Pick up the House

Flying!

2010-07-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey so we all will probably have big summer posts at the end of summer, we wanna live up the moment, but right now we are flying on the plane! I love airplane wifi :) So Anna and I just wanted to say hi, so ... HI!

Have a fun summer everyone!

Class of 2010

2010-07-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

I know many people have been wanting this post. ("HEY DAD!" "What?" "I'M POSTING IT!") So as you may know I have just graduated middle school (dare I say the BEST middle school) and next year I am moving on to high school. My graduation ceremony was phenomenal. So below for you is my graduation speech, which was said at the end of the ceremony. I wanted to post a video of it, but for some reason that clip won't upload. Instead I'll add a video of me walking across the stage and accepting my diploma. Enjoy!

Goodbye Speech

Molly Waterman

Hello everybody... Or should I say... Goodbye. Next year really is going to be a mix of nerves and excitement. We will not know where to walk or who to talk to. We are going to have doubts and worries, even if we don't show it. We're heading into the unknown. But then, I think about the times we had here, and how this school used to be the unknown.

We had come to M.A.T. because it has engaging and dedicated teachers. Fun electives. Good academics. A rock wall in the gym. But that is just what we saw on tours. When we first arrived here we could not have known the true gratitude we would feel towards this school at the end of these three years. So in sixth grade many of us did feel nervous and unsure. But Willy Wonka had once said, "You should never doubt what no one is sure about."

Early on seeing the wide variety of people and personalities here was slightly overwhelming. But soon we were able to find our friends out of nowhere. By seventh grade we were surrounded by groups of phenomenal people. We stopped doubting ourselves once we found how easy it was to meet extraordinary friends.

Hey I might throw in a picture of me and my best friend Jasmen looking gorgeous :)

School's Out

2010-06-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping Molly will write a post about her 8th grade graduation the other night. But for the time being, given that today was the official last day for both Anna and Molly and I finished teaching last Wednesday, we'll let Alice Cooper sing it for us:

Charlie :)

2010-06-22T13:35:00.001-07:00

This is a video I made for my Technology Class. The link to the video is here, I think you'll enjoy! :)

Early bday present

2010-06-19T15:01:00.001-07:00

Here's what Stephanie bought me for my 40th birthday, which will arrive in a couple months:

You can find more work by the same artist here. I've been following his career for a while and really wanted a particular painting of his a few years ago but decided I couldn't afford it. We later learned that it sold to the bass player for U2.

Anyway, the most recent show just closed and the artist hand-delivered the work yesterday. Nathan and our friend Jason came over while we hung it.

I really couldn't have asked for a better present. I love the idea that it's something that won't go away: it will be passed down to my children and grandchildren.

Thanks, Stephanie!

Charlie on the Swings

2010-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Artwork :)

2010-05-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, I have been working very hard on art recently and I thought I would share it with you. Check it out:

Joy

2010-05-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Do me a solid and love life. Please.

I know I do.

And so does this elephant :)

What we've been up to (plus: RIP Lena Horne)

2010-05-10T15:13:00.001-07:00

We're not doing very well keeping up this family blog! We'll see if we can get our act together and come up with a little schedule. Part of the problem has been the end of the semester, which has consumed all my time, and the girls' years are ramping up for the grand finale as well.

Everyone's had a lot going on. Last week we celebrated the publication of The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of New York with a release party at Bowery Poetry Club. Anna performed with her band at her school's Battle of the Bands. Molly has a play coming up this week in which she plays one of the leads. Stephanie and Charlie have started swimming lessons along with their twice weekly yoga classes. No wonder we all feel exhausted!

I was originally logging on to note the passing of Lena Horne. What an amazing performer! And what a terrific life, all 92 years of it. I posted three of my favorite songs by her over at PWHNY. If you only listen to one of them, have it be her performance with Grover from 1973, below. But they're all good!

