Crazy Cat Lady

My kid sister called earlier to ask for some cooking advice. Since it was a simple matter, I was able to answer her with authority. My husband, however, on overhearing the conversation, commented: "she called you for cooking advice?"

At which point Squidette decided to rehearse for Halloween and pelted her father with stuffed cats.


On the coffee table, if you care, is a piece of Papa Squid's Halloween costume and my flower basket shawl. In the purple bottle is my "contact bug killer" aka 91% rubbing alcohol. The small blue bottle holds Squidette's current shade of nail polish. She and I are going to do orange and black nails for Halloween.

Building Blocks

Shortly after I started teaching, the powers that be announced that a mall would be going up across the street from our school. That was over 12 years ago.

This is the garage. Look at this thing. They haul in the pre-cast concrete pieces on huge trucks and add a few of them each day. Yesterday I saw one of the corner pieces on a truck. Backing up. And honking at me to get out of the way. Glup!

I am amazed at how this building is going together like a giant puzzle. Look at the corner and how the size pieces interlock. Amazing.

We will forget about the huge amounts of noise that the construction site generates -- less now that the pile driving is done. When it is done there will be a Home Depot, a Target and other, as yet unnamed stores. They will also be responsible for restoring some stuff on our side of the street as they were supposed to be done before our construction was done and now they are slated to be done well after our contractors are gone. Their part includes replacing some trees that were lost to their cranes and such and other stuff that I just do not remember right now. Maybe replacing our sidewalk but I could be wrong.

Should be interesting.

Still Here

I haven't really disappeared -- it just seemed like that. Our router totally flaked out and when I could get on, it was only for a few minutes at a time. I was able to comment on some blogs but got thrown off by the router when I tried to comment to Dave on Wednesday. (Think there was a message in that?)

Knitting has been happening. Socks for Little Squid are almost done and new socks for Papa Squid are started. I had to attend a middle school application orientation meeting last night and didn't want to keep measuring Little's socks so I cast on for Papa's socks. I was, actually, very respectful for most of the meeting and only took out my knitting when the questions started. Finished the toe and started the foot of the first sock. The yarn for Papa's new socks was purchased as roving last year at Rhinebeck. I'd like to have them done for this year but that will only happen if I make them my sole project for the week. And then ... maybe not. Mike has size 11, extra wide, feet. Instead, I will concentrate on my Flower Basket Shawl, which also will probably not be done in time for Rhinebeck. So, the only new woolens worn by the Squid family will be Squidette's orange socks.

Speaking of Rhinebeck, I have spoken to my Aunt and to my children and decided that I am only going up on Sunday. Little Squid has been given the option for skipping Hebrew School but he wants perfect attendance, so it will be just me and Squidette this year.

Bopping Around Brooklyn

Each time we set out now, it is with the knowledge that this may be the last ride of the season. With Squidette starting band on Saturdays and Little Squid in religious school on Sundays, there will not be much time. Maybe, just maybe we will get in some paired rides -- Mama and Little / Papa and Squidette or visa versa. Time will tell.

Today, however, it was all four of us heading back to Brooklyn for a "not insignificant" ride, to quote Papa Squid.

We started out by making our way to the Williamsburg Bridge and crossing it, this time without tears. (Last time, a smoke condition stung my eyes so badly that I was in tears for half of the bridge.)

Wending our way along the waterfront, we finally wound into Red Hook and secured some sustenance at the Brooklyn Fairway and had a lovely snack on the waterfront behind the converted warehouse that houses it. View from Fairway
Right behind it we found three old trolley cars on a bit of preserved track. One of the cars is obviously being refurbished. I hope that these spell the start of a totally renovated Brooklyn waterfront. It could be so nice.
Also on view were Ellis Island (squint really hard and look a bit to the left)
and the Statue of Liberty in full frontal view.
(She's that white looking thing in the center of the frame. Yes, I was zoomed to the max.)


