abby_and_mark cr0wl under a fresh snowfall, i taught two private lessons. the first was with a 15 year-old autistic girl whose mother told me she had no conversational skills. really? and so, how am i supposed to get through to her? she sang to herself the whole time while i held her hands and skied backwards. no big deal. that's actually easy. but the fascinating thing was how her personality and voice would change when she wanted to dictate the situation. i took her in the school for a break and she got on the floor and played with the game lucky ducks. just kept counting them over and over. once, she just looked at me and said, "ELEVATOR!" remember the voice of the little girl in the exorcist? yeah, that was how she talked. i felt bad for her and the mom. yet, somehow inspired because when the mom came to get her, abby had a third voice that was sweet to me. "thank you, kevin," she said. and all is right with the world. in the second lesson, i had a 5 year-old boy who had a hearing impairment. his mom told me he had titanium implants to help him. i pulled out my breast pocket rabbit during the lesson and he chatted with mark during the chairlift rides and even rode in his side jacket pocket. a few times after a progress compliment, mark would ask me what the rabbit thought. i also told him about things the rabbit liked to eat and at the end of the lesson, since i would be teaching him again tomorrow morning, i let him take the rabbit home. when mark saw his mom he asked her if they had any carrots and chocolate milk at home because he had a rabbit to feed. 091228 ... nomadic just kids wondering what the rabbit thought, and not really different from you and me... i mean what does it all mean??? meaning s and saying s and i wish an s was a t and id and it was all over except i'm here and i must change your world or at least be a friend while you are here and let's think about it all until it hurts too much to sleep and then we'll remember it's ok because it's what were meant to do. At least we think so until tomorrow...and then we hope and dream and realize and rationalize least of ALL again 091228 ... cr0wl hey c, my awesome brother-in-law...maybe what the rabbit thinks is more important than what we think. because isn't it the imagination that makes it all work anyway? if i can change your world for at least a moment and get you to see that happiness has come for you and wants to cozy up to you for a spell, then hopefully we can all sleep better so we can do it again tomorrow. love you...hope kelly feels better. loved that organic pizza we had. best i ever had, seriously. 091229 ... c r 0 w l day two with abby. i met her dad today. such peace written across his face. i hope i look like that to people. it was brutally cold, so abby and i did two runs and took a break. it was like we were dancing together at a jr. high gymnasium, awkwardly moving. once she became frightened at a suddenly steep point and embraced me, and that was after ripping through jingle bells. when she came to the "laughing al the way" line, she just kept on laughing. inside the school, she set up all the dvds in equal rows and counted them repeatedly, then put them all away in a neat line. and then she picked her nose for a full 15 seconds and said, "NO PICKING!" there were times when i would just observe her locked away in her own world and listen to her abruptly utter things as if her brain was being scrolled from all the music, tv, movies, and voices she has heard. out it would come...pow! except, there would also be moments when she would look directly in to my eyes and dictate our next action. but it wasn't a point of connection. it was something she had been told and it came to her like a butterfly on a flower. perhaps my favorite thing she said was, "snuggle mommy" and it was in that far off, inward gaze i knew she was loved and always would be. day two as well for mark. i saw his mom and him in the registration line and motioned for them to come on in since they were already set. the rabbit was the first thing he talked about for he had taken care of it and gave it back to me. the rabbit thanked him and hopped back into my pocket until the end of the lesson. the cold was tough on him... a bitter wind cuts to the bone on the lift ride and it's always a supreme challenge to maintain compliance. his mom e-mailed our school later in the day to give me props. oh yeah...that's right! third private lesson was with a three year-old girl named allison, who came from a very close family. i watched as she came in with them and her ten year-old brother kissed her and encouraged her. leg strength in a girl so tiny is questionable but allison shocked me with her balance and fearlessness. however, one fall and snow to the exposed wrists pushed her to tears with a half hour remaining in the lesson...how to save it? christmas carols! 091229 ... c r 0 w l day two with abby. i met her dad today. such peace written across his face. i hope i look like that to people. it was brutally cold, so abby and i did two runs and took a break. it was like we were dancing together at a jr. high gymnasium, awkwardly moving. once she became frightened at a suddenly steep point and embraced me, and that was after ripping through jingle bells. when she came to the "laughing al the way" line, she just kept on laughing. inside the school, she set up all the dvds in equal rows and counted them repeatedly, then put them all away in a neat line. and then she picked her nose for a full 15 seconds and said, "NO PICKING!" there were times when i would just observe her locked away in her own world and listen to her abruptly utter things as if her brain was being scrolled from all the music, tv, movies, and voices she has heard. out it would come...pow! except, there would also be moments when she would look directly in to my eyes and dictate our next action. but it wasn't a point of connection. it was something she had been told and it came to her like a butterfly on a flower. perhaps my favorite thing she said was, "snuggle mommy" and it was in that far off, inward gaze i knew she was loved and always would be. day two as well for mark. i saw his mom and him in the registration line and motioned for them to come on in since they were already set. the rabbit was the first thing he talked about for he had taken care of it and gave it back to me. the rabbit thanked him and hopped back into my pocket until the end of the lesson. the cold was tough on him... a bitter wind cuts to the bone on the lift ride and it's always a supreme challenge to maintain compliance. his mom e-mailed our school later in the day to give me props. oh yeah...that's right! third private lesson was with a three year-old girl named allison, who came from a very close family. i watched as she came in with them and her ten year-old brother kissed her and encouraged her. leg strength in a girl so tiny is questionable but allison shocked me with her balance and fearlessness. however, one fall and snow to the exposed wrists pushed her to tears with a half hour remaining in the lesson...how to save it? christmas carols! 091229 ... doink! double post! 091229 ... unhinged when my students cry, i give them a hug and get them right back up on their violin playing horse. 091230 what's it to you? who go blather from