Deanna's Ramblings

Paleo Progress Report

2012-01-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsugden/6532176547

I never got around to setting my New Year's resolutions or intentions, so I decided to jump on a 30-day challenge with a neighboring school. I toyed with going vegan for 30 days, but that seemed a little too radical of a shift for me on short notice. Some friends of mine live Paleo or, at least, "practically Paleo." That seemed a lot more do-able for me.

I'm a third of the way through the challenge. I haven't had more than a speck of white flour (if I had some, I don't know about it), dessert, dairy products (an occasional splash of cream here and there), refined sugar or grains for eleven days. That's no Coke at lunch (somehow it had become a daily work habit), no bread products on Saturday or Sunday mornings, no daily dose of Greek yogurt and muesli, no tortillas or chips at the local Mexican restaurant (!!). Yeah, I have moments where I'd kill for a chocolate cookie or Girl Scout cookies (I have a box in the freezer already), but overall, I feel good. My stomach never hurts now and I don't lapse into a food coma after a lunch laden with carbs. Bonus: I've lost four pounds.

To whom it may concern:

2011-11-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am (ambivalent, enthused, vaguely uninterested) about writing this letter of reference for Mr. (X, Y, Z). In the short time that I knew him, he (tried, continued, failed) to impress me with his (wit, charm, table manners). His (intellect, mouth, vocabulary), however, was (sufficient, ample, burgeoning). On (many, several, numerous) occasions, we had a (fun, so-so, entertaining) time (dancing, walking, shopping). However, for the long-term prospective, I had (too many, various, myriad) needs that went unmet.

Kind regards,
Deanna

What if we asked our daters for a letter of reference at the end of a relationship? What if we got to write one to their prospective lady friends?

One liners

2011-11-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. In a word, it was charming. I loved the Major and his tender relationship with Mrs. Ali. The language throughout the novel flows beautifully. I hated that it had to end! For the first time in ages I wrote down one of the lines toward the end that grabbed my attention and articulated something that I felt but didn't know how to express: "He was sure, now, that life could never live up to its anticipatory moments..." So true!

Love thy neighbor?

2011-09-19T21:44:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I don't like a certain set of neighbors. I dislike them for numerous reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

They have pitbulls tethered to trees in their backyard. (I didn't hear one bark today, so maybe they're not there. Ha.)
One summer, while lying in my hammock, I saw a strange car pull in the alley next to my house. Something was just off. Then, I heard, "What are you doing with that gun, ese?" The strange car then sped back out of the alley. Good times.
They have tagged their own fence.
They whistle to summon their homies.
They sell drugs. Fact. (Don't get me started how the Town gets more bent out of shape over the weeds in my yard than the weed they peddle.)
Yesterday I went to my mailbox, which is in front of their house, and I heard, "If I get caught with this, I go to prison." Not jail. Prison. I didn't look to see who said it. I didn't really want to know what "this" was or who the criminal was. No, I didn't call the police because they'd know I called.
And, I just remembered this goodie. I noticed an SUV parked across the street from my house one day. All day. Every now and then people would get out and walk a german shepherd. They looked legit, so I really didn't think twice. Later in the day I saw them head down the alley, guns drawn to enter the neighbor's yard. They were looking for one of the family members who had jumped bond. It was after this incident that the pitbulls showed up.

Plus 0

2011-02-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

Photo credit: lanuiop

I had the good fortune to attend the ArtLab Supper Club recently with my friend Linda and a couple of other friends. You pay $15, get a good meal and listen to artists pitch their ideas that need funded. Then, you vote for the pitches you liked and the big winner gets a bunch of money at the end of the night and the second place winner even gets some dough. But, that's not the purpose of this post. I have lingering guilt from that night.

A woman, probably a good 15-20 years older than I, asked if she could sit in seat between me and the wall. While Linda was getting beverages, this woman and I introduced ourselves and asked if the other had ever been to this even before. We hadn't. Then, our other friends showed up and we spent the next half an hour or so talking about something that had happened near my school. At the time I was cognizant of the fact that our conversation excluded Jackie, the woman on my left. Given the nature of our conversation, it wasn't appropriate to draw her in. Then, even before we got our dinner, I noticed that she had started to fold up her program. She put her coat on, got up and left!

Linda and I talked about this later. She is great about letting me off the hook and looking for the lesson in it for us single girls--don't sit in the corner; don't expect others to draw you into their conversation and so on. But, almost two weeks later I still feel bad about it; I know how hard it is to go to any event alone. I hope that Jackie will go to future fun events and sit somewhere that is conducive to conversation. And, next time I will make a concerted effort to engage with the singleton who braves going to an event without her Plus one.

Candy Canes

2010-12-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

My parents took several home movies throughout my childhood. My brother and I loved watching them on our little projector with our parents. In one of my parents' moves, all of the home movies were lost. No one is sure exactly when they went missing. It bums me out no end. One of the film reels that was in the bag o' movies was one of our visit to our great-grandparents' candy kitchen when I was 9 or 10. In it my great-grandfather showed us how to make candy canes and even let us help.

He started by heating water and sugar in a huge copper kettle. Why do I think there was some cream of tartar in there, too? Watching the sugar morph into a pliable substance was so cool. At some point he poured the candy onto a water-cooled table to cool a bit before throwing it around a hook on the wall several times to stretch it. It seems like he added the mint at this time, too.

Once the candy was the perfect consistency, he cut off the pieces that he wanted to tint. That day we used red for sure. I don't remember using green. He then shaped the white piece (mind you, it was several feet long) into a long rectangle and placed the red lengths of candy on the surfaces of the white. With our white gloves on, he let us help roll and shape it in front of a long heater. (The heater kept the candy from hardening.) He was perplexed because the red kept bleeding onto the white, which was unusual. We rolled the candy out to a diameter of an inch and cut off the lengths that we wanted. We tried to put the crook into it, but it was more difficult than you'd think. We continued rolling out the candy until it was thinner and thinner and made several candy canes of varying lengths and widths.

In general, I do not care for candy canes. I was certainly spoiled by the ones that Granddad made.

(The candy cane in the picture is one of the last ones that he made. He died in 1992.)

2010-08-15T17:58:00.000-06:00

It has been an odd few days of ex-boyfriend encounters of the unexpected kind.

First, I got an email out of the blue from the sister of one of them. We always got along swimmingly, so it was nice to hear from her. I was saddened to hear of the ex-beau's not-so-good health, though.

Yesterday I was wasting time on Facebook and saw a status update from a student who graduated. I was about to click "Like" on a comment that countered what she said when I noticed the name of the commenter. It was the name of the guy I dated and moved to Pittsburgh with in 1992 after I graduated from college. I clicked on the name and it was indeed the same guy. It turns out that his wife is best friends with my student's stepmother. (My family couldn't stand him and gave him the unkind nickname* of "Nerd Bird.")

The other wasn't so unexpected, but, again, on the Facebook** I saw the status update on the latest guy I dated. His job sounds like it's in danger of being cut. That bums me out because he is a great guy. Plus, the guy I dated before him also lost his job. While I know that it's tough times out there, I'm starting to get a complex.

*My brother has names for just about every boyfriend I've had: PattyCakes, Spaz, Sparky and so on.

**I need school to start so I can get a break from the damned Facebooking.

2010-06-08T20:36:00.004-06:00

Training Playlist

I signed up for the Tri for the Cure again, which means that it's time to start waking up to walk and bike. I may even load up the Couch-to-5k app and try running*, if my knees can take it.

This is my preliminary workout playlist. I'm always looking for song suggestions that have a fast and catchy beat. (Note that the Mos Dub album is free!)

*I use this term loosely.

2009-12-12T11:06:00.005-07:00

Dream House

I have a recurring dream (OK, I have many) that manifests itself in one of two places: old or new. The gist is that I am in a house (or warehouse)--either one that I know or don't--and I walk around finding new rooms. I am always happy yet bewildered to find these rooms. The catch is that I no longer live in the house so I'm disappointed (crushed, really) that I can't enjoy the rooms because I don't live there anymore. Then, when I wake up, I wonder if I really did miss these rooms in my waking hours.

Last night I dreamed that I was staying at a condo with two other people trying to pick my room for the weekend. I had just settled on one room when another one popped up next door, then another next to it and so. I think this dream reflects this (maniacal) thought pattern I've been on. In a class on Wednesday I started thinking about time and the future and about made myself crazy. I literally made myself dizzy and had to force myself to stop thinking about it (the same way I can't think about space or really big numbers without going a bit nutso). I kept thinking of a timeline and how we haven't lived the next moment, hour, day, etc. yet because it doesn't exist. And it may not. And I don't mean that in a depressive or negative way, just a space-time continuum way.

2009-11-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Ghost Stories

I believe there are spirits in the material world. Caca Seca saw one at Monte Albán--a little girl. Jacobo saw one at our house on First Street in Brookings when he was little. He saw someone waving from a window as we drove away. He stands by his story over ten years later. In my classroom I have felt a distinct male presence on more than one occasion. In August I had another experience with this spirit.

I had finished golfing (hacking) at our annual staff golf tournament and needed to stop by school on my way home to pick up my computer. I was several blocks from school when I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up a check from my mailbox to pay for a staff breakfast the next day. I decided to turn around even though it was after 7:00 and I was exhausted from a long week of meetings plus the golf game. I checked my mailbox, but no check (another story in irritating bookkeeping practices at my school). As I was pulling away from school (for the second time), I noticed that a colleague's classroom window was open. I stopped the car and debated whether or not to back up, yet again, and go close it. I decided to go in and close it.