These bricks are all along the preserved trolley tracks. I found them fascinating.
Red Hook warehouse.
Remains of a warehouse.
Remains of a loading station adjacent to the remains of a warehouse.

And then we found our way back to Manhattan, via the Manhattan Bridge and on into Chinatown. This time I had my camera on my bike and periodically pressed the button without aiming and looking like a tourist.
It is these shots that I feel give the best taste of Chinatown without showing the crowds.
Unfortunately our favorite frozen dumpling place was closed again and I think it may have moved. There was a sign on the front but it was in Chinese and I did not understand it.

Total mileage for a "not-insignificant" ride": 21.1 miles. This, by the way, bums out the kids as they can no longer view 20 miles as a long ride.

Holiday?

Today is a day off for all Squid -- as well as all teachers and students in NYC. Much of the rest of the adult population, however, is working and scrambling for childcare. Don't hate us. Please!

Personally, I hate Election Day and feel that the rest of the NYC parent population should feel the same. It is like Columbus Day, in that most people work but the kids have off from school but with one major difference. The teachers are also working. Adding their kids to the mix of childcareless kids. And taking a day off on a staff development day is viewed poorly by the administration. Even when the administration has the same problem.

Blah!

Exploring

It is a lovely, unseasonably warm weekend here in the Big Apple so what are Squid to do? Go for a bike ride, of course!

The Squidlings wanted a "lame-o" ride, so we mapped out a path that would take us down the new piece of 9th Avenue bike lane, over to the green market and then back via Chocolate Haven, the Birdbath and the Lilac.

Setting out, we took a different route then the "same-old, same-old" and found ourselves giving the kids a history lesson on the corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street. St. Marks Church, seen above, is built on the site of Peter Stuyvesant's farm. It does, in fact, rest where Stuyvesant's private chapel used to sit. Stuyvesant, himself, rests in a vault below the church. For those of you who do not immerse yourselves in New York City history, Stuyvesant was the first Governor of New York or, rather, New Amsterdam as it was then known. Old Pegleg ruled with an iron fist and a wooden, silver studded, leg. My alma mater is named after the Governor and, amusingly, all the teams are supposed to be called "The Peglegs." Since, for many years, the name reflected the skill of the football team, the athletic department decided to allow the teams to name themselves whatever they pleased. Hence the Penguins swim and the Untouchables fence and many of the team are now tops in their leagues.

Across the street is the former site of the Second Avenue Deli. During the "summer of love" (1986 if you care), Mike took me there for some of our many dates. Mushroom barley soup and tongue sandwiches. Yum!
Still remaining is the Yiddish Walk of Fame. The founder of the deli, Abe Lebewohl, created this walk to honor the stars of Yiddish Theater, an institution that still exists in New York.

At this point, Mike was able to persuade the kids to extend our ride into Brooklyn with a trip over the Williamsburg Bridge.
On the other side there is a monument to Valley Forge but we did not get close enough to confirm that the figure in the saddle was George Washington.
Slipping under the bridge to the other side, we came upon Peter Luger's, the famed New York steak house, home to many wonderful meals with my mother-in-law. Just thinking about them make me want to go there for lunch on Monday.
And across the street is one of the branches of the former Williamsburg Bank. This is not the famous Williamsburg Bank building but rather a "lowly" branch.
Heading toward the waterfront and the Manhattan Bridge, we took in some lovely sights.


And then stumbled upon the Sweet 'N Low factory, across from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

As we pedaled past the Navy Yard I gave Little Squid a quick history lesson and we discussed what life was like during World War II. I am on a little bit of a WWII history jag right now as I watch The War on PBS.

History lesson over, we continued on over the Manhattan Bridge (to avoid the crowds of the Brooklyn Bridge), and rode around Chinatown for a bit looking for my favorite frozen dumpling place. I wanted to stock up on the sticky rice in leaves things (yea, I don't know the proper name) but they were closed. Squidette saw one of her friends from school at about the time that I was about to say "hey, see any of your friends around?" She has a fair number of friends who live in Chinatown. My kid travels in a multicultural crowd.

