thesmileyspot

Latest Reads

2010-08-07T12:28:00.002-04:00

Shooter by Walter Dean Meyers is a book intended for a teen/young adult audience. It's a fast read (one day), but I certainly wouldn't recommend for anyone under 15. It's a good example of 'If you don't stand for something you'll certainly fall for anything.' There's a variety of examples of bad parenting and teens feeling alienated from peers. Leonard, one of the leading characters, who is actually deceased, is a real head-case with propensity for violence. I was on edge waiting for Cameron or Carla to truly stand up to him, but even when they did it was short lived. I'd like a follow up to see what actually happens to Cameron after this tragedy. Does he grow a spine? Can he improve his relationship with his parents? Would he continue to attend the same school? How does he explain his complete lack of affect? The book is a tragedy in the traditional sense. All the characters are flawed and there is no happy ending.

Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby is about Theodore Mead Fegley and his struggle to fit in somewhere despite his incredibly high I.Q. and his always being considerably younger than his peers. The book is written with Fegley's college graduation as the pinacle and we get to see all major events before and after his entering college. Mead is not likable. Although he becomes more so as he tries to mend his relationship with his Aunt and Uncle and finally stands up to his mother (back off lady, sheesh!). You think he's losing his mind, or you are, as things progress because he starts to hallucinate a bit. I liked all the math references and his trip to Bell Labs (Yea New Jersey!). You wouldn't need to know any math to understand Fegley's obsession. Due to some adult situations I would not recommend for under 17.

New Dog

2010-07-25T13:48:00.003-04:00

Here's our new dog, Ozzie. He's a complete love. We found him at the Middletown Humane Society, which was a great location. They had a lot of great animals including chickens, rabbits, birds, reptiles, cats and dogs. Ozzie and his sister, Ruby, had been surrendered by a family who no longer had time to care for them. I appreciate what this family did, because Ozzie and Ruby were so sweet you could tell they had been truly cared for. He sleeps with his belly to the sky and loves to carry his bone around. He's great on the leash, nice to everyone he meets, and is great with Frank. He's a nice new addition to our family.

Unconditional Love

2010-06-09T07:34:00.004-04:00

I used to be a real hot-head when I was younger. Days were marked by ridiculous arguments, feelings of betrayal, outrage, and an occasional fistfight (over a boy, of all things!). I'm such a different person now I can barely remember the absurd justifications I had to behave in such manner. I would like to say that I changed as a result of getting older, but I have met a lot of people, older than me, who still live life this way. They nurse hurt feelings and plan ways of exacting revenge. This isn't a good way to live, it's not the path to happiness, I've never met anyone who behaves this way and is content.

The biggest changing factor in my life has been that I've come to know the Lord. Unconditional love only comes through Him. Once you learn what it looks like, how it feels and some minimal skills in self restraint you can begin to treat others with unconditional love too. Through this process people can begin to truly feel content and happy, under any circumstance.

When you rely on people to meet your needs you will be sorely disappointed. Only God can love you unconditionally and fill you to overflowing that you can share that love with those around you. Neighbors, coworkers, family, spouses, children, are all going to say or do something at some point that will cause you emotional pain or distress. If you don't have Jesus you're going to take those things to heart, but there's another way! Love them. You don't need to analyze anyone's thoughts or actions, you don't need to question motives or plan your next move. Just love them, truly, and pray that God will be with you to help you.

Amazing Challenge

2010-02-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

A few months ago I was listening to NPR in the car and they were interviewing a woman who was visually impaired and had a PhD in physics. It was remarkable to hear the struggles she went through to learn math and physics, which you can imagine involves a lot of visual aids.

As God would have it, I now have a visually impaired student in one of my Algebra classes. I've been searching for resources, but there is very little available for sighted people. I found a great web site in Texas by a woman named Susan A. Osterhaus. I've spent quite a bit of time searching her site just trying to get a handle on what sort of training I would need in order to work with a visually impaired student. It seems there are two different forms of tactile learning for the blind, English Braille, which is used for reading and writing words, and The Nemeth Code, which is used for math type learning. I haven't yet been able to locate any proper training in New York, but I will continue to search.

Nibelungenlied

2010-02-03T20:24:00.002-05:00

Quite by accident I started reading a book that my DH keeps called Nibelungenlied. I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

If you don't want to click on the link and read about it, then I'll just tell you, it's the translation of an epic poem in Middle High German. It's about a powerful knight Siegfried, his murder and the subsequent vengeance by his widow Kriemhild. Anyone who enjoyed Iliad would enjoy this. The chapters are short, so I can get one in before going to sleep at night. It's quickly paced so I haven't hit a boring spot yet. The names are a bit tricky, but I could recommend it for high school age and up.

