Friday, February 09, 2007
Squirrel Love
Yes, these were taken through very dirty glass with a cell phone so the quality is not the best. I will take an oath attesting to the fact that this guy is just waiting for me to open my window so he can steal my post-its.
On Wednesday when I did not have time to eat, he teased me by gnawing on a bagel out there. Truly a New York squirrel.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Just TRY to renew that ebook
This morning I thought I would see what happens if you try to check out the same ebook two times in a row. In to the NYPL website I went. The book was available (yes, ebooks can be unavailable) so I checked it out and downloaded it. Then came the transfer to my device. That is when everything went bad. My Treo rebooted, and rebooted, and rebooted, endlessly. Even a soft reset didn't stop it. Even a medium reset didn't stop it. Even a hard reset stopping short of wiping all memory didn't start it. Wiping the memory worked. Blah. Fortunately the hot sync that mucked everything up had also caused all of my information to be saved to my computer. One more hot sync and I was golden.
Later I finally got up the nerve to try opening the book and it worked -- it was even on the correct page!
From now on I will stick to Project Gutenberg books and skip the hassle of the library due dates.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Skirting the Issue
My question now is: why is a "skirt-suit" considered more professional than a pants-suit? What is it about a tailored skirt that makes people take a woman more seriously? And, should a person reviewing said people in skirts actually think less of them when the weather is below freezing?
Please, I am dying to know the answers. Both my boss and I wore skirts on days when the outside temperatures ranged from 10° to 25° . Today, we both wore pants.
Another stack of blocks came in from my most prolific knitter and others are still working on them. The third blanket will have several crocheted pieces as well as knit blocks. A couple of my staff have donated abandoned crochet projects for our effort. Hey, it works for me.
Thanks to Anne for her recent donation of fun fur for the chemo cap project!
Murphy's Law
New York City has instituted an annual Quality Review for all public schools. I will not go in to the details but it made for a stressful two days. To add to this ... the boiler froze on Monday. The other school in the building could not go out for recess due to the extreme temps and were a tad louder then usual. Our own kids were obviously under the effect of the full moon from the other day. On Tuesday it seemed that a migraine epidemic was underway. Little Squid woke up with one at 5 a.m. and kept us guessing as to whether it would be gone enough by departure time. When we finally decided that Papa would stay home with him -- and Papa had called in to work -- the worst faded and Little decided he could go to school. Papa rescinded his sick call and, as he mounted his bike ... got a migraine.
Little Squid's migraine through me off my usual morning routine so that I forgot to take the new "school" blanket and Sis's hat to work. The blanket was finished in time for yesterday's club meeting which was partly postponed because of the club fair, which, due to circumstances beyond my control, I did not manage to get to. As for the hat ... I was supposed to mail it yesterday. Um ... I'll try to get it in the mail tomorrow.
Meanwhile, for the Teen Knitting fans ...
Tune in later for pictures of the second school blanket. I plan on using it to warm my legs in the car on the way to work this morning.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Cold, Cold, Cold!
Temperature upon arrival at work: 12°
Status of heat at work: none.
Yup. That is how the day started. The problem? The oil filter in the temporary boiler ... get this ... froze. The technician was able to make an immediate diagnosis and the building was starting to warm again by 9 a.m. This will not happen again. You really do not want to hear how I know that this will not happen again. It is not an environmentally friendly solution. It will, however, guarantee that our students and staff can walk around without hats and mittens on.
My squirrelly employee kept coming by and sunning himself on my window sill. I would swear that he was waiting for me to open the window so he could come in and warm up.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Squid on Strings
I suggested that Mike put the video on YouTube but fear not, you are spared. Both children performed as only Squid can. Few mistakes, played at tempo (a concern with Little Squid) and generally making the other parents say "wow." They are not child prodigys but are quite respectable nonetheless.
After, we treated them to lunch at their favorite dinner and came home to do the laundry. Therein lies a tale which proves just how much I am capable of deluding myself.
Back story:
Yesterday I forced myself to clean the turtle tank and goofed a little. To drain the tank I use a siphon system that attaches to a sink and uses the force of the tap water to pull the dirty water through fifty feet of tubing and dump it down the sink drain. This system worked great in my mother-in-law's apartment when she and I cleaned her humongous fish tank. When we took the tank, we also took the system. The tank has since been donated to a school but we kept the siphon system after getting a larger turtle tank.
