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.

hold on, it's an FO!

two, count 'em, TWO posts in one day. this one is knitting related, so i kept it separate from the first.

i've decided to knit up some bookmarks for my book club, which i mentioned in my earlier post. i started up a feather and fan bookmark last week while i was moderating drama camp (which amounts to sitting around watching our counselors play games with the kids).

i used some beautiful fleece artist sea wool in coco raspberry to knit this up on the only set of size 3 needles i have. i received the yarn and the needles in a swap back in february. there's a pic of it back yonder somewhere.

i know i said i was going to learn socks, but after several aggravating attempts, i've decided that they are just not for me... at least not for right now. i need infinite amounts of patience for that, and during the school year i tend to use up more than my daily allotment of patience from 8am until 4pm.

so, the pretty pink fleece artist sea wool is now (well, ~20 yds of it anyway) a pretty bookmark ready for the loving hands of a fellow teacher! my mom really loves the way feather and fan knits up. hmm, possible future gifts for mom? hmm....

becoming a better blogger

it has come to my attention that i am a bad, naughty blogger. my apologies for being neglectful of my blog duties. i tend to A) forget that i have a blog and B) think that no one reads it anyway... well, clearly i am mistaken, at least on point B. i'll start taking a gingko biloba supplement for point A!

school's out for summer (insert 80s guitar solo here) so i am, contentedly, doing a lot of nothing. the end of the school year was a little chaotic - my teaching assignment for next year is just about completely different than anything i've done before. this is a good thing. a much needed thing. i get to play with the big kids now! 11th grade music and english, along with 7th grade and 8th grade choruses. the only thing i've done before? 7th grade chorus. eep! actually, that reminds me... i should start brushing up on my british lit!

i'm really quite excited about the change, actually. the last couple of years had started to become more than a little disheartening, feeling like i was heading towards bigger and better things only to end up teaching the same thing again. it's not that i didn't like what i was teaching, but i never intended to teach at a middle school level, so to be doing that for 5 years was, well, a bit too long. now i get to stretch my intellectual legs with british literature and music history, and i am thrilled. yay for finally feeling accomplished in my career!

~~note: if you are not a book geek, you can skip this paragraph~~
lately i've been reading quite a bit. i jumped in on a small book club with a few of my coworkers, which i think has been really great for my reading habits. i do love reading, i just hadn't felt motivated to really get into it in a while. we read life of pi by Yann Martel, which was a strange book. i did enjoy it a lot, but in the end, it's a head-scratcher. in a good way. then we read Cormac McCarthy's The Road which was just truly and utterly depressing. it's the only book i think i've ever read that i can only describe as "grey". our most recent read, which we're meeting for sometime in july (i think? i should email erin...) was written by Khaled Hosseini. he wrote The Kite Runner which I had read previously, and we chose another of his, A Thousand Splendid Suns. i read it in one day. i could NOT stop reading it. it was brutal at times, but his voice is truly intoxicating and it just draws you into his narratives. i can't wait for the meeting for this book! aside from the book club, i've also been reading the new David Sedaris and a book my mom got me for Christmas that's a new translation of the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. it's a side-by-side text, Old English on the left, new verse on the right. i am enjoying it but i can't read a lot of it at once.

i celebrated the 4th of july in brooklyn, with Nick, my cousin Michael and a few of his friends. i have never seen the macy's fireworks anywhere except on TV... well, we watched them from Nick's roof in Brooklyn Heights! it was awesome. i'll leave this entry with a few of my better shots from the fireworks display... despite the rainy weather, the show was still amazing!

and i promise, i'll try to update again soon ;)

spring fling!

today marks my return from the senior trip to disneyworld. i don't remember my trip being quite so full of insanity, but it was fun to go along and see the kids have so much fun. and we had fun as chaperones too :)

however, i have bigger and better things to share, such as my fantastic package from my spring fling SP, Aitara! Gretchen, girl, you are AWESOME! i can't believe the stuff you sent me! thanks so much!



so, here's a rundown of all these great goodies!

edible yummies include a fantastic tin of green tea infused with coconut, lemongrass and ginger. the smell of this tea is enough to make me want to try some tonight! she also sent an extreme dark chocolate bar (mmm) and CHOCOLATE COVERED BLUEBERRIES! i haven't had these in SO long and i can't wait to indulge.

i got two books in my package... one is a billy crystal book that i'm really excited to read, i LOVE the guy, and the other looks like a blast of a book entitled "The Big Over Easy" (A Nursery Crime). i love this stuff. simply awesome.

she also included some gardening gloves, which is perfect because i think mom and i are going to start digging in the back yard next weekend! cleverly, she put a little manicure set in the package too, so i can keep my nails looking pretty even in the midst of gardening season.

the pup got a lobster squeaky toy (which he promptly claimed as his own and proudly marched down the stairs), and she even sent some cat toys for matt's kitty, leo! i can't wait to bring them up for him!

now, on to the knitting goodies... i gots some purdy yarn! Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn in a beautiful bright royal blue, Maizy (Crystal Palace Yarns) in the Neptune colorway, which is right up my alley. simply gorgeous, and a really cool corn fiber yarn to boot! and finally, some lovely Tatamy Tweed Worsted in Teal. i've been looking for the perfect yarn to make a cabled bag, and think the tweed will be fabulous for it! on top of the fantastic yarn, she included a little purple tape measure, some blocking pins, and some split ring markers as well.

i feel SO taken care of! and it was a great surprise to come home to this after spending the last 4 days running around like a lunatic in florida with 460 high school seniors!

