TC United-The Season begins

So amist all of my studying, there has to be room for exercise and sport, right? Right. Over the past month, I have been going every (almost) Wednesday and Saturday to play soccer with fellow Teachers College students. We have a blast and get pretty good exercise playing pick-up soccer at Riverside Park next to campus. Playing keeps me involved in the game I love to play and watch.
Well today, we started our intramural season playing in the Men's Graduate Division. What fun it was. I played in the goal, something I haven't done in a while, and did okay. It was great commanding the field from the back though. The goal was tiny, definitely not regulation, and the goalbox felt like I was in a cage. Not my favorite to say the least.
Anyway, we won 5-1. We played really well for a bunch of guys with a variety of experiences on the field.
Great to be playing again!

SNL-One of the last ones in

I preface this blog by apologizing for the length of this entry, but the details of this story are almost unbelievable that I had to include them in here. -JLM

Yesterday, September 29th, I got up at 6am (who honestly gets up at 6am on their day off?), walked down to the subway stop with my friend Jason, and headed down to 30 Rockefeller Center to stand in line for stand-by tickets to see the premiere of Saturday Night Live. We arrived at the Rock around 6:45 to find ourselves in a long line of people who wanted to do the same.
The chances of us getting in with the line in front of us where slim to none. Once we got there, we found out that we can either choose to see the rehearsal or the live show. Thinking our chances were better with the rehearsal we chose to get rehearsal stand-by tickets.

So one would think that the story couldn't get any better, right? I mean we got tickets for the show and our chances were better than going to the live show, and we have the possiblity of seeing NBA superstar LeBron James and Hip-Hop artist Kanye West live. Pretty I cool. That's a story in itself and my day would have been a good one even if we didn't get in. Well folks, the story gets better.

While standing in line, I noticed a diminutive young lady who reminded me alot of a girl I went to college with. I stood there staring for a couple of minutes wondering if who I was seeing was Molly Jeter (She's now married and I didn't ask what her last name is now). I stepped into the street to get a closer look, and I spot another girl who I recognized from Chapel Hill. Right then, I knew that it was Molly I saw because with her was Julie Deladdy, another college friend, along with Claire Whitehill, Terri Gentry (at least that was her last name in college, she's married now), and Julie's older sister Betsy (whose expecting her first baby in Feb). All Carolina girls! What a small world we live in! Who would have thunk that I would run into old college friends that I hadn't seen in six years in New York City? Well I certainly did not. The girls were having a bachelorette party for Julie who is getting married and watching SNL was what she wanted to do.

We all got our tickets and came back to NBC studios at 7:15 to stand in line again and hope we would be one of the stand-byers in to watch the rehearsal. The girls also had tickets for the rehearsal. Oh, I forgot to mention that Jason had accidentally washed his ticket with his shorts earlier in the afternoon and all he had left were three tan balls of washed paper. You know what I'm talking about, the paper all balled up that you take out of your pocket and realize it was a number you needed or a receipt you were looking for. For Jason, it was his way into the show! So he took his little balls of paper and showed them to the NBC people, told them the story (to about three different NBC people) and got another ticket! Unbelievable. I thought, no way Jason is getting in with his paper ball remains of a ticket. He's way too nice to just come down with me thinking they weren't going to let him in line. I was so glad that he got another ticket.

So the first group goes through the metal detectors and half of Julie's bridesmaids go through including Julie. So at least she got her wish, but that left the other half out and we were a few people behind them. Then they said to bring the next ten through, and low and behold I was the tenth one. I got in!
The show was awesome. The studio is small and it was really cool to see how all the skits on SNL were shot. The definitely maximize the space of the studio. Sets are moved by a batallion of set crew workers. After each skit, the actors run to the back to quickly change into their next skit costume.
LeBron was pretty funny and Kanye West was definitely the highlight. The man can put on a show whether or not you like his music. Being at the rehearsal allowed us to see all the skits they were thinking of putting on the show and an extra performance by Kanye.
I think that's one thing I will definitely do again. That is one Saturday I will never forget (other than the studying in between getting tickets and the show!)!

The Feast of San Gennaro, Chinatown, and the Brooklyn Bridge in one day.

One Saturday, a friend of mine and I decided to take a trip to Little Italy and Chinatown. What we found as we got off the subway and made our way to Canal street were sidewalks full of people looking for bargains of every type. Chinatown encompassed Canal street and every where you turned, all you saw was Chinese on the side of the buildings and the aroma of Chinese food everrywhere.
Walking through Chinatown on our way to Mulberry St. we found vendors selling every knockoff designer clothing and accessory you could think of. They say that you could find the real stuff in Chinatown down the little alleys of stores and in the basement. It looked kind of shady to me looking beyond the walls that everyone sees. In Chinatown you could find everything, fresh seafood (you name it, they had it), fruits and vegetables to whole peking ducks hanging in the windows. In some stores, live crabs would be crawling out of their buckets and onto the street. Jason almost stepped on one!