Job Opportunities

2010-01-21T16:45:00.004-05:00

There's another full-time opening where I work. Maybe they'll fall in love with me, give me a job, and buy some of my ebay stuff.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2010-01-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

Face of Jesus

2010-01-01T11:17:00.003-05:00

This is pretty neat, when you study the face of this picture you'll see it's made up of moments from the life of Jesus.

Frank and Mom

2009-12-18T18:13:00.002-05:00

This is a beautiful picture that Frank came home with for me the beginning of 5th grade. I've had it hanging at my desk and since I had to vacate said desk today I'll take this opportunity to share some art. This is a picture of Frank and I sitting on the grass watching the sun set.

Thank you

2009-12-14T22:14:00.003-05:00

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this wonderful day. A day filled with splendor and sparkle. Thank you for giving me a roof and food and a precious family. Thank you for giving us your word as guidance and reminder to true happiness.

Thank you, to my husband, for being such a good husband. You are the Yin to my Yang. You are the rock to my whirlwind. Thank you for cooking and cleaning and working and being so silly. Thank you for being still.

Thank you, to my mother, for being a source of strength. Thank you for being a kind and firm mother. You have been a shining example of motherhood. Without your love I would have never been given such an insight to the love of the Lord.

Thank you, to my sister, for being things I am not. Thank you for loving my opposing nature. Thank you for being my teacher and my friend.

Identity other than parent

2009-11-28T20:48:00.003-05:00

I must admit that I have a difficult time forming my identity away from my child. I really love Frank (of course) and I spend about 50% of my time away from him, so you'd think that it wasn't that big of a deal. But I find that most of my time away from him is 1)planning what to do when we're together, 2)killing time til he comes home 3)thinking of ways to help him get the most out of life. I'm sure other people have this problem. I'm not one of those who has nothing to talk about but my kid, but I will say that I smile the broadest when I am talking about him. He just brings me such joy!

Oh Blog, Why Have I Forsaken Thee

2009-11-16T17:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, the colder weather is setting in, so I guess I can start to give you some updates again.

I was passed over for a full-time position with my current employer. It's unfortunate, but I'm hopeful that it won't happen twice. I like being there, and I'm enjoying teaching again. I think it's someplace that I could work permanently, now I just have to convince them. Adjuncting has been good because I'm knitting a lot and starting to think about math again. Hard, thought provoking, vomit inducing math. You know, the good stuff!

My dog is getting older by the minute. I can actually hear him getting older right now. His old bones are shaky and rickety. He can barely get out of his own way. Walking him takes a tremendous amount of patience because he is sooooo slloooooooow. I feel like such a heal when I leave him during the day. We set up doggie playpen in the living room and he moans and howls in there all day. He seems to be less stressed out than he was being locked in the bedroom all day. "Why do we have to pen him?" you may ask. Well, he does wear a diaper, but they don't make a diaper that covers the rear portion of a dog, and we just couldn't spend the rest of our lives steam cleaning the rug.

Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I'm looking forward to it, I just wish I had some decent dishes. Mine are all chipped and scratched. I guess they're better than paper plates.

We started watching The Prisoner on AMC last night, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen. Love it! It's definitely got that kooky 70's sci-fi feel to it, but we had our eyes glued to the show the entire time. I've never seen the original, but I'm a bit curious now. I wonder if my mom has seen it. Mom?

My darling husband took me to the Hobby Lobby this past weekend. My girlfriend in Mississippi was always showing me such fab things she got from Hobby Lobby, and with that sassy southern accent I just loved the way should just rattled off, "oh, I got that at the HobbyLobby", so I was very excited. It was nice. Like a giant Michaels and HomeGoods in one. The yarn selection was big and we bought a puzzle to do together. I signed up to get coupons, so we'll see if I can keep spending to a minimum.

Frank and I are going with my mom to Baltimore this weekend! We're very excited to see Tina and Andy and go to the play.

~Toodles~

Touch My Monkey!

2009-08-08T15:02:00.002-04:00

Okay, he's not mine, but I did make him for someone's baby. He was pretty easy and I think he's fabulous.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

2009-08-05T13:04:00.002-04:00

"When you have known someone your whole life you don't need a lot of warm-up time to get into a big argument. All the foreplay has been done years ago, and so the battle sits in your memory like stove gas awaiting the match." from Breakfast With Buddha, by Roland Merullo

A Prayer by Frank

2009-06-01T10:15:00.002-04:00

This school year the students at my son's school faced a bit of a tragedy because their beloved school nurse Patricia died of cancer. She worked right up until she could no longer, went into hospice and passed away within two weeks. It was very upsetting to Frank and he was sure that no replacement could be found because "She was the best, Mom. She won an award". The children were given an opportunity to write a letter to Patricia's husband, here is Frank's...

