Goodies!

Look at all these goodies from Isabelle! Yummy teas, pretty yarn and lots of Maine goodies. Thank you!!!

Into the Fray

If you have any interest in NYC educational politics, try this article and this news report. Yes, it is my school. Personally, I spent the morning learning all about the new funding formulas and how to properly administer our budget for next year. Then, I went to a luncheon and spent the next three hours happily chatting with a really good friend and doing a bit of networking. Always interesting to find out how other schools run. My category of administrator has been essentially cut off from meetings since the big reorganization 4 years ago. They think they are saving us time by not holding meetings but in my opinion, the occasional face to face meeting accomplishes a whole lot more then emails and phone calls. The ability to network and hear what problems others are having is very educational. And hey, I am an educator so educational is good. I'm not asking for tons of meetings, just one every couple of months or so.

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O.k., I've done it again. I joined another swap. Last year I did the Knitters Tea Swap 2 and had a wonderful experience at both ends so I figured I'd try it again.
I also signed up for Summer of Socks. No commitment except to knit socks. I can do that!


And since I still have not figured out how to add buttons without first sticking them in a post ...
I'll link to them when I finally stick them in the sidebar.

Thoughts of Swaps

Over the last few months I have participated in several swaps. As a general rule, all have been pleasant experiences. I love the idea of "stalking" someone and trying to figure out what would make them happy. Finding new friends and discovering new blogs are all a part of the fun. That is why I do swaps and why I will continue to swap.

By nature I am a rule follower. Lay out the guidelines and I will follow them to a T, breaking them only to exceed. Tell me I have to have an active blog, I do it. Post to a special blog? Check! Reply to my upstream partner and let them know how much I love their gifts? Got it! Send nice goodies to my downstream pal in a timely fashion? Yup! Brag publicly on my blog and a group blog about goodies I've received? Roger!

How do I feel about people who don't follow the basic rules? Mean. Grumpy. Unwilling to acknowledge subsequent contact due to an inability to be nice while feeling not so nice.

My feelings about Angels? Love them! I've volunteered to be one in the past but had to be Angeled myself in two recent swaps. I promise to volunteer to Angel in future swaps. No one should feel unappreciated because their partner bailed on them.

Both upstream and downstream partners have responsibilities and should fill them so that all parts of a swap feel appreciated. If you don't like your gifts? Fake it! Sometimes you take a chance and it is all a part of the fun of the exercise.

My thanks to all my wonderful partners and Angels. You guys are all great!