When we made it Mulberry Street, we found the Feast of San Gennaro festival going on.
The Feast of San Gennaro, little Italy at its capacity, is a week long festival where the heart of little Italy is closed to traffic and you get to experience the rich culture and food of little Italy. San Gennaro from what I gathered is the patron saint of Italy, at least of Little Italy, and an entire week of festivities go on here. We were able to watch the parade of San Gennaro commence through the streets. People would come up to the float and give money to be place on the stole of San Gennaro statue.
It was more like a carnival with games lining the side streets and booths full of cannolis and italian sausage ran rampant. The atmosphere was great and the smell of food made your mouth water for everything that was being sold. After we had our share of closterphobia and italian food we walked down to the WTC site and then made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge was a cool structure in that you can walk across it while cars are crossing it at the same time. The views from the bridge are amazing. The walking path is made up of wooden planks giving you a nostalgic feeling as you walked on them.
So if you are ever in the city in the middle of September, those are some cool places to go and see and do it all in under three hours of you don't plan on shopping in Chinatown!!

The Cloisters, A place of serenity

A couple of weeks ago, I tagged along with the Breedloves, Steven, Steven Jr., and Courtney, for a visit to the The Cloisters in the upper upper part of Manhattan. What a place place! The Cloisters is the branch of the Met devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Actual artifacts from old monasteries and cathedrals are embedded in the architecture of the Cloisters. It sits in Fort Tryon Park in Northern Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River. The views are breathtaking and for a brief moment you do not feel as if you are in a big city at all. There are no cars, or subways, and all the buildings are hidden from view due to the amount of trees surrounding the Cloisters. It's pure serenity in New York!
Cloisters were a garden type area in the middle of monasteries where monks could walk around and go from room to room.
They were fascinating pieces of architecture and walking through made you feel what it would have been like to be in a monastery walking around tending to the garden or meditating in prayer outside.
Inside the museum different halls had different pieces of art and artifacts from the midieval period. There were thousand year old wooden crosses that hung in the altars of these monasteries and churches as well as tapestries from the 1500s depicting the hunting of a unicorn. The tapestries are quite famous and extraordinarily detailed.
I could go and on and on, but I think you get the picture. if you come up to visit NYC, this is definitely a place off the beaten path you have to see. Admission also gets you into the Met.

Controversy at Columbia

Over the past week here in New York the buzz has been that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was planning a visit to the WTC site during his stay in New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week. Mayor Bloomberg, city officials, and the NYPD decided that the Iranian President will not be invited to see or even put a wreath at the site.
Good, I thought, as having this man who sponsors terrorism go to the site where one of the worst terror attacks in world history happened would be nothing more than a slap in the face to all the 9/11 victims and families. Problem solved, Right? Not so much.
President Lee Bollinger of Columbia University has invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to come and speak at the University's World Leaders Forum held every year during the UN General Assembly Session. What?! A known sponsor of terrorism and a man who calls the Holocaust a myth wanting to annihilate Isreal will be a block away from me Monday afternoon. The entire university will be a crazy place to be at that afternoon.
Faculty and students alike will have the opportunity to pose questions at the President of Iran during the forum. In some instances, the man has no where to run and will probably have to answer some tough questions asked by the audience.
Needless to say there is a alot of controversy surrounding the University. There were news vans an reporters all over main campus trying to get the pulse of the student body. The reactions have been mixed. Some don't want him here while others do.
I'm mixed on the issue. While I definitely think this crazy and I would never support an event like this, my curiosity wants to see the answers this man will give as well see him squirm amist what will definitely be an audience ready to pounce on his ideals and statements.

9/11 in NYC (A birthday to remember)

I remember like it was yesterday, September 11, 2001. Daniel had woken up and bolted to school earlier than usual. I thought that was strange as Daniel is always one to make it in to school right when he is supposed to be there.
I show up in my classroom to find my room decorated in Backstreet Boys posters and my podium covered in some kind of "Power Ranger" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" wrapping paper, I don't quite recall. All I kept thinking was how was I going to explain the backstreet posters to my students once class started. Daniel and Sarah (come to find out she was in on it as well, no wonder their married!!) pulled a birthday fast one on me.
Then another faculty member decided to put a birthday cake hat on me in the middle of the faculty meeting that morning; a hat that I was told I had to wear all day.
Then came the moment that will forever be ingrained in our minds, the terror events of 9/11. Needless to say, the birthday hat came off and melancholy filled the classrooms the rest of the day. We still managed to go out for a birthday dinner, but we were the only ones out.

Here I am six years later to the day living in the city where these unforgettable events occured and once again it's my birthday (I don't think that will ever change!). Thinking back I find the irony compelling that in 2001 I was beginning my career in the education world and a new chapter in my life and now I am in NYC in 2007 still in education but beginning another chapter in my life.

The day was obviously somber, it was rainy and memorials were going on all day and night. The crazy thing was that yesterday was one of the best birthdays I've had in a while. Although not surrounded by those I love and cherish dearly, friends and family, I still felt the love and care that my friends and family have for me. For that I was and am deeply grateful and humbled that I was thought of by so many yesterday. The best part of the day besides the countless emails , e-cards, and phone calls from my closest; it was the text messages from my students at St. David's that really touched me. It made me realize how much I love that school and the students I have had the blessing to teach.

