Happy New Year!

Just wanted to break out of my hibernation to wish everyone a very happy and successful 2008!

You knew it would happen one day...

Yep. Dolores made a music video. Just watch what kind of influence she can have on all those butch boys. (Of course, there's a bear at the end.) Music by Wire Daisies. Title is exactly what you would think it would be...



Thanks to JMG once again; he always makes my day. First attempt at embedding video, so be nice...

Rhinebeck 2007

I woke up Saturday morning and decided that Mel was right and that I should head up to Rhinebeck, even if I couldn't afford to make any major purchases. I am very glad that I heeded his advice because I ran into so many old friends, some of whom I haven't seen since last year's festival. I had planned on getting an early start, leaving when Monte did for work, but I just couldn't pull myself out of the luxuriousness that is our bed. Eventually, I did get on the road and, except for the annoying construction on the Whitestone Bridge, I made excellent time. This trip also gave me an excuse to drive on one of my favorite roads anywhere, the Taconic State Parkway. All I needed was a leopard named Baby...

The time alone allowed me to reflect on all that has changed in my life over the past year and I dreamed about moving upstate and starting a sheep farm while teaching math in some bucolic hamlet. Having attended last year, I remembered the way and soon found myself parking the car in an enormous sea of metal. Worried that attendance might be up over last year, I wondered if I would actually run into anyone I knew. Fortunately for me, everything was exactly as I remembered it and I quickly made my way to the initial stop on my itinerary: the Deep Fried Pickle stall. All year, I have been dreaming of these culinary oddities; however, when I found myself at the front of the line, I was confronted by a new gastronomic challenge: Deep Fried Garlic Cloves.

As I stood there trying to make my first major decision of the day, who should come up behind me but the platinum blondshell of the knitting blogosphere: Marilyn. She didn't recognize me at first, as she was wasn't expecting me to make the trek this year. Surprise! She led me over to the Official Table of the Wolverinas and reunited me with Queer Joe and the ever-patient Thaddeus. Over the course of a few minutes, Carol wandered over with Véronik, as well as my dear, dear Ted with David from Easton Mountain. It took me awhile to remember how to use my camera, but I was eventually able to snap a few candid shots:


My favorite curmudgeon and Mrs. Avery. I hadn't heard of this innovative designer before yesterday, so I wasn't sufficiently awestruck when I met her. I was, however, impressed with the size of the needles she was using to craft these exquisite gloves.


Sadly, this photo does not do them justice, as the houndstooth pattern and the condensed thumb gusset were incredible to behold.


Two of the "hippest" people I know. I only hope that Monte and I can stay together as long as they have.


Sadly, the only photo I took of Ted, who somehow just knew that I would show up. Crowds separated us while shopping and I didn't get to say goodbye properly. Hopefully, I will be able to make it to EMKR and spend a weekend with him there.


Carol, looking like she is getting ready to pop me in the nose for telling one too many Polish jokes. I did, however, get to smell her breasts. (Hopefully, her husband doesn't read my blog.)

I ran into a bunch of other people as well:


Paul and I were able to sit on a bench and talk about teaching while I snapped photos of unsuspecting stroller meat.


Getting caught by Steph as I surreptiously take her photo. I also fell in love with the crocheted skirt modelled by the enchanting Cass. (Funny how you can get used to mingling with the knitterati.)


I stalked this sweater and met up with the affable Lyssa, sporting a Ravelry button that was everywhere this year. An original design, her sweater gave me some ideas for what to do with all that Lopi at home.

I eventually took my leave to go do some shopping. Without warning, these trees lured me over for my first purchase of the day.



This more authentic tree sums up October in New York for me.




I would be remiss if I didn't mention some lovely ladies from Boston who recognized me while I was waiting in line for some Chocolate Crème Brulée: Danielle and the Mafia. (I know, sounds like the name of some ultra-cool retro band.) All I can say is that I wish I had a mother as cool as the one Little Man has. And as happy as I was to see these ladies, it reminded me that I missed another Fenway sweetheart who decided to skip Rhinebeck this year: you were missed, Julia!

I found Mel and David and picked up a little something something there as well. Unfortunately, I missed Miss Blogger Bingo this year.


