration of the building. I also think that this whole effort shows the depth of Hackley’s commitment to the needs of the faculty and the lengths to which we will go to support them in their teaching endeavors.”

Ms. Gatschet related that she was “very upset” about losing the book when she appealed to the administration for help, and was encouraged by their willingness to “help me out of a bind.”

Ms. Gatschet - I found it!

Gatschet was elated by the recovery of the book and encouraged the search crews to “just go ahead and put everything back like you found it.”

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The Old Man Mad About Drawing

Monday, February 7th, 2005

A few months ago, our friend Aamir made a gift of a special book to Eva. The other night as I was unable to sleep at 2:30 AM, I read the 110 pages of “The Old Man Mad About Drawing”  by François Place with much delight. The story is a fictional account of a young boy’s relationship with the great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.

Woman in court dress, with a fan at her feet —Katsushika Hokusai

The book is a visual feast. Place’s illustrations are beautiful and give a great sense of the culture of the time. The typesetting in the book is also gorgeous and combined with a number of prints (actually photos of prints), by Hokusai himself, the read actually becomes therapeutic for the eyes.

Hokusai is probably most famous for the painting, “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”  from a series entitled “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.”  I believe he is also considered to be the inventor of the “Manga” technique of “thought up drawings.”

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Our very own Mary Poppins.

Saturday, December 4th, 2004

Well the wind has changed at 218 Gordon Ave. Our friend and nanny Marilú Vasquez has returned to her home in Lima, Peru. To say we will miss her doesn’t quite get it.

Being able to endure 200+ screenings of Mary Poppins was impressive. Having someone so completely competent and trustworthy to care for Marilyn was truly a gift. When Marilyn tries to say “I Miss Marilú” in a few days, she will be saying it in Spanish. Marilú you have been a joy for us. Thank-you.

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Take the Monk Train

Wednesday, November 10th, 2004

If you have to leave the nexus, and return to Westchester County, you want to be need to be on the Monk train.

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