happy new year

it's 2009, and i am not hungover. this bodes well for the new year! spent the evening with some good friends and came home this morning. i'm feeling decidedly optimistic about this year, which is very unlike me. but it's a good feeling.

maybe it's just been a while since i've been happy at the beginning of the new year. i think everyone i love deserves a good, happy 2009. i'll be rooting for you all.

i've got a good feeling about this one.

happy new year everyone!

peace amid the madness

you would think after 28 years of existence, i would have figured out that this time of year is just overall unpleasant for me. alas, i'm constantly surprised at how the change of seasons affects me and the slump that i get into as a result. the problem is that i don't have time to be in a slump. this is precisely when everything goes all wonky in my schedule. between the end of the first trimester rapidly crashing down on me, the fall production going up in a week, and the huge shift in daylight (i HATE daylight savings with a fiery passion), i am a completely insane human being.

thankfully, i find solace in my quiet time. when i get home, whether it be at 4pm (not likely these days) or 6pm (more likely) or 8pm (next week is hell week), i immediately retreat to my room, exchange my work attire for comfy clothes, swaddle myself in my cozy blanket, and curl up in my chair. sometimes i poke around online, or i knit, or i just vegetate (aka fall asleep), but regardless of what i do, i need it like plants need sunlight or i no longer qualify as a person. at least i know this. the days where i'm just too tired to truly recharge my batteries end up being full of misery and crankiness. i can't handle being a person in the world if i don't have the time to just sit and be alone for a while.

it's hard being so introverted sometimes. i wish i had the energy that some of my friends have when it comes to being involved with other people. i love teaching, but unfortunately that pretty much taps my daily extroversion quota, and as a result i find myself crawling back into my shell much more frequently when i'm NOT working. it's an interesting conundrum. thankfully, i have a few good friends from work who keep me fairly social considering my normal tendency to be the invisible person.

i think, however, that this year is shifting my outlook on autumn and the change of seasons. i have a wonderful new relationship in my life, and the fact that it's really starting to take off at what is typically the darkest time of the year for me (both figuratively and literally) is quite uplifting. nick has the ability to lift me out of my blackest moods, which tend to surface more during this time of year. and even though he's going on tour in december, i find that i'm not sad, depressed, upset, or any of that... i know he'll be back, and i can't wait for that chapter to start. i'm so excited for him to have this opportunity. i want him to experience this tour so that he can then use it to open more doors here in NY. i'm just so happy for him! he's even started a tour blog to keep track of his experiences. i know it'll be tough for a few months, but i also know that this relationship is too special for something like a tour to rattle it. i have faith. he makes me happy, and simultaneously is capable of grounding me while still allowing me to feel as though i'm flying free. it's... something ;)

updates and the like

well, hello there. clearly i am not the best at updating my blog, but i always manage to make it back here eventually. the life of anna is just riveting, the stuff of dramatic movies, and i can't possibly be expected to regularly spew the contents of my complicated existence onto this banal blog.

...or, i'm absentminded and tend to procrastinate like a mofo. yeah, that's more me.

let's see. so much has happened since i last posted that the task of updating is an unenviable one. i don't feel the need to explain all aspects of my life here, so i'll try and highlight the major things and move on from there.

the BF of 4 years and i amicably split at the end of september. long distance is not for the faint of heart, and after four years of it... well, it had taken its toll on both of us. we figured we'd rather remain in each other's lives as good friends than to let it beat us into pure unadulterated hatred of each other. when we're ready i think we'll be able to salvage a really wonderful friendship. who knows when that will begin, i suppose it will happen when it's meant to. it was hard to end it, but it was definitely the right thing to do. i'm feeling more myself in the last month than i have in the past 2 years, i think. it always amazes me how lost i can get while wrapped up in a relationship. it's a problem i've always had, and i would really like to eliminate it from my personality. i LIKE me. sheesh.

school is up and running. this year's been a tough transition, as i'm teaching mostly juniors now, both music and english. i've had a difficult time addressing their academic needs and i think it's on the upswing now, but it hasn't been easy. thank goodness for supportive colleagues who are always full of good ideas.

drama club is fast approaching our fall production of fiddler on the roof. just yesterday i had a crew building day sans the cast rehearsing around us, and we were able to get 4 of the 5 flats up on our new outrigger system (thanks nick!). it works beautifully, and i'm kicking myself that i didn't ask nick sooner for help in figuring out the logistics of running a set fast and light. this should be a great, easy set to run. phew!

