Winging It

I'm winging it. There I said it. The fates have been tempted. After two swatches -- where my stitch count decreased instead of increasing -- I have decided to just go down one more needle size and get started. You are all laughing at me. I know. It's o.k. I have no fear of ripping back, just a loathing of swatching yet again.
This will be the "Perfect Periwinkle turtleneck tube vest" from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel. Yes, it requires either a lot of self-confidence, or a strapless bra. Heck, I have to get one for my brother's wedding anyway. Yeah, at 40 I have no delusions about the state of my upper torso. And no, I will not let my new plastic surgeon at them. He can stick to repairing my face, thank you very much.Little Squid had a Math Project publishing party today. His group's project? Figure out how much paper (8.5 X 11) would be needed to cover Central Park. And then find out how much it would cost using the least expensive supplier and including the shipping. Their final cost? Something like $210,000 using 50,000 reams of paper. They did not take the contour of the land in to account. Or the fact that the paper covering the lake would sink ...
This was from Tuesday's Social Studies publishing party. I missed Tuesday's party because he gave me the notice on Monday night and I really could not get away from work on that little notice. O.k., I could have but I am trying to preserve good will right now after taking bits of time here and there in the month since my little incident. I try not to take advantage of my bosses good nature -- and I have made it to every other publishing party in the last two years. And there is another publishing party next week.

(For those of you unacquainted with the Publishing Party, this is what elementary schools do to celebrate the childrens' work. They get the parents into the classroom where we can see what wonderful work our kids are doing. We also get snippets of time with the teachers if we so choose. My mother-in-law used to go to about half of them for me but I have made all but one in the almost two years since she died. Last year I was at one practically every other week when both kids were in the same school. No, I am not unhappy that middle schools do not follow this practice.) I go because it brings a huge smile to the face of my child. That makes it totally worth it.Cool tree. Just thought you'd like to see it. One of the street trees near Little Squid's school.
Hey, she didn't flinch when she saw I was posting it ...

A Sweater for My Daughter

About a month ago I was feeling guilty about my relationship with my daughter. So, I did what I do best and tried to express my love through wool. Here we go:I tried to take a picture of the buttons but the flash wiped out the cute flower pattern on them. Maybe we'll try again over the weekend.

Squidette is thrilled and the sweater should last her for a year or so until she out grows it. The I think it will fit me.

A Contract!

I try not to bring money into this blog but my union's contract expired four years ago. Yesterday my union and the city declared that they had a contract and the news programs started touting how large a raise we are getting. Nowhere did anyone point out that this is a SEVEN year contract. SEVEN years folks. Four of them retroactive.

Come September everyone will be talking about how, with their huge raises, Principals and Assistant Principals should really show results now. Really. Can someone please point out that we have been without a contract for FOUR years? That the majority of the staff we supervise have had TWO contracts in that time? That, for the last two years, many of those we supervise were earning more than we were -- for fewer obligated hours. (Notice I said obligated. I know perfectly well that teachers work tons of hours outside of their contractual day. So do we.)

To quote Bill the Cat, thfft!

That said, I'm trying to think about what to do with my soon-to-be-larger salary and honestly, I can't think of anything we want or need. It's a nice feeling.

Now to figure out how to get back into the classroom part-time.

Tomorrow, maybe some knitting.

Papa Squid Chaperones a Trip

So Mike helped chaperone a trip for the Jewish History class at his school today. The theme of the trip was the Lower East Side, which you have seen in this blog before. This time, however, they were able to go in to structures that I have only photographed from the outside.

This is the inside of the Bialystoker Synagogue. Check out the lobster in the center of this photo. A lobster in a synagogue? They have all of the signs of the Zodiac around the ceiling. Hence the lobster (crab).
Mike has no idea what the prices on this plaque mean. Anyone out there able to interpret? Our Hebrew (and the plaque may be in Yiddish) is not nearly up to this task.One of its claims to fame (?) is that gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky were both members. That's Bugsy's memorial plaque (Benjamin) below.
A very real claim to fame is the small break in the wall leading to a ladder leading to a hideout on the underground railroad. Mike is pretty sure that it is in the corner pictured here.



Kehila Kedosa Janina -- above and below. Founded by jewish immigrants from Greece.
Inside the final part of the renovation of the Eldridge Street Synagogue. This was the first synagogue built for the purpose of being a synagogue. Somewhere on this blog is a picture of the front of it. Probably last summer if you are looking for it.
Yes, they let the teachers up in to the scaffolding. The kids had to stay below.
The person who owned this bank largely financed the building of the Eldridge Street Synagogue.
And, because he is a good husband, he brought back chocolate. But not pickles.