On my way into the building I saw that the cafeteria windows were all open, too. It would have been very easy for some troublemakers to crawl in and wreak havoc. I found it really strange that no one had closed them at the end of the work day. I climbed on a chair and closed them all, grumbling the whole time.

I headed up to my colleague's room, which is next door to mine. I opened her door and headed for her window to close it, but it was already shut. (Cue music.) I stood there bewildered for a moment and whispered, "Thank you." I figured the open window in my colleague's room was the hook to get me to close the cafeteria windows--a bigger potential problem. (For you naysayers, it was not windy. In fact, the window is so heavy that the wind couldn't have shut it anyway.)

The story doesn't end here. The next day I went in and told this story to my colleague. She said that she had noticed but hadn't closed the window because she was too exhausted. She suffers from arthritis, so it's difficult and dangerous for her to climb on a chair and close the window. She told me that she stopped and said, "Please close this for me" before she walked out the exterior door. She thinks that our ghost couldn't close all of the cafeteria windows alone and needed me to come back and help him do it.

2009-10-03T11:27:00.004-06:00

Swine Flu, Fall 2009
Our house has not escaped the pandemic that is sweeping along the Front Range of Colorado. Jacobo started feeling ill Wednesday night and felt worse over the next day. My mother's intuition kicked in yesterday morning and I stayed home with him for the first time in YEARS. We went to the youth clinic and they confirmed my suspicions. He's been on Tamiflu for 24 hours and feels better today!

Overnight I was having flashbacks to when he was a little guy suffering from croup. He had RSV at one point, too. That was scary. The doctor had to give him prednisone for his lungs and that made his heart race. One of the saddest sounds I remember is of him crying, coughing, wheezing and writhing in my arms with the rosiest cheeks. At night I'd put him in bed beside me to make sure he was breathing. Last night I kept listening for his breath as well. I hope last night was the worst of it!

(I swiped the pig image somewhere and played with Skitch for the thought bubble. I crack myself up.)

2009-09-14T12:33:00.002-06:00

The Swim
After donning our bright green swim caps, we headed towards the water for our wave’s countdown. Tri for the Cure offered “Swim Buddies,” lifeguards who volunteered for the event and swam with a racer. They were there for whomever wanted or needed assistance in the water. While I’m a good swimmer, I had a moment of panic and decided at the last minute to ask for a Swim Buddy. Orlinda was my own personal Swim Buddy. We chatted a lot along the way, which made the swim more fun. My stroke du jour was the side stroke. I always thought that it was hilarious that my mom swam this way (to keep her hair dry) when we were little. I found it the most efficient way to keep moving since I have forgotten how to coordinate my stroke and breathing in the crawl. My goal for next summer is to take lessons to get that down again. I could easily shave off 7-10 minutes if I get my swimming down.

My plan for the swim entailed a lot of floating to rest, but I didn’t need to. I’m sure that had Orlinda not been there I would not have pushed myself to keep swimming. Instead of my practiced mantra (I cut through the water like a knife), I found that counting my strokes helped me focus and get to each buoy. Plus, the water felt amazing. I had calculated that it would take me 45 minutes, at least, to swim the half-mile, but I finished it in 30. I know that it was because Orlinda was there to encourage me and assure me that I was not going to drown or quit.

Going into the race the swim was, in my mind, the biggest hurdle of the day. When I reached the boat ramp again and people were there to assist me out of the water, I knew that most dangerous part was over and I could hobble through the next two legs no matter what.

Up next, the bike and walk/run portion of the show.

2009-09-05T10:28:00.001-06:00

Part 2...

Saturday, August 1, 2009: My friends and co-racers Amy and Lori were kind enough to let me ride to Denver and share a hotel room with them on the eve of the tri. We had to check in for the event before 3:00, so we left around noon and made a day of it. We checked in with the other 2887 women, checked out the expo and then made our way to Cherry Creek State Park to preview the course. Even though we didn’t go through the course, just seeing the area and the water helped me really visualize the race. Most people are most concerned about the swim portion of the race, myself included. I had never before swum continuously for more than a couple of laps (and I’m not counting one lap and as down AND back!). I felt deep down that I could swim that far even though I hadn’t actually done so. After checking the course we meandered to Il Fornaio for the requisite carbo-loading excuse to eat good pasta.

Race Day: I am not a good sleeper to begin with and when I have a big event and am at a hotel, I toss, turn and sigh even more. While noshing on bagels and berries, we put on our game faces and headed out on our bikes with all of our gear. My chain fell off when we took it off the car rack, and then fell off again on the ride to the park. It made me worry a little bit and was fine on the ride.

We got to the park a little before 7:00 in time to hear the “Star Spangled Banner” and have our numbers written on our arms and legs.
As the first waves were starting we got our transition area all laid out. Amy found a great spot in the grass so we could spread out and not worry about bumping other people’s bikes. Aside the fact that our class (“Buddies”) was so far from the swim/bike/run starting lines, it was perfect.

I knew that I’d be emotional at the end of the race, but I was surprised when I got weepy when I saw racers coming out of the water. Many of the racers were breast cancer survivors so that made it all the more moving. I also kept thinking of my aunt who is in the midst of chemo and choked up several times throughout the race. Another thing that kept choking me up and also moving along was knowing that friends had donated to the cause under my name.

Up next, The Swim.

2009-08-30T10:30:00.005-06:00

Tri Training, Part 1 of an x-part series

All summer I trained for the Tri for the Cure. My training (and I use the term loosely) involved exercising six days a week. That was my goal, anyway. I probably averaged 4-5, though. I swam several times, in short spurts. I realized quickly that I am not the strong, efficient swimmer that I used to be, if I ever was that, even. I couldn’t find a rhythm with my stroke and breathing. I choked and coughed more than I breathed. Wendy, my ten year old niece, and I would go to the beach near my brother’s house and while she swam near the shore, I would swim “laps” and practice my swimming mantra: I cut through the water like a knife. Wendy would counter with her version of my mantra, “I sink to the bottom like an anchor.” Not the most encouraging of fans that one.

Other days I would walk around charming Lake Windsor, three miles from my house, around the lake and back. During my walks I listened to Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job. It was a great way to get through the walk. After trading in my one-speed bike, Old Blue, I rode my new 21-speed Townie on the bike path. I rode the tri distance so I could get a good feel for the distance and my time. The only problem is that there aren’t many hills on our local paths, so I’ll have to work on that next summer since the tri bike course had a couple of doozies.

2009-08-03T20:58:00.002-06:00

Tri for the Cure-Denver
August 2, 2009

2009-07-28T16:55:00.003-06:00

Things that are decidedly uncool in my book*:

showing up unannounced on Christmas day**.
showing up at a host’s home on Christmas day without a gift of any sort**.
putting empty ice trays in the freezer**.
poor dental hygiene**.
lying**.

*In no particular order and certainly not exhaustive.
**Based on a true story.

2009-07-06T14:48:00.002-06:00

This week's to do list:

work on my online class assignments (I'm the student)
help plan my dad's 60th birthday party
swim
bike
bake my dad a German chocolate cake
swim
fill out PEO grant paperwork to pay for online class
meet friends for coffee, lunch and swimming
clean house
do laundry
bike
swim

2009-06-02T21:57:00.004-06:00

BIG plans

Last summer I wrote about the book Slow Fat Triathlete. It planted a little seed in my head. I started to think about my sorry state of inactivity and about turning 40. Put the two together and voilà—I’m now entered in the Tri for the Cure-Denver 2009 on August 2. I’m really excited about it because I don’t usually set this type of goal. I do feel that with a lot of work and training this summer, I’ll be able to do it with a few months to spare before I turn 40 on the last day of the year.

The other reason this appealed to me this year is that one of my aunts was diagnosed with breast cancer last month. She had a double mastectomy a couple of weeks ago and will be going through chemo and radiation this summer..the same summer in which both of her sons are getting married.

If you’d like to support me and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, please make a donation of any amount!

Thank you!

2009-05-11T18:26:00.002-06:00

I have another blog now, too. A "professional" one. Haha. Join me there, too! It's called: Forthcoming. (Get it? Like the title is forthcoming, once I decide on it.)

2009-05-08T06:01:00.000-06:00

How do I miss the sound of an explosion?

My neighbor has been trying to sell his 1972 Jeep Commando. He put 8 years of love into restoring it; it’s beautiful. Or was.

Yesterday while I was on the phone, the Jeep’s fuel pump exploded. I didn’t even hear it and it’s only 50 feet away. I knew about it because I happened to hear my brother’s truck out front and looked out the window. My sister-in-law motioned to me to get outside tout de suite, so, of course I did. Harry had called the fire department so they were on their way, but the Jeep was on fire! Guess who had a fire extinguisher handy? Yes, Ms. Safety to the rescue.

2009-05-06T15:30:00.000-06:00

The post in which I expose three of my most embarrassing moments in the classroom

You know those moments in class when you’ve said something seemingly normal, but once the students in the room start laughing, sometimes uproariously, you realize that you’ve said something very wrong, usually full of innuendo? Or the other times when you have a wardrobe malfunction?

1. Sometime in the late 90’s I was teaching an 8:00 Spanish 101 class at a midwestern university. Anyone in higher ed knows that students are still mostly asleep at this hour, which worked in my favor in this particular tale. As I walked through the classroom doing my thing, I noticed that my shirt was sticking out sharply in the chest area. It took me a second to realize that the wire in my brassiere had worked itself out and was doing a fine job supporting the fabric of my shirt. In this case, I think that I was the only who noticed, but I’ll never know for sure.

2. I have a shockingly reddish-pink suitcase with a soft cover and silver zipper that is chock-full of clothes I’ve collected over the years. My dad’s old suit is now a classroom prop as well as several prime items from Goodwill. The other suit in the case that kids tend to love is brown with pinstripes. Even though it’s a woman’s suit, the boys always gravitate towards it.