Hi friends

2010-04-17T04:15:00.001-07:00

We've been crazy busy the last month or so, from a trip to Albuquerque for me and Steph and Charlie, to two weeks of visitors, to a trip to DC for a medical study at the NIH. Somehow we still had to work through all that.

But we're still here! Maybe we'll get back into the posting groove. We have a lot saved up.

This morning I was watching Sesame Street clips with Charlie and he totally dug this one. Every time Bob sang "Hi, friend" Charlie would wave at the computer screen.

Grown up jobs

2010-03-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is just plain great from the start, but 40 seconds in, with the lady driving the bulldozer, it really hits a higher level of awesomeness.

Cutie Patootie

2010-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Oh the relief . . .

2010-02-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Oh the relief . . .

Once upon a time there was a girl named Molly Waterman. She had done a small admissions process to get into Middle School, which went quickly and easily. Now Molly is almost done with Middle School, graduating Eighth grade. But before she can do that she had to start off in October to prepare for her High School admissions. High School was more complicated than Middle School, there were thousands of choices, 5 boroughs, so many types of schools, but they could only be narrowed down to 12. Throughout many tours and words from other people, Molly narrowed her choices down to 8 schools, and the additional specialized school for the arts. Molly spent many hours practicing and preparing for interviews, auditions for drama and art, and waiting. She waited outside auditoriums, classrooms, and studios. She waited. She twiddled her thumbs and went over her lines and remember everything she had learned about acing an audition. When she was finally done with her admissions process, done with the auditions, she was not done with the waiting. She had to wait until February to find out her school, the one school that she had to go to. As she waited, she pushed these things into the back of her mind. She lazed around, did schoolwork, and relaxed. When it came to the day, February 4th, everyone who applied to a specialized and got in, were to get their letters. But no, she didn't get one. She did not get the special letter. But neither did anyone. The principal of the school decided at last minute to mail them. Everyone was furious, and parents couldn't take it. They texted their kids in class and told them the news. Kids were crying of joy, and some of sadness, everything that the school tried to get rid of, but only made it worse. After discussion with her mom, Molly was going to get her letter after school and open it to find out the news. Molly's parents arrived with the letter and she went to the nearest park bench. She struggled as she tried to open it, the glue on the envelope being strong. She finally opened it and looked at the letter. "She has a smile on her face!" Safyiah said. "What is it?" Jasmen said. "LaGuardia and Beacon!" Once these words passed out of Molly's mouth a huge rush of friends ran over to the next person to have received the letter and gave hugs and congratulations. Molly had until about the end of the month to decide what to choose. Molly subconsciously put this back in the corner of her mind and continued on until the month started to end, until the time had come. After open houses and packets and lots of thinking, Molly and her parents sat down at the local Pinkberry. Molly talked as she ate through a chocolate Pinkberry with as many cereals as she could fit on it. She talked about the two schools, her current school, her past school, her sister, her three years at her school and how she developed as a person, an artist, a writer, an actress, and a dancer, and many more things. She thought about what it would be like to go to the "Fame" school. To be accepted to LaGuardia is an honor by itself. And Beacon is a school where if you wanted to do something, there is a high chance you could do it. And the academics were solid and innovative. Both schools were in her opinion, excellent. But which to choose? She sat and wondered, and talked. She talked for 90 minutes until they had to leave and she still hadn't decided. Her parents were confused and didn't know what school she really thought was the one. Molly got home and watched American Idol, still keeping as far away from a decision as possible. Once the show ended, the parents had quit trying to get an answer. They sat and did their own thing, leaving Molly to think. She thought about which school to choose, which is better in the long run, and would be enjoyable to go to. She sat and thought again and again. Thinking over every aspect, wondering about what if . . . She made her decision. She got her acceptance letter. She unfolded it. She read it over to know that to do. She let it sink in. She grabbed a pencil. and Molly bubbled in the circle. The circle sitting right next to the words: Beacon High School. She had done it. She thought this through about 1,000,000 times more. She knew this was right. She handed the letter to her dad, he congratulated her and Molly gave it to her sister, and her mom, and whispered it to her sleeping brother. She had made the decision. She was done. Oh the relief . . .

