GirlTalk, Miller Academy, Stumbling on Happiness

I started today with a great luxury -- I sat and quietly pondered and documented our lesson plans for GirlTalk 2008, a collaborative project SLB does with the Girls, Math & Science Partnership to expose 11-to-15 year-old girls about radio production, teamwork and role models. I've been thinking about the lesson plans for a few months and was especially glad to have a few hours to actually think through the details, organize them in an Excel table, and then revise them based on a careful review as well as reflection from how the project went last year. It's not often that I get a chance to focus on just one thing, let alone to engage in detailed planning and strategy for a project that will not start for another two months (March 29th)! Working through the plans was a pleasure, as was a subsequent meeting we had with the team that will carry this out. In addition to GMSP and SLB, our team this year will include YouthALIVE! (the after-school program involving Allegheny Traditional Academy) and an intern from Washington & Jefferson College (who should herself be a good role model for participants).

After our meeting, Jeff and I headed to Miller African-Centered Academy in the Hill District where we worked with five teenagers to record original rhythms and rap. Our time at Miller is always a pleasure and today was terrific. On entering the school, we were told how much the kids were looking forward to our weekly visit. Our session was outstanding -- we laughed together as the kids learned more about audio editing and production while creating original compositions that ranged from serious reflective pieces to hysterical rhyming descriptions of everyday life. The late Jake Milliones's sister-in-law was one of our adult helpers today and it was a pleasure to meet a relative of this well-regarded former Pittsburgh city councilman and school board president.

I returned to the office to review some guest bookings and bank statements, after which I edited this week's Jazzin' Around program. We've been helping longtime Pittsburgh radio host David Jaye with production and distribution of this jazz magazine program.

I finally arrived home around 8 p.m. to the delight of a package containing "Stumbling on Happiness", a book recommended by longtime listener Craig of Macon, Georgia. This looks like a great analysis of the human condition and I'm looking forward to jumping into it.