Insomnia

2009-05-29T02:28:00.001-04:00

sleep, don't allude me
i long for your tender kiss
come quickly to me

Dogswalk and Project Linus

2009-05-11T08:44:00.007-04:00

I finished two more blankets for Project Linus. They were assembled from the squares that the beginning knitters at Mount Saint Mary College had created. It was a real drag putting them together. I will not do that in the future. It took me a year! Literally! If I had known they were going to make so many squares I would've just had them make blankets.

We went on the annual Dogswalk at Bear Mountain Park. Here we are with the Fothergills and Sox (short for Red Sox), Robbie, Nixon and Maggie. My mom was the photog so she's not in this pic, but she came with Maggie. The dogs did great and slept the rest of the day. The weather was decent, not too hot, and it rained only a bit towards the end. We were finished by 10:30. It's so neat to see all the different breeds of dogs there, especially the extremely large and small ones.

Travel Plans

2009-05-02T23:00:00.003-04:00

DH and I are going to Atlantic City to celebrate out anniversary this year. In the process of looking for a reasonably priced room I came across this on a bed and breakfast search site.

This beautiful house is right at the top of my hill. It's such a great reminder of how beautiful my city was. It makes me so happy to see things turning around.
It's a bed and breakfast in Newburgh called The Pickerel Rush.

Blog Blocked

2009-04-22T22:31:00.004-04:00

Sometimes all I can think about is work and it's hard to pinpoint other things in my life that I've got going on. Here's some...

I may have a job.
One of my goals on the (nearly defunct) list to the left is to get a full-time job. Well, I have an interview lined up. Now if I can stop my knees from knocking together, maybe I'll have a chance.

My son is very sweet.
He went to see 17 Again with his Dad and on the way out of the theater he became physically ill. The next day he told me it must've been because of the movie, because there was a lot of kissing and cussing. "They even said the A-H word!" So he's pretty sure that all that kissing and cussing is what made him puke.

Here he is with the eggs we decorated.

My husband is a man of few words.
I had a terrible, awful dream on Friday. It was so realistic and troubling that I went to talk to my Pastor about it on Monday. When I told DH the details he said "Oh". Thanks Babe MUAH!

My mom is rockin' a hard-body for summer.
I wanted to start taking Zumba classes a few months ago, so my mom was kind enough to go with me. We both really loved it, but then I got hooked up with teaching an extra class so I haven't been able to go. My mother, on the other hand, has increased her frequency to 3 nights a week! I can't wait to get back!

My sister's birthday is coming up.
I wonder if she'd like anything particular for her birthday. Mmmmm, maybe she'll post a comment.

Two piggies.
Here's my dog with the Amigurumi pig I made for my hairdresser.

Theology, Scrappin' and Cheerios: HE IS RISEN!

2009-04-12T18:52:00.000-04:00

Theology, Scrappin' and Cheerios: HE IS RISEN!

Happy Resurrection Day!

2009-04-12T18:42:00.003-04:00

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, [1] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:15-18)

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.(John 8:32)

The New Yankee Stadium

2009-04-04T20:39:00.005-04:00

Mike and I went into Manhattan today just to see some sites and get a bite to eat, but we ended up at the new Yankee Stadium and it was awesome! Yanks played the Cubs in an exhibition game and won 10-1. It was totally freezing out, but we saw the new Yankee Museum and ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe at the stadium. On the way home we scored some great things at Murray's Cheese which has a new salami counter also. Whew, I'm stuffed.

This pic is taken from three stories above the main entrance.

In this picture you can see the old stadium across the street through the arches. The old stadium will be disassembled beginning in May. I'm a little sad to see it go, but it's good to have such a nice new stadium.

Dancing Candy Cane Socks

2009-04-04T20:31:00.002-04:00

Dancing Candy Cane Socks

A Variety of Birthdays

2009-04-02T09:26:00.004-04:00

My baby boy turned 10! He told me he thinks his singing voice is changing and he's getting some "peach fuzz" under his arms. Friggin' hilarious. My mom made a BIG 10 cake and it was sooo delicious. We only had one piece left. She's such a trooper, the next day she made 30 cupcakes for him to take to school and share with his class. They were lemon flavored and they must have been a big hit because when I picked him up from school a couple of his classmates came up to me to tell me how good they were.

He got an entire arsenal of Nerf guns so he and his friends ran around like soldiers pretending they were simultaneously under attack and trying to protect something, I'm not quite sure what. But they seemed to have a great time.

If anyone is doing any shopping for my birthday I would like some wooden sock blockers. :)

Knitting Fiend

2009-03-16T22:44:00.002-04:00

I've been knitting so furiously of late I can't even keep up with the pics. I promise this weekend I'll post pics.