THE END

P.S. I have one more thing to say. I am Molly, and this is my story.

A friend sent me this image

2010-02-24T04:10:00.000-08:00

I thought some of you would like it. It was, apparently, found on a website that archives old Boston postcards. There's still a Waterman Funeral company there -- we used to pass it all the time and people would ask if we were related.

Charlie discovered standing up!

2010-02-23T11:51:00.001-08:00

...and now he practices it everywhere. We really need to babyproof which is a side note, but the kitchen is now a new domain of wonder for him. PS to my family: I can blog. It is possible. Note #2: It's really hard for me.

Charlie loves this song

2010-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

I did it!

2010-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

I finally accomplished the perfect picture!

A pretty close approximation of Charlie's world

2010-02-13T09:01:00.001-08:00

More from Charlie's world

2010-02-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Charlie's world

2010-02-13T04:59:00.000-08:00

How many items in this picture are newly dangerous now that the kid is fully mobile?

Uncle Nate

2010-02-12T04:48:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I actually call Charlie "Nathan." I was Molly's age when Nate was Charlie's. (And dad would have been the age I am now.)

New Sept 11 photos released

2010-02-10T17:16:00.001-08:00

I noticed the headlines online today about new Sept 11 photos being released, but I didn't manage to click though to them until just now. They were released by ABC News, which obtained them via the Freedom of Information Act. They were taken by a police helicopter in the air that day. I do remember the helicopter: at one point I thought it was going to try to rescue people from the tower, and then I wondered if it had crashed into the second tower when it was hit.

These certainly offer a different vantage point from any of the photos I'd seen before. And it's kind of terrifying. The one above lets you see exactly how close we were when the planes hit. If you look in the lower right hand quadrant and see a park, then look just above that where you can see a flat square building with an enclosed courtyard, that's the girls' school.

You can see it in this one too, but now it's in the lower left corner. When this happened we were already gone from the school of course, but we were only a few blocks to the east, near City Hall. When the building fell we thought we were being bombed. We just turned around with the crowd and ran. Before long we were surrounded by people covered in white ash and dust.

And in this one you can actually see the building we lived in. The pointy building in the foreground is the Woolwoorth Building. In the upper left corner you can see the East River, over by the seaport. Our building is the second tower in, if you come in from the corner and move down at a diagonal. We wouldn't be back there, of course, for several weeks.

You can find the rest of the photos here.

Bright eyes

2010-02-09T11:22:00.001-08:00

Uncle Nathan took this one the other night. This would be Charlie excited to see his uncle.

Professor Grover's Anatomy Lesson

2010-02-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned lately ...

2010-02-07T13:59:00.001-08:00

... how beautiful Charlie's two big sisters are?

Nice color on you

2010-02-07T13:47:00.001-08:00

This kid seriously has his mom's eyes, no?

Mr. Giggles

2010-02-04T18:44:00.001-08:00

Don't question the giggles, just enjoy.

Somebody's eating solids

2010-02-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

Molly can't wait until we get to take spaghetti photos. Here are some others in the meantime.

Out and about

2010-01-26T07:24:00.001-08:00

Mom and baby outside the New Museum, in our neighborhood, chatting with another museum-goer/passer-by. Our friend Scott was in town from LA and took these pictures; a friend of his was installing a piece on the street: wallpaper on a Dumpster. Charlie has sweet potatoes under his nose, left over from breakfast?

Best sister in the world

2010-01-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

2009, it was the last year of just the two of us. I know that Anna and I had a long time to get acquainted. Having Charlie come into my life made me think about all of the years that we had together. All of the pictures, the places, the teeth knocked out by elbows (well there was only one of those, "It was an accident!" I have to say every time). So this is for the 13 years I have had my first word , A.K.A. Anna, by my side. This is all about the love:

The fights:

Going crazy:

Going crazier:

And just flat out being the best sisters in the world:

Anna, 13 years of pure awesomeness is dedicated to you. Just like all of the books I made in elementary school, this is dedicated to the best sister in the world.

