Things that Make me Happy

As a way of distracting you from the fact that I got slammed (figuratively) at work last week, I have for you some of my favorite things.

My tea mug. It is a new acquisition and was one of a pair gifted to Mike for Christmas. Was, I say, because I already managed to break the other one. It is just the right size for a good cuppa but still delicate. And I love the flower inside. If I could figure out where it came from I would buy more of them.

The first season of the Muppet Show. I love muppets and find the Muppet Show to be the perfect workout viewing. It is lively and I can keep up a good pace on the bike. Kermit is my favorite. He sits on my car dashboard and serves as a way for us to easily identify our car. I have had him in every car I have ever owned. (All three of them.)

The Muppet Movie. Need I say more?

My husband.
for whom I purchased this ...and this for our anniversary. My cousin clued me in to this Etsy shop. I could get seriously addicted to Etsy.My son, the little goof ball. And my daughter who refused to let me put up my most recent photo of her. She also had a rough week but better then the week before.

Basketball Anyone?

I am not a sports fan. This disappoints my kid brother to no end as his niece and nephew are not being actively exposed to something that he takes such joy in. If you are a fan, you can share in his pure joy of sports, college in particular, by tuning in to the Double-A Zone.

During March Madness he is posting something about every school in the NCAA tournament as well as highlighting many of the players of both genders. If you are college shopping, the brief school profiles are very interesting and if you are a March Madness fan, well you will probably spend hours over in the Zone.

One less child ...

Gauge has been calculated, numbers have been crunched and compared to current sweater numbers and a conclusion has been made. Squidette is no longer a child. She put on her current favorite sweater and said "I think it is getting small." I looked at it and thought it looked loose but hey, if she wants a looser sweater who am I to argue. And so, I am using the smallest adult measurements in my faithful Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and have cast on for the back. Sniff.

Today was not one to sneer at, work-wise, and I am totally wiped out so this is another drive-by post. There were, however some comments on yesterday's post that I felt needed to be answered so ...

Cookie -- yes, Cascade 220 superwash. I prefer superwash for the kids and the regular Cascade 220 is a little itchier. Squidette has sensitive skin ...

The sweater is supposed to use a fuzzy yarn but all of the fuzzies were too itchy for my darling so smooth and soft it is.

KnittyOtter -- yes, we are latent Trekkies -- we had lapsed for a while but now we are catching up by watching 2 Enterprises a night. The DVR is overstocked with them right now and we are trying to get ahead of it somewhat.

Sprite -- I try herbs most years and sometimes have success and other times wind up with nothing. Our balcony microclimate can be a bit tricky sometimes. No colors are forbidden in school -- I know that some schools do this due to gang problems but we do not have those issues right now.

Dave -- Budd is one of my favorites too, once I realized that I really do need a basic pattern to follow ...

Anne K and Fillyjonk -- thanks for your contributions to Too Much Skin. We start broadcasting in another week or so. I'm not too worried about bare flesh tomorrow as it is going to snow again. Blah!

Spring? Spring!

Look! Sprouts! The first is cucumber and the others are basil. I moved the flower seeds behind the turtle light so that they might get some natural light. I really should read the packages and figure out when to start worrying. Last week was a rough one for Squidette. Adolescence was not being nice to her and I think I came of as somewhat unsympathetic despite my best efforts to be understanding. So, I am proving my love in the manner I know best. Knitting.

She pored over my back issues of Knitter's Magazine and picked out this.We took the pattern to Knitty City and picked out these.I will take the pattern stitch and combine it with this, because the smallest size in the magazine will fit me loosely and Squidette is still smaller in all areas despite her best efforts at growing.

Two episodes of Enterprise later ... an almost completed swatch. I figure another episode should do it. The swatch, by the way, is bigger then one side of this sweater will be. Think it's big enough?

(Yes, Cookie and KnittyOtter, our inner Trekkies are coming out and Squidette is catching the fever. Years from now she will make me regret getting rid of all my Trek stuff.)