My mom and I made a road trip to Baltimore to see Tina's school production of Pippin. It was very well done. The sets were incredible and you could see a lot of work went into it. Frank didn't come because he was at dad's for the weekend. When I told him we had gone he was VERY upset and even cried. Sorry little dude. I won't leave you behind again.

Bittersweet Snow Day

2009-03-02T10:46:00.003-05:00

I've signed up for auto-text alert so that I'm instantly notified when there is a delay or closing due to snow. This is great! I don't even have to get out of the bed, I just roll over look at the text message and shut off my alarm.

However, remember how great it was when you were a kid sitting on the couch in your pajamas listening to the radio for the delays and cancellations. Remember how jazzed you were to hear your school name read on the radio. If you weren't paying close enough attention, or if someone was talking you had to sit and listen for another 15 minutes til they came back around to your school. Those were great times. When I was in elementary school it meant I had the whole day to myself to watch TV, play outside, go around the neighborhood and get my friends. When I was in junior high it meant...back to bed!

Future Careers for Frank

2009-01-19T10:06:00.004-05:00

Here's a great pic of Frank with Aunt Tina and Rosie. (Ladies, if you have objections to this pic being here, let me know and I'll remove it.)

Frank is a song writer. He mostly writes love songs, and they're very angst filled for a 9 year old. Here are a couple of songs I managed to grab before they went missing.

When I Met You

When I met you,
I felt a crash coming
When I met you
You were a miracle come true for me
Oh Ya Oh Ya Oh Ya
You were the candle light for me
Oh Ya
You were the water for my plant
Oh Ya
I can't believe I didn't feel this
Before in 3rd grade

Okay, I know you're laughing hysterical! Here's his latest, I think it's still in progress.

Metallic

Metallic, metallic, metallic
You left me on the streets
And my body filled up with darkness
Now I think I just lost sight of my love
And when that happened a tear came in my eye
Because I need you
To complete my life

How awesome is that!

Cold Enough For You?

2009-01-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

Really? Is that what you wanted to ask me? It is cold, real friggin' cold, but that's no reason to fall back on such a terrible excuse for a conversation starter!

We went snow tubing today and it was completely awesome! Frank and his friend got cold and wanted to go inside, otherwise Mike and I might still be at the park. This is the first winter in a long time that I haven't spent every night and day trying to hibernate. Now that I think about it, this is the first winter in 5 years that I haven't been traveling back and forth to Hoboken until 11:00p.m., so maybe that's why I'm enjoying it so much. Ahh, it's nice to have my life back.

Canine dimentia - if you know anything about this topic, let me know. I think my little old man is starting to come undone. So far the visible symptoms have been frequent and unintentional urination, staring at the wall, and incessant pacing, especially in the evening. He doesn't seem to be having any pain, but he's being a pain in the (|).

Almost Christmas

2008-12-21T22:44:00.010-05:00

I'm such a blog slacker. Let me say some things, I'm using my credit card for Christmas, so that debt repay thing is on hold for now. I'm knitting my first sweater and it's coming out great so far. I'm using this very soft purple alpaca I bought in New Paltz and I love it. Frank thinks he's getting an Xbox AND a laptop for Christmas. NO. (He also still believes in Santa, even though I told him there isn't one). Here's a few pics to keep you busy...

Frank on a first trip to Baltimore.

On the day we returned from Baltimore we saw Mariano Rivera at the Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, NY. He was totally gracious. He spoke with anyone who wanted to speak with him and he gave autographs and let me snap this picture. We didn't get an autograph because by the time Frank asked they were already eating and I didn't want to be pushy.

Here are the NY Yankee socks I knit for Mike. They came out okay. I can see how you would want to intarsia with straight needles only. And stranding just sucks. I think he likes them. He says he does, but he hasn't worn them yet. It's such a gamble when you knit something for a guy. He always wears the scarf I made him, and he's not a big fan of socks to start, so maybe he's just saving them for a special occasion.

On our second trip to Baltimore we were there to see the play that my artistic sister designed the sets for. She's a bit of a complainer (hee, hee, just kidding), but she did a fantastic job. There's no way any pics of the sets would've done any justice, so just take my word for it that they were awesome!

A trip to NYC to see Canstruction. All donated foods go to City Harvest.

Getting out of Debt

2008-10-28T08:56:00.002-04:00

One of the biggest goals on my list is to pay down at least 50% of my credit card debt. This would be a heck of a lot easier if I had a full-time job, but if I wait for conditions to be ideal I'll drowning in debt.

The course of action I've chosen to take is three-fold. First, stop using my credit cards. Second, pay as much as possible on every card each month. Third, full disclosure.

