Great weekend!

After a hard week that included leading six Round Table Discussion parent groups in six different elementaries within a twenty-four hour period, Stew and I headed to Indy for some fun. While he attended an Indiana State Teacher's Association conference, El and I took advantage of the fall weather. We took a walk on the Monon Trail.

It was so beautiful! At points we were in such a fun shopping district, obviously in the middle of a city. But then we'd walk just a way further and be in a forested area. I can't wait to spend more time exploring the Trail.
Back at El's, we took stock of her collection of scarves...she has plenty...but we decided that I need to knit her some socks and knit some mittens for me.

We went to Mass Ave Knit Shop, a wonderful place, and stocked up on the supplies. New yarn to look forward to using!

Here is El enjoying a weekend with her parents! Besides the fore mentioned activities, we ate a lot and laughed a lot....a good time.

I am hooked on knitting

~ I walk by the teacher's mailboxes at school, see a big box, and think, "I hope that's yarn for me."

~ Let me add that I have no yarn on order and wouldn't have it shipped to school even if I did.~ I take pictures of plain skeins of yarn stacked in various configurations.

~ I find those pictures of skeins of yarn beautiful and terribly interesting.

~ I think other people are strange if they don't agree with me on this.

(By the way, this is the yarn for the blanket I'm making for the Cincy baby. I can't wait to start but I'm being disciplined and finishing at least one of my Works-in-Progress first!)

Crises

Not enough computer time for my students to get their work done....a study trip where a 4th grader threw the fit of the century because the restaurant was out of hamburgers, a fit which included slamming himself into other patrons....the need to hurry and get off this last benzodiazepine, Doctor's orders....a new school being built but possible not fully staffed for the gifted kids....but worst of all, this baby sack is TWO INCHES shorter than the pattern calls for. I measured it twenty times and it was the correct length. A week and much knitting progress later and I'm two inches off. I either made a mistake or it shrank in my knitting basket. This I cannot stand. I am in the midst of crisis.

Little bits of lots of stuff

SCHOOL
I'm so busy at school right now! Testing 2nd graders, beginning to work with 1st graders, the usual craziness with my other students, two study trips next week, paperwork and forms coming out my ears, conferences coming up....my head is spinning! But it's a good kind of spin.


KNITTING
I made these sock in 2003...they are the first pair I ever made and I'm proud of them. I spent a lot of time this past weekend updating my stash on Ravelry, adding pictures of projects (including this shot), and also actually knitting. I'm making great progress on the Baby Sack from Debbie Bliss and hope to finish it at just about the time that our Cincy baby arrives. I also have picked up and started working on the socks I promised Gail six months ago. I even sat at a school meeting last night and worked on those socks. A new stage as a knitter....public knitting!




POWERPOINT
I'm going to be teaching/overseeing 22 5th graders in the computer lab for the next few weeks as they do their PowerPoints for their independent study. So to become familiar with the process, I've been making a few of my own. At school I'm doing one on my independent study topic called "Mary Cassatt: A Woman Can't be a Painter!" I'm enjoying it but even more fun, at home I'm working on "The Amazing Family Bloom". Everyone in the family will have a slide or two in that one. And here is the picture introducing myself, just to give you an idea of the tone of the thing.


GARDEN
I hate fall garden clean up but there are still some nice things out there. The last blooms of October....




And these Hens and Chicks will still be there when the snow flies....

"Granny was a Hippie" Psychodelic Baby Sweater

I finished this sweater and even though it is a bit loud for my taste, it feels and smells so wonderful! And I'm looking forward to having it keep our Cincy baby warm all winter.

Now I've seen everything!

You'd think I'd be more enthusiastic. I love knitting, appreciate creativity, and rarely have I run into toilet humor that hasn't made me chuckle. But this is going too far!

http://flickr.com/photos/pocketfarm/2218899058/

Making phone friends

I didn't get a newspaper yesterday or today. Yesterday I just shrugged it off but I do like to read the paper with my morning coffee so today I decided to call the Customer Service number which is, of course, automated.

You hit 1 for a problem with today's paper and 2 for a problem with yesterday's paper. I was puzzling this one over and then The Voice said to hit 3 for other problems. I decided that was me with my double complaint. But The Voice on #3 said that she-was-sorry-but-the-voice-mailbox-was-full-good-by.

There were no other options for delivery problems. A number was listed if I wanted to talk about international news among other things but nothing for circulation. Again I puzzled for a moment and then I decided that I'd call the publisher. Her name was nice and big and at the very top. I left a message about no paper, the Customer Service robot who wouldn't listen to me, and how I felt a bit cross about the whole thing. And then I got ready and went to school and forgot all about this.

But they didn't forget me. I guess when you call the publisher, it gets things rolling. I had a message from the Vice-President in Charge of Circulation, the Circulation Manager, and Marlene Down in Circulation...all within a half hour. All left their personal extensions in case of future problems I might have and all want to talk to me as soon as possible. And the carrier came by with the papers and two phone numbers to reach him. I'm surrounded by new friends! I'm waiting for someone to bring me a pie!

I wouldn't have met all these nice people if the paper had a human Customer Service rep or listed a number to call for circulation problems. Seems simple to me and yet I'm sure they think this automated stuff make things better. Go figure.