More Dress Code Verses and Help Needed

The kids and I brainstormed most of the way home and came up with a few more verses ... let me know what you think. (Papa Squid just poo-poohed most of them. Blah!)

Belt your pants at your waist,
Not below your tush
And they'll stay put when given a push.

and ...

If the teacher is giving
A good long glare
They might be viewing
Your underwear

and ...

If you find others to be a pest,
Maybe you're showing,
Too Much Chest.

If their hearts begin to smolder,
You might be showing
Too Much Shoulder.

If at your chest you see them grin
You might be showing
Too Much Skin.

If on your shoulders
Looks do linger
Check your straps
With 3 finger (s).

and a sign for the locker room:

Mirror, Mirror in the Gym,
Am I showing Too Much Skin?

Come on guys ... feel free to contribute!

Basic dress code: pants/skirts obey "fingertip rule" they must come to below the wearers fingertips when arms are at sides. Bellies are covered -- no belly buttons showing. No camisoles or "wife beaters." I'm not sure about the "three finger" rule for tank tops -- I have to check with the other Powers that Be. No mesh tops (or bottoms) on either gender. And we prefer not to view underwear. Our girls have never been in to showing thongs (Phew!) but some of our boys have their pants belted very low. (Squidette's school uses the three finger rule.)

Too Much Skin!

It's that time of year again. The weather is warming and the students are shedding their clothes. As a Major Female Role model, all of my clothes conform to school rules -- the fingertip rule for skirts and no exposed shoulders or midriff while kids are in the building. Heck, I even wear nylons up until the last week in June.

Three years ago I got fed up with our dress code. There were too uses of the word No. That was when I decided to put the code into rhyme. A verse a day was read during the morning announcements and three verses a week made their appearance in the stairwells, at a line per landing. After a few days, the kids were pointing at each other and chanting the refrain "Too Much Skin!"

In a few moments I will share those older verses but first let me tell you that I have once again been commissioned to put the dress code in to verse. My colleagues agree that the tag line "Too Much Skin" was a good one and that I should stick with it. I, however, like to branch out and am looking for a new tag line and verse structure. "Put On Some Clothes" has already been ruled out by the same colleagues. I am, therefore, actively soliciting new tag lines ... As for verse structure, last time I used "Burma Shave" this time I think I am aiming for Seuss.

And now ... Too Much Skin, a series of original verses written by Devorah Zamansky with contributions from Squidette Zamansky, Renee Zamansky and members of the SheepThrills Yahoo Group.

If your belly is bare
When you touch up your hair
Then you don’t want to share
Too Much Skin

If you stick to the seat
In the worst of the heat
Then it doesn’t look sweet
Too Much Skin

If your pants are a sagging
And the kids are all gagging
And the girls are a grabbing
Too Much Skin

If your shirt is so tight
That boys gasp with delight
Then you know that I’m right
Too Much Skin

If your tush we can see
When you bend at the knee
Then you know it must be
Too Much Skin

If your bosom is peeking
Out your shirt when you’re speaking
Then you know that you’re leaking
Too Much Skin

If your shoulders are glowin’
Then we all are a knowin’
That you must be showin’
Too Much Skin

If your shorts are so short
That kids laugh and they snort
You know what they thought
Too Much Skin

If your knees and your thighs
Bring out oohs, aahhs and sighs,
Then you know that we cries
Too Much Skin

If your sweat is a pooling
And the boys all are drooling
Then you know that you’re cooling
Too Much Skin

If your legs are all icky
‘Cause the seat is so sticky
Then you know why we’re picky
Too Much Skin

If your head and your toes
Are all that now shows
The you know that there’s Not
Too Much Skin

If everyone throngs
to ogle your thong
your dress choice is wrong
Too much skin

If your pecs are a chillin’
And the girls are a thrillin’
Then you know we are trillin’
Too Much Skin

If too much you reveal
when you sit, stand or kneel
you will hear the appeal
"Too Much Skin!"