A few years ago in my French I class students were preparing for their annual fashion show using their recently-acquired vocabulary. Frédéric chose the brown suit and pulled it on over his own clothes for his group’s show. As the other kids repacked the suitcase, he refused to shed the suit insisting that he was going to wear it to his next class. At that point, I looked at him and said, “Take off my pants now!” I turned a few shades of red and rolled my eyes once I had processed what I had said.

3. I used to give verb quizzes on a half-sheet of paper, cut lengthwise. I decided to save on copies, so put the quiz on a transparency and asked students to use their own paper torn the same way. Two weeks ago as the tardy bell was nearing its warning, I said, “Get your paper out and tear it the way I like it, right up the middle.” The sixteen year old boys in the class found that particularly hilarious. I’m still trying to re-establish my credibility in that class.

2009-04-15T18:27:00.003-06:00

(A few of) My Tweeps:
Get your twitter mosaic here.

2009-04-13T18:32:00.001-06:00

Hulu

Late last fall I canceled cable--no more HBO, no more Showtime, and no more DVR. I miss the DVR the most. But, amidst all this loss, I have taken full advantage of Hulu. I can't get enough Arrested Development, dammit. That show is Funny. I bust a gut at least twice per episode. Watch it! Watch it now!

2009-03-24T17:21:00.003-06:00

Spring Break '09

Due to Jacobo's birthday falling in the middle of spring break this year, I had to finagle my travel plans to Arizona to accommodate his permit pick-up. We drove to Cortez on Monday since it was approximately the half-way point between here and Phoenix. Plus, it was the last stop in Colorado where he could get his permit! And, family lives there, so the lodging was free. Yeah, not exciting, but oh-so convenient. On Wednesday we hit the DMV and the road. Jacob drove 100 miles--a good start to a year of practice.

Phoenix was hot and fragrant. It lulled me into a false sense of summer. The highlight for me was shopping at IKEA where I fantasized about living in a cute little Swedish flat with my charming, smart and impeccably dressed boyfriend. The highlight for Jacobo (and for me, really) was riding in a Corvette around a race track with a professional. On the staightaways were were going 120. Fun.

2009-03-08T15:37:00.004-06:00

Jacobo rounded a big corner today--literally and figuratively. He passed his written driver's permit test. In 10 short days he'll begin (continue) driving with me in the navigator's seat. We're driving to Phoenix for spring break. On Monday we'll drive to scenic Cortez, in the southwest corner of the state. On the morning of his birthday (Wednesday), we'll hit the local DMV, get his actual permit and head to Phoenix via Monument Valley. He should be able to log many hours while I ride along white-knuckled.

2009-02-20T19:40:00.004-07:00

Footprints (and not the cheesy ones printed on those beach pictures)

I've been reading a ton about digital footprints (you thought you only had to worry about your carbon footprint). My digital footprint is getting wider by the day. I'm completely addicted to Twitter, a micro-blog, which feeds over there on the right side of your screen. What has amazed me the most about it is how much I've learned in the months I've been twittering. I've built a manageable network of educators, knitters and pop-culture experts that I follow.

I'm also on Facebook. I resisted for a long time, but caved early last summer. I've reconnected with about half of my high school class (it was small), keep in touch with family and interact with colleagues.

The downside of all of my online social networking is that I haven't been writing here as much.

2009-02-06T21:54:00.008-07:00

7 Things

Scott Elias, an assistant principal at my school, tagged me on Twitter for the 7 Things Meme. He tagged me a week ago, but I didn't catch it until today.

I have a memory like a steel trap. It’s not photographic, but it’s close. But, it’s a curse, really. I remember people I met years ago; numbers (do I need to have my sister-in-law’s SSN archived in my brain? No, but I do.); my phone numbers from when I was 8, 12, 16, 30; birthdays; trivia I’ll never need; and so on.
Whenever I see a string of numbers, whether a date, address phone number, I add them all up to their smallest sum and wonder what the symbolism of that final number is. I’ve had a heyday with the numbers in LOST (9’s a biggie--it’s a perfect number--3 3’s, 3’s very symbolic).
I learned how to read and play piano when I was 4.
I’m related to Alfred Nobel.
I’ve had three very different sweat lodge experiences: two in Oaxaca, one in Nebraska on the Santee Reservation. You can read about them here.
At one time I had five living generations in my family--on both my mom’s and dad’s side. I knew every one of my great grandparents and still have 3 of my grandparents!
I quit caring about how messy my desk/house/closet/car looks a long time ago. I know where my things are--they’re highly organized in my own damn way.

I'm not tagging anyone, but am extending the meme invitation to anyone who wants to play!

2009-01-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Most days I have no desire whatsoever to get married (again) or to be married. My two closest friends and I are closing in on 40 and are single. I'm happily single, but did try the marriage thing once...and boy, was that ever short-lived. I joke that I tried marriage on in 1999 and returned it in 2000. It wasn't a joke, of course.

I was 28 and had just ended an impossible relationship with a beau in another country. While working in our coffee shop the month before heading back to teach at SDSU, I met el Cubano. Next thing I knew I was 29, sliding quickly towards 30 saying "Yes" when I should have been saying "Let me think about that." For a long time I regretted getting married, but I've moved beyond the regret and now focus on the lessons learned, which is something I'm trying to apply in all areas of my life. I learned a lot about myself and reinforced what I already knew.

2009-01-24T21:38:00.005-07:00

In alphabetical order, songs that remind me of days gone by. Funny that several involve memories of dancing: high school dances (gads), Candela in Oaxaca.

Come Back Down
Con los años que me quedan
Diamond
Higher Love
I Want to Know What Love is…
Llorarás
Closing Time (hilariously bad video)
Urgent

2009-01-20T13:57:00.001-07:00

Obama's speech run through Wordle.net. Click to enlarge.

2009-01-16T22:18:00.001-07:00

Jacobo's Final Project in Construction I

2009-01-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

What’s in a name?

Given that both my first and last names are frequently mispronounced, I started using pseudonyms a number of years ago. Throughout my school years I panicked on the first day or whenever we had a substitute. While calling role the teacher would hesitate after the C’s and then take a running start at my name. What came out instead was a garbled mess of vowels and consonants that I was expected to recognize and then answer, “Here” to. Jacobo told me the other day that the subs are still mispronouncing our last name.

My online pseudonym is la güera, which means “Blondie” in Mexican Spanish, a name I heard frequently walking down the street. Jacobo was “Güerito.” I don’t use la güera much any more. I don’t feel like I need to mask my online identity. If students or bosses find my blog, then so be it.

I have a real-life pseudonym as well. It combines my middle name and the first name of my first beau. I haven’t had many occasions to use that one, but I have it at the ready!

2009-01-09T17:48:00.003-07:00

On-tap:

Poker at 6:30. Drink at 6:31
Drop Jacobo off for a snowboard day tomorrow. By 5:30. AM. Snow is on the way, so I really hope it's not postponed since I've paid for a lesson and doubt it's refundable.
Presentation on social networking with one of our principals next Friday. Should be fun, really.
Presentation on teaching literature to finish for state conference next month.
Finish a real blog post.
Decide if I want to start a "professional" blog.
Write a final exam for Monday.
Knit fingerless mittens for SIL's birthday (the 16th!).
Write thank you notes. Still!

2009-01-01T11:44:00.001-07:00

A happy birthday, indeed!

2008-12-30T18:08:00.005-07:00

Dancin' to the reggaetón..

I don’t like to exercise for exercise’s sake. Growing up I skied a lot. The season that I turned 16 was the apex of my skiing career. Sadly, I have skied little since then (see knee incident of 1987). One summer friends and I went out salsa dancing, which isn’t feasible when I have to be to work by 7:00 and dancing lasts until 2:00 am.

My new favorite form of exercise is Zumba. It is like dancing but without the worry of getting asked to dance (or not). While alcoholic beverages would help my coordination, they’re really not necessary here, plus it’d be a waste of a workout. I find that Zumba meets a goal I set exactly two years ago—dance more. How can dancing be bad? (OK, just realized that the aforementioned ski/knee incident is also a dance/thumb incident, but neither has stopped my dancing.)

Here's a clip.

2008-12-27T17:42:00.003-07:00

Another Saturday night and I ain't got no money...

I have a really hard time saying "No," which explains why I now have a Chase account when I didn't really want or need one. But, the banker is my dad's friend and there were incentives, so I opened it. During the course of our conversation he'd ask me about interest rates that I either pay or earn to which I replied, "I don't know." I don't. Moreover, I don't care. I hate numbers and all things mathy. But that's not my point. After my 4th IDK, Joe Banker informed me, albeit jokingly, that I needed a husband to keep on top of my finances. Shockingly, I wasn't offended. I knew what he meant--I need to figure this shit out on my own or find someone--husband, wife, broker, whatever--who can help me.

I see that Suze Orman has 10 tips for me in the latest issue of Oprah. One of them is to take a snapshot of my finances. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want me to photograph my credit card statements and the like, but I live in a little place called Denial. If I can't see my debts and high credit card rates, then they don't exist. I pay the bills and everyone is happy. Well, maybe not happy, just broke.

I suppose that at this point I should lay out some resolutions. 'Tis the season and all. I am in the process of refinancing to make up for a 5-year old mistake (can anyone say ARM?), so that is one step in the right direction. I need to consolidate my credit cards and pay lower rates and figure this shit out once and for all.