How lovely life would be ...

2010-01-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

A new year . . .

2009-12-31T10:25:00.000-08:00

with new things to crawl for! Charlie has recently been completely mobile -- in his walker from Santa as well as just army crawling on the floor. So we decided to capture it on video! Warning: they are a bit blurry and dark but it's possible to see.

Oops . . .

2009-12-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how but we all got so caught up in the Christmas joy we couldn't keep up with the continuous blogging of treats. Well have a merry Christ - Hanukkah - mas and a happy Rama - Kwanzaa - dan!

Anna @ The Bitter End

2009-12-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

And here's Anna last week at the Village club The Bitter End, where her school's songwriter's workshop held its annual showcase, singing an original song. The Bitter End is famous for having hosted a lot of famous people back in the day: Neil Young, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and even Bob Dylan. (See a much longer list here.) Add Anna to that hit parade! This is the second time she's played there. Last May she sang another original song, "Sinking Ships":

"I got a C on my coat hanger sculpture?"

2009-12-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

At Molly's middle school Winter Fair, she represented the drama club by performing her comedic monologue. She was the only one to do this sort of solo performance -- and in front of a large audience! This piece is from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; the lines are Sally's. At the end her friends started chanting: "Mol-ly! Mol-ly! Mol-ly!" This is one of the two monologues she used in her drama auditions for a few performing arts high schools. The other was a dramatic monologue, Emily's farewell speech from Our Town.

Handsome devil

2009-12-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

High School auditions are over!

2009-12-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

I should let Molly say more about her own high school application process, but we're just relieved that it's over for now. No more auditions, interviews, or tests! Now we just wait for the results.

She did audition at the Fame school -- in both visual arts and drama -- and she had drama and/or art auditions at 4 or 5 other arts high schools, too, including a new one called Frank Sinatra High School, which was started by Tony Bennett. For her interview at Anna's high school, she was grilled by one of Anna's favorite teachers, which gave her a boost of confidence once she made that connection. We think she did really well everywhere she went, though.

Her art portfolio included some really big pieces, like the self-portrait pictured here. It was part of an assignment to draw yourself upside down, which means she completed it by sitting exactly the way she's pictured here! She also had photos of her pottery so they could see where 8 years of lessons have taken her. Her drama auditions consisted of two monologues, one comedic and one dramatic. Hers came from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Our Town.

Wish her luck on landing her top choices! She was a real trooper through a long and often tiring audition process.

Doorbell

2009-12-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight Anna performed a very sultry version of this song with her band at a music program fundraiser at her high school. I wish I had footage. If someone else posts it to YouTube I'll be sure to let you know:

The other song they did a version of:

They didn't have anyone on double-necked guitar, though.

Man, was I proud!

Homework helper

2009-12-11T19:17:00.001-08:00

The other morning everyone was busily getting ready for school when Charlie started complaining that he wanted to be held. When I came in from the kitchen to get him I found that his big sister had already responded.

25 days of Christmas Days 4 - 6

2009-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the missing days, the whole Smith Waterman family has had long weeks. But here are days 4 - 6! And days 7 - 10 will be up tomorrow!

Even Charlie loves the Holiday Season!

Merry Christ - Hanukkah - mas and a happy Rama - Kwanzaa - dan!

This week in Charlieland ...

2009-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Mmm ... an arm. It's big, but I think I can eat the whole thing if I try hard enough. I certainly have enough slobber to do some damage.

I can roll over! In fact, I will always roll over if left to my own devices, which is why you can no longer leave me on a bed unattended! Looking at the ceiling all the time was becoming just plain boring.

I found my feet! And they sure taste good.

Alternate caption: So, so, suck your toe, all the way to Mexico!