Guess! Guess! Guess!

I feel the need for a fly-by post and remembered that I had not put up this picture for you guys ...
I forget where we saw this but it was along our regular Green Market route so we pass it regularly.

If you can guess what winds up in this spot then I will send you chocolate! Good, Jaques Torres chocolate ... and maybe yarn. More then one winner? Lottery!

Contest closes on St. Patrick's day.

Quiet Weekend

Before I start, I must thank you all for your kind wishes on our anniversary, you are all very sweet! Now on to your regularly scheduled post.
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First I was mentally preparing a post on how cool it sometimes is to see movie production residue.




























(The Bourne Ultimatum, if you care)

Then I was inconvienced by the same movie and was going to post a rant on how annoying it is to have streets closed by movie production crews. (They wouldn't let me walk down the block to the bank.)

Either post would have been combined with these before and after pictures of Little Squid.














You know the hair is too long when the following is uttered "I think I'm getting a migraine, I see the aura ... oh wait, it's just my hair."

And, while out I took these pictures of some neat buildings.





































(Many of the Public Libraries in Manhattan are in buildings just like this one. I love it!)

Then Papa and I had a wonderful meal at JoJo, a leisurely walk home and a lovely conversation with a friend of my mother-in-law's who keeps asking when she can babysit for us.

Fast forward to morning and a rough wake up due to the time change and a lovely breakfast with more friends of Mike's mom while the kids were in hebrew school.

Pick up the kids plus one for the afternoon, feed them, water them and then start the garden.

Yes, the "pots" are egg cartons and yogurt containers and yes, they are sitting on top of the turtle tank for warmth. I plan on using the old, broken, tank as a "greenhouse" when it is time to start hardening them off in a month or so. My goal is a lush, green balcony this summer which will serve as my refuge from those I love.

All in all, a nice quiet weekend. Any bets on the week?

(Oh, and these arrived on Friday -- yes, Dave yarn.)

(And these were finished for someone out there in blogland.)

16 Years and Counting

Over the last 16 years we have had our ups and downs but frankly, our downs have never been very low because, at the root of it all, we love each other deeply and will do anything to make sure that we do not lose what we have.

Every day, every week, every month, I find another reason to appreciate my husband even more than I already do. This week it was a simple comment that brought on tears of love. Wednesday, when work was getting me down and Squidette was not feeling well, I tuned in on the TurtleCam from my work computer and noticed the reflection of the desk chair -- and the person in the chair. A quick email was sent and within minutes the smiling visage of my husband was greeting me from my school computer. More tears.

As I reflect on the last 19 years (total, not just married) I remember simple things. Our first peck on the lips at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Our first real kiss -- the same night that my parents told me that I was going to have a new sibling. Fooling around in front of Penn Station. Dinner at the Carnegie Deli on the night of our wedding (the party was a lunch) -- and KFC from the only KFC in Manhattan (at the time) the next night. The birth of our children and the death of his mom. All events that make our marriage stronger and more solid every day.

Tonight we will go out for a luxurious meal and toast to many more wonderful years. And then we will return home to our sleeping children and a wonderful life together.

Bagels Anyone?

I got cocky. Last night as I was cutting the bagels, I was thinking just how proficient I am at this chore. I started daydreaming about a post on proper bagel cutting procedure. I was contemplating how crunchy the crust was on this batch of bagels and how it was making them a bit more of a challenge of to cut. My mind was, obviously, not on my finger position. After all, I am an expert. Fingers, Shmingers.

You know what is coming. Yup, right into my finger. Rest easy, it was shallow and required no more than a band-aid. I was even able to finish slicing the bagels later in the evening and it only minorly effected my ability to knit and that was due more to the position of the injury and not its severity. I claimed that it was a mortal injury -- after all, I am mortal and I was injured -- but Mike wasn't buying it. He did finish cleaning out the sink, however, so I did not have to get the band-aid wet.

Tonight -- Thomas Quastoff at Carnegie Hall!