Life is not like a box o' chocolates

2008-12-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

Conception quilt
Originally uploaded by didipix

When faced with a particularly mis-pieced block, I get frustrated that I didn’t line up my seams just so and now have an imperfect and sometimes ugly result. I mentioned this frustration to a dear friend who responded with a knowing, “Well, you just rip it out and start over!” Having this piece of advice has helped me immensely in not only my quilting and knitting, but in my personal life as well. Oliver Wendell Holmes may have said something to the effect that “Life is like knitting, taken one stitch at a time.” He makes no mention of the dropped stitches or the mysterious added ones. Unlike knitting and quilting, however, life cannot befrogged or ripped out to get back to a better starting point. But, my friend’s advice has stuck with me for years. I apply it to quilting and to life. While I can’t go backwards and undo my mistakes, I can learn from them and try not repeat them. It’s also forced me to evaluate relationships thataren’t working and rip them out and start again clean. With those few words she gave me the permission that I didn’t know I was seeking to rip out the bad from both my crafts and my life.

2008-12-16T13:23:00.001-07:00

This, that and all the other…

Too busy fighting an infection to function. All I want to do is sleep.
I am not ready for holiday gift-giving. Well, Hanukkah is the only exception. I’m ready for that.
I’ve yelled at two kids in the past two weeks—not good. Seriously, is it necessary to be negative and critical ALL THE TIME? I say “enough already”.
Need to figure out long-term job aspirations. I have a few credits started towards a PhD that are going nowhere quickly. If I could work my visual ethnography ideas into a dissertation and find the right place to host me, I’d finish it. It’s either that or get a principal’s license. Me as a disciplinarian? I don’t really see that.
Got a lovely gift in the mail from Bellona of Avalon. So nice! I had to restrain myself from eating the tea bread (I’m calling it a tea bread even though I ate it with coffee) at once. Thank you!
Today is Caca Seca’s 39th birthday. I love that she’s 15 days older than I am. She gets to try on the new age on and test-drive it for those two weeks before I have to put it on.

2008-12-09T13:51:00.004-07:00

Tías

Being an aunt is one of my greatest joys. I never doubted that I’d one day be a mom, but I’d also wanted to be an aunt, something beyond my control.

I adore all of my aunts. They spoiled me like crazy. My Aunts Debbie and Joy would take me and every one of my stuffed animals to the local A & W. They schlepped the toys whenever and where ever I asked. Every summer I spent a week with these same aunts. Deb always had my favorite doughnuts on hand and Joy let us have sugar on our cereal when her own kids weren’t allowed it. She also took me for haircuts and horseback rides.

When I was older I got to spend a night of two with another aunt, my dad’s sister. Aunt Lee was very cool—she was fun and single. She introduced me to the wonders of Häagen Dazs and Nick at Night reruns. Currently we are on our 40th game of Scrabble on Facebook! When I was 14 she married a great guy who is equally fun and kind. As far as aunts and uncles go, mine are tops.

My brother and sister-in-law got married after 10 years of dating (high school sweethearts) in 1996. A couple of years later they made me an aunt! Now I spoil my niece, tell her “yes” when her parents say “no,” but complement her parents’ teachings. The other day I told Jacobo that he'll have to marry someone who has scads of brothers and sisters so he can be an uncle and pass on the joy.

2008-12-05T16:59:00.006-07:00

Copied Christmas Questionnaire*

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Depends on how wrap-able the gift is. Generally, I find wrapping gifts relaxing and actually enjoy it.
Real tree or Artificial? Artificial—Jacob’s allergies and mine go nuts with the real ones. Growing up several families would get together for breakfast and then cross-country ski into Routt National Forest and cut down a tree. It was a blast!
When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving.
When do you take the tree down? We always keep it up for my birthday and take it down right after New Year’s Day.
Do you like eggnog? I love it! We have a killer recipe. Very, very potent.
Favorite gift received as a child? There were several. When we got our own pair of cross-country skis, our dad had strung yarn all over the house that we followed to find our skis. He’s quite clever and fun that way.
Hardest person to buy for? My mother. She rarely tells us what she wants. This year she requested the new Il Divo CD, though.
Easiest person to buy for? My brother. 1-800-BASS-PRO.
Do you have a nativity scene? Yep! One.
Mail or email Christmas cards? I make my own cards and send them out.
Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A cribbage board in the shape of a toilet seat. Generally anything that required no thought is b-a-d.
Favorite Christmas Movie? For laughs—Elf or Christmas Vacation. I love Love Actually the most overall, though.
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Does it really stop?
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No…I’ve taken them to Goodwill, though.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge with nuts that my grandmother makes.
Lights on the tree? Who doesn't put lights on a tree?
Favorite Christmas song? The whole Vince Guaraldi album that LindaCO burned for me.
Travel at Christmas or stay home? We almost always stay home, except for the two fabulous Christmases in Hawaii!
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I always forget that naughty Vixen.
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open one from an aunt on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning. When we were kids, we’d open one from my grandfather since we spent Christmas with his ex-wife aka my nana.
Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Commercials that perpetuate the myth that all women want diamonds/jewelry/a proposal for the holiday. Gag me.
Favorite ornament theme or color? I was just thinking as I decorated the tree that hanging old ornaments is like seeing old friends. I have so many that my grandparents gave us each year. I also have a collection of holiday plates that I look forward to setting out every year. I get a new one from my aunt each year.
What do you want for Christmas this year? For the umpteenth time, an iPhone.
Angel or star on top tree: Nada--no room.
Favorite meal: We used to eat fondue every Christmas Eve until my brother started a boycott. We made Cuban food a couple of years in a row when I was with the Cuban. Now we count on prime rib Christmas Day. YUM.

*from Carole's blog.

2008-12-03T17:50:00.005-07:00

December 1 signals a few things chez moi:

24 days left to knit 3 hats, 3 pairs of mittens and 1 ½ scarves (1 ½ pictured)
~~Decorate~~ Enjoy the tree and set out all things Christmas
If I had a Hanukkah menorah, I’d set it out. I love them!
30 days until my birthday, 395 days until my 4oth!

I want to put up lights on the house this year, but that involves hanging the new LED’s I bought. I'm sure I don't have enough since I never measure before I head to the store. I bet I can bribe Jacobo with cookies to do it for me. I have knitting to do!

(Scarf patterns from One Skein. Yarn is from Frog Tree. Click on image to enjoy the cables.)

2008-11-27T22:03:00.006-07:00

Turkey Day '0-ate

Like most people we make the same thing every year for Thanksgiving. We gorge ourselves, sit in a food coma and maybe play some games.

The guest list may change each year, but the food is a constant. My mom makes the bird and gets a Honeybaked Ham. My sister-in-law has perfected the corn pudding recipe and has even made it at other times of the year. Gasp! It never crossed my mind that we were even allowed to make it other than at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I make Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish, which has been a huge hit despite its Pepto pink appearance and ingredients. In addition to other side-dishes, my mom usually cranks out a delicious pecan pie. None of are really big on the pumpkin pie, so if we make one, much of it ends up in the disposal. My brother requests a very non-traditional banana cream pie. Yesterday his daughter and I made it. She learned to separate eggs and to stir the custard non-stop to prevent scorching. She has the makings of a chef!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-23T13:32:00.003-07:00

Christmas Swap Success!

I count my first experience with an online swap a success. I had a lot of fun choosing a pattern and yarn for my recipient, Grethe-Kristin in Norway. You can see what I sent her here.

Then yesterday I received my package from Anne-Line also in Norway! I love getting packages from abroad so I can study the stamps and markings. Here's what I raked in. Thank you Anne-Line!

2008-11-21T18:52:00.003-07:00

'Tis the season, again, already.

I had a hankering for pumpkin bread this week. So, in violation of my own no-sugar-except-for-Thursday rule*, I made some. Nuts are never optional for me. The more the merrier.

This box contains over 100 maps to cities that my students created. I steal ideas like crazy and this one came from Kendra aka the German Teacher. Once a semester I assign them a project instead of an exam since not all students are good test-takers and it gives them a chance to bolster their grade and be creative in the process. Fabulous idea until it comes to the grading.

*Ode to the Calico Cat Café forthcoming.

2008-11-17T14:44:00.002-07:00

Wait a minute, Mr. Postman

As I await the arrival of my Christmas Swap package, I thought of all the good and bad things that I’ve received in the mail.

Good:

Before the days of email and my beau lived far away, I’d race to the mailbox to look for letters from him.
Birthday cards with checks made payable to me.
Postcards from Spain and other ports-of-call.
Orders I’ve placed. I love getting the goods I order. I bought a super cute tee from Ravelry (pictured here on the left) and got it last week. Next up is the November 5th edition of the New York Times.

Bad:

Overdraft notices (again pre-email days).
Broken glass—unintentional, but still thoughtless in the packing.
For some reason I keep getting AARP notices and assisted living ads. Seriously, I’m not even 40 yet (13 months, 14 days to go if you’re counting).
Other unmentionable things that I can barely wrap my brain around.

2008-11-09T16:39:00.001-07:00

The weekend re-cap

I finally watched Sweeney Todd last night. Wow, it was bloody. I then watched Juno for the second time.
Rough start to the day. Yelled at Jacobo who was resisting going to church. I said, “I’ll be waiting in the car.” A few minutes later I stormed back in the house to find him “doing his homework.” I yelled. He put his shoes on and got in the car. We discussed that he does have to listen and obey for the next few years then he can do whatever he wants with his Sunday.
Put Danskos for sale on district email. I finally figured out that they don’t fit right since Danskos started making their own soles. I’m hooked on Sanitas now.
Ate at Noodles and caught up with LindaCO. We brainstormed ideas for felted bags.
Finally bought Jacobo some pantalones today. Shorts just won’t cut it once the snow flies.
I have more quizzes to grade and laundry to finish before the work week starts.