let me end with this (only ending because i have to bake cookies for school tomorrow) -

it's amazing to me how blindly we can wander through our lives, taking for granted the relationships we have around us all the time. it seems we only really tune into these tremendous assets when we hit hard times, or we experience something traumatic. i've spent the last 5 years teaching Our Town to 9th graders, it was even our spring production last year, so you'd think the theme of the transience of human life would have sunk in by now. yet, in the past month, i've had my eyes opened in several ways when it comes to people who have been in my life for a long time. i'm finding such happiness in relationships that i should have been happy in for years. it's simultaneously enlivening, yet frustrating.

to all of my friends, both real life and internet based, thanks for everything you have been to me, and for everything you will continue to be. life is short, we've all got to pay more attention, lest something slip by us without appreciation.

oh the cuteness...

i was helping dad get dinner ready, and while i was setting the table i glanced out the dining room window. we have our veggie garden out there, so the most exciting thing i was expecting to see was some newly ripened cherry tomatoes or the latest progress of our one lonely eggplant.

i did not expect the cuteness. the pure, unadulterated cuteness...


(can you count them? they all blend SO well together.)

this is a neighborhood litter of kittens. by neighborhood i mean everyone in our area kind of takes care of the mama cat (and several others). these kittens aren't too shy around people... they certainly didn't stop their napping while i snapped a few pictures of them. mama even walked towards the window and meowed gently at me, as if to say "yes, they ARE gorgeous, aren't they?".

here's mama cat...



our neighbor, an elderly man who lives alone (with a beautiful siamese housecat), regularly feeds the stray cats in our neighborhood. we've had a few litters the last few years... most of the babies get taken in, and i know mama sticks around the area. i've tried to catch them in the past to no avail.

i leave you with the cutest family portrait i've seen in a while.
i hope you enjoy :)

bookworms unite (FOs included!)

today was our 3rd official bookclub meeting! we had brunch at E's house, and 8 people attended out of 10... considering one of those 10 lives in Boston, that's not bad. E served some really delicious foods, including a yummy dish that consisted of egg-soaked bread, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, and basil. also a really good fruit salad (of which i ate a ridiculous amount!), and P brought some very tasty apple crumb cake. i helped make that disappear as well.

we were discussing A Thousand Splendid Suns, which really was a fantastic read. truly brutal at times, and one of the things that we all agreed on was that in today's society, we wanted a book about Middle Eastern society and culture that was going to shatter some of the stereotypes we've grown (sadly) accustomed to in the US, and how disappointed we were that the book just reinforced most of those stereotypes. we all got some very good historical information from P (she's a Global Studies teacher) that really helped us to understand the history of that particular region and all of the cultural implications of the violence that has been going on there for decades, if not centuries. it was a really enlightening chat.

we chose our next book, Water for Elephants, which Mom has read and was happy to hear that i would also be reading. actually, i just got back from the bookstore. Mom had given her copy away, so i had to pick it up. i also picked up The Knitting Circle and a copy of the fall issue of Knit Simple magazine. it had some cute looking sweaters that i may tackle.

speaking of knitting, a couple posts back i showed off my feather and fan bookmark and mentioned that i was knitting bookmarks for the book club! mission accomplished! actually, i only ended up with 8 for today's meeting, which turned out to be the PERFECT number. everyone was so appreciative and thought they were wonderful! and as it turns out, my friend R also knits! why we hadn't figured that out yet i have NO idea, but she was thrilled to find out that i am a knitter. so i have to share with you some pictures of the finished products!

this is all 8 of the bookmarks sitting pretty on my ottoman (which also served as a blocking location for them)...



these are the 2 feather/fan bookmarks...


these are the 2 basketweave bookmarks...


here are the 2 "lace wave" bookmarks...


and finally, the 2 "no wrong side" bookmarks (of course, i forgot to get pics of the opposite side!)...


so i've been a busy little knitter! now i can actually start looking into what yarn i want to tackle the Minimalist Cardigan with... i have the pattern, it'll be my first sweater and i'm kind of scared and excited about it!

oh, also... i just have to mention that the BF actually requested that i knit him something.

that's right. this from the man who called me a little old lady for knitting! he wants me to make him gloves with the Triforce symbol on them. hmm, i could learn colorwork... *starts plotting*

i am a spoiled little girl.

well, not typically, but today... today i am the most spoiled girl in the WORLD! i got my knitty summer lovin' swap package!

