A Day on Squid Mountain

And so our intrepid Squid took to the slopes,
The weather was cold But they knew the ropes.

The Squidlings they went off to camp without stressin’
And Mama and Papa joined up for a lesson.

And ‘lo did the have the same teacher as last
Who assumed that Mama should just have passed.

But with grit and with vigor Mama stuck to her guns
And treated the spectators to two very slow runs.

Down the mountain she came, terrified all the while
Greeted by Papa with a very large smile.

The parents they took to the lodge for some lunch
While the Squidlings enjoyed a late morning brunch.

Then off to the mountain did Squidette then go
And partially up slogged our Little Squid, Oh!

A little bit scared and a little bit frightened,
The Squidlings still ended the day somewhat brightened.

They made themselves proud even though they were scared
And came home to hugs from the people who cared.

And so ends day one of the Squids’ winter journey,
We hope no one returns to New York on a gurney.

Squid in the Snow

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss)

In the land of the Squid
In the time of the Snow
The Squidlings once begged
It is time we did go.

To visit our brethren
To frolic and flee
From the dirt of the City
They said it to me.

And so we departed
Like Squid all a fire
And started our trip
To the mountains of 'Shire.

We drove through the morning
And almost 'til noon
When we thought we would stop
To pick up a spoon.

For food we did need
The poor Squidlings creeled.
And so we did stop,
In the Land of Springfield.

What sights we did see,
The kids they did chertle
To see Papa's sock
Near Yertle the Turtle.

Then 'round the next corner
The Squidlings, they flew
To see the next sight,
Thing One and Thing Two.

Then Little Squid gasped
And laughed with the fun
To see the Who
On the elephant, Horton.

Having seen their brass friends,
The Squid picked up the pace
They kept on driving
As if in a race.

A race to the snow
To the powder so deep
That a Shepard could easily
Lose track of her sheep.

When finally long gone
From the City they'd fled
The Squidlings they finally did,
Climb on a Sled.

Through the snow they did slide
And floundered around
And the Doggies did help them
Get off of the ground.

Then in to the house
They went with all a buzzin'
To have a good time
With their littlest cousin.

More fun in the snow
Will follow this post
But now we must munch
on Hot Chocolate and Toast.

Goals for the Week

We Squid are now enjoying our mid-winter recess. Today was a quiet day as we ran errands and cleared the decks for the rest of the week. My folks came in for some quality visiting time and a private concert by the Squidlings. Tomorrow we get busy! With that said, I have major knitting goals for this week.

I absolutely, positively, must finish this scarf by the end of tomorrow. Got to be able to distinguish my Little Squid in the snow!Next up is this:
What is it? I'm not telling! All I will say is that Papa needs it as a teaching prop by the time school starts up again.

As for these, well they have a chance of being finished but the two projects above will take priority as of tomorrow morning.And Mermaid? She will see plenty of progress when I need to switch to smaller needles. Only half an inch to go before starting the toe decreases!

Other yarns are waiting in the background in case I finish all of these. Any bettors out there? Will I finish all four projects? Will I flake out and start a fifth before any are done? And what about Naomi?

Squidly Office

I had the opportunity the other day to photograph the controlled chaos that is Z's office. It is far more creative and much more interesting then my own office, so I thought I'd share.

Trebuchet

Captain Underpants, Klein Bottle

ChthuluDust Puppy, Egg Kalidescope, Magic 8 Ball

Papa Squid is a unique teacher. If you ever bump into someone who graduated from Stuyvesant High School after 1992, ask them about Mr. Z. You should get some interesting stories.

Feel free to ask questions about the various bits and pieces. Most have interesting stories behind them.

A Walk in the Snow Slush

Today was one of those rare work days when I was not at school at all due to back to back meetings downtown. Since I hate to drive and park in that area, I did what any sane New Yorker would do, I took the subway.

On my way back uptown for another appointment I decided to treat you all to some pictures of "Manhattan, the Day After."Not a pretty sight.

O.k., we do have some beauty ...

