The Delaney Card

This evening's conversation turned to the subject of middle school contact cards, with Squidette whining about having to fill out one for every class. At some point in her diatribe I interrupted and asked if any of her teachers used Delaney Cards. "What is a Delaney Card," she queried. At this point I waxed poetic about the magnificence of the Delaney Card.

Delaney Cards are the wonderful invention of Edward C. Delaney. They are beloved by teachers and hated by students who seem to think they can lead to impersonality on behalf of their instructors. When I called three of my siblings, one commented that "only the loser teachers who couldn't bother to learn our names used Delaney Cards." Another felt much the same way but backed off a bit when I expressed my view on learning student names. The third mentioned that he had just been thinking about them, nostalgically, as he took his son on a tour of his new middle school.

Delaney Cards can be used for a whole variety of tasks. The first and foremost role of the Delaney Card (click on the first link for a picture of said card) is for seating and attendance. The cards fit neatly into slots on pages that fit easily into either a standard Delaney Book or a plain old looseleaf binder. Personally I preferred a binder since the Delaney books tend to lose their covers after only a year or so and the binder had more room for other stuff. T

he kids fill out the cards, following either the designations on the cards or the teacher's altered instructions and the teacher places the cards in the slots according to where the kids are sitting in the room. Now I admit, this works best if the room is arranged in old fashioned rows -- something that is currently frowned upon.

For attendance purposes, the teacher glances at the room and, if a student is missing from their seat, flips the card from black side to red side and makes a notation on the date in question. Different marks mean different things. a "/" means absent. When the kid brings in a note you then cross the mark and make it an "x" for excused. No note, no "X." A circle indicates a lateness and a "C" indicates a cut -- thats for the kid you saw in the hallway later in the day. At the end of the day you glance at all the red cards and bubble in the absences on the machine scanable attendance forms. No calling of student names unless you want to (a good back up for the first few days when you really don't know the names) and attendance is quick and painless.

The front of the card can be used to note grades or participation marks or discipline marks or anything you want. A former colleague used to keep all of his grades on the Delaney Card. No messing with a grade book for him. Everything was there in tiny, very legible handwriting.

In my own case, I used them for attendance and for participation grades. After a week or two, when I had finally memorized the names of the kids -- made easier by constantly referring to the Delaney book instead of having to keep asking the kids for their names -- I would take the cards out of the book and shuffle them around for use in organizing groups or randomly calling kids for questions. It was always a test of my memory to see if I could then put them back in the book correctly.

I love Delaney Cards and always make sure that our school is well stocked with them. In my humble opinion, Delaney Cards are the glue that keeps New York City schools together. If I ever get back into the class room, the first thing I will do is grab a big ol' stack of Delaney Cards.

Stash Smackdown

Or maybe use down? In January I started keeping track of all of the yarn that came in to and left my apartment. The goal was to achieve at least a steady state in regards to numbers of yarn "units" (balls, skeins, hanks etc.) in the apartment. Unspun fiber does not count until it is spun, plied, skeined, washed and dried -- then it counts as "fiber in."

On the way home from Indiana I hit a steady state after months of the "ins" outnumbering the "outs." Then my friend came back from China and gave me three skeins of silk. Then I finished plying some yarn that had been sitting on a bobbin for far too long. All of a sudden I had a positive balance again and all I was knitting was cobweb lace. Not a huge yarn user.

Thinking fast, I grabbed needles, worsted weight yarn and cast on for another baby surprise. One ball down and I am back at steady state and approaching negative balance. I even went into Knitty City, bought 3 balls of yarn and promptly mailed them off to my sister-in-law. That's right, nothing for me!

My plan now is to finish the baby surprise and then return to the lace shawl until I finish plying up the lace weight alpaca and wind up in a positive balance again. Then I will cast on another worsted weight project ... and you get the idea.

What do you think? Can I end the year with a negative balance? Even with Rhinebeck looming?

600 Miles!

Yes, we did it. The kids bought the need to get to 600 and Squidette mapped out an interesting route. She was promptly vetoed by the males who felt no need to explore today in favor of a "same old" ride.

So, up to Little Red it was and back down, stopping at Fairway to pick up some provisions.

Little Red Lighthouse

Then, a small blip in the "same old" as we rode east to a street fair on Lexington Avenue in search of a birthday present for Little Squid.

Deserted 46th Street

A street fair lunch for the kids, success in the shopping and then downtown on a practically deserted Lexington Avenue. Kind of spooky, actually. Lex is usually "wall to wall" cars. Personally, I hate it. I hate to drive it. I hate to ride a bus on it. I hate to walk on it. I find it to be one of the narrowest avenues and it makes me somewhat claustrophobic.