TurtleCam!

Over the months we have had the BikeCam and then BikeCam mark 2 (digital cameras mounted on the front of our bikes). Today the Squid family give you the TurtleCam! Meet our two red-eared sliders, Sparky and Gym, and our border turtle (a snake-neck we think), Natasha. Natasha and Gym are male and Sparky is female. The biggest turtle? Sparky. The smallest? Natasha. (Natasha is boarding with us while his owner, Boris, is attending graduate school in Sweden. Yes, we understand the Natasha/Boris reference.)

Please note: the TurtleCam link is subject to change. If we ever get it at a stable address, I will post a link in the sidebar.

The camera is currently set up to show the reflection in the back of the tank so it makes it look like there are more turtles then we own.

Purim!

O.k., maybe the exclamation point is not called for since we lamed out this year. The kids had the option of going to religious school in costume. Since I only help with costumes if actually asked, and was not asked, they got creative with what they had. Little Squid kept on his scarf, hat and mittens and went as a wasp. Not a bumblebee. You see, a wasp can keep stinging without dying and bumblebees die when they sting. Little Squid wanted to keep stinging ... Always the scientific one ...

Squidette became her evil robot self. 'Nuf said.

A response to Mel the Elf ... The reason that Hamentashen feature the "time four" factor has to do with the vast amount of fat in the recipe. The fat actually encases extra weight and transports them to another dimension. When you eat the pastry, the fat breaks down and causes the extra weight to be retrieved and instantly installed on your midsection. This also explains why so many high fat items are physically light yet pack a serious punch weight-wise.

[Note to readers: Mel the Elf has frequently wondered how he can eat one pound of dinner and weigh two pounds more so this question actually make sense ... at least to me.]

Meanwhile we are in the middle of a debate about the Large and Terrible Frog. Is he so large that he can actually eat a little bunny? Do bunnies get smaller when dipped in dirt? Shouldn't the Birds be eating the frogs? And what about the cookies?

Hamentashen!

We baked today. I made the dough and rolled it out, the Squidlings cut filled and shaped the pastry. Then I burned baked it. You will notice that some of them are a little charred brown. Those are mostly gone. There were 84. Now ... I don't know. Some will be packed for friends, some will be shared at work. None will be brought with us to Purim dinner tomorrow because our relatives keep kosher and we do not. We will probably bring a plant.






























Before baking, however, we took a walk. From a distance, I spied this:


and said to the family "great, the OneIllBuilding, let me take a picture." Take it I did and then we finished Green Market run and came upon this:
The O'Neill Building. Oops. Now we have to figure out what the other domed building is. We did figure out that it is the building on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street and promise to pay attention the next time we make a Green Market run.On the knitting front, I finished these for Squidette. The are shown next to my dainty humongous foot for comparison. Don't you like the way the non-striping Dave yarn kind of striped in a pattern designed to break up striping? They got their first work out today and my conclusion ... I have to buy slightly looser biking shoes so I can wear my hand knit socks!

Comments

I have been feeling lonely out here and realized that it was probably because the word verification thing has been acting up lately. So ... I've turned it off.

Tune in later if you want some Hamentashen!

Hair Sticks

Over the last year or so I have allowed my hair to get fairly long. Initially this was due to simple procrastination. Then I really got to like how it looked long. Now I am growing it with a purpose in mind and I am committed to keeping my hair long at least through the summer -- but when I cut it, I still want to be able to cut off 10 inches or more and have the remainder still be long. So, this has become a major commitment.

Whenever my hair begins to get long, I start playing with it. This week, in order to get my hair off my neck in the afternoon, I twisted it up and stuck two knitting needles in it. It worked! This made me think that I might finally be able to successfully wear hair sticks. Yesterday I invested in a couple of cheap pair and managed to keep my hair in a neat twist with them for several hours. Rah!

This evening, Squidette asked me to try it with her hair. Her hair has also gotten fairly long due to my habit of procrastination. (Interesting how the Little Squid is the only person in this family that I feel I must drag to the barber on a regular basis.)