Using the system involves hooking it up to a sink in a far away bathroom -- totally out of sight of the tank being emptied. In the past, I have successfully used it, all by myself, to clean the turtle habitat. So, knowing that it was possible, and not wanting to disturb Papa Squid, I set it up and sucked all of the very dirty water out of the tank. This I did with only one or two visits to the bathroom. Once the tank was almost empty, and seeing that Papa was heading into the bedroom anyway, I asked him to turn the water from suck to fill. That was when he found it. The bathroom and bedroom awash in dirty turtle water. Oops. Towels were drafted in to action and the floors were soon brought to a state of tolerable dampness. The same towels were then taken to the balcony to drip-dry until they could be washed.
I should have seen it coming when I first realized that icicles were forming from the water dripping from the towels. Being in denial, however, and still having to finish cleaning the tank, I ignored the signs. Until today.
When we returned from the concert it was time to do the laundry. I gathered up the various soiled items from around the apartment, including from under Little Squid's bed, and headed out on to the balcony, dressed in my parka and mittens. The fact that I had bundled up for this activity should have warned me. The fact that the temperature today had never broken freezing should have been another sign. Nope, I was still in denial.I can deny no more. No, Papa Squid is not fluffing the towel. Yes, it is staying in that position all by itself. The same goes for those held by Squidette. Yup. Frozen solid. So solid that this is what remains on the balcony.I could not pry them loose of their moorings. (The red bathmat will actually be discarded. It was rather ratty before it got drenched in turtle poop.) Sigh. Maybe next Sunday will be a bit warmer.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Knit-alongs
This month I joined my first Knit-Along. And then I joined my second. And then I tried to figure out how to combine the two. And then I gave up on this "kill two birds with one sock" idea and the result is:
Since there are no rules for either Knit Along, I have made my February the month of Finishing. I hope to finish the Mermaid Socks, and the long abandoned Gingham and Tulip socks which are ... Fair Isle! If I finish both then I would like to start a true Fair Isle or properly stranded sweater or vest. There are four hanks of handspun ombre yarn waiting to become something. I'm just not sure what yet.
Tomorrow: Violin Virtuosos (otherwise known as Squid on Strings).
Friday, February 02, 2007
Proof!
My understanding is that these windows are not long for this world and should be history by the end of the month. Then the poor squirrels (not!) will have to sharpen their teeth elsewhere. Perhaps, just maybe, in the park?
In other news, a package of fun fur and needles arrived today from Susan! Included in the package was this:a glossy magazine all about Oklahoma. This is my next reading project. Red Dirt country, here I come! Thank you!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Pickled Cauliflower
I find it interesting that through all of yesterday's blather, people picked up on my squirrel comment. This makes me think that I should take a picture of my gnawed window frame before the contractors remove it. (The next batch of windows has finally arrived so I should have a nice, weather tight window in my office before the end of next week. Woo Hoo!)
Now that some of the scaffolding is down I can see what a nice job the workmen are doing on the school. This whole construction experience has been very educational. I even learned what a "load test" is as our guys were commenting on the construction going on across the street. Yes, not only is my own school under construction but they are building a mall across the street. Many of my days are worked to the counterpoint of a pile driver. No wonder the squirrels are taking shelter.
No real knitting progress to report -- a few more rows on the hat and bag and the pile of rejected "Dave sock" is still sitting in a corner waiting to be rescued by the Lucy Neatby socks book, due to arrive later today.
Enjoy the day!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Missing Them
On the personal knitting front, I am booking on Sis's hat and am still on target to finish it by the weekend. The sock has been ripped and restarted twice and will be ripped and restarted again once I get the book I ordered today. The yarn is screaming to be made in to Mermaid socks but I first had to buy the book with the pattern in it. In the meantime I have started a Booga Bag with the Noro Kureyon that my Sock-ret pal gave me.