i woke up around 8:30 this morning with a nasty ass headache, so i took some pills and then went back to bed. by the time i woke up (i won't tell you when) the headache had mostly vacated my brain, so i went downstairs. dad was sitting on the porch, as usual, and mentioned that i had gotten a package. i squealed, and ran outside. upon looking at the return address, i had that matrix-black-cat-deja-vu kind of feeling.
then i tore the wrapping off the box, and in my foggy state declared how strange it was that someone had used the same stickers that i had used on the last box i sent out for a swap.

did i mention i'd had a headache for most of the morning? that's my story and i'm stickin' to it.

once the fog cleared out of my head, i yet again squealed and realized that the wonderful Vicki, who was my spring swap downstream, had sent me my summer package full of fun!

my sweet lord, what goodies she sent my way!



as if having my former downstream as my upstream wasn't enough, she went all out and totally spoiled me rotten with all sorts of handmade goodies. i mean, this package is just chock full of vicki's creativity and talent! i feel so special! let me tell you what she MADE for ME!!



~ beautiful hand spun yarns: 2 skeins of "Summer Fun", a beautiful 50% merino/45% bamboo/5% silk light worsted in pretty turquoises and purples; and 1 skein of "Sage Shimmer", a fabulous 85% merino/11% silk/4% firestar boucle in beautiful blue/greens





~ a simply exquisite knitting needle roll in which was hiding...

~ handmade stitch markers! i almost missed these little goodies! so well hidden.

~ sterling silver drop earrings

~ a handknit bracelet - now this is awesome, because she made it using the yarn that she spun up from the roving that i sent her in the spring swap! and she's posted the pattern on ravelry and i have the very first one ever! *super special squee!!*

~ note cards printed with gorgeous botanical photos that she has taken herself



now, do you think all of those handmade treasures were enough? ohhh no. she didn't stop there. she just had to put some other fun things in there as well! so she ALSO sent...

~ 3 skeins of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes (kettle dyed) in Spruce

~ a pack of 3 chewy rope tugs for the oliver pup

~ a pedicure kit (thank heavens, my toes are in a sorry state)

~ a pack of orbit mint mojito gum (i loooves me some mojito!!)

~ a magnetic note pad (awesome for school, i seem to devour those things)

~ a really fun coconut cup that i will thoroughly enjoy a cocktail in later...

~ JELLIES!!! yes, folks, she found the ultimate 80s girl shoes. i had so many of these when i was little. hilarious! a total blast from summers past!

oh vicki, you have no idea how happy you have made me! i can't even believe how much of yourself you poured into this package!



THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! even my mom can't believe how much thought you put into this package. i am truly touched :)

this neighborhood is going to the dogs.

the world is a big steaming pile of dog poo. well, maybe not the world, although george bush isn't doing much for the america's image. but that's beside the point.

i just took the dog out since his master and commander is working and dad, who usually gives in first, is at the beach. for the little jaunts we walk him down the side street - we're on a corner. the side street is nobody's front yard, and we pick up after our dog, so really it's not a big deal.

our backyard neighbor, let's call him J, is an elderly man who lives by himself. 90% of the time J keeps to himself...but he's really big on dog poop. there are people in our neighborhood who do not clean up after their dogs. these people happen to live in direct proximity to us and the same side street. i'm sure you see where i'm going with this.

in the past, J has resorted to papering his fence with signs that read "clean up after your dog" and "no dumping here" (haha, funny J). we always clean up after oliver. you never see any of us walking him without a baggy for the dirty job. never. we don't appreciate it when owners don't clean up after their dogs on our property, and so we're pretty vigilant about cleaning up after ours.

today, as usual, i walk oliver down the side street. at a slow pace it's a good 3 minute walk down, and oliver loves to sniff everything so it's usually slower. typically, by the time we've reached the end of the street, he's ready to do his business. who doesn't have a bathroom routine? i mean, c'mon.

so he's sniffing around, and J walks out from his front yard and starts chastising me. i hold up the bag. he relents, momentarily. i pick up the poo, and he starts in again.

"well, look at this! this here!" (J points to poo by his fence)
"i know, it's a shame that some people dont' pick up after their dogs"
"listen, you live down there, right?" (J points to main ave on which we live)
"yes, we're your neighbors"
"well, you don't live on this street, so don't walk your dog here anymore. just walk him on your street! i dont want to see you here anymore!"

are you kidding me?! i calmly pointed out that i had picked up after my dog, and that all of us pick up after this particular dog. he can run poo analysis for all i care. he continued his diatribe and i simply said that we all live in this neighborhood, and that when he owns the whole place i'll consider listening. in the meantime, i will continue to walk my dog and clean up after him.

now i know he's elderly, and i know he lives alone, but man, that really ticked me off today. we do our part to keep the neighborhood clean. get off my back, man.