2008-11-06T16:54:00.004-07:00

Yes we did!

Wow. Tuesday was one of the most exciting days in my life. As soon as MSNBC announced that Obama had won the Ohio votes, a little sob bubbled up from somewhere inside me. Then at 9:00 when it was obvious that he would be our next president, I started bawling and didn’t stop for quite a while. I was still weepy and covered with goosebumps yesterday. I’m so emotional for a number of reasons. As I’ve mentioned before, when Obama speaks he is inspiring—I was hooked on hope for the entire campaign season.

Also, I travel. For the past 8+ years I've been embarrassed by our presidents. Clinton and Lewinsky were a joke abroad. I went to Spain right after Bush didn't sign the Kyoto protocol. Anti-American senitment was high and understadably so. (AOL article by a guy who explains it better than I do.)

But in thinking about it more and more I was so moved because this is the first time that my generation has witnessed something great in history that we participated in and that also directly impacts us. While not discounting any of the negatives, our parents saw the civil rights movement, JFK and the moon landing. We’ve seen the Challenger explode, the Columbine shootings and 9/11.

Obama's election was historically great, no matter what side of the fence you claim.

2008-11-04T08:33:00.003-07:00

Election Day 2008

I'm so excited and hopeful today. It's a good thing I have to work or I'd be watching MSNBC and chewing my nails all day.

Photo by my friend Jami Robinson. I got the tickets, she took amazing photos!

2008-10-31T09:57:00.004-06:00

Knitting projects on the needles or soon-to-be cast on:

Something with cables from this book. I'd be more specific, but someone who reads this blog will be getting it for Chrismukkah.
The damned never-ending socks. (I'm DONE with socks after this. Happy to wear them, just not knit them.)
This shawl. I started it YEARS ago. The pattern is so boring that I haven't picked up in quite a while. Plus I hate these cheap plastic needles.

2008-10-31T08:19:00.003-06:00

I hate Halloween for a number of reasons, but not the ones that people usually cite. I do find it fascinating that the church aligned itself with older Pagan and Celtic rituals that celebrated the harvests for the year. Here's why I don't like it.

There was always such pressure to come up with a great costume. My parents came up with some great ones for us, though. M&M's and Pop Rocks are the two that stand out.
In the early 80's the candy-tainting scare was high. We skipped Halloween altogether one year and spent it with friends, which was way more fun in the end.
I tended to fret unnecessarily about our pumpkin getting smashed by hooligans.
In Colorado, especially in Steamboat, it either snowed or was freezing cold making trick-or-treating extra hellish.
Just when I thought I was done with Halloween for good, I had a kiddo who needed a costume.
Now that Jacob has outgrown trick-or-treating the weather is supposed to be warm. Go figure.

2008-10-26T20:09:00.008-06:00

Obama at my alma mater
I've always been interested in politics. My great-grandfather was a state senator, I was class president more years than not and I started out as a PoliSci major at CSU. But, I've never been so moved to action as this year. We've had eight years of misery under a bumbling idiot who needs to take a course in vocabulary for starters. Barack Obama keeps asking if we're better off now than four years ago. I'm not plus, two of the three small-business owners in my family who were entirely self-employed eight years ago now work for The Man. I struggle to make ends meet every single month. I didn't make it this month and have been living on overdraft protection for the past week, adding further to my debt. Granted, I have myself to blame for the majority of my money woes, but my healthcare premium eats up a big chunk of my paycheck--15% to be accurate and that's not counting deductibles, prescriptions and co-pays on top of that. And in case you missed it, I met my deductible this year. Well, met it in the sense that I'm still paying that $1000 off to the doctor's office.

I heard Obama's speech that he gave at the DNC in 2004. I was moved to tears and hooked when he talked about uniting the country. Not red states or blue states, only the United States. I said, "When he runs, I'll vote for him." I decided to do more than that. I've knocked on a few doors and made several phone calls for his campaign. I saw him in August at Mile High and was wowed again. Today, I heard him speak again, but from only 20 feet away. I took Jacob, too. He bitched and moaned about the long wait, but conceded that hearing Obama's message and seeing him up-close was worth it. He even said that it was "awesome."

2008-10-21T18:59:00.004-06:00

Biden Day

Guess who came to town? Guess who skipped school and volunteered for the day?

2008-10-17T17:03:00.002-06:00

I have said several times that I think Palin must have a photographic memory. When she stares at the camera pretending to look at Joe Six-Pack or Sarah Chardonnay, I think she sees the speech or lines in her mind and just reads them. She's not that smart; she just fakes it well.

John Cleese's laugh is contagious in this clip. Plus, he agrees with me on the aforementioned point!

2008-10-13T11:01:00.001-06:00

The wide universe is the ocean I travel..

I grew up in a Methodist church and hated everything except the flirting with the boys in my classes. When we spent time with my mom’s parents, we were hauled to the Baptist church. That was worse—we knew no one and it seemed like we were there all the time for choir practice, volleyball games, Up With People concerts and so on. I never felt a connection to anything that they tried to teach me. I can remember sitting in church when I was 8 not believing in the virgin birth. The hardest part for me to swallow was that I was supposed to love God/Jesus more than I loved my own mom. That turned me off when I was only 4. It was an uphill battle from that point on. As a teenager I begged to go skiing rather than go to church. I always lost.

A few years ago I started going to a local Unitarian Universalist church. They don’t care what I believe or don’t believe. They welcome people of all faiths. It’s the only church that my Christian brother, Jewish sister-in-law and I can go and agree with the message: treat all people fairly, take care of the planet, help each other, amongst a few other principles.

Yesterday one of my new (to me) favorite singer/songwriters, Peter Mayer visited our church, as he often does. He’s Unitarian, from Minnesota and writes thoughtful and thought-provoking songs. Our new hymnbook even has one of my favorites, Blue Boat Home. Yesterday he sang a fun song about spending the day in PJ’s called ‘Jama Day. He ended our service with one about Japanese bowls. His own minister had talked about these bowls that when they broke, instead of hiding the flaws, the cracks were painted gold, enhancing the bowls, and making them even more beautiful than before. He wrote a song using the bowls as a metaphor (as the minister did) for our own lives. We all have cracked hearts, dented souls, and physical scars that make us stronger. For the past 24 hours I’ve been visualizing myself with gold lines zig-zagging across and through my body.

If you haven't discovered Pandora yet, check it out. Plug in "Peter Mayer" and see what comes up. It will create a "station" with his music and other artists' music whose style may be similar.

2008-10-10T19:27:00.002-06:00

Jacobo is at a new school this year. It was a hard decision, but so far it’s been worth it. His teachers are great, the particular program he’s in is suited to his learning style and he’s making friends. Middle school is rough for everyone, but since moving to Windsor in 5th grade, Jacobo hadn’t made any solid connections, which actually facilitated the decision to switch schools. He’s in my district now so we’ll finally have the same vacations, another benefit of the switch.

He’s made a new friend, who is a nice kid in an Eddie Haskell kind of way. He’s a lot more independent than Jacobo in the sense that his father, who is single, but has a girlfriend, leaves him alone a lot and for longer periods of time than I think is appropriate for a 14-year old. I know the dad was away all weekend a couple of weeks ago. I can’t quite get a read on the situation with his mom, who lives in the neighboring town. Because I have to be to work at 7, I have to drop Jacobo off at school at 6:45. His friend was so lonely yesterday, that he was already at school when I dropped Jacobo off. He rode his skateboard in the dark the mile to school so he wouldn’t have to be alone. That’s just sad. I don’t have enough information to know if it’s neglect. It doesn’t feel right, though.

2008-10-09T07:33:00.000-06:00

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? No
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? No
Fallen asleep at work/school? No
Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? Yes
Ever drink and drive? Yes
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? No
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? No
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? No
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? No
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? No
Had a gym membership? Yes
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? Yes
Been to a strip joint? No
Donated Blood? Yes
Liked someone you shouldn’t? Yes
Have a tattoo? Yes
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? Yes
Caught someone cheating on you? No
Skinny dipped? Yes
Regret any of your exes? Yes
Been to a rodeo? Yes
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

From CaroleKnits.

2008-10-06T13:52:00.002-06:00

Un dolor de cabeza de mil demonios

For the first time that I can remember I was knocked flat with a headache. I woke up yesterday with it plus nausea. I don't think it was a migraine, similar maybe. I rode to DIA with my brother and sis-in-law to pick up our mom who broke her foot whilst dreaming. I spent the afternoon on her floor under a blanket dozing. It finally abated some by evening so I could eat and enjoy Mad Men. Here's what did not get done, though:

laundry
grocery shopping for the week
grading of 110 writing proficiencies that are probably shit anyway
breakfast
lunch
chatting with sis-in-law on the ride home
finalizing today's lesson plans

I'm not sure how, but I pulled together the last details for my classes today. Thankfully 15 years of teaching has given me a handy bag of tricks for days such as this.

2008-10-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

Homecoming...

I’m chaperoning Homecoming yet again. I don’t mind going to this one since the decorations are amazing and the kids are pretty well behaved. I enjoy seeing all of the kids out of the classroom dressed to the nines. Plus, I take the early shift so I’m still home at a reasonable hour.

Girls get dressed up way more than we did 25 years ago. For my first Homecoming I wore a button-down pink Oxford with tiny white pinstripes with a gray corduroy jumper over it. What the girls wear here is more what I consider Prom attire—strapless, gem-tones or black gowns. Another contrast is that we always chose songs as our theme for the dance—“Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince and “Glory Days” by the Boss are the only two that I can remember now. Tonight’s theme is Neverland. The kids have spent weeks building the London skyline. It should be great as always.

2008-10-02T07:10:00.003-06:00

The view from my classroom minus the parking lot...