Here is a shot of Mel rocking his new kilt. Hard to believe it's his first sewing project and even harder to believe he made it without a pattern. Here's what it looked like from below:


The lack of focus makes it only look vaguely like asscrack, but I assure you, Mel was wearing boxers. I guess only Canadians go regimental... Speaking of Canadians (again!), I also forgot to mention that I ran into Lee Ann, who was proudly showing off her new, red-hot stole.

I then decided to do something that I didn't do last year: I went and took a look at the animals. Here are some of the cute, little creatures I saw:

I so wanted to take her home.


Unnerving when they stick their heads out to smell you.


OK, so he's not that little...


Love the dyed mohawk!


Something sad about this one's eyes.


It's just wrong to try and make your sheep look like a zebra.


At first I thought they were getting it on, but then I remembered that Dolores wears glasses...


Bunnies!!!


I even saw a kangaroo! Note how he is balancing on his tail, as I caught him in mid-hop...


Of course, it wouldn't be Rhinebeck for me if I didn't get some photos of the local wildlife. Love them bears...

















Monte would kill me if I didn't get a few photos for him as well...











One more little purchase of some Iceland laceweight at Jaeger Yarns and I called it a day. Here is a final shot of my newest stash acquisitions:



All in all, I had a very enjoyable day spent with friends, surrounded by knitters. Can't think of a better way to enjoy a beautiful, sun-filled Saturday afternoon. Hope to see you all again next year...

Yeah, I know...

So, my new school year resolution to keep this thing updated fell by the wayside. I apologize, but this year looks to be no different than the last in terms of free time. What have I been up to? I'm glad you asked...

Monte and I have been enjoying almost every weekend of the Indian summer up at the cabin.

I am almost done the front of my New Zealand sweater.

I picked up a Math A class for a teacher on maternity leave. (I know, regular education math class, just what I want to be doing in the next couple of years.)

I didn't make it up to Fiber Fest North. Long story.

I have been asked to be the substitute instructor for a class at Pace. Strange, seeing as I only took the course in the spring and I haven't finished the Master's degree program yet. Still, it will give me a chance to see if I want to adjunct for education classes when I do finish it.

I probably won't make it up to Rhinebeck either. No fun going if you can't afford to buy anything.

My classes are going very well. I have been focused on inquiry-based instruction this year and it seems to be making a big difference in motivating my kids.

I am sleeping a lot.

Yeah, I know...pictures next post, I promise.

New (ok, old) knitting

I know. Three blog posts in one day. Try to keep up. I am making a concerted effort to keep this thing updated. Unfortunately, I also tend to do things all at once. Maybe because I have to multitask all day, I like to focus on one thing at a time when I get home. This is a good thing, because I have also decided that when I come home at night, I will be making time to get some knitting done.

Kathleen will probably want to kill me, but I ripped out what I was doing with the silk she wound up for me. I had cast on 120 stitches for a scarf, which was probably twice as many as I needed, and it was beginning to look more like a lace curtain for a window rather than anything else. I figured $40 is a bit much for a curtain and the soft, luxurious feel of the silk would have been wasted on a wall hanging, so I tried another scarf pattern, but I didn't like how it looked on Size 4 needles; I'll have to go even smaller when I get back to it.

Instead, I thought about starting a Lopi sweater for the fall, but then I realized I should probably finish a project before I begin a new one. So, I have been working on a 100% Merino sweater in grey using wool that I picked up in New Zealand when I was there in 2002. I have the back already done and I am about halfway through the front. I got 20 rows done this week, which is about 20 more rows than I did during all of the spring and summer. Hopefully, I can get it done for FibreFestNorth or maybe I'll put it together when I am up there. I guess the Lopi sweater will have to wait for Rhinebeck...

Blowoff!