No, there are no pictures of Chinatown. For some reason I feel odd taking pictures there, like I am saying "look at the funny stuff here," and I don't want to do that. I find Chinatown to be a great part of NY and one day I will take some pictures but I need to be able to do so in a respectful way.

That said, we then continued on uptown where we got some chocolate and toured the Lilac.

The Lilac was a lighthouse tender, providing service and supplies to the lighthouses on its route.
The engine room. She still has her original steam engines.
Crew bunks.
The original propellers.
Um ... I have no idea but they look like they were to pull things up.



From the Lilacs pier (Pier 40), there was a lovely view of the Lakawana Railroad terminal which also serves as a ferry slip. When Papa Squid and I circumnavigated the Hudson last summer, we took the ferry back from here.
More views of New Jersey.


And a couple of New York.
Heading back down the pier, we gazed at the paddle wheel boats in dock. These go out on pleasure cruises as party boats.

Notice the lack of paddles on the bottom of this wheel.

To finish up our ride, we stopped at the Birdbath for pastries and such and then, for the sake of syncronisity, stopped at Lilac chocolate for just a small treat.
Today? All about errands.

Oh the Agony!

Two days ago Squidette was invited to join the borough-wide band. This morning we realized that since the band meets on Saturday morning and Hebrew school meets on Sunday morning, both kids will not be able to join me for Rhinebeck. I was planning on going on Saturday, and since my Aunt is coming down from Massachusetts, I kind of have to be there that day.

The answer? Go both days of course! Now to find someone to share the driving since Mike will not be able to go either day. Ideally, someone to provide a ride for me and a Squidling one day and I will provide transit the other day. I have a mini van ... lots of storage room for goodies ... I am working on a good friend right now.

Oh, and I am both a player and a Square for Saturday blogger bingo.

Teens Knitting: Let There be Men Man

Yes, the first boy joined us this week and took off like a shot! He already knew how to crochet so knitting came quickly. I got him casting on and then one of the young ladies got him knitting while I dealt with other school matters. He, in turn, got the young lady crocheting. Love it!

Our young man was the only newbie this week but one of my seniors stopped by earlier in the day to drop off some squares for the school blankie and also dropped off two triangles. She showed where she had accidentally learned how to make a ruffle -- and quite a nice ruffle it is. I suggested that she make a matching piece and sew them together for a Barbie dress. Another student stopped by and moaned when she saw the new squares. She was hoping to be the first to give in squares this year!

And there you have it. This week's edition of Teens Knitting. There may not be an edition next week as I have to cancel club in order to be at a function for the other group I run.

A Cautionary Tale

It all started because I am a nice mommy.

My kids wanted to ring in the New Year and weren't buying our line that, at 8 PM it was already midnight somewhere in the world. So I promised to wake them up and we all trouped off to bed.

This was the year that Squidette had chosen the "union"* frames for her glasses. That will never happen again.

After snuggling Papa Squid to sleep, I reemerged around 10 PM and knit quietly until 11:45 PM. Then I started the process of waking the kids. First up was Little Squid who is difficult to wake. I partially roused him and then went into Squidette's room. She woke with a start, knocking her glasses to the floor. While she crawled around, finding them, I finished waking Little Squid and we all met in the darkened living room. Squidette was holding the pieces of her glasses. The knock to the floor had cracked open a superglue frame fix and the lens had popped out. Again.

Did I mention that these were the union frames? Only 6 weeks or so after she got them, the screw on one frame corner had decided to stop holding the wire frame together. We were traveling at the time and my Uncle had repaired them with superglue holding the screw and frame into place. Since the superglue fix had held quite well, I'd never gotten around to getting them properly repaired.

Back to New Year's Eve.