So much for my pledge of keeping new projects to a minimum.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Goals Achieved
The Muppet Fur hat is finished.Squidette's scarf is ready for wearing. (My own handspun done in Mistake Rib, one of my fave scarf stitches even before Cookie made it hip.)
and the school blanket is now in 5 panels instead of lots of little blocks.
Little Sis's hat is now on the needles and a new pair of socks has also been started using my lone skein of Cabin Cove for the Dave-along.
And, my nails are once again pink. Last week I went for prudent over pretty and left them au natural. Exam week wrecks havoc on my hands. Broken nails abound as do paper cuts. My poor hands get washed every hour or so since the tests and the vault are just dirty! With the tests, I think it is partially ink rubbing off as I repackage them right before test time.
My crafting goals this week include finishing Sis's hat and finishing the blanket assembly. I have no delusions regarding the socks.
Thanks to Anne K. for this link. It is way cool and if I used Mike's I-Pod I might have to make it. Hmmm ... maybe for Squidette's Zire?
Time to knit on that hat ... have a great week!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Goal Oriented Weekend
I have finally finished my sister's mittens. Now to pack them up and send them off.
This weekend is all about finishing. Finishing Squidette's scarf. Finishing my third muppet fur hat. Finishing putting the school blanket panels together. Finishing some stuff for work. Finishing the camp search process for Little Squid.
I also hope to start Kid Sister's hat (to match the mittens) and my Shut Up and Knit Your Cabin Cove project.
Today Squidette auditioned for a spot in a free music camp. If she gets in then we have to find 5 weeks worth of camp for Little Squid. We already decided that he will not go back to the same place they have gone the last few summers. They really have no interest in gymnastics or sports so other then the convenience factor (and that is HUGE) there is really no attachment for it. I admit that for several years we have used camp as a way to make sure that the kids spend at least some of the summer interacting with other kids. It was also a way to give mom and dad two weeks of a few hours a day to just be adults and be with each other. The decision is now that if Squidette does not get in to this camp, then we are dispensing with camp for the summer all together. They will spend some time with my folks and we will do some more extensive camping. Last summer they actually made some friends while camping so the "being with other kids" thing is there.
On the Squirrel front ... he sat on my desk again today and then broke in to my next-door-colleague's office. I think Cookie is right and he wants a job. Hey, he should be an inexpensive addition to payroll. After all, he'll work for peanuts.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Saga of the Squirrel: Act 5
The events in this Act occur on the Monday following the previous Act. Said previous act occurred on a Friday so the squirrel, if it was there to begin with, had my office to himself for the entire weekend.
And so ends the Saga of the Squirrel ... for now.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
More Thanks and Bits and Pieces
And the needles? Half gone by the end of the day. The Boss and I were trying to figure out the tremendous interest in it this year and the best I can come up with is the two-year almost hiatus and the "Breck" factor. Remember the old commercial? "I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on and so on and so on ..." That's what it is like! Thank you so much, KnittyOtter!!!
In other news, I have joined the Cabin Cove Knit along and will finally knit the lone skein that I have. Come join us and show off how nicely your Cabin Cove yarn knits up.
While I am plugging bloggers who sell things ... my cousin is now blogging as well as selling vintage sewing patterns. Go say hi and tell her Mama Squid sent you. (Yes, I have a lot of family members who blog. Cousin Elana does a business blog, Cousin Robert does a medical blog, kid brother Josh blogs for the NCAA and now this. It is only a matter of time before my wonderfully wordy father gets in to the business.)
And to prove that this is still a knitting blog ...for my kid sister. They are actually almost done, just the thumb is left on the left mitten. If I stop blogging I should be able to finish it tonight, block them tomorrow (to get rid of the horrid squishyness) and pop them in the mail this weekend. The hat will follow a week or so later. First I have to finish Squidette's scarf now that winter is actually here.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Saga of the Squirrel: Act 4
When we last encountered our squirrel it had been sighted in my office and was not witnessed leaving. I spent the entire day working in the office with no sense that I was being watched ...
Saga of the Squirrel: Act 4
Apparently when my colleague entered my office to make a copy, he had encountered a jumping, spitting, furious squirrel and had paged for the custodian-on-duty but the
C.O.D had not appeared by the time my colleague had to leave. My office was left closed up over night. In the a.m., my colleague, the head Custodian and one of his assistants had carefully examined my office without uncovering the squirrel. They opened the window and left the office closed up.