Stop using my credit cards: I stopped using the cards about a month ago. It's been a very difficult adjustment because since grad school I'd been using them for things like gas and groceries, so now trying to budget those items impacts my entire family.

Pay off as much as possible each month: I've been paying about $800 a month on three different accounts. Two of them have a 0% rate, so I see a noticeable decrease every month. The third card is my "working card", the one I was using {daily} and it has an interest rate of 12%. As credit offers come in I transfer balances off this card onto lower rate cards.

Full disclosure: There are mixed thoughts about this step, but I think it's good for two reasons. It helps me to stay honest about my spending and it opens dialog with others about spending. Credit debt can be a shameful thing, the more open I am about it the more likely I am to receive encouragement to war against it. My current total debt is $35,436.66. A year ago it was $21,322.64. As of today I have 783 days to pay down $17,718.33. That's a little over 2 years and if I continue to pay $800 per month I can pay off $19,200 in that time, that should cover finance charges as well.

I'll let you know how it's going.

Fox, Goose, Corn

2008-10-08T22:25:00.004-04:00

Below is the illustrated solution handed in by one of my students. Of course she will get FULL credit!

A farmer has to get a fox, a goose, and a bag of corn across a river in a boat that is only large enough for her and one of these three items. She does not want to leave the fox alone with the goose nor the goose alone with the corn. How can she get all these items across the river?

Bipartisan BBQ

2008-10-08T16:49:00.003-04:00

Here's a nice picture of the senators enjoying some shish-ka-bob.

Dog Lover

2008-10-04T09:17:00.003-04:00

I used to be a dog "liker". Dogs are just fine and I like having them around, but basically, they're expensive, they're smelly, and a pain in the neck to walk.

I was a dog lover when I was a kid, until I got bit. We had gotten a German Short-haired Pointer named Max from some people who had been neglecting him. God bless my Mom because we already had two other dogs at the time when we acquired Max. Max was totally sweet and I used him as a pillow. We would lay on the floor together and I would rest my head on him. Some other friends of the family had lost their dog, so we sent Max to live with them. It wasn't an ideal situation for Max because I think he spent a lot of time outside by himself. When we were visiting their house I was so excited to see Max and I made the mistake of getting on the ground in front of him and trying to hug him. Well, it spooked him a bit and he snapped and bit off the tip of my nose.

Boy was I surprised!

There were a couple of surgeries and some embarrassing scars, but you can hardly tell now if you look at my face. So since then I like dogs very much, from a respectful distance.

Even when Frank and I moved in with Mike and Nixon, I was a bit frightened that Nix would bite me or Frank. But, he really grows on me. He smiles, and makes this moaning sound when I leave him. Now that he's so old (15 this year) he's much less nervous than he used to be, he's pretty laid back and sleeps most of the time. My nurturing instinct makes me want to care for him and make sure he's healthy and comfortable. It makes me cry when I think he won't be with us some day, and I know that when he goes I'll want to have another dog, probably two.

Now I'm a dog lover again. Thanks Nix.

Super Vacations

2008-09-20T13:33:00.006-04:00

One thing we did this summer was take some super vacations. My mom was so generous to rent a house in Cape May for anyone to come and stay the week.
We spent some time on the bay side, visited the beach, ate, drank, and just completely relaxed. Even Maggie came! It was nice to have the dog with us on vacation because it felt very 'homey'. Tina's friend Rosie came for a couple of days and they took Frank to the water park so Mike and I could go fishing for the day. Mom and Judy (Mike's mom) took a history tour of Cape May. I hope we get to go again some day because there was so much to do.

Towards the end of the summer Mike and I took a trip to Miami for our fourth wedding anniversary. Every year we try to celebrate by gifting a traditional anniversary gift to each other. The traditional gift for fourth anniversary is fruit and flowers, so in addition to some gifts (he got me a flowery shirt and some earrings that look like bunches of grapes and I got him some chocolate dipped fruits and a pepper plant) we went back to the Fruit & Spice Park that we had visited when we were on our honeymoon. It was very romantic! Go see my flickr for more pics.

Okay, I'm back

2008-09-14T22:49:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I've been so out of touch. I can't believe I haven't blogged anything since July!

We took Spanish 101 at the beginning of the summer. We audited the course so we didn't have to worry about grades, but I still studied very hard. I've discovered that learning a new language is not something that you get from a class, but that a class will help give you a boost on your journey to incorporating another language into your life. It's definitely a life-time pursuit. Our other classmates were of all different ages and levels of aptitude and it was a great experience. Our instructor was a woman whose native language was German! She was very patient and focused mostly on conversational Spanish. If she were here right now I might understand a third of what she's saying.