Total ride: 19.5 miles. See the route here.

Empty Lexington Avenue

Frankly, I have to admit that much of Manhattan makes me claustrophobic these days. Yesterday, the kids and I walked up to Times Square, stopping in B & H along the way. B & H was wall to wall people. We got out of there as quickly as we could. Then we went to Toy's R Us and found a similar situation. The Swatch store was mostly empty but everything else ... phew! After Swatch I remembered about the Little Brazil street fair and, in search of Little Squid's birthday present, proposed we walk another block to get to it. Bad idea. It was so tightly packed at the intersection we came in on that we turned around and went home. Eek! Too many people! And too many drunk people!

Tomorrow, back to school.

Sorry All

I know I've been quiet this week. Readjusting to a work schedule is never easy and I come home, vent to Mike and pretty much call it a day. This week included some additional child movements in order to deal with the two days that both Mike and I were at work but where the kids were not yet in school.

Kristen asked if we have time to ride in the evenings and sadly the answer is no. Early in the school year I tend to come home on the later side as my list of tasks is longer then the school day is. By the time I can start working a "contractual day" it is already starting to get dark by the time I get home. We make up for it with longer rides on the weekends when possible.

I have to admit that Mike and I are a bit driven about numbers right now. Last weekend we did that 38 mile ride and then looked at each other and the kids and said "only a few more miles to 55o, come on" and persuded them to ride again. Last night we did the same thing "hey, only 18 more miles for 600. We can do it with a ride to Little Red and then back to chocolate ..." We'll see if they go for it. I'm hoping so since we are out of chocolate and I have packages to get in the mail.

Meanwhile, some images from Saturday.

Back to school shopping for Mama (the blazers are red linen, navy wool and a shiny bright olive silk.) The "Fashion Avenue" information kiosk.
My favorite "billboard." Notice the scaffolding just below her nose.
And some happy mailboxes we found on 5th Avenue.

Squid on Wheels -- Jamaica Bay

This morning we took off to explore the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

Not being totally sadistic parents, we drove first to Floyd Bennett Field where we parked the car and unfolded the bikes. Then, we circumnavigated Jamaica Bay and, having cycled only 22 miles, explored Floyd Bennett Field where we saw some radio-controlled airplanes and cars being guided around the wide open spaces. Floyd Bennett field was the first municipal airport in New York City and was, in its time, a very modern field.

Over the 28 miles, we crossed 8 bridges and rode in two boroughs. We rode along the waters of Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and across old airplane landing strips and helicopter landing pads. Our tires crossed paths strewn with crushed sea shells (perhaps dropped there by seagulls trying to get the meat out?) and miles and miles of asphalt. We saw the spic and span houses of Howard Beach and the more rundown ones of Rockaway Beach. All in all, a very nice ride.

Had a whale of a good time on Rockaway Beach!Yes, we surf in NYC!Reentering Brooklyn. Anyone not get the reference?
Leaving Brooklyn. Had to explain this one to both kids.
A training tower?
The Concorde at Floyd Bennett Field -- on loan from the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space MuseumJamaica Bay from Floyd Bennett Field

If you wish to see our route (approximately) go here. You will notice that part of our ride was not on road per se. It was actually on the old landing strips of the air field. Yes, it was rather cool to ride on an airstrip. Google pedometer is measuring it at 26.4 miles. Our GPS's and bike computers measured it at an even 28 miles. I probably left out some of our meanderings as I translated it into the pedometer. For more photos go here and here.

Squid Awake

I've got back to school jitters tonight. Interesting since I returned to work on Monday but the teachers come back tomorrow so that is probably the source of my insomnia.

There is an addendum to yesterday's post -- the 2:30 a.m. mass at St. Andrew's Church (RC) was called the Printer's Mass because it was held after the newspapers finished printing for the night. The printers were then able to attend mass before heading home from work. St. Andrew's also held a noon mass (I do not know if this is common now but apparently it wasn't back then). The noon mass was to accommodate the working people on their lunch break and was apparently very popular.

One last note before I try to knit myself into a state where I can sleep -- the contest closes at the end of the day on Friday, August 31. Get your entries in while you can! Yes, this does leave you guessing as to what we will do on the upcoming long weekend. Deal with it.

Papa Squid, Squidette and one of the many Uncle Squid. Notice how grown up Squidette has become. Sniff.

Squid on Feet -- Part 2

Nothing interesting to report today except that Papa and the Squidlings enjoyed their trip to the newly renovated Liberty Science Center. Instead you get a tour of Lower Manhattan that we took last week when we had a sudden craving for dim sum for lunch.