THANKS GRETCHEN! You are an awesome pal! *hugs*

long day's journey

ah... at last, i am home and in my comfy chair.

it has been a slightly hectic week of vacation. only slightly because most of the craziness was self-induced and actually enjoyable.

easter was a lot of fun and extremely tasty. we had aunt celeste, uncle gary, uncle bill and grandma over for dinner. the guys actually managed to get my dad's ship together. he's had it for quite a few years now, a gift from my uncle JT, and just never got it back up and together. it looks great on top of the chest in the living room! i'll post pics of that when i remember to snap them. maybe later.

monday my parents and i headed over to a local nursery to get inspired for gardening. i brought my tiny cam and took some lovely pics while we were there. i'll post a few down below.

tuesday and wednesday were spent with the high school band kids on their first trip in 7 years or so. we went up to boston where they braved 35 degree weather in quincy market to play! they did well. and then they invaded the starbucks ;)

thursday i headed up to 'cuse to visit matt. well, i really wanted to visit his kitty, but we'll just say i wanted to visit matt. he's aware that i adore his kitty, possibly more than i adore him. ah, love. the drive there was awesome, no traffic at all actually. today was similar, except for a few thickheaded motorists who don't understand the idea of a PASSING lane.

now i'm home. back to the grind tomorrow, but i suppose with all the fun i had over vacation, i shouldn't complain.

i probably will though. ;)

and now, for some pretty flowies! happy spring!

inspirational things

it's getting to be that time of year when things are getting green again, and that always improves my mood tenfold. having daylight savings early is fantastic!

yesterday i played in the dirt in the back and front yards planting bulbs. we'll see if they decide to come out and play, as it's a little late in the season for them. mom and i have plans to go to the local nursery later this week for garden inspiration. since the major renovations last summer, we have a clean slate in both yards, and we're looking very much forward to getting to play with lots of new ideas.

while out looking for summery clothes (i'm chaperoning the senior trip to disneyworld in a month!), i wandered into pottery barn and found, on sale, a bright, cheery duvet! the perfect thing to spruce up my room for spring! it makes me happy. :)

and finally, for fun, a survey stolen from my friend suz's LJ...

Open up your iTunes and fill out the survey.

How many songs total: 1556

How many hours or days of music: 4.2 days

Most recently played: Matt's internet radio show!

Most played: Duncan Sheik - Longing Town

Most recently added: for some reason, there's nothing here...

Sort by song title:
First Song: Across the Universe (The Beatles)
Last Song: Your Redneck Past (Ben Folds Five)

Sort by time:
Shortest Song: Frog on my Toe (Tori Amos) 27 seconds
Longest Song: Miss Blue (Filter) 19 minutes

Sort by album:
First album: The All American Rejects (Self Titled)
Last album: Elliot Smith (XO)


Search the following and state how many songs come up:
Death - 0
Life - 20
Hate - 3
Love - 89 (wow!)
You - 148 (more wow!)
Sex - 4

i've got the VD!

i loved the snowflake swap so much that i jumped right in for the valentine's themed swap on knitty... i sent my secret pal a big box o' love last week that she really seemed to enjoy, so once she received mine, i just had to wait for mine to get to me!


THANK YOU to Sarah! she sent me a box full of pink fun goodies! my VD included two fantastic hand knit dishcloths in beautiful shades of pink with white, heart shaped peeps (tee hee!), reese's chocolate hearts, some wonderful tea, a pretty lip balm, heart shaped post-its, a heart shaped cookie cutter complete with recipe for mom's sugar cookies, a Yarn Harlot book "At Knit's End" which i thumbed through and giggled at last night, and last but NOT least some FANTASTICALLY FABULOUS sock yarn in a gorgeous pink colorway. with the DPNs she sent and the sock pattern, how can i NOT learn to knit socks?! i'm excited and terrified all at once.

thanks again to my VD SP! and special awesome props for it getting here RIGHT on V-Day, all the way from Canada!

Sarah, you rock!

insomnolence

Mondays, in general, are less than desirable. Today in particular was just plain awful. I spent most of yesterday on a sort of cleaning bender... I guess I got myself going full speed ahead, because by the time I decided I should probably go to bed, I was still wide awake. Got off the phone with the boy around 12:30. Tossed. Turned. Looked at the clock. 1:!5am... 2am... 2:45am... I think I passed out somewhere near 3:30am or so. Up at 6am for Monday.

There's nothing quite as wearisome as trudging through your day just knowing that you have so much more to do and zilch in the energy department. I don't know how I drove my car home.

Highlight of the day was my father banning me from the kitchen for clean-up because I couldn't operate the plastic wrap.



Do not operate heavy machinery. Or plastic wrap.