Books for Pleasure?

2008-07-09T16:05:00.006-04:00

Wow! I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is to curl up with a book. After reading nothing but math text books for the last 5 years I've been hesitant to read anything, but once I got into the swing of it again I've been tearing through some things.

The first was a memoir written by Joe Robison. He's an adult with Asperger's Syndrome that went undiagnosed through his very disturbing childhood. It's a good story because he ends up becoming a guitar technician for KISS and ultimately leading a fairly happy and stable life.

Then I read a book by Tony Hendra, also a memoir. After getting busted at 14 with his hands down the dress of a married woman, Tony develops a lifelong friendship with a monk who guides his spiritual life, death and rebirth.

The first book brought me around to Running With Scissors. A memoir written by Joe Robison's biological brother. This one was much more disturbing than the first since Augusten couldn't escape his crazy mother the way Joe had. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was a true story because parts of it were really bizarre.

What's next? Who knows.

Some stuff off the list

2008-06-23T06:25:00.002-04:00

My Mom and I worked on a little scrapbook of her office move and I'm counting that as my mother/daughter project. However, we're also going to be taking Spanish together starting July 1, so that could probably count too. The truth is, I really like doing stuff with my Mom (and I know she reads this, but it's not 'lip service'). I've always liked just spending time with my family. I have girlfriends that I see and talk to occasionally, but it's just not the same. I'm a "Mama's Girl", hee hee.

Also, I've been working on my children's book a little and my sister is helping me edit it. Thanks Sis!

My hand feels a little better. I tried to crochet some squares together but I really need to take it easy. After just a few minutes my finger started painin' me again so I'm not sure if I should go to the doctor or not. I just hate going, it just ruins your whole plan for the day.

Frank has finished baseball and in August he's starting football! It's something he's been asking about for the last two years and since he's finally over 50 pounds I figured he could try it. This oughta be good!

WWKIP

2008-06-14T22:17:00.002-04:00

I hurt my hand a couple of weeks ago learning how to crochet. {stupid crochet} So I did not knit in public today for World Wide Knit in Public Day. However, by 7:00 I couldn't stand it anymore so I picked up some new yarn and tried a new afghan pattern, knitting righty instead of lefty. It worked pretty well, but was sooo sloooww.

15. Recaulk the shower

2008-06-04T09:29:00.010-04:00

Oh-I'm so excited! I finished something off my list. Here's how to recaulk your tub.

Shower! I mean REALLY well! Like, shave anything you want shaved. Lather, rinse and REPEAT, because you probably won't get a thorough soaking for at least another 2 days. Wipe the whole shower dry when you're done.
Scrape out old caulk with a razor. You need to remove any old caulk completely or else the new caulk will never stick and get mold behind it and be completely useless The last guy that caulked our tub was a real slob and I think he was high so there was caulk e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e! I probably managed to scrape out 94% of it and anything else was on some surface that I wasn't going to caulk anyway so I can go back and clean it up later.
Wipe area clean with Denatured Alcohol (found in the Paint aisle), vacuum up any loose bits.

Wipe with Mildew Killer, wait a few minutes then wipe repeatedly with clean damp sponge--no soap!

Let dry overnight (continue to smell for one more day)

Tape off area you want to caulk. This may seem like a completely unnecessary step for some, but believe me, as soon as you cut that caulk tip it starts flowing like a river.

Cut tip, and break inner seal by shoving something down into the tube through the hole you just cut (I used a coat hanger which didn't make a big enough hole so I had to squeeze very hard to get the caulk out).

Insert tube of caulk into caulk gun. Squeeze a thin bead of caulk wherever you want it and smooth it (if needed) with your finger. Remove tape quickly!

Let dry overnight (continue to smell for one more day)

New Item

2008-06-02T20:59:00.002-04:00

Hi readers. Thanks to my girl Arlene for teaching me how to post my slideshow! Check out my latest scrapbook pages (from 2007!) at the bottom of the page. I stuck it down there so I could make the images large enough to see.

Conundrum

2008-05-26T05:24:00.002-04:00

I hate housework. Really. I'm not sugar coating this one at all. It is the bane of my existence and the number 1 reason we will probably never move from our condo. But here's the kicker, I'm pretty sure it's solely my responsibility to care for our home. Since Mike is pretty much the only one who makes a steady wage I sincerely don't begrudge taking on this responsibility, but when it comes times to actually get some soap on my hands (instead of reading, watching TV, knitting, scrapbooking, surfing, etc.), I find no enjoyment in it whatsoever. There are some, and you know who you are, that get great satisfaction from cleaning and I truly envy you! If only Windex could give me such a feeling of elation. Somehow wiping away other peoples toothpaste just sickens and disgusts me. So to my list of things to accomplish I will add vacuuming.