2008-10-01T10:19:00.004-06:00

Question of the day:

Whose voice irritates more--Rachel Ray's or Sarah Palin's?

2008-09-27T20:15:00.003-06:00

Homecoming

I dropped off Jacobo and his buddy at the school for their first Homecoming. I can't wait for the report tomorrow!

2008-09-25T18:49:00.002-06:00

Twilight

I read a post on another blog recently about the Vampire Love Story Series that centers on Edward, the pasty vampire, and Bella, the intriguing new student at Forks High. I was happy to get validation on how I felt after reading the book. I don’t usually read the young adult stuff (Harry Potter so doesn’t count, either), but wanted to read it because so many of my students, girls and boys alike, rave about and want to be Edward or Bella. It’s your typical mix of teenage angst, love, friends, drama, drama, and more drama.

The first book in the series (I have no idea how many there will be; I think she’s up to number four) is Twilight. I read it last week and enjoyed it for the most part. Except for the part (OK, the whole book) where I kept thinking, “This is a messed up, dysfunctional relationship!” In short, Bella and Edward fall in love…fast and hard. Bella makes bad decisions like, uh, dating a vampire and then almost getting herself killed by a different vampire. I keep going back to the core relationship between Bella and Edward, though. Bottom line: it’s not healthy*. I find it too convenient (the author belongs to a religion that thinks sex is baaaaaad except for reproductive purposes) that they can’t be physical with each other because he may lose control—he’s got those animal instincts and he may screw up and suck her blood, or whatever. Men are animals? Bella kisses him and loses control. Women are nymphos? Bella thinks about Edward all the time—to the point of obsession. She even dreams about him. In the end she wants to go through the process to become a vampire. This epitomizes the bad decisions so many teenaged girls make when it comes to boys. I have no idea how the series ends, but I hope Bella wakes up to see that she can live her own life out from under Edward’s cold, dark shadow.

*My 24+ years of dating make me highly qualified by Colorado’s state standards to judge this.

2008-09-23T18:25:00.004-06:00

Christmas Swap

The Holistic Knitter tipped me off to this swap for knitter/bloggers. (LindaCO, are you game?) I've read about swaps on THK's blog and on other crafters' blogs that I follow and have been a little envious of the stitch-markers and other awesome goodies that people make and send. It's a really cool way to connect with people all over the world. I have to come up with some creative ideas to send to my swap-partner now.

2008-09-18T10:41:00.005-06:00

Strange vibes

I'm fascinated by the idea of the collective unconscious and the parallels that go on in our lives. The vibe in the air today is just plain weird. Jacobo could hardly get his day started. He'd forgotten to make his lunch when Lomar called to say she was running late. He had a reprieve and made his lunch. The universe threw him a little bone.

Things aren't much different at school, either. I gave an exam, sat down to enter grades and started to gaze out my window (my view is amazing; photo later) when I noticed a couple in the parking lot walking towards a car. Something in their body language put me on guard immediately. I watched for a couple of minutes and decided that it wasn't a good scene and called our emergency hotline. Our resource officer and campus monitor ran out to assess the situation while I peeked out my window. I don't know exactly what happened, but am glad that I listened to my gut because the girl was very upset and the guy was visibly hostile.

What's in the air?

2008-09-13T17:17:00.004-06:00

Today's damages:

new Sanita's clogs in shiny turquoise...yum
2 new Cut Loose skirts in reddish and purplish
8 skeins pink yarn for my first sweater
turquoise yarn for socks to match new shoes
1 bag of leftover yarn that MSK donated to the LHS knitting club (I'm the advisor)
$35 co-pay at urgent care, 1 nebulizer treatment, 2 chest x-rays, 1 big shot in the ass and 3 prescriptions for my little case of pneumonia. I get something like this every single year. Must see someone about it.

2008-09-13T09:26:00.003-06:00

On the up-swing...

The weekend is off to a great start:

12 sleep-filled hours in bed
toast
coffee
Notting Hill is on TV
SUNSHINE
this article waiting in my Facebook in-box (sent from the boy I dated when I was 15)
Jacobo is volunteering at Peace in the Park
I'm shopping for yarn at my favorite yarn store

2008-09-10T17:24:00.002-06:00

Palin, the Anti-Woman (to use Caca Seca's words)

I hadn't planned on taking the blog to the political side, but I have to in this election season. Palin is bad. She represents NOTHING politically that I ascribe to. I think the Republicans gathered and said, "Who's the prettiest, most conservative woman in the Republic?" and out popped Palin's name à la Goblet of Fire. I'm just so insulted that McCain and his crew would choose someone of her caliber. Does he think we're stupid and will think that Hillary=any woman?

Gloria took the words right out of my mouth:

She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers' millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

I don't doubt her sincerity. As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., she doesn't just support killing animals from helicopters, she does it herself. She doesn't just talk about increasing the use of fossil fuels but puts a coal-burning power plant in her own small town. She doesn't just echo McCain's pledge to criminalize abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade, she says that if one of her daughters were impregnated by rape or incest, she should bear the child. She not only opposes reproductive freedom as a human right but implies that it dictates abortion, without saying that it also protects the right to have a child.

Read the rest here.

2008-09-06T13:02:00.006-06:00

Salud.

I finished Kara’s chemo cap (Jacobo is the model). Sounds like it’s just in time, too; she's had her first treatment and is chopping her hair on Monday. I’m just so bummed about the randomness of cancer and how it strikes the best people. Unfortunately I can fill all my fingers with good people I know who have had cancer.

My uncle beat Hodgkin’s a couple of decades ago. My cousin, his daughter, got married 5 years ago. They had a nice big party. My aunt mentioned last weekend that no matter how the marriage turned out, or even if my cousin changed her mind at the last minute, the party would go on and was a celebration of life. There were days when they feared that my uncle wouldn’t live to see that day. He did; we celebrated.

In college, my roommate walked out of the shower and said, Feel this. She had a lump next to her collarbone. I said, I hope it’s not Hodgkin’s. It was. Thankfully, she also kicked it in the ass.

My dear friend LindaCO recently wrote about the same topic. Her posts and Kara’s recent diagnosis started me thinking. Read Linda’s thoughtful posts about her sister.

Kara's magazine bag is almost done.

2008-09-03T21:31:00.001-06:00

Obama Day

I still get goosebumps thinking not only about Obama's message, but from the hopeful energy that oozed through the crowd last week.

9:15: My friend's husband picked me up at school early in the day and we got to Denver before 11. We parked at Coors Field and walked over to the 16th Street Mall.

10:45: The Tattered Cover was a great spot to kill some time. Bonus: Michael Chabon was there for a book-signing event! I chatted with him for a little while, never mentioning the 3 times I've started and stopped The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

11:45: Lunch at Zaidy's. I highly recommend the latke sandwich with brisket!

12:15: Trek through the Auraria campus to find a very long line. Mile High is under the bridge to the right.
1:45: Head through security, flirt with super cute Cuban cop. (I'm a sucker for los cubanos.)

2:30: Run into folks from Weld and Larimer Counties in my section. Quickly realize that the speakers are obstructing the podium.

3:00: The fun begins. Jennifer Hudson sang the anthem; I cried. Cute little Shawn Johnson said the pledge; I was busy looking at her legs (that's all I could see).

3:01-7:45: Enjoy music from Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, John Legend. I loved Governor Richardson's speech, "¡Sí se puede!" I'm waiting for him to move up in the party. In the crowd below I could see John Kerry and Al Sharpton. Yes, Al Sharpton. Wow. (Sense any sarcasm?)

Two of Martin Luther King's children spoke. His daughter, Rev. Bernice King, was incredibly eloquent and moving, far more so than her brother.

From my seat I could see the speakers come out on stage and then leave. All without binoculars, even. Stevie Wonder! Al Gore! (See the obstructions?!)

7:45: The anticipation kicked into high-gear. We could see Michelle and the girls right next to Biden--it was close to show-time.

8:15 or so: OBAMA. The crowd went nuts. We screamed, waved our flags and stomped--Rocky Mountain Thunder, baby. The message was great, the delivery perfect.

Vote, people. It's time for a change!

2008-08-29T10:20:00.000-06:00

Details forthcoming...

2008-08-26T19:55:00.003-06:00

Close call or good karma?

After picking up Jacobo today (his first day of high school), he commented on how great his breakfast was. I had asked my mom to take him the first day so he wouldn't have to wait around as long he normally will when I drop him off: I have to be to school at 7, his first class starts at 7:38. So today he had extra time to make a "good" breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. He just had to heat the bacon for 10 seconds in the microwave and scramble his eggs on the brand new cook-top I bought in February. Jokingly I said, " Did you turn off the stove?" True to form, he replied, "Mom, I know."

When we got home, he went to the sink to get a drink and I followed, passing the stove. I felt a gush of hot air. Is my intuition good or do I just know my son that well? How did my house not burn down?

2008-08-19T17:02:00.002-06:00

This just in...

Guess where I'll be next Thursday evening? Yup, at Obama's acceptance speech! Two weeks ago

I signed up for credentials online and checked the little box to do six hours of campaigning so I'd get priority. Two days later I canvassed a neighborhood and made well over a hundred phone calls (it's not good that when I called one guy and said I was at Obama headquarters he replied, "Oh, shit."). The following week I got an email saying that I had been put on a wait-list. I thought for sure it'd be a no-go and resigned myself to watching the speech on TV from the comfort of my couch. But, no! I just got a call from a volunteer asking when I'd be in to get my credentials. I said, "Huh? I'm on the wait-list, man." He said, "Well, you've got a ticket now!" I had to scream with glee for 5 minutes afterwards!

