Math and Crafts

The children joined the school drama club and will be appearing in "Bye Bye Birdie" in early May. School plays require costumes.

For the Sweet Apple Teen, Debra Sue (aka Sqidette), it means a Poodle skirt.

This prompted the statements "fast, divided 28 by pi," and "32 X 4 divided by 36," the latter in an effort to figure out the real yardage needed versus what we purchased.
I blew it. Before we even got to this point. I really should have reread the instructions instead of assuming that I could wing it. This skirt is supposed to be about 4 inches longer. Oops!

No Knees allowed. That said, the kids tell me that one of the other girls is smaller then Little Squid. So, this will be hers if she wants it. At least it gave me an opportunity to figure out what has to be done.

As I've volunteered to make all of the skirts if needed, this is a good thing. The girls are supposed to make their own. I really do not see that happening.

Then there is Little Squid's costume. He plays Harvey Johnson, a geek who is trying to get a date to the prom.
Can you say "argyle vest?" The graph was charted by Little Squid, hence the statements "69 is and easily dividable number -- use it instead" and "2x +1 is always an odd number." The first statement was originally "69 is an evenly dividable number" which prompted Mike to tell me to go back to looking cute since my brain obviously was not working.
There are also sweater pieces blocking but that is another post. One to be written after the sweater is assembled.

Math Day

Math in the real world -- or at least at Casa del Squid. The following sentences were really uttered by me this morning, directed at one or the other child ...

"Fast, divide 28 by pi."

"32 X 4 divided by 36"

"6 X16"

"69 is an easily dividable number -- use it instead"

"2x + 1 is always an odd number."

We are not studying for a test. Any ideas as to what we might be doing?

On the Road Again

At 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the outside temperature registered 51 degrees and the forecast was for a high in the 60s. The kids and I donned our riding gear (o.k, I donned my riding gear, they ride in street clothes), loaded panniers and backpacks and set off for band practice and work.

We rode all of 2 blocks before Squidette proclaimed "we are definetely riding tomorrow." And then "I am so glad we didn't drive!"

Me too.

We had a lovely ride uptown and then Mike rode uptown to join us and we all rode home together, taking a detour to avoid all the "first nice day" recreation riders in Central Park.

This morning Squidette woke up feeling a bit under the weather but had chirped up enough by 10:00 to saddle up for a quick ride to the Manhattan Fairway Market.

I got to wait with the bikes while the kids and Mike went inside for provisions.

The greenway is now open from 125th Street to 135th (or so) making for a much nicer waiting spot then the parking lot.
The ride uptown was tough as we were fighting a serious headwind but the ride back was lovely. Until I went to put up Little Squid's bike.
Did I mention that I had to raise both their seats by at least an inch?

His is just barely fitting on the rack now. There is about 1 inch between the seat and the ceiling which does not bode well for the rest of the summer. The next time we raise his seat we will have to come up with other storage plans ... or have to lower the seat after every ride.

I think his legs must be longer then Squidette's were at this age. We never had this problem when she rode this bike.

Total weekend milage: 24.8 miles

YTD: 24.8 miles

Average: 12.4 over 2 rides.

Both kids are hoping for nice weather next weekend so we can do it again!

Tire Iron Fairy?

We all know that if you leave a tooth under your pillow, the tooth fairy comes and leaves money. What happens if you leave a set of tire irons under your pillow? Or a quick stick? Or ... both?

Squid bike tires are now pumped and ready to roll. This weekend is supposed to be lovely and we are looking to ride at least on Sunday and, perhaps, tomorrow.

I was prepping, in hopes of riding up to band practice tomorrow, when the valve on my front tire blew. Fifteen minutes or so later, with a little help from my spouse, I have a new tube in my tire. This was the first time I've changed a tube on my Bike Friday and the first time in many years that I've done any work on a bike. I am blessed with a husband who just takes charge of the tire issues. Tonight, however, I started on my own figuring that I should get my skills back since I hope to go back to riding every day. I need more practice. My tires are hard to get off the rim. And I snapped my thumb with a back firing tire iron. Ouch.