25 days of Christmas Day 3

2009-12-03T17:47:00.001-08:00

This time we got a picture of the happiness we had when we opened the surprise!

Merry Christ - Hanukah - mas and a Happy Rama - Kwanzaa - dan!

25 days of Christmas Day 2

2009-12-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's one day late but the treat was too good to ignore!

Merry Christ - Hanukah - mas and a Happy Rama -Kwanzaa - dan!

25 days of Christmas Day 1

2009-12-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

I had an idea today! I would use the gingerbread house (acually a wooden house) that my mom got for the 25 days of Christmas. Each day I would post the things we get, and on the 25th day I'll put up pictures of Christmas!

Merry Christ - Hanukah - mas and a Happy Rama -Kwanzaa - dan!

Thanksgiving special

2009-11-25T07:49:00.001-08:00

We're in Philly for a smallish Thanksgiving with one other family: no major up-and-down-the-coast thing happening this year, which is kind of a relief!

Was Underdog ever anyone else's favorite in the Macy's parade? He was always a highlight for me. They even made a major Underdog Thanksgiving special one year, which I don't really remember, though it sure brings back other Underdog memories.

For your holiday viewing pleasure, all four parts:

In memoriam: my brand new bike

2009-11-23T15:30:00.001-08:00

Stolen in broad daylight from where it was locked up in front of my office. I think I had it for all of three or four months. I hardly knew ye!

my first blog post-- what a moment!

2009-11-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Inconceivable

2009-11-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

The man who said "Inconceivable." I just saw him about 25 minutes and 35 seconds ago. Wallace Shawn. Do you not know him? Well I have some pictures for you.

This is when he was in The Princess Bride and when I think he first said "Inconceivable."

This is when he was in Clueless, as the teacher who got married in the end, because of a staged date that was set up by teenagers.

And this is him, closer to present day. He also has recently been on Gossip Girl and has played many animated voices such as:

The T-Rex in Toy Story

The Boss in The Incredibles

and many others.

Where did I see him? I saw him as I was walking out of the theater of Fantastic Mr. Fox (Highly Recommended) and there he was, green sweater, glasses, and bald head. Sigh. And what did I do? I stalked him around the corner. I found Anna and I walked around looking for him, turned the corner, saw the sweater, walked past him, looked at him, and he . . . LOOKED BACK AT ME STRAIGHT IN THE EYE! OH WOW WHAT I MOMENT! I WILL NEVER FORGET IT! HE LOOKED AT ME WITH A GRIN THAT SAID "That girl is obviously a fan, I think she might be the girl from the front door too. I think she might be stalking me." He is a classic man. And if you don't know his inconceivable lines I feel deeply bad for you, so here is a montage:

Well, I hope now that I have spent much time informing you on Wallace Shawn's amazingness you will appreciate him more. As for me, I am containing myself from jumping around the walls in excitement!

My Day in a Pie Chart

2009-11-17T19:37:00.001-08:00

Where the hell(o dolly) is Matt?

2009-11-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

14 months, 42 countries, a cast of thousands.

Use full screen or click on the video for larger view.

Guess who's ...

2009-11-14T11:25:00.001-08:00

... cut a tooth in the last couple days?

More from Sesame Street

2009-11-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Four takes on the alphabet:

They don't make them like they used to.

Happy Birthday, Sesame Street

2009-11-10T19:13:00.001-08:00

I've put up several posts at my blog A History of New York over the last week about Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, which officially occurs today. Check them out: Part I, II, III, IV. Did I leave out anyone's favorites?

I have very clear memories of my sister Mandy alerting the whole household whenever John John -- the kid in the photo -- came on.

Sunday Afternoon Soundtrack

2009-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

One for dancing with the baby:

And one for rocking him to sleep:

Trick or Treat

2009-11-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

let the wild rumpus start!

how many costumes does a little boy need!?

"honey, what do you think that girl is?"

"a box."

lego my eggo!

and move it to the left! and lunge! and twist! and squat!