Turtles and Such

Mike and I had a lovely morning ride which included sights from his childhood and our courtship.This was not one of them but makes a good photo op anyway in light of recent events.
This store, which is devoted solely to organic, prepared food for the small set, is where our favorite marzipan store used to exist. Trust me, the marzipan store served a greater purpose.

One of my favorite public sculptures.

Great bread. Mike introduced me to Orwashers when we were first dating. Their raisin pumpernickel bread is out of this world!

Kissing bikes. (aww ...)

Entrance to the park where we had our first kiss. Think, along the river (see the kissing bikes, above), at night, under the moonlight ...
Gracie Mansion, home to many NYC Mayors but not the current one. He chooses to live in his 79th Street townhouse. That's what you get when your Mayor is a billionaire. Gracie Mansion is actually located just inside Carl Schurz park. No kidding.
I really don't know what this building is but it looked really great with the cherry trees blooming. It's right across from Carl Schurz park.

A tug, tugging a construction barge up the East River.

The Triborough Bridge.

The bridge to Randall's Island.

Lighthouse on the tip of Roosevelt Island.

And finally, Turtle trying to escape.




You can't make this stuff up.

We Smell Like Summer!

(Title attributed to Squidette who uttered it just after we finished slathering up with sunblock for today's ride.)

The sock hit the road again, along with all us Squid as we did our first two-borough ride of the season. The Sun Building. (scroll down the linked page)View from the west side of the East River.Squidlings.Squidling safely flags.The Tweed Courthouse. Now home to the New York City Department of Education.

The Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge.

On this trip, we rode down to Chambers Street, adjusted the seat on Squidette's bike, rode east on Chambers passing the Sun Building and the Tweed Courthouse on our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Over Roeblings masterpiece, make a left and a right and there is the Manhattan Bridge. Over the Manhattan Bridge, through the streets (Allen and Pike have bike paths) to the East River. Uptown to the 10th Street overpass and then via the streets to the bakery (half-price baked goods for cyclists) and then the Union Square Greenmarket. At this point we were really enjoying our ride and decided that we needed a little more mileage so off to Chocolate Haven it was for a quick stock up. It was a nice, easy ride and we all did the bridges pretty easily.

Both kids needed their seats raised and I got to use my new bike in it's almost final configuration with my new custom fit stem. Tomorrow I will bring it in for a quick tune up to fix the minor injuries it suffered during my fall (slightly out of adjustment front derailleur and torn handlebar tape).

Good Friends and Pretty Socks

I came home from a doctor's appointment to find a mysterious box from California. Inside ...Yum! A week or so ago Cookie mentioned that she was off to find half-price Easter Candy. I jokingly asked her to look for Cadbury eggs for me. And she did! (The eggs are actually for the Squidlings, the jelly beans are all mine!) The timing was perfect.

Meanwhile, I have been a busy girl and finished these,
as well as Squidette's sweater. No pictures of that until we get the buttons on Sunday.

Second Guessing

The t.v. is off in the Squid home tonight.  Papa Squid is out for a while and Mama Squid is tired of listening to the news.  It makes her too sad and too angry.  So tonight, at least until Papa comes home, the t.v. will either be off or tuned to prerecorded shows.

As a mother, the events of this week hit hard.  As a school administrator, the reactions of many people just plain hurt.  How dare we second guess the administration of Virgina Tech or of any school in a situation like this.  We do not know what they knew and what they didn't know.  Those men and women were working with what they had and made the decisions that they felt were right.  It is not our place to second guess.

Unfortunately, I have been the recent victim of second guessing.  It led to my new title "the Bureaucrat in the Hallway."  I stick with the decisions I made to earn that title and I would make them again.

Five years ago my husband's Principal was in a situation where he had to decide if and when to evacuate their building.  After the fact, I second guessed him and was angry.  I was angry because I felt that those I loved had been in danger.  In truth, he was working with what he knew to be true and did what he and other authorities felt was best for those in the building.  Ultimately, they evacuated as the second tower of the World Trade Center fell, a few short blocks away.  They ran, as if for their lives.  I hereby, publicly apologize for second guessing those decisions.  It's tough being the person in charge.

What can we take from these experiences?  Instead of second guessing, we can use the information to make our own plans and to adjust those that exist.  Use this time to make things better instead of laying blame.  Let something good come of our heartache.

My thoughts go out to those affected by this latest tragedy.  No one should have to deal with this kind of thing.  No one.

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!

