Sunday, July 11, 2010

End of Time

I keep hearing the words "END OF TIME." Not "endtimes." "End of time" itself.

I saw an article about time disappearing from the universe. Listened to a podcast about Mayans and 2012, and another about Haiti being the harbinger of decline.

And the oil spill. I have trouble even thinking about the oil spill.

Tomorrow I start a summer job helping a group of 3rd-5th graders make a movie and a play about, what? You guessed it. The end of the world -- or to be a bit more positive, about starting a new world after the old one is gone.

2012 hasn't been in my consciousness, and it's not something I worry about, but I'm curious about the cultural impact it may or may not have over the next year and a half. Y2K was interesting, and it's kind of cool that we have these two big dates so close to each other. The fact that they matter to a good number of people makes them mean something, whether we think they "mean" something or not.

And I'm full of energy, not because I think the world is coming to an end, but maybe because it isn't. I mean, it is all the time, but right this minute, I'm here, and doing interesting and energetic things. It's a good time to be in the world.

Tonight was a good night to put together the Ikea bookcase that's been sitting in pieces in my bedroom for a number of months now. This morning it was lumber. Tonight it's furniture. Why did I wait so long to put it together?

Monday, July 5, 2010

Kids Don't Vote

That's my favorite line in the series The Wire, suggesting basically that education gets shafted because "kids don't vote."

So we have to vote for them. My theater company Barrel of Monkeys teaches writing workshops in Chicago Public Schools and performs student writing, building self-esteem and enthusiasm for language arts. And we have a chance to win a grant from Chase Community Giving.

Yes, this is an extended ad for Chase, and yes, it's a lot of jumping through hoops, but the money would make a real difference to BOM's budget, especially in the coming year when so many schools are being forced to cut outside programming.

So search for Chase Community Giving on Facebook and give us a vote. Or use this link: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/364283300-barrel-of-monkeys-production

I wouldn't be posting this at all, but we're slipping on the leaderboard, and to win money we need to stay in the top 200. Thank you, thank you!