Central Park

(Courtesy of my totally flaking and winding up on the wrong train and thus having to walk across town in subfreezing temperatures.)

Wollman Rink (site of my Aunt and Uncle's first date)

The Pan Am MetLife Building (And the really pretty building in front of it)

The Chrysler Building -- my absolute favorite in terms of architecture.

Neat sculpture -- see the snow?
There are more but it is bedtime now. Tune in tomorrow for ... The Kiss!

Eww or Aww?

When I first became the Supervisor of Physical Education (don't all laugh now) I imposed on the person of the same title at Papa's school. She invited me downtown for a day of instruction in the fine points of observing P.E. teachers. At the time, my youngest sibling was a senior in said school and each period that I was there, she hunted me down and found me. And called me old.

Being the mature elder sibling, I took revenge in the only way possible. Remembering a complaint from Sis the younger regarding all of the people who made out in front of her locker, I corralled Papa Squid and ... made out in front of her locker.Her reaction? Ewww! Why? Because her teacher/brother-in-law and her sister were kissing? Because we did a dip thing while kissing? Because there was full mouth contact involved? Nope. Because we were old!

Recently I found myself back at Papa Squid's school for a meeting. (The city holds lots of meeting there because they have both space and technological capacity.) During a break in the proceedings I wandered up to his classroom and kissed him in full view of his students. The reaction ... Awww! He then introduced me as the knitter of his socks and pulled up his pants to show off Bender and Zoidberg.

Not-so Cold Squid

Turns out I over dressed. This morning I donned silk long-johns (tops and bottoms), silk sock liners, wool pants, wool socks and an alpaca sweater. This kept me fairly toasty while cleaning the ice off of the car (when supplemented with a heavy jacket, cashmere hat, two scarves, fingerless mitts and alpaca/wool mittens). Once in my office I discovered that things were cool but not overly cold. As long as I was in my office I was actually pretty comfy.

A day at my computer, however, was not what I had planned and while my office was unheated, the rest of the school was not (unheated). After just 20 minutes in the gym I was glowing. Another hour of roaming the building had me doing some decidedly unlady-like sweating. Retreating to the ladies room, I removed the silk and was much cooler for the rest of the day ... until I had to reline to make sure the kids did not toss snowballs at each other during dismissal.

Yes, we finally had some "real" snow if you can call 6 hours of sleet followed by two hours of flurries real snow. It really is not good for making snow balls and was a pain to clean off my windshield before going home.New York City Snow. It isn't pretty. (One of these days I will give you a pristine snow picture. My city can be pretty, before people start driving in it.)
Yesterday I was presented with this:

Squid do not celebrate Valentine's Day. Something to do with all of the people eating calamari on this day. We do, however, attempt to do for others every day and today was no different. I figure that my 15 minutes of nagging teens to put on their hats and mittens was a good deed. That or maybe the few extra minutes I took after dismissal to teach a young man to knit so he could make something for his mom for her birthday. And I share the candy I was given. *g*

And finally, some studious Squid.

Cold Squid

Earlier today a teacher noticed a drip in his classroom. The leak was traced to ... wait for it ... my radiator. When given a choice of no heat or heat and a classroom that has to be evacuated due to "rain" (and the brand new floor being ruined) I always opt for no heat. (Yes, I have had to make the decision before with other people's offices.)

I think wool socks and long underwear are in order for the rest of the week. Correction ... the rest of the winter.

It took over 3 hours for the custodians to disconnect my radiator. It is probably an original and did not want to be retired. The guys started with a normal sized wrench and some WD-40 and progressed to the extra-large wrench and then finally, the saw. The problem preventing the disconnection? A bent nipple. (The link is to hardware and is not obscene.)

This, of course, sent my knitters into fits of uncontrollable giggles.

In other news, the teens in question asked me if the knitting club was the best part of my week and I had to confess that yes, it is. Tomorrow we will have two more muppet hats and today a kid learned to cable. Yes I love these kids!!!

Squid Who Study

As traditionally educated Squid, Papa and I have a fairly low opinion of the math curriculum in the schools that the Squidlings attend. We are of the "drill and kill" school of thought -- the attitude that repetition is necessary to make the basics automatic.