Silly sayings

2008-05-24T09:35:00.003-04:00

Frank had a couple of good ones yesterday that I thought I would share. He likes to read the paper in the morning during breakfast, especially the weather. He let me know that tonight would be "partly moonly" when he saw the icon of the moon with clouds over it. When he saw a picture of a blazing house fire on the front page he said "it's like God is camping".

Of blankets and clowns

2008-05-12T08:23:00.008-04:00

Here's another blanket donation for Project Linus. It was my first crochet project and it was so wonderful and soft that I'm making another one right now to keep.

My friend Arlene {Teeny Terrors} has introduced me to a scrap booking community at Ally Scraps. I'm all excited about scrapbooking again, but I have to figure out a good way to post my layouts so I can share them with you.

Here's a great pic of Frank and his friends at the park. They spend most of the time just running around yelling at each other...like "Justin, go the other way! The guards will see you there!" and "Frank! grab you're spy case and meet me by the rock wall!" They wouldn't make very good spies. They're at that in between stage now, where they're not really grown, but they play with action figures less.

Just for fun, here's Mike drinking his coffee on the train.
My mom got us all tickets for the circus and we took the train into the city. The circus is really entertaining. It was almost nothing like what it was when I was a kid. Frank's favorite part was the motorcycle riders in the steel cage. They managed to get 7 riders in there, but as they were slowing down one fell and hurt his ankle and had to be carried out. It was very scary! We didn't know how they were going to "go on with the show" after that. But the riders, just closed the door again after the injured party left and went around the steel cage again with 6 of them. I didn't know how Frank (and all the other kids in the audience) would take it, but they seemed to bounce back okay.

This is disgusting.

2008-05-09T09:36:00.002-04:00

I was finishing up some grading in New Jersey and another "lady" was helping me by reading the grades while I typed them into the grade file. Well, I don't know how to put this delicately, so I'll just say it...she farted...at me. She was sitting right next to me and lifted her cheek in my direction and just let it rip! I was flabbergasted. I didn't say anything, mostly because I was just hoping it didn't smell, which thankfully it did not.

It gets worse.

Then, later in the process, she's leaning over my shoulder and BURPS right in my face! Well, I certainly couldn't let this continue so I just said "Person! What are you doing?! You can't just burp on me!" To which she was apologetic, and rapidly fanning me with a piece of paper to disseminate the salad smell.

Did I mention that I don't have to go to Jersey anymore. Thank you Lord.

Geek Splendor

2008-05-07T10:31:00.006-04:00

On Saturday Mike and I went to NYU for the MAA Spring meeting. There were some good student talks and we got to see Calculus: The Musical. It's a math teacher and a musician who have written a series of skit comedy along with songs (that they actually perform) and videos (mostly for entertainment) that reviews the history of calculus. It was quite wonderful! I hope we can get them to perform at the local college. Also I got this very cute and useful folder so I can display my geekiness proudly.

CUL8R

2008-05-06T08:36:00.003-04:00

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

I don't have to go to Hoboken anymore. I finished all the necessary grading last night and I don't have to go there ever again!

Also, I have a job interview today! I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points, but I'm very excited about getting a job with this particular employer. I'll try not to hug the interviewer and jump around when she hires me. That would be bad.

Frank's book review

2008-04-30T18:52:00.002-04:00

So Frank and I went to the library yesterday to get the next DSA [Dragon Slayer's Academy] book. I was showing him how to look up a book and how to find it on the shelf by looking for the number. He wanted to look up a book on World War II, in the adult non-fiction section. So here's what he came up with...

1. Pick up the nearest book of 125 pages or more.
A book from the library.
2. State the title and author of the cook.
The Kaiser and His Court, The Diaries, ,Note books and Letters of Admiral Georg Alexander von Muller, Chief of the Naval Cabinet 1914-1918, Edited by Walter Gorlitz
3. Find page 25.
4. Type in the first 5 sentences.
27th August, 1914 Uncertainty as to the situation in East Prussia where we have gone over to the attack once more. Uncertainty, too, as to whether we shall be able to outflank the English on the Western Front. By and large not a very cheerful day.
28th August, 1914 This evening news came through that strong English naval forces suddenly penetrated the Heligoland Bight and forced our reconnaissance units to retire. In the engagement Ariadne and V-187 sunk, Fraunenlob and Hela damaged. Many dead and wounded, the losses of the English are unknown....
5. Find page 100 and type in the first, second and fifth word on the page.
come, too, blame

It's not just that he got this book, he's actually reading it. He got through all of the first chapter, he read it to me in the truck on the way to the mall. It spurned some discussion including which countries were attacked by Germany during the war, and also suicide. Heavy read for a 9-year old.