So in essence, although somber, the Lord was awesome in allowing me to see His love through others. My birthday finally ended with a baseball game at Shea Stadium where the Mets beat the Braves much to Daniel's disappointment. It was a pretty cool place, but definitely a place I don't have any interest in going to again unless the Mets make the World Series and a ticket lands on my lap.

All in all, it was a great 29th for me. I wouldn't have traded it for the world other than to be with Moms on her 50th (which is also the 11th)!

My 9-5 job.

Graduate school. It's not all fun and games. So I don't have a paying job this year, but I have a feeling that I will work more this year than I have worked in my six years at St. David's. And when I think about it, that's alot. Because working at St. David's is no walk in the park. For all who think that a one year masters is cake, think again. There's a reason why this is so intense. I've been reading for the past three days and I'm still not done withmy assignments.

I figured that I have to approach this year of school as a job. The problem is that it's not a 5-day 9-5 job, rather it's 5 days 9-5 and then at least 3-4 hours on Saturday and Sunday if you want to stay current and be able to go out and experience New York in the evenings and on weekends.

This past week, the Klingenstein center had a reception at the Loeb Boathouse Restaurant in Central Park. What a place. We had appetizers and drinks and it was phenomenal. It will probably be the only time I eat there as it is fairly expensive, and I can see why. It was great. That's one thing down that I was supposed to experience, and good for me it was free!


So this morning I woke up and walked down to the famous Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights for a cup of coffee and a cheese danish type of pastry. $4, not bad and I stayed there and studied for almost 2 and half hours! Definitely a place to experience. The pastries are fantastic and the atmosphere is very quaint and real. After studying, I walked to the park with a few friends and their families in my cohort. We played with the kids, talked about our schools and about our program.

What I continue to find fascinating is recognizing God's provision in New York. It is a true blessing to have Daniel and his family up here with me so that we can be there for each other in what could be a lonely place if you don't know anything or anyone in this huge city. Here's what's cool about God, He's placed 4 other believers at TC and we are all in the same program! He knows that in order to make the most out of our experiences here, we all needed a support system where we could talk about our classes in the context of Christian schooling and education, as well be able to invest in each others' lives while up here. I'm floored everytime I think about how awesome God is and how He looks after his children on earth.

Next week will be a crazy week. It's my first full week with all of my classes and so I will have the opportunity to gage how I will need to spend my time in the books and how my schedule will look like. Hopefully, I will know what my internship will be and where it will be. I am hoping to work in Harlem and in Upper Manhattan. One semester will be with an independent school and the otehr will be with a public school. I'm so excited to be working in a public school and gain valuable experience there.

If there's one thing that I learned last week in my classes, is that almost every class that I will take is practical. Yes, we will be learning alot of theory, but most of this theory will be put into practice. I really don't think there's a program like this at TC or in the counrty. I'm so blessed to be in this program.

I hope to have more pictures in my next posting. For those of you prayer warriors, please be praying that I continue to be disciplined in my studies. I'll need that all year long.

Surprise, class starts tonight!

The last day of Teachers College, Columbia University orientation was today and our last event was to meet our cohort of forty students in the Klingenstein Private School Leadership program. After meeting our advisor, Pearl Rock Kane, and going over the year and what it will entail, we begin the arduous process of figuring out what classes we need to take other than our required core courses.
One of my cohorts decided to ask if the law class in our newsletter was a mandatory requirement or an elective since it wasn't too clear. Much to our surprise it was a required course. That made everyone rethink what class they had to take this semester to complete their course load for the fall. When half of us decided to take this semester's law class, Professor Kane informs us that this particular class begins tonight, Tuesday, instead of the first day of class and that we also have required reading to get through before class started at 5pm.

SURPRISE, you start graduate school a day early!

After skimming one and a half articles out of five, I along with my fellow cohortees travelled to the law school to take our first class in law and educational institutions. It is a mixture of law students and educators. The focus of the class is to discuss topics in education where litigation has arisen in elementary and secondary schools as well as discuss areas of authority, religion, free speech and safety. It seems to be a very itneresting course, but what a loop it threw me for this afternoon. I definitely wasn't expecting to start class today, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

Overall though, my first five days in New York alone has gone really well. I'm slowly adjusting to city life. I've figured out the subway for the most part, at least the red line and the #1 train as that is the only train that runs to Columbia. I've noticed that there is alot of walking that goes on in the city. I mean just to go and grab some dinner, you can end up walking a mile round trip (20 blocks is about a mile and most of the good inexpensive eateries are 5-10 blocks away from the college).

This past Sunday, I was able to go and visit Redeemer Presbyterian Church. It was awesome. For those of you that are wondering if Tim Keller spoke, he didn't. David Bisgrove, the associate pastor spoke and he was remarkable. The church has a heart to change the city of New York much like my home church in Raleigh has a heart to change the city of Raleigh. the opportunities that I will have to volunteer in New York is one that excites me greatly.

So tomorrow will be my second day of class and then I have Thursday off! What a life. I know I'm not complaining. I do know that it only gets harder from here.