If it weren't for Joe.My.God, I wouldn't have a social life. I found out about the True Colors tour from him and I bought a pair of $200 tickets for this incredible concert for Monte's birthday. I was getting back into the habit of checking my blog links yesterday when I read about Blowoff coming to NYC. I have often thought about driving down to DC to attend this dance party. With nothing planned for last night, I convinced Monte to make the trip into the city with me. I finally got to meet Joe and also ran into some other blog acquaintances (Thor and Mark) and rugby teammates (Lee). Far from a circuit party for bears, I was impressed with how one of the DJs, Rich Morel, came up to Monte and me at the beginning of the night to introduce himself like a good host. I also got up the nerve to say hi to the other DJ, Bob Mould, who had a formative influence on me during my high school years as a member of Husker Du, a hard rock band that really was ahead of its time.

Let's just say it was nice to go out in Manhattan, listen to some great music, ogle some very hot men and come home relatively early without reeking of cigarette smoke.

Back to school!

Every fall, I can sense a change in the air, as the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler. And every fall, I get excited at the prospect of going back to school once again. It is a feeling that I missed when I worked for the NYPD, but I am happy to announce that it has returned to me as I prepared to start my second semester of teaching.

My work actually began a couple of weeks ago, as I volunteered to attend a three-day Wilson Reading System workshop in Manhattan. I figured that if I am going to be teaching reading comprehension and decoding to students, it might as well be as part of a system that I believe in. We then had two days of "professional development" during which we could organize our classrooms. Monte and I then went up to the cabin for Labor Day Weekend before I had to face my kids on Tuesday.

The main reason I chose this particular high school to teach at is my Assistant Principal. Donna is great: supportive, helpful, and she leaves me alone. She isn't a micromanager, which is really important in a teaching environment. I put up with a three-hour round-trip commute each day because of her. It also helps that she likes me. As a result, I have the same classroom and basically the same schedule as last semester.

My teaching day begins with a second period prep, which comes in handy on those days when I am late because of rush-hour traffic. (In fact, my goal this year is to not be late.) I then have a double block of reading with five students, who will be challenging, but not impossible to deal with. I then have one period for my professional assignment, which is working on Individualized Education Plans, followed by my lunch period. I then have one section of nine students for Earth Science and another Earth Science class with two students. Yep, only two students. I am looking forward to working with both of them in much greater detail than I normally would be able to. My last class of the day is my monster class: Grade 9 math. I have 18 students registered with 4 paraprofessionals filling up my classroom. Other teachers have already started to complain about the attitude and the rowdiness of this group, but I laid the hammer down early, being very strict from the very first class and, so far, I haven't had any real problems with them. Time will tell.

It's just nice getting back into a routine and I am looking forward to another very productive year.

Welcome back!

I know that it has been awhile since I have posted, but it has been one crazy summer. When I went into Granny's Yarn Shoppe last week, Kathleen even told Granny that I don't blog anymore, even if they still got a kick out of my title. Ouch! Guess, I better start posting again.

Out of guilt for my extended absence from their shop (that's my excuse, yeah!), I picked up this "manly yes, but we like it too!" 100% pure silk by Claudia and some Addi Lace needles to knit up a scarf on the ferry to Fire Island later that day. Picture of my progress when there actually is some.

And now, the true reason why I am blogging today. This is the cutest baby otter that I have ever seen. OK, it's the only baby otter I have ever seen, but its adorable little cries drives Rocky nuts and I thought I would share. Technorati even says that I am the first to link to the page. Wow, back one day and a trailblazer again already!

Happy Canada Day!

There is nothing like the beginning of a month to get back into a routine, and so, my faithful and patient readers, I am excited about having the time to blog once more.

What have I been up to, you may ask? Here is a little sample. (I assure you that the file won't infect your computer.)

I should apologize to all of the people who dreaded math in high school; I really should have warned you before you clicked on the above link. Teaching has ended for me, but I am taking 5 summer courses, 2 of which are Precalculus courses. I have always enjoyed math and I am thrilled that I am taking the time to formalize my interest properly. Of course, my enrollment isn't completely altruistic; I am taking extra math courses in order to have enough credits by the time my Master's of Science in Teaching is completed so I can apply for a secondary certification in math. Although my first semester of teaching emotionally disturbed high school students was very rewarding, I can't see myself doing only that for the next 30 years. What can I say? I'm having a ball!

Don't want to fill my first post back with too much. (Have to ease myself back into this.) You'll just have to start coming back to read about all that is going on in my life right now!