We snuggled under a blanket on the couch and watched television coverage of the ball falling. Squidette squinted at the screen. We hugged, kissed, and opened the window to hear the echos of the crowd in Times Square. Then the kids returned to sleep and I went for the superglue to fix the broken glasses ...

Retrieving a brand new tube of superglue, I carefully used the cap to pierce the foil covering and returned the applicator to the tube. The cap was carefully set aside where the residual glue on it could dry without dripping on anything.

Glue was carefully applied to the glasses and, for good measure, I had put some around the rim to hold the lens to the frame in case the screw joint gave way again.

I then held the whole thing together, being very careful to avoid getting glue on my fingers. At some point, I decided that it would be a good idea to close up the tube of superglue. So, with my free hand, I reached for the cap and stuck it into my mouth to hold.

Do you see where this is going?

As I grabbed the tube to push into the cap, I stuck my tongue against the top for extra leverage and encountered ... you guessed it ... the still wet superglue in the cap top from piercing the foil. Quickly, I removed the tube and cap from my mouth and set it down on the table but the damage was done. I had superglue on the tip of my tongue and, now on my fingers as well. D'oh!

Keeping my tongue stuck out of my mouth, I started working on peeling the glue off my tongue. As I recall, it came off with only a moderate amount of effort and left no damage behind. I can only assume that the ever present coating of saliva prevented a more permanent bonding.

Nail polish remover was quietly retrieved from the bathroom and I worked for quite a while at removing the superglue from my fingers and, of course, the lenses of the glasses I had been repairing. Sometime around 1 a.m. I finally fell into bed with most of the superglue removed from my person.

The glasses? They looked just fine and the repair held until the next pair was purchased 4 months later.

The moral to this story? Never use superglue after midnight!

*Union Frames: those frames totally covered by our optical insurance. Generally kept in a dusty box in the basement of the opticians and consisting of frames that are 10 years or so out of date. (O.K., I am exaggerating somewhat. The pickings have gotten a little better since Mike was a kid. Squidette's glasses were quite in vogue at the time.)

Cut to the Chase

This morning ...


This evening ...
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Pathetic

I am typing this post sans glasses, which, for those of you who know me in person, means that my face is about 10 inches (or less) from the screen and the text is magnified big time.

Today, you see, has been "a day." Not a horrible day. No one died, no blood was shed but lots of stupid, annoying things happened.

It started with my glasses.

While getting into the shower this morning, I managed to whack my glasses off the sink, on to the floor. I glanced at them and they seemed fine, initially. Then the kids and I headed out the door and I kept fussing with my glasses, trying to get rid of the "hair" that was resting on my nose and bothering me. Glasses came off, face was wiped, glasses returned. Same problem. Nothing visual, it just felt like a single hair was resting on my nose. Finally, after driving a mile or so, we stopped at a light and I took a look at my glasses. And realized that one of the nose pieces was missing. Blah. Not horrible, just annoying.

The day continued in that vein. Got stuck behind a garbage truck for 15 minutes when I was detoured off of my usual route by construction. Was delayed by other construction after dropping off the kids. Found a nail in my, flat, tire. All bothersome but not horrible.

Came home, had a nice dinner with my family and searched the bathroom for the glasses nose piece, initially to no avail. On the second search, however, success! Out came the super glue, taking great care not to repeat my last debacle with the stuff. (Ask, it will give me blog fodder for tomorrow!) And I ever so carefully positioned the nose piece in the nose piece holder on my glasses. The spectacles were then gently set aside to dry while I read blogs with the text magnified so that I could see about 2 words per line.

After a few minutes I went to retrieve said glasses and discovered this.

Look closely at the positions of the nose pieces. Note the one pointing toward my eye not my nose. And this is why this post started out with me perching inches from the screen as Papa Squid and Squidette removed the misglued piece and reglued it into place. I am now, once again, properly bespectacled and ready to throw in the towel for the day. Or maybe knit ...