To that end, Papa Squid (by license, a teacher of Mathematics) procured two sets of math books from a well regarded company. Most nights he yells "math books" and the squidlings come out of their rooms and dutifully attend to their math. Tonight a new rule was instituted. Not only do the squidlings have to do their math, but the parental Squid also have to study.

Now Papa Squid is always reading non-fiction and educating himself. I, too, tend toward self-education but my areas tend to be a bit more soft-core, according to himself. Knitting, weaving, and crafts in general were ruled out. A suggestion of "New York City History" was met with laughter. And so this evening I found myself reimmersed in Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. Before you all start telling off Papa Squid you must realize that I do want to read this book but tend to put it aside in favor of pretty much any decent novel. There are several other books on tap that I have intended to read so this daily 20 minute study period will force me to focus for a change. That said, I did manage to prop the book open and knit a bit on Little Squid's scarf while I read. And yes, I did absorb what I was reading and even kept on reading when time was up, until I reached the end of my section.

Now for some serious fair isle knitting!

A Lamb in Wool Clothing

I promised pictures of objects in progress and pictures you shall have. But first some NYC.

one of my favorite billboards. The ad is painted directly on the building and is changed every six months or so. I love seeing the building change to its pre-ad coating of white paint with the outlines slowly emerging as the artists on the scaffold make their way down the building. Guessing what will emerge keeps me interested for the week or so that it takes the new ad to come to life. This one has been up for two or three months now so we should get a new one about summer time.

Then we have Madison Square Garden with One Penn Plaza in the background. I spent many weeks working in One Penn as a temp receptionist/telephone operator. Papa Squid and I made out in front of it while we waited for my train back home in the evening. (Sorry, Daddy) I landed gigs there two summers in a row and it was, I admit, some of the easiest money I ever made.

The first time I worked there was between my freshman and sophomore years in college when I nearly froze my bottom in the computer center for a major insurance company. The switchboard was there temporarily, the phones rarely rang because most people used direct extensions and no one ever came in to our area so I got to spend most of my days studying calculus. With that much time to study, I got an A!The following summer I spent two weeks there studying biochemistry but did not do nearly as well. I did, however, fall madly in love with Papa Squid that very same summer.

Now to the promised knitting ... Serving as model is Lamby, a long time member of the Squid family. I have promised not to reveal which of us she belongs to.
Knit Picks Tulip and Gingham socks for Fair Isle February. This is the second sock, the first finished a long, long time ago. They might even fit Squidette when I am done. (The first was too big the last time we tried it on.)
Mermaid Socks for the Dave-Along. This is only the first but they will be anklets so once I can dedicate myself to them they should go quickly.A scarf to match Little Squid's hat and mittens. You can see why Mermaid is taking a back seat to a cold Squidling.

And just for fun, an elephant.
Dumbo belongs to another Squid and the ear warmer belongs to Squidette. I actually finished the knitting months ago but just hid the ends yesterday.

For those wondering, Squidette did not make it into the music camp she auditioned for. Instead, I think we will forgo camp this summer and travel. We will also finally paint the common rooms.

Some Finished Objects, Some NYC and Mama Squid Cooks

Despite my repeatedly proclaiming that I would finish an old project before starting a new one, I have to admit that I did it again. Presenting a bumblebee hat to match Little Squid's mittens. We even picked up more Lamb's Pride to make a matching scarf.

After finishing the hat, the kids and I headed out to the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design. The exhibits were really wild and we all enjoyed the show.
Then on to visit Pooh and Friends at the Donnell branch of the New York Public Library. Please follow the link, I took a picture and then read the restrictions on such photos so I am not posting it. These are the original stuffed animals that inspired the Pooh tales that we Squid love so very much. Nothing like their Disney counterparts, these are obviously well loved friends and I feel so lucky to have them in my town.

A short walk ...

MOMA

American Folk Art Museum

A little lunch ...

And then Mama cooks dinner ...
And it was edible!

Dave-along and Fair Isle Along updates tomorrow.