P.M.S.

My husband says that I am suffering from PMS... Post Manilow Syndrome. I agree. This always happens after one of Barry's shows... every day following THE DAY is just another day.  I am following Manilow's path along this latest concert tour. He is in Florida now, near the area where the last school shooting occurred... how sad is that... and Barry is donating all of the concert money to the families of the victims of that shooting. And that is exactly why we love Manilow.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but it continues on with my Book Club group of students. I gave out special treats last week for Valentine's Day, and then when I went to the grocery store this week, they had all of the Valentine candy boxes on sale, the ones in heart-shapes. I bought one for each of the Book Club students. I'm sure they won't mind celebrating Valentine's Day for one more week.

Last week's Book Club got focused on "The Diary of Anne Frank."  I had just one copy of that book and one of the girls asked me if it was a real diary or a made-up diary. I told her that it was very real indeed, and gave the students a bit of history about Anne and her diary. I asked for a show of hands as to how many would be interested in reading that book, and a dozen girls raised their hands.  I went to the local bookstore this week and ordered a box of copies of Anne's diary. The bookstore owner was nice enough to offer a teacher's discount being that the books are going to the students.  I bought the four copies that the bookstore had on the shelves, and I will give those out on Thursday, with the rest of the students getting their copies next week.

The students in the Book Club continue to surprise me. They are interested in the books, the club, and even the 'standards' that I insist upon during the after-school program, and hopefully, beyond that. I expect the Book Club students to be kind to one another, to respect the books and keep them in very good condition, to be aware of how they speak to and act towards each other, and to always remember that they are not the center of this universe and should always think about how their actions may cause ripples in the atmosphere surrounding them. One of the 4th grade girls summed all of that up in just a few words:  "Be po-lite. That's it, just be po-lite."

My husband's After-School Fantasy Baseball League, based on the board game Strat-O-Matic, begins next week at the elementary school. Ten 6th-graders have signed up already, and I know that the number will double before next week is up. The Strat-O-Matic game is still wildly popular, and I have to wonder how many of the 6th graders here had heard of the game before that sign-up sheet was posted in the school.

Our weather has been the pits lately, but at least the cold snaps have disappeared. What we are left with are gray skies filled with clouds and rain and dampness and fog. All of that, all on the same days. The sun has been an infrequent visitor, and it's getting everyone cranky, including and especially, me.  Oh well, this too shall pass. Spring will be here and the wildflowers will be popping up and hopefully after all of this rain, it will be a splendid season for the bluebonnets.

I saw a hand-painted wood sign on Pinterest yesterday.... "The meek shall inherit the earth... the strong will get Texas." 

Barry Manilow in SugarLand....

As I type, it is one o'clock in the morning.... and I am the only one awake in this house. My husband is sound asleep upstairs, and Savannah and Sweet Pea are sleeping in their pillow-beds down here on the first floor. And I am awake, awake, awake... because we went to see Manilow in concert tonight at a venue in SugarLand.

Wonderful show, as always, and what always strikes me at Manilow's concerts are his audiences... they truly connect with him and love him, even though he is right smack in the middle of country-western-music-mania when that Brooklyn-born man comes to Texas.

Just before the show began tonight, the speakers were playing non-Manilow music just to keep the audience entertained while waiting for Barry to come on stage. In the middle of our section, a young man with Down's Syndrome got up from his seat and started to dance. He was enjoying the music, smiling at everyone in the row where his seat was, and we all could see that he was 'in the moment' and loving every second of it.  When the music stopped, the audience around his section began to applaud, and that young man smiled even bigger and then he seriously and ceremoniously took a bow. It was just spectacular to see... and then he went back to his seat and his mother wrapped her arms around her son and gave him the biggest hug, and then she smiled at everyone who was applauding him and you could see by the look in her eyes that she was silently saying 'Thank you!'

Shortly after that, lights in the arena were dimmed, stage lights went on, and Barry came out from the back of the stage and his magic began... everyone singing along with his music... we all know the words, and I'm sure it's a great compliment to Barry that we are so comfortable with him that we are not just sitting there waiting for him to entertain us, we are ready and willing to be part of his music, part of his magic, right along with him.

As always, his audience will stand up when he sings their favorites, so during any song he sings in his concerts, there are pockets of people standing up and singing along and dancing in their places. And then you have the Barry fans who stand up for mostly all of the night, singing along and waving the glow-sticks and hoping the night will just never end. (I will not name names here, to protect the happily guilty.)

At the mid-point of the concert, Barry talked about last year's hurricane and flooding damage in and around the Houston area. Manilow has done so many concerts at Houston venues, and I know he appreciates his fans here. And one fan in particular got a special mention from Barry.... a young man was preparing for a major piano competition when the hurricane hit his Houston area home and destroyed everything in it, including his piano.  Someone in his neighborhood managed to obtain a small keyboard for the boy to practice on... but Barry heard about this boy's lost and beloved piano, and right there on stage tonight, after Manilow called out the boy's name and asked him to come up near the stage.... a big and beautiful grand piano was rolled out and Barry gifted that piano to the young boy.... complete with a huge red bow right on top of that gorgeous instrument. Needless to say, the crowd went wild, and we loved Manilow even more, if that is at all possible.

Beautiful concert... old songs, new songs, Manilow magic from start to finish... with no one coming out on the stage before Barry and his orchestra, and no intermission... just Barry and his outstanding musicians and singers, plus a local Houston choir to sing along with all of us at the end of the night.

I had planned to take my iPad to the concert, but at the last minute, I decided to leave it at home. I didn't want the interruption of taking pictures. I did what I always do at Manilow's concerts... I sang every word to every song, I did not take my eyes off of Barry and his musicians, I stood up for most of the concert and danced by my seat and clapped with a green glow-stick in my hands, and I was lost in the moment, every moment, from the first dimming of the lights to the pop of paper streamers at the end of the night. And yes, I came home with more streamers... trying to bring home a bit of the magic.

I have been to so many Manilow concerts over the years.... in and around Houston, in Las Vegas, in New York City and Long Island, and we would have seen him in London if our plane reservation hadn't been the day before his performance there.  After each concert, I walk away thinking "Tonight was the best one!" 

But tonight.... the audience applauding for the young boy who danced in the aisle, and then the piano with the giant red bow for the young pianist, and then... Barry sang "I Am Your Child" with such a sad and touching poignancy tonight... that song alone was worth twice the price of a seat in the 7th row.  "I Am Your Child" --- Manilow wrote that song for his mother, and when his mother passed away, Barry sang it behind a dark curtain and then waited a few moments before coming out on the stage and standing in front of his audience.

Walking out of the venue tonight, I knew that this was the best Manilow concert ever.  Until the next one, of course. So, Barry.... when are you coming back to town again?!