Daddy and the Times

Overheard in a diner on a Sunday morning. "The magazine section is missing."

My thought: "Didn't your father teach you how to count your sections before buying the Sunday Times?"

When I was a kid, my dad would go out, late, every Saturday night to pick up the early edition of the Sunday New York Times. As teenagers, my siblings or I would sometimes go along for the ride. That is where we learned the important lesson of how to check the sections.

The Sunday New York Times has a huge number of sections and the true connoisseur, at the very least, glances at them all. Therefore you must make certain that you get all of the sections at the point of purchase. That, and why pay for missing sections, even if you don't read them?

So, we learned to count the sections, in our heads. The ritual requires being able to keep track of the section numbers as they appear even though they are out of sequence in the pack.

You start, by looking at the top section (not always the main, or "1") and quickly flipping through them all, keeping a verbal or mental count. "3, 4, 8, 10," then "1, 3, 4, magazine (6), 8, 9, 10, 11" then "1, 2, 3, 4, damn where's the travel section?, magazine, book review, 8, 9, 10, 11, oh, there it is! Done. (During the holiday season there are more sections and specials are periodically added as needed.)

Then we went home, the child in question made tea for daddy and we settled in for the night as daddy started in on the puzzle.

Sadly, we no longer perform the ritual as we get the paper delivered. And so another skill is lost to the next generation.

Who would think that a simple overheard comment could turn in to a trip down memory lane?

Turtle and Fish Cam

Now and for a short time only! The all new Turtle and Fish Cam! Watch Sparky, Natasha and Gym harass and perhaps eat a few fish. Yes, folks, you too can see just how fast a turtle really is!

Lights out at 9:00 PM DST (Eastern Time Zone)

Busy Squid

It is a lovely day, lots of sun and the temperature is rising. Are we riding? Nope. Still too cold and way too windy with a Nor'easter due late tonight.

Instead, it is 11:30 a.m. and I have already cleaned the turtle tank, packaged and mailed 5 items including the taxes and have taken some of the lighter items off of the balcony in anticipation of said storm.
The packages include a gift to a sick colleague (some nice knitting stuff), a small gift to an original swap pal (down stream) who got dropped from the swap, and a return of some bike shoes that were too tight. More on the swap-pal issue in another post.

I should be blocking the pieces to Squidette's sweater but instead am taking a break before sashaying off to the Opera with my favorite fourth grader. We are seeing Turandot and we are really excited about it. This will be the second time we are seeing this opera and I am curious as to how it will be different from the last time. During this opera there are three riddles asked and the first time we saw it, during a dress rehearsal, Little Squid was upset because one of the riddles did not have a question mark after it in the seat-back titles. This was a good two and a half years ago but we still tell the story. Love that kid!

Lessons Learned

Who would have thought that one little accident could teach me so many lessons?

1. Towels are effective exfoliation devices. Try this experiment: during a two week period, wash your face, gently and dry one side vigorously while gently patting the other side dry. Don't be surprised when the patted side starts flaking at the end of the experiment.

2. Sleeping with my hair in a pony tail is actually a good thing. I started it after the accident to to keep my hair off of my wound, now I'm still doing it because I like it! It used to get it caught under me at night and it woke me up.

3. Forgetting the pattern to the sock you are knitting does not necessarily translate to an unusually long wait in the doctor's office. As a matter of fact, my ability to translate the pattern from the sock's mate meant that I was in and out of the doctor's office in record time!

Here's hoping that there are no more lessons to learn. *grin*

Not Really a Sloth

O.k., I did manage to accomplish some stuff over break. I still haven't finished plying my yarn but that is because I spent much of yesterday doing some spring cleaning on my balcony.

We first made a quick trip to Ikea to get this flooring. I've been lusting after it for a few years but each time I tried to get it, I waited too long and they were sold out. This time, however, we scored. (We will not discuss the cost of the scoring, I'm just adding it to the figures for last year's renovation.)
Above is the "before" and below, the "after" even though it is not all laid yet. Some heavy moving has to be done before I can finish the job. Mike has a friend who will cut the partial tiles for me so I will not have to wield my hack saw.Doesn't it make a huge difference? Saturday should be warm enough to finish the job and maybe fill the pots with soil.

On other fronts, I finally finished my ruffled Marietta Rib Socks from Cool Socks, Warm Feet. The are worked in Regia Silk and feel so cozy on my feet. The cuffs are shorties so that I can be comfy while cycling (if I can every find bike shoes that work over handknit socks.)Now to do some on-line yarn shopping for a colleague who is laid up for a few weeks.