I decided to leave it alone for a while -- after all, the squired had holed up for 6
hours the day before -- and patrolled the building for a while. After an hour or so I
returned to my office to find everything was the same. One of the custodial
staff was there and he carefully examined everything again and said to call him
if we saw or heard it.
For the remainder of the day I worked in my office, with the 12 degree breeze blowing across my keyboard -- tempered by the 90 degree radiations from my radiator so it
wasn't too bad. Muddy footprints were all over the office and I periodically discovered some hidden squirrel poop on my papers and window sill. The furry intruder did not show his face leaving most to conclude that he had departed. Not being quite as confident, I once again left the baited trap under my desk and, at the end of the day, left for the weekend.
For those non-believers, this photo was snapped from my desk this Friday.
Friday, January 19, 2007
New York, New York Anyone?
Is there anyplace in NYC you want to see from a Squidly perspective? Somewhere you really want to go, virtually? Leave a comment and we will try to accommodate. Note that Manhattan locales will probably get covered more quickly then those in the outer boroughs but everything is fair game as long as it is legal.
Already in the planning and research stages (yes, I am actually starting to research this stuff):
Tin Pan Alley
Fort Totten
Fort Tryon
Chelsea Market and
The High Line
Drop a line and let us know where you want to go!
What we saw out the back window as we left the building this morning. Huh?! The kids went out by the back door while we stayed in and walked the first block indoors. The expression on Squidette's face when she saw the lack of snow was priceless.
We found some snow to frolic in for a few minutes.
??? It sure looks like snow to me.This device cuts open streets. Check out the warning sign pasted to it.
Goodies!
And for your amusement I give you:Big Mommy, Little Mommy. (Said in a sing-song voice)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Teens Knitting: Blanket 2
The first blanket stayed in my office for two weeks longer than I anticipated but it turned out to be a good thing. I was able to refer to the various blocks when describing techniques to the kids. It will be going to its new home, a home bound senior, tomorrow.
The club will officially be on hiatus for the next two weeks during the Regents and Reorganization periods but I cannot wait for the new term to begin. This has been the most exciting year with regards to the knitters!
Anyone wanting to donate materials to our cause can send them to:
MCSM Knitters / Devorah Zamansky
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics High School
280 Pleasant Avenue
New York, NY 10029
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Munch, Munch and a Pillow
Today I published my 23rd Regents Exam proctoring schedule. With the schedule comes three immutable laws:
The first law of proctoring schedules states that five minutes after the schedule is printed a teacher will approach me with a special request that causes me to change it. (I am far to nice to refuse a polite request.)
The second law states that very few people will read the memo on the other side of their schedule resulting in no end of questions about where they are supposed to be and how they are supposed to behave. (I will rarely point this out unless I am at the end of my rope.)
The third law states that no matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone. (This does not stop me from trying.)
This leads to a very important lesson -- watch what you say while in labor. 11.5 years ago I uttered the fatal words to my supervisor as she drove me home. (I was, at the time, in labor and was obtuse enough to not realize it.) "I hear the Test Coordinator position is opening up. I want to apply." That was it. When I returned in September I was given the position and have done it ever since. Beware of what you wish for ... you may get it!
That said ... I am so protective of the job that I have tried to give it up and can't. I cannot bear to see someone else go through the hard fought learning curve.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Ghandi, King and Kids
I know that it is Martin Luther King Jr. day but yesterday we did a spot of geocaching and discovered the Ghandi statue in Union Square Park. Both King and Ghandi used the same principles of passive resistance to make the world a better place. I honestly believe that words are much more powerful then guns and actions speak louder then words.
As we walked through Manhattan today I reflected on how children become miniatures of their parents as the mimic our actions. If we always cross with the light then they will do so. If we jaywalk then they will think it is just fine to jaywalk. They cannot learn everything, however, by passive absorption. Sometimes we need to step in and explain why things are done and how they affect our world. This weekend involved Ghandi, robot building and pillow top piecing. Without explicit instruction in all three, our kids would not understand any of it. The instruction may have come via books, in the case of the piecing, or through one on one instruction as in the robot making. Sometimes a profound discussion must occur as in the case of Ghandi. When I discussed him with Little Squid he understood and made the connection to King. Raising kids is a tricky business. You always hope you catch the holes in their education and provide them with necessary and valuable information. Today was one of those days when we saw some holes and plugged them.