Our tour starts as we exit the subway at City Hall and wind our way to the surface via the Municipal Building.

Many of our city's government agencies are located here, including the marriage bureau for those quick "city hall" weddings.
(the ceiling tiles in the arch pictured above)It was impossible for me to get far enough back to get all of this magnificent building into a photo so be sure to click on the link above for more detailed pictures.The sign in the foreground is for Reade Street, the one further back is for Duane Street. Yes New Yorkers, these are the Duane and Reade of the ubiquitous pharmacy. Did you know that on 57th Street and Broadway you get a Duane Reade on both the South East and South West corners? And they do not have the same stock.
Shortly before the civil war, St. Andrew's Church, suffering a downturn in participation, received permission from Rome to hold a 2:30 a.m mass. This was known as the Printer's Mass and served as the catalyst for a renewal of the congregation. Later, St. Andrew's instituted a noon time mass to serve the growing numbers of municipal workers. The building shown above is not the original St. Andrews, that one was torn down to make way for the adjacent Federal Court House. The current structure was erected in 1939.*

The Sugar House was used to hold prisoners during the Revolutionary War. All that is left is some bricks and the barred window.
The Supreme Court of New York.
The Five Points -- one of the most infamous sections of early New York gang activity. Now a public park.
The site of the Collect Pond, originally a font of fresh water, later a contaminated cesspool drained via a canal which was later filled in to become ... you guessed it, Canal Street.
Our favorite billboard. Proof that Dumbo is not on the radar of a certain Mouse.
My only picture from Chinatown. For some reason I decided to turn New Yorker and put away the camera. Lunch was an assortment of dim sum from our favorite dim sum house. Yummy!

Little Italy

The building shown both above and below is a former police station, renovated and now an apartment building.

Some street art.

The original Grace Church across from the NYU dormitory where Mike once lived.

A bank building that is now used for a variety of itinerant commercial purposes. One day last summer it showcased the Ben and Jerry's milkshake in a bottle, this week, Meow Mix cat food.

* Wolfe, Gerard, New York A guide to the Metropolis Walking Tours of Architecture and History, Second Edition, McGraw Hill 1988

Squid On Wheels Contest Reminder

For those of you holding out until the end of the month to enter your guess I give you this: the total will most likely hold steady until after the contest deadline. I go back to work tomorrow and the likelyhood of Papa and the Squidlings riding without me is slim.

Go to this post to lodge your guesses.

Squid On Wheels -- Circumnavigating Manhattan in the Fog

Yesterday we set out in the fog and damp to circumnavigate Manhattan. While we did not get as close to the true perimeter as we might have, it was an interesting journey.

Leaving home before 8 a.m. we quickly rode up the green way along the Hudson River to Fairway to pick up some breakfast.

Provisions obtained we continued through the fog to the George Washington Bridge and the Little Red Lighthouse.
Can you see them up ahead?
No? How about now?
Now?
Is this a little better?
The tiny structure on the left is the Little Red Lighthouse. Yes, it was that foggy. Usually we can see the Bridge from almost every point on the northbound green way. The Lighthouse usually pops in and out of view as the trees permit. Yesterday? We were practically on top of the bridge (or rather, right beneath it) before we saw it. The George Washington Bridge is not a small structure. It was thatfoggy.

Having successfully ridden up the hill below the bridge (parental Squid riding the whole hill, Squidlings, the bottom 3/4 of the hill), we continued uptown, passing the newly reconstructed Riverside Drive retaining wall.

This wall collapsed roughly two years ago, burying cars and closing a lane of the highway. No one was injured.
A different retaining wall further north.
Exiting the green way at Dykeman Street, we turned into Inwood Park in an attempt to stay as close to the river as possible. Following directions from a park worker we quickly found ourselves on hiking trails. Hiking trails that, from the other end, were closed. May I note that both Squidlings performed admirably as they dragged their bikes through the mud and yanked them over tree trunks.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you the greenery of Inwood Park, after we regained the paved pathways.

Our route then took us on a path similar to the one that Mike and I took when we circumnavigated a few weeks ago.
Townhouses in Inwood.
The Big Red Schoolhouse.
Swindlers Cove, where we paused for a breakfast shared with bee type creatures and endured a few bug bites.
Continuing south, we passed Highbridge Tower and pedaled southwards.

Somewhere along the way Mike stopped taking photos until he and Squidette stopped to wait for me and Little Squid. Then he snapped this lovely structure.
The ferry slip for Governor's Island -- site of the famous Squid face-plant (last slip opening to the left).

Our journey home from here was the same old, standard Squid ride with the inclusion of stops for sandwiches (for dinner) and ice cream / frozen hot chocolate (for lunch).

38 miles.