The tools wound up under a spare pillow because I tossed them on the bed and then tossed the pillow on top of them as I moved it off the floor.

With luck, Squid on Wheels 2009 starts tomorrow. Or maybe Sunday. Watch this space!

Interview Time

After 6 months at my new school, it is finally time to interview for my job.

Yup, I've been an "interim acting Assistant Principal" since September.

Isn't "Interim Acting" redundant?

Tomorrow I interview for real.

New York City has a very interesting process for those who wish to become Principals and Assistant Principals. (Only read it if you have absolutely NOTHING else to do. Your head will start spinning pretty quickly.)

I should not be nervous. After all, I've been doing the job for 6 months now.

But I am. Nervous.

I should be knitting but instead I am waiting for my nails to dry.

I think I'll go hug my kids now.

Not Mini-me but yes, Oh My!

Remember this post? I'll wait. Go all the way to the end, please.

May I please brag again?

Little Squid,

in concert,

on stage,

at Carnegie Hall,

with the New York Pops,

Monday, April 27!!!

(Playing the flute.)

Excuse me while I kvell a bit.

And a bit more ...

Yeah, I'm just really proud.

Snow Day!

Says it all ... except ... why couldn't they announce it last night ... or before I got up and showered.

More later.

Snow Day? Yeah, Right.

New York City does not readily close its schools.

The weather folk are predicting up to 12 inches of snow.

We are watching the news right now where the school closings are crawling across the bottom of the screen. Looks like the Arch Diocese has already closed all of the Catholic Schools in Queens. Will the Mayor close the public schools. Not likely.

***

Once, a very long time ago, we had a HUGE snow storm. Out in Queens, where I lived with my folks, we got 18 - 24 inches over night. The Mayor and Chancellor declared, from their posts in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, that the streets were clear and schools were open.

From my apartment in Bayside we were looking at streets that had not even dreamed of a plow, let alone seen one.

In order to get to my high school in Manhattan (I was a student, not a teacher) I had to take a bus and two trains.

Did I mention that the streets in my neighborhood had not been plowed? And that there was at least 18 inches of snow on them? The buses were not running.

The District 25 school board overrode (?) the Chancellor and closed the schools in my neighborhood. My father informed me that there was no way I could get to school and I went back to sleep.

The Chancellor fired the District 25 school board.

New York City does not close schools.

I better go find my boots ...

Cobblestone

No, not that kind of cobblestone (tho that is the first paved street in NYC) but rather the sweater kind.


Cobblestone. Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. Size 7 needles and 5 skeins of Lion Brand Woolease. Time on needles: about 10 days. It was my New Hampshire travel project.

Yes, it is big. It was knit with (all mothers repeat after me) "room to grow." That's my story and I'm sticking with it! Really!

Guess what? Yup, we found my camera. Right after I had managed to justify buying a new one if it didn't appear by tomorrow. Mike had the brilliant idea of lifting the couch. And there it was. Despite my having looked under there several times. Either it was not actually there the first seven times I looked or, it was wedged between the cushions and finally worked it's way through. (Our couch has double recliners built in so if you stick your hand between the cushions you encounter floor. If you reach deep enough.)

MIA

I know that I've been missing in action. There was the post that never happened last weekend after we spent so much time walking all over lower Manhattan and taking pictures of historic places for Squidette's social studies project. I was going to post the whole project with added links but then my camera went missing ...

That prevented me from taking pictures of Little Squid's new sweater (10 days start to finish) ... please image an olive green Cobblestone pullover that is at least two years too big on the kid. Then imagine it already looking rather seedy after only 4 wearings. I'll never use woolease again. All I wanted was something easily washable that Little Squid did not have to worry too much about. Oh well.

There is also a pair of pink socks. Nice and thick and snuggly. Homepun, handdyed wool. Yum!

Then there is my cold. And my cold. And my cold. Going on and on and on. And on.

And my new computer -- a lovely new Lenovo. It's big and I like it. Nice bright screen for my aging eyes.