Chelsea Market which used to house NBC. Nope, not that NBC but rather the NBC that later became NaBisCo -- the National Biscuit Company. Yes, this was where Oreos were made. One day I'll take you inside and show you the railway spur on the second story of the building. It is a part of the High Line and I hope they open it to the public when the High Line is opened as a park.
and the White Horse Tavern. White Horse is best known as the place where Dylan Thomas collapsed after drinking far too much. He died shortly afterwards just a few blocks further uptown at St. Vincent's Hospital. The White Horse was known for the literary types that it attracted during the 50s, including Norman Mailer and Jack Kerouac.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Stay-at-home Saturday
And proof that she can no longer be used as a tool for getting cans off the top shelf with our risk of concussion. Papa Squid may have to start using the step ladder.
New on the needles ... mittens for the youngest sibling and another fun fur hat.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Thoughts on Language
Working in a high school can either numb you to the presence of a certain group of words (all starting with F) or get you angry that these kids can't be more creative. Why not, instead of calling someone a "bad" name, use a variation on those great ethnic curses. "So and So isn't fit to clean up after my camel!" "That piece of lace looks like it was used as a washrag for my pet walrus."
Can we start a movement here? If you stumble on a post where "common" language is used, leave an affirmative comment such as "you are so right, that son of a turtle herder isn't fit to clean your cookie jar." Or "I bet with some blocking that sweater will no longer look like the bottom of an orangutan."
Anyone with me?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Squirrel on the Prowl
When a lone squirrel on the window ledge was brought to my attention I scoffed at it and went back to work. After all, the squirrels are quite capable of climbing the brickwork of our school. Surely it could find its way down.
Half an hour later I was roused from my work by cries of alarm from next door. Somehow, the squirrel had entered the office through the closed windows and was prowling around the office looking for a way out. It jumped to the floor, wandered under my friends desk and conference table and looked like it wanted to cross to my office and the yarn stash. Gasp!
I took action, stepping in to the infested office, garbage can in hand. I closed the door behind me while the window was opened by another occupant of the room. As I slowly moved in the direction of the squirrel it thought better of its actions and found the exit. Phew!
Personally, I think it was looking for some cardboard on which to build the house it is designing with the wood taken from my window frame and the glue that was subsequently snatched. Yesterday, it, or one of its brethren, entered the Main Office and poked around for a bit before leaving, empty pawed.
Tomorrow should be interesting. When I left work, the contractors were hard at work removing my old, wood-framed window from its opening. When I return in the morning, I will find a brand new, metal framed window in its place. No more staring at squirrel gnawed wood. What are the poor squirrels going to do for amusement? What am I going to do with no squirrels to watch? Oh wait, I know! Work!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Squirrels like glue?
The squirrel was seen to enter my office and scamper across my desk. As my secretary made to close the doors so that he would not get in to the rest of the building, she saw him ignore the bag of M&Ms, pick up the glue stick, turn around and leave the same way he came in. He was then seen, outside on the scaffolding, using his mouth to try to get the cover off of the glue stick.
My secretary swears this is true and has another staff member as a witness. She was surprised that he did not even mess up my papers. If you have ever seen my desk you would know that this was a kind of odd comment. How would anyone know if he messed up my papers given the state that they are usually in? We all have our moments.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Fun Fur any one?
Thanks to Pooch for the box of yarn and needles that arrived today! You guys are great!
Quickie ...
I started preparing a rant on how these exams are used but I may never post it. Simply put, as both a parent and an educator I understand why the exams are given, I just object to how long it takes to get the results (9 months for last year's exams) and how the results are used (middle and high school admissions over a year later in the case of the 4th and 7th grade exams). Using results that are over a year old for the purpose of deciding where a kid can go to school seems very wrong to me.
Off to stick a little something extra in Little Squid's lunch box ...