And here you go ... Big mommy, little mommy.Now to do some shopping on Etsy! There are some neat hair sticks there.

Squirrels in Class

With renovation come problems. Most buildings wind up with some sort of issues with mice or rats or insect-type vermin as the property is torn apart and reconstructed. We have issues with squirrels.

Several years ago, squirrel-proof screens were installed on the windows in my suite. These worked very well until this autumn, when they were removed so that the windows could be replaced. All of sudden the squirrels were anxious to get into school. Blog readers have suggested that maybe they are looking for a job. Since my office seemed to be their main destination, the theory made sense. Until today. Now I think that they are looking for a diploma.

This morning started with the usual this and that all preventing me from actually setting in until about an hour after arrival. By 9:15 I was finally sitting down to do some paperwork and was just getting into it when my phone rang. "Mrs. Squid, there is a squirrel in my room and I heard that you were the person to call," said the trembling voice on the phone. "On my way!" I responded, stopping only to alert the custodian and grab a garbage can. What I am planning to do with the can I can only guess. After years of experience in this field, I know that it is unlikely that I will be able to trap it with a recycling bin. Still, one can always hope.

As I enter the room I am greeted by excited students and the teacher points to a furry object in the closet. At first I do not see the tail for what it is -- it just looks like a shadow and I think that someone is playing a joke on me. Then it moves. Knowing what might come next, I tell the teacher to take the class to the library and give dirty looks to the kids who want to grab their jackets from the closet. This, by the way, is when my students prove that they have no knowledge of animal craft as they chatter and yelp their way out of the room. City kids.

The custodian arrives and, after assessing the situation, sends for his trap. He flushes the squirrel out of the closet and we watch as it limps along the floor. In to a corner it goes and then it goes right to ... the radiator housing. We are feeling pretty sorry for this guy. He appears to be hurt and we want to get him back outdoors where he can nurse his wounds, and leave us alone. Once inside the radiator housing, however, it attempts to climb the inside walls to the second floor. Fear flashes across our faces as we realize that we might have sent it up to the Junior High School. Oops. Something, however, prevents the squirrel from getting higher then about 4 feet off the ground, and we see it descend back to our level. At this point it seems prudent for us to leave the poor guy alone and we make a quiet exit -- and I grab the students jackets.

Having returned the jackets and reassured the students that we will not kill the squirrel I try to continue with my day. A sign is posted on the door of the affected room, directing the next class to a different room. Just before the next period is due to begin I get the urge to check the trap. Lo and behold it is closed and our poor furry friend is trapped inside. A quick trip to the park and up a tree he runs.

Will he be back tomorrow? Does he really want a diploma or just a potato chip? And how many of his friends are in our pipe casings?

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

Um ... take the C train? (Any one out there not know the punch line?)

Last night started the second half of our subscription season at Carnegie Hall. On the program, the New World Symphony with guest cellist, Yo Yo Ma. This concert was a lot of fun for a number of reasons.

First, I have never knowingly heard any of the pieces that were performed so they all held my attention.

Second, watching Yo Yo Ma perform was just amazing. Last year we saw a number of young soloists and I was amazed at the differences in performance styles. Yo Yo Ma kept me amazed and guessing throughout the performance.

Third, the bagels. Yup, the bagels. The piece that Yo Yo Ma performed was Shostakovitch's Cello Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op 126. The program notes for this piece speak about a part of the final movement in the following terms: "... Next comes a scherzo, a kind of jazz dance based on an Odessa street cry: "Bagels, buy our bagels ..."" So when Yo Yo Ma and the conductor came out for their bows holding bagels, half the audience burst in to laughter ... the other half was just confused. I am so glad that I read the program notes before the piece so that I got the joke.

We were also honored with a pre-intermission encore which I have never witnessed before. Way cool. Oh, and the kids were home ... it was an adult evening out. We are nice parents but not that nice. Both kids prefer opera to a straight instrumental concert.