Then there is work. Today was the Senior - Faculty volley ball game. The Seniors won. 45 to 35. At one point they were leading by 20 points. Ouch! Yes, I played. No, I was not as bad as I feared I would be. Some of my serves actually scored points and I did manage to assist in returning the ball a few times.

And there you go. The high points of my life since I last checked in.

February Break

It's mid-winter recess here in NYC and your friendly family Squid has been busy.

I desperately needed a break with the usual and so dragged my family up to New England to visit my sister for a few days. The last time we went there during the winter, my spouse came to realize, all by himself, just how close we pass to WEBS. At that time he promised that we could stop the next time we passed that way.

Fast forward two years ...

Oh, and we also played in the snow ...

And in the evenings, some quiet reading time ...

o m

Oh So Warm!!!

Nomad Hat and Scarf from Interweave Knits Fall 2007.
Thanks to Kristen for blogging it and inspiring me to dig out the pattern. Now if the school yard is finally snow and ice free ... we can take the kids out again and I'll have nice warm ears. It's been a l-o-n-g 3 weeks of indoor lunch duty!

Also in this issue of Interweave Knits is the Cobblestone pullover which I am going to size down for Little Squid. It's my vacation knitting for mid-winter break.

Synchronicity

Squidette: "That's a reason I shouldn't go to Stuy. You'll just come up to me and randomly bother me."

Mike and Me simultaneously: "It won't be random!"

She's still floating. Had to tie a string to her ankle to keep her on the ground.

2013

First there was Zedda Squid, Bronx High School of Science, Class of 1955.

Then there was Aunt Squid the Eldest, Hunter College High School, Class of 1980.

Then there were Mama and Papa Squid, Stuyvesant High School, Class of 1984.

Sibling followed sibling ...
Uncle Squid the Elder, Stuyvesant 1987
Uncle Squid the Next, Stuyvesant 1989
Uncle Squid the Third, Hunter 2000
Aunt Squid the Younger, Stuyvesant 2005

and now ...

presenting ...

for the Stuyvesant High School Class of 2013 ...


SQUIDETTE!!!


(She also made it into LaGuardia!!!)

Food, Kids, Food and Clocks

The first food picture is really too disgusting to start a pleasant blog post with so instead, I present something easy on the eyes ...

Squidette and Little Squid in Concert.

Now that your eyes are rested and you've oohed and ah'd and wished you could hear them ... I will forever blind you with the first picture of ...

the Bacon Explosion.

Time to rest your eyes again with some apple turnovers.

Yes, that is a smiley face on the bottom one.

Piles of French toast -- but no snow!
Just a few pretzels ...
And more Bacon Explosion.

How about a Nixie Clock to calm your beating heart after all of that bacon?

Nixie Clock

Remembering ...

Today I used the phrase "I've bullied older women then you!" And meant it. Which sent me down a long reminiscing path.

It always amazes me how I am "the boss" to people older then me. That I'm in a position to say to someone "I'm ordering you to go home and get well." (Or something even stronger but along those lines.)

I've pushed women twice my age (figuratively) out the door and into a doctor's office. Or worse. How did I get this authority? And why do they listen to me? I'm young enough to be their child ... or grandchild in a couple of cases.

But boy I'm glad they do.

Last week we lost our dear Ginzie. She worked at Manhattan Center from it's founding until about 2 years ago when she fell ill and could not return. At the time of her retirement, she was the most senior paraprofessional in New York City. She loved the kids she worked with and they loved her in return. Same with the staff.

I learned so much from Ginzie.

I learned ... to always say good morning. And mean it.

I learned ... to always ask nicely. And say Thank you. (o.k., I knew this one, she just reinforced it.)

I learned ... that to be a good person is the highest goal one can achieve. To do for others is a good thing (yup, already knew this one but you can never learn it too often). To celebrate with your friends. To share their sadness as well as their joy. To suck it up and know when to say you are sorry. And mean it.

None of these lessons were taught with words, just with actions.

I never got used to being asked if she could take half and hour to go to mass on a holy day of obligation. But I started making sure that someone walked her to the church and back.

I never got used to her not being there any more ... and I never will.

All Sewn Up

Her first quilt.

Ta Da!

Poke, Poke ...