2008-08-16T20:42:00.004-06:00

Sew, you say.

Despite a minor setback mechanically and a substantial one financially thanks to a broken sewing machine, I am back on the sewing horse. My latest charge is to sew a bag to hold magazines for a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm told she'll need to schlep reading material to the clinic while she sits through 5 hours of chemo. I feel it's the least I can do to support her through this.

2008-08-15T15:52:00.003-06:00

The tip of the cold front that moved in last night:Click to see the cool blueness through the clouds.

2008-08-15T12:05:00.004-06:00

Parental Guidance

Jacobo, my aunt and I went and saw Tropic Thunder this week. It's very smart and funny. I was pleasantly surprised! Now, as a rule Jacobo isn't allowed to see rated R movies. But I did some research and decided that I'd go too, just in case. In case of what, I'm not really sure.

As a kid I was not allowed to see rated R movies until I was 17. In sixth grade I had to miss out on my best friend's birthday party because she had rented The Blue Lagoon. I was so envious that my friends got to see this fabulous film; they talked about it at school all the time. A couple of years later, An Officer and a Gentleman came out. Again, I didn't have permission to see it. While I didn't get to see the movie, I did get the sheet music to the theme song and played it all the time. Of course I've seen both movies since their release. In hindsight, I didn't miss much. I totally understand my parents' rules now that I have a teenager.

2008-08-08T11:11:00.002-06:00

Summer Readin'

In my ongoing bid to get motivated to get in shape (ongoing since 1979) I picked up a couple of books hoping to be inspired. The first one was Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp. I scarfed it down like a box of Oreos. For anyone who has ever been on a diet, especially as a kid, it’s a must-read. I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t put it down.

Then I read I Was Told There’d Be Cake. While there was nothing about cake, the dating anecdotes struck a chord with me. The Cake book didn’t inspire me, but it did amuse. Caca Seca and I spend countless hours pondering the man possibilities. Are we too set in our independent ways to settle down? Are we too finicky? Are our deal-breakers too stringent? I’d like to think that the answer to all three questions is No. Bellona of Avalon mused recently about the state of dating in this age (at this age?). Are we singletons left with the losers? Gads, I hope not.

The last book is Slow Fat Triathlete. I saw the title and got it since I fit two of the three words in the title. Jayne Williams makes the triathlon sound do-able for anyone. All I have to do is get of the couch and jump in a pool, jump on a bike or run through the park. I recently found out that a girl from middle school is one of the top triathletes internationally. Wow. The friend who told me this has also competed in a number of triathlons. When I mentioned the book and getting in shape to him, he pointed out that it’s a long-term investment that requires patience. Another reminder that there’s a journey involved and I need to focus on the process and learn to enjoy it.

2008-08-05T06:53:00.003-06:00

First convo of the day

Jacobo: "What shirt do you want me to wear?"

Me: "I don't care."

Jacobo: "Yes, you do!"

He's right, of course.

2008-08-03T18:10:00.002-06:00

Weekend Report

Tie-dyed shirts bought: 1
Ryan Sutter sightings: 1
Glasses of wine drunk: ?
Freak exploding-tire-on-semi-that-flies-half-a-mile-hitting-some-guy’s-truck-window- ½- mile-from-house accident: 1
Hours spent driving home: 4.5
Hours it should have taken: 2
Conversations with psychics: 1 (KKCK)
Times ball thrown for dog: 113
Movies enjoyed: 2—Lars and the Real Girl; Eagle vs. Shark
Thumbs-up given for said movies: 4
Thumbs-down: 0
Hours feeling guilty for being away during grandparents’ move: 4.3
Time spent with friends: priceless

2008-07-31T12:29:00.003-06:00

So far this week…

I’ve spent countless hours (?!) on Facebook finding “friends” and playing word games.
I’ve knit a few rows on the neverending toe-up socks (see photo).
I’ve made one phone call on the sewing machine.
I’ve worked out twice.
I’ve mended fences with an old friend.
I’ve moved over on the salary schedule for a whopping grand more a year.
My car’s odometer read 123456.
My soffits, window trim and fascia were painted jet black.
Jacobo’s baseball team won a game and then lost one thereby ending their season.
I cleaned off my desk at school and actually filed papers in their topic-specific file—very concrete sequential of me, I know.
I’ve held a newborn baby girl.
I’ve taken another green step by buying this cute lunch box!

2008-07-28T14:58:00.006-06:00

More procrastination bags...

My friend Abby is moving to lovely Myrtle Beach. I whipped up the orange sherbet one for her and filled it with postcards to send to her friends in Colorado.

My sewing machine is now staging a protest and won't let me finish this little pink and green bag.

2008-07-26T22:28:00.002-06:00

Ja-Music

While waiting for Jacobo in the car yesterday, I decided to listen to his iPod to check out his music thinking we could hook it up to the stick that airs it through our radio. Holy frack. It was paused on some nameless screaming train wreck by a band called Atreyu. After listening for 10 seconds or so I felt like razor blades, turned sideways, were scraping the insides of my ears. The music (called metalcore) is perfect for a horror show. I’m sure there were lyrics, but I didn’t catch a word. He got back in the car and gave me a look that teenagers everywhere have perfected. The one that says, “Yeah, that’s my music, now leave me alone.”

My only solace is that when we did hook up the iPod to the radio he set it to repeat Mr. Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”

There’s hope.

2008-07-24T11:13:00.002-06:00

Where's Frankie?

2008-07-24T11:10:00.002-06:00

Bumper crop?

Not.

Are you there, Güera? It’s me, the Universe.

2008-07-22T10:06:00.003-06:00

I went to Loveland again on Sunday taking a different route than on Thursday. I was on Colo 392 in an area where the speed drops down from 55 to 45. I pulled up behind a car going 30 miles per hour, which irritated me no end. Then I took a closer look at the car and license and saw that it was the same Hairy guy from the other day! I can only conclude that the Universe has a message for me: slow down. In fact it has made me think about the speed at which I do things in my life.

Mr. Hairyman is rolling slowly through his life, while I’m speeding through mine trying to get to the good stuff. I tend to eat fast (30-minute lunch periods don’t help) to get to the next bigger and better course. I drive fast to get to my destination, obviously. The main reason is there is that I get physically ill if I’m late (I have no tolerance for people who are chronically late—it’s r-u-d-e). I choose smaller knitting projects so that I finish them. I have no desire to knit a sweater that involves several pieces and has several steps. I hate dieting because I can’t get to the end fast enough. I’ve rushed into relationships to get to the relationship. I started that in my late twenties when I was sliding towards 30 still single. 40 is around the corner; I’m single and happy about it.

I know people who talk about relishing The Process. I’ve always hated The Process. I want the results and I want them 5 minutes ago. Clearly, though, the gray Chrysler had a message. I’d rather listen than learn the hard way.

2008-07-20T09:50:00.000-06:00

More bags...

When we were in Kauai for Christmas a few years ago I stopped into a little quilt shop there. I love textiles and try to get something representative of the places I visit. I made my family stop at Kapaia Stitchery in Lihue while I ran in for fabric. I bought it intending to make a quilt, but instead am slowly turning into bags. My stitching is getting straightened out (a little) and, thanks to a tip from Loretta, hopefully you won't notice the stitching as much as in the first bag.

(I didn't want to crop St. Francis out!)

2008-07-20T09:12:00.005-06:00

A Girl and Her On-Demand

I love/hate On-Demand. I love that I can watch past seasons of my favorite shows like Sex and the City and Weeds. I hate that I am now hooked on many others that I wouldn't normally watch during the regular season/school year. If I didn't have On-Demand, though, I wouldn't have watched all 13 episodes of Mad Men in the past week . That show is rich (it got scads of Emmy nominations, if you put stock in that kind of fluff). The lead character is tall, dark and handsome, emphasis on dark. He's a philanderer married to a beautiful, slightly neurotic Betty. He's a bigwig in advertising and reminds me often of Ken Olin's character in thirtysomething (they bear a resemblance to each other). It's well worth the 13 hours necessary to be ready for season two coming up at the end of the week.

I'm also hooked on Dexter and Californication. Hmmm, they both revolve around the dark and handsome man as well. Sure, Dexter is a serial killer, but he has principles-he only kills really bad guys. And poor Hank is a writer/blogger who sleeps with anything that moves to cover his pain from being dumped by his true love (my bargain-basement psychological analysis here, but it's pretty obvious). I don't really like Californication that much, yet that doesn't explain why I watched all of the episodes in a week's time.

2008-07-17T15:53:00.003-06:00

Notice to drivers on Colo Hwy 257 between Colo Hwy 392 and US Hwy 34:

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the posted speed limit along the stretch of highway south of Windsor is 65 miles per hour, not 55 miles per hour, and for god’s sake, Mr. Hairyman Gray Chrysler, it is not 40 miles per hour, contrary to what you may have thought earlier today. Based on my research as a fellow driver and local citizen’s academy graduate, it is incredibly dangerous to drive your vehicle so far below the speed limit impeding traffic behind you:

www.motorists.org says it best:

…federal and state studies have consistently shown that the drivers most likely to get into accidents in traffic are those traveling significantly below the average speed. According to an Institute of Transportation Engineers Study, those driving 10 mph slower than the prevailing speed are six times as likely to be involved in an accident. That means that if the average speed on an interstate is 70 mph, the person traveling at 60 mph is far more likely to be involved in an accident than someone going 70 or even 80 mph.

Now, I’m not very good at math, but at 25 miles below the speed limit that more than doubled your chance at having an accident. Note that the speed limits are not a passing suggestion. Hit the gas already.