***

On a side note, if anyone was planning on donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Squidette recently completed a Math-a-thon and has a donation page up here. She already held up politely asked and received pledges from most of her aunts and uncles so her school obligations are now fulfilled. This is not one of those big blog-drives ala' the Yarn Harlot, just a small PSA. No obligations, no goals. Just, if you already were planning on donating for some strange reason then here is a link to do it through. Really, I'll let you know when I really need your help. I like this organization and support it myself. 'Nuf said.

Tune in tomorrow for the latest Squirrel story. It's short, sweet and telling of the time we live in. And there are pictures!

Back to School Blues

I love my job but I hate going back after a vacation. Everyone is somewhat out of sorts and that includes my own squidlings. One greeted me this morning with an "I'm very emotional this morning" and the other burst in to tears four times before he got to school. One was put to rights with a hug and a cup of tea -- and a "isn't puberty grand," and the other with a new lunch box, a strap for said lunch box (actually an old lunch box dug out of the closet), a pile of clean shirts and a promise that the wet spot on his pants would dry (very wet snow fell from the car on to his pants).

Once at work I dealt with an issue that had kept me awake all night. One of those "dang, I forgot to do X before the break and it is going to really mess me up now" moments. After 2 hours of my assistant dealing with it she suddenly realized that yes, I had asked her to do it before the break and not only that, but she had dealt with it before break and we were not in trouble. In other words, I had done what I thought I had forgotten to do and she had done what I thought I forgot to tell her to do. So, tonight I am exhausted all because I was actually properly efficient. I just hate when that happens.

My new windows are in and look good. The site supervisor made nice to us and did all of the finishing work. The classrooms got the finishing piecemeal -- windows one week, plastering the next, painting the third week and finally shades. I came back to plastered, sealed windows with shades ... and a good squirrel story.

Apparently, while they had the windows out, the squirrels came in and ran all around the suite of offices. They even set off the building alarm system when stowaways escaped into the corridor. Finally, they were herded out a side door. Evidence of their presence was on my desk. Blech!

And now it is Tuesday and I will have the pleasure of seeing Yo Yo Ma at Carnegie Hall tonight. Weeee!

Another Break, More Finished Objects

At the start of the mid-winter recess I mentioned my knitting goals for the break. I am pleased to announce that not only did I finish all of my break knitting, I also started and almost finished one additional project -- new felted clogs for Squidette -- and finished felting my Boogaj bag. Pictures of the bag will appear after I have inserted the strap.

So, in order of finishing, I present ...

Bumblebee Scarf, as modeled by Little Squid. Now he has matching hat, scarf and mittens though the mittens did not join the hat and scarf on the ski slope in sub-freezing weather.Mystery Project. I show you the cakes of yarn to prove that they were used. Mystery Project will be revealed in a week or so after Papa has had a chance to use them in school.

Tulip and Gingham socks for Squidette. These were started several months ago and completed on Friday night.Mermaid socks for Mama Squid. Knit out of Cabin Cove yarn -- my one and only skein. Dave, I need a fix! Just not a lace weight fix, thank you.

And work was done on the third school blanket. There are not yet enough blocks for an entire blanket but I pieced together a few of the odder shaped blocks in to one larger block.A new pair of socks is on the needles and I should finish the clogs by Wednesday with felting on Sunday.

Tomorrow, back to work in the snow and slush. Yick! I really dislike commuting in this kind of weather and NYC simply does not close schools for less than a foot of snow.

Some Quick Thoughts

One: from a squid point of view, this site is a great place to waste time.

Two: from a squirrel point of view, this article is enlightening.

Three: I received an email from the site supervisor for the school construction job. He let me know that he was careful to put the baby squirrels in to my desk drawer when they replaced my windows. Love a contractor with a sense of humor.

Four: Photos of all the finished objects from this break will be posted later today. For those in need of some quick knowledge ... I finished all of the projects I set forth, and then some.