There's been some poking going on here today.

We went fabric shopping today at City Quilter (I needed to make pillow cases for the couch pillows) and Little Squid became entranced with the needle felting kits. So ... I bought him one. No, it was not a Squid.

It was ...

A Penguin!

Which, after Squidette saw how quickly it was made ...

was joined by a second penguin!


And ... a Squid! Of his own design.
I think I have an addict on my hands. He now wants to try his hand at a dolphin and an elephant. My fiber stash is in danger ...

Squidette, meanwhile, made some more progress on her quilt after acquiring an edging and backing fabric. She intends to finish it this weekend.

Me? I did some work while they were all at a violin recital rehearsal. These socks? I finished them a couple of days ago. The top one shows the true color. The bottom one shows just how badly I screwed up the pattern at one point.
They've been keeping my feet toasty warm all day but were made very large with the idea that I would full them in the washer and have extra warm socks for riding. I think that for now I will wear them as it and hand wash until they get accidentally felted by Maria. Meanwhile, another pair is in the works.

Yarn is home spun corriedale. 48 stitches around on size 2 lace-addi turbos. Which get really cold when you knit with them outdoors in 30 or so degree weather.

Black Ice

No, this is not a cautionary tale. No accidents or near accidents occurred. Just a statement of how much my husband cares. He warned me twice -- that's once this morning and again before I came home -- about the dangers of black ice.

Isn't he sweet?

I was very careful and rode the streets to work this morning. I came back via Central Park and saw some brief glimpses of lovely, iced over, lawns. Brief glimpses because I really was all about watching for black ice and rode VERY carefully. My rides were challenging because the first was before the sun rose and the second was well after it had set. Even with a headlight, the shadows make for tricky riding. Potholes almost jump out at you after dark.

Yes, I'm working lots of hours. Much has to be done before the end of the month.

That said, today was probably the only day I'm riding this week. Tomorrow will be warmer but I have to drive for other reasons. It is supposed to rain / snow on Wednesday and then the temps are supposed to plunge into the teens.

I'm not riding in that. Nope. Not that crazy.

I didn't think that I had gotten chilled on either ride today but it took a fairly long time for me to get really warm again so I guess I did get kind of cold. I also got really hot. Then I got cold and clammy. Ick! Just as I think I figure out how many layers to wear at what temperatures, the wind chill messes with it all.

I wore just enough layers to feel comfortable riding uptown (though my fingers were starting to complain about 10 blocks before the end of the ride) and shed a layer coming home. At which point I over heated. Blah!

Oh well. Just as I figure it out, spring will arrive with it's own set of challenges. At least I'll be able to knit during yard duty. These freezing temps are messing with my output. I get only a round or two done before I have to grab my mittens and hand warmers.

Enough babble. Time for sleep.

Working Out at Work

Since mid-October I have spent most Saturdays at work. Turns out that my new job is in the same building the Boro-wide band uses and, coincidentally enough, both of my children are in the band. So, while Mike was in charge of drop off, followed by marketing, last year (Squidette made her own way home), I have taken over the drop off and, now, retrieval duties of both children.

Notice that marketing was dropped.

I don't actually retrieve the kids as much as wander down from my office at the appropriate time and return home with them in the car. Since I am a nice gal, I also drop off another band member who lives on our route.

This means that I am spending 5 or so additional hours at work each week. And am spending most of them in physical activity.

Most weeks I've spent the time working on cleaning up and organizing a book room. This is in an attempt to get a handle on what books we have and what we need and also, to get some organization where it is sorely lacking. Book room work requires much lifting and climbing. I figure I'm getting my weight lifting done. Hey, text books are NOT light!

This week, however, I gave my abs a workout instead. It was totally unintentional.

On Thursday, my Principal and I put together a visual representation of the school program. This involved writing every class out on half a colored index card (a different color for each period) and then stapling it to a bulletin board.

We have 39 teachers and they each teach 5 classes.

On Friday I was fine. On Saturday, when I repeated the action multiple times, as we changed the program, I felt it in my abs.

Apparently stapling above one's shoulders works the ab muscles.

Who knew?