2008-07-15T14:08:00.007-06:00

B-O-R-E-D

I feel like I'm procrastinating, but I don't know why. I don't really have any deadlines; I'm on summer break, for crying out loud. Granted, there's plenty I could be doing besides playing online games via Facebook.

I sewed up this market bag today to combat boredom and accomplish something. I am not a seamstress--you'll note that I can't sew in a straight line. I do have a couple of quilts under my belt, though. Plus I hemmed my first pair of pants last month (on the machine, not with tape) and made a mini-skirt in junior high. I have a good stash of fabric including some that I hope magically morph into bedroom curtains.

2008-07-12T12:15:00.001-06:00

Someone's in the kitchen I know-oh-oh-oh

For year Caca Seca and I have been trying to come up with a book idea. She lived in Oaxaca for a year and we thought we could compile and embellish the letters and emails we exchanged. That went nowhere. In Sayulita last April we started writing together about our lives, trials and tribulations as single moms looking for our Messrs Right. (Newsflash! There’s’ no such person per se, just like there’s no happily ever after à la Disney. Call me cynical.) We have a good start and it could go somewhere if we really buckled down and wrote.

My latest idea, however, is a cookbook. Every cookbook has its niche. Rachel has her 30 minutes covered, Giada Italian, and Ina all things Barefoot. I’m not going to spoil what kind exactly until I have it more fleshed out. I have the intro, several recipes and planned anecdotes. Caca Seca has her directive. Suffice it to say that it involves food (duh) and decades worth of dating.

2008-07-09T13:29:00.000-06:00

Movin' with the old folks

My grandparents are downsizing and transitioning into the next phase of life: they’re moving into a senior-living center. They’ll live in a 2-bedroom cottage—the smallest place they’ve ever lived—and eat two meals a day in the complex’s dining room in, as I’ve come to know it, “The Big House.” I haven’t determined yet if this term is used by all the residents or just by my beloved grandmother. I find her terminology telling and sad at the same time. I know how hard it is for her to purge so much of her household in favor of smaller digs. I know she’ll love all of the conveniences, but I also sense that in some respects she will feel jailed in her new environment. Visitors will have to stay at a hotel or in the guest room in the BH since there’s not space in their cottage. I suspect that she’ll miss entertaining out-of-towners in her own home. She has a full kitchen, which is a good thing since one of my favorite holiday activities is salting almonds under her guidance. In all, I think the move will be a positive experience. There are housekeeping services, nice benches and little gardens and social activities galore—not that my grandmother needs help in that area! Knowing her, she’ll be the most social and popular resident in the complex. And, she’ll rake in a fortune winning at bridge.

2008-07-03T19:53:00.005-06:00

Tori's Baby

Part of my daily routine involves reading the "news" stories at IMDB (aka My Favorite Website). I can't help myself. I also hijack the school's copy of People when it gets in to make sure the content is school-appropriate (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). As a result of all of my research, I consider myself pretty celeb-savvy. Tori Spelling recently had her second baby--a girl. However, IMDB's "news" included a sentence that referred to her newborn son. I submitted the error and voilà their response:

Last week I fixed their misspelling of jewelry ("jewellery"...I wish I were joking!).

Also, I regularly contribute to the goofs department of their movies (usually spelling mistakes I notice. You can see my "work" here, fourth one down; and here, the potential spoiler. Again, I'm a geek and damned proud of it.

2008-07-03T09:58:00.000-06:00

My First Playlist (before it was called a playlist)

The first album I ever owned was a compilation of hits that my parents bought me in Albuquerque in 1977. Besides getting the record, my memory of the visit includes human mannequins at a department store. We stood and watched them for several minutes waiting for them to move. They blinked only when they shifted positions every couple of minutes. Once we got home, my brother and I would try to emulate the mannequins. He was better at holding still unblinking than I was.

I would love to recreate this album into a playlist for shits and giggles. The problem is that I can only remember two songs (so far): The Commodores—“Easy” and The Emotions—“Best of My Love.” I’m hoping my brother will remember some, too*.

*He doesn’t. But he now understands why he knows those two songs so well seeing how he wouldn’t have chosen to listen to them.

2008-06-30T12:38:00.000-06:00

What's your sign?

I’m fascinated by coincidences/signs/fate, whatever you want to call it. I’m awed by things that seem one way but point in another direction. A friend of mine recently had a big baby and the doctor accidentally broke his little clavicle. Sounds bad, but upon viewing the x-rays they discovered that his heart is on the right (as in opposite) side. After further testing, everything is A-OK thankfully.

When I was pregnant my cervix (external os, to be exact) was dilated a couple of centimeters from the get-go. I was monitored every couple of weeks—nothing ever changed. It seemed to just be my body in pregnancy mode. When I was five months along, I had another ultrasound with a specialist in Denver. At that appointment she found that Jacobo was a boy and that his left kidney had too much urine. That pointed to a big problem called a ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO for short). Had I not had the cervical problem and the ensuing ultrasound he could have made it to 30 before having major kidney damage. Instead, he had surgery when he was 4-months old to correct the problem. Since then, his kidney ultrasounds have been clear.

I was talking to Cacaseca yesterday and she was telling me about a spring when she kept waking up at 4:11 a.m. She talked to this holistic healer that we know and she said that there was information for her—411. Turns out she was pregnant. That was the message the universe was waking her up for.

2008-06-27T10:33:00.004-06:00

Fab Freitag

1. My roof is almost done!
2. The gutters and window are on order.
3. My squash and peppers are thriving (cukes died).
4. I’m making progress on the wool alphabet quilt that I started over a year ago (ugh). I hope to be done before Owen goes to college.

5. I’m recovering from surgery by napping under the hammering, taking little walks and working on the blanket stitch.

2008-06-23T09:39:00.003-06:00

Tag, I'm it

The Holistic Knitter tagged me!

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?:

Teaching at SDSU; spending the summer in Oaxaca with Cacaseca and Jacobo; closing on the first house (vs. condo) that I bought.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?:

* Pack for the hospital
* Shower
* Have sugery
* Eat chocolate pudding
* Take painkillers

3) Snacks I enjoy:

* granola
* white chocolate-covered pretzels
* Chocolove dark chocolate with raspberries
* ice cream
* toast with Nutella

4) Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

Travel
Have a house in Italy and the Colorado mountains
Donate a ton
Travel some more
Buy whatever the hell I wanted without worrying if I have enough in the bank to cover it!

5) Places I have lived:

Farmington, NM
Durango, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO
Monterey, CA
Brookings, SD

6) Jobs I have had:

Deli clerk
Office gal
Teacher
Granite gal
Whatever my dad needs me to do for our toffee business

7) People I want to Know more about:
LindaCO
Bellona of Avalon
(Yeah, only 2 that I know.)

2008-06-18T12:48:00.001-06:00

Summer priorities:

Get insurance claim figured out. This is turning into a battle. My adjuster showed up 24 hours ahead of schedule so neither my contractor nor I could walk around to assess the damages with him. So now, I have to jump through all kinds of ridiculous hoops to get enough dough to cover the damages. Our most recent discussion included me enumerating the reasons why I need a builder and can’t arrange the repairs on my own. The general rule-of-thumb seems to be that if you have three areas of repair, you can have a builder. Let’s count together: roof (1), gutters (2), fascia (3), painting (4), shed demolition/installation (5), electrician for said shed (6), excavation of former tree area (7). That’s a few more than three. I have to fax my contractor’s bid and hope they’ll cover the remainder. To quote my friends in SoDak, “Uff da.”
Have surgery and heal from that. I requested the cute anesthesiologist, duh. He’s married, but eye-candy anyway.
Help son find his baseball swing. If he could connect, he’d have a homer every time. (All moms say that, I’m sure.)
Keep my garden alive.
Harvest garden.
Read in hammock.
Knit.

2008-06-16T21:28:00.003-06:00

Found: a micro-burst of knitting energy just in time for the power baby-woman shower last Friday. The buttons reflect an Alaska-ish theme since the family fishes there in the summer.

(Pattern from Saartje Knits.)

2008-06-13T08:50:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday the 13^th!

If you think today is an unlucky day, then it will be. But, in fact, it’s a powerful day for women…or at least it was in pre-Christian days. Here’s a concise snippet I found on the internets:

THE POWER OF 13: LUCKY In Northern Europe, the popular Goddess, Freya, associated with the moon and therefore the number 13, was seen as a threat to Christianity. Because of Freya's perceived threat, when Freya's day, Friday, was on the 13th of the month, the medieval Christian monks and priests decided to declare Friday the 13th the Devil's Day. Thus, Friday the 13th is still considered particularly unlucky because of confusion and superstition and it has persisted to this day.

Dispel the confusion! Release the superstition and embrace the day, girls!

2008-06-12T10:06:00.004-06:00

Signs that son is becoming an adult

1. We go to the doctor's office and he goes back alone to explain the problem.
2. I drive him to golf, get out the car to wait with him and he says, "Why are you still here? You can leave."
3. He cares that his tie matches his shirt that matches his jacket.
4. His shoe choices include more than tennies and cleats.
5. When he runs out of clean clothes, he starts a load of laundry. However, the laundry makes it to the post-drying basket phase where it remains until I need the basket.

2008-06-10T16:30:00.003-06:00

A Mosaic Meme

Hat tip to Flickr group that I found thanks to The Holistic Knitter.

Photo credits:

1. Wesley Crusher, Beverly Crusher, and Deanna Troi
2. My Mother's Lasagna
3. Overland Park
4. pink serendipity
5. Goran_Visnjic
6. Vodka gimlet with extra lime
7. Amalfi Coast
8. Pots de crème (au chocolat!)
9. Portofino thru my lens
10. Jacobo
11. U-Westfriedhof
12. Com seu Didi