Roller Skating and Tag

2008-04-28T20:04:00.004-04:00

Last night Mike, Frank and I accompanied the church youth group to go roller skating. It was completely awesome. It only took me once or twice around before I got the hang of it again. Frank is so brave. He fell and hurt his wrist more than three times, but he didn't want to quit. He held the rail for most the time and he made it around at least ten times. He wants to go back again, which is fine with me because it was great exercise. My glutes were burnin'.

I was recently tagged by Rosie to answer a short book survey:

MEME Rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book of 125 pages or more.
This would be the book I am currently reading.
2. State the title and author of the cook.
Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison
3. Find page 25.
4. Type in the first 5 sentences.
Snort was getting bigger, too. He had learned how to sit up on his own, and he crawled around after me. He lived in a pen with rubber mesh sides. I took him out when he yelled and if he became a pest I put him back. Occasionally, I would flip his pen upside down so Snort was in a jail with a roof.
5. Find page 100 and type in the first, second and fifth word on the page.
"Well, you, And
6. Tag 5 people
I don't know if this will result in anything, but:

Mike
Mom
Tina (Ha-Ha, you're tagged twice now!)
Thora
Frank

Which are you?

2008-04-10T06:40:00.002-04:00

Apparently I'm

60 % Nerd, 17% Geek, 26% Dork

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

To take the test yourself... -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

If you take the test you don't have to enter any personal info in order to get the results. Just skip those parts.

"What's Asberger's?"

2008-04-09T20:54:00.002-04:00

Frank may have seen it in the book titles at home, or maybe he heard it at school but either way there it was..."Mom, what's asberger's?" I'm pretty good about keeping a nondescript look on my face while I'm thinking as fast as my neurons will fire. So I told him that "Asberger's" is just a word that describes how his brain works and it helps me and his teacher to know how to teach him.

He seemed pretty satisfied with that. Who knows, maybe after it kicks around in his brain he'll be repeating it in the library for the first graders like the time I told him what an X-rated movie was. Only I probably won't get a call from the principal for his knowledge on Asberger's.

Motherhood is good. Never a dull moment.

100 Things To Do In 1001 Days

2008-03-24T07:48:00.012-04:00

Rosie had a great list on her web site and I thought this would be a good idea for me to help me get focused now that I'm done with grad school. Here's my list...

get a full-time job
knit something mathematical
learn Spanish
fast 4 times (that's 4 days, not in a row) (0/4)
pay down at least 50% of my credit card debt
try geo-caching
go fishing 5 times (0/5)
scrapbook my honeymoon photos
buy a new laptop and pay cash
write a children's book (0/1)
donate 5 blankets to Project Linus (2/5)
start a new mother/daughter project
call 3 friends every month for one year (8/36)
get tattooed
recaulk the shower
paint the doorway

Boy this is harder than I thought, stay tuned for additions.

Shedding Winter

2008-03-22T07:14:00.006-04:00

I met with the ladies from Ravelry for the first time last night. They were completely great [as to be expected]. It was a little awkward at first because there was a different group crocheting on the opposite side of the coffee shop and I only saw yarn so I went and sat with them. When it was pointed out to me that the Ravelry group was on the other side I got up and left. I hope they didn't feel shunned.

I've also been scrapbooking like a mad woman. I hadn't done any pictures since before last Easter. Chronologically the next pictures were the ones of Easter 2007 which was the last time Mike's Dad was with us before he passed [5 days later]. So I was feeling intimidated about doing those pages with the right amount of respect. I think they came out good. I'm past {sp? 'passed'?} that, and now I'm almost up to June.

Frank moved up again in Cub Scouts. We were so proud. We sat at a table with Mark [bio-dad] and Farlae [GF of bio-dad]. I like her a lot so I never mind seeing them. I just wish they would get married.

Easter is tomorrow and I get to see my sister!! I'm very excited!

Ouch, that hurt.

2008-02-21T10:07:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I've completed the exam. Rather, I'm done with the exam. Taking the exam this time was just a confirmation to myself that I need to move on. There was no way, without some sort of divine intervention, that I was going to pass. And that's okay. It's not for everyone, and certainly not for me. That doesn't even mean that I won't be getting a PhD. It just means I won't be getting this PhD.

I'll have a Masters Degree in Mathematics. Now, off to find a job!

On a side note, my mom and I have been making a dollhouse for the annual auction at Frank's school. It's just the sweetest thing. I've been knitting some mini bedspreads for the beds.

I'm afraid I have the knitting bug and now I wonder how people who love to knit ever manage to do anything else. It's a bit consuming. So much so that even the most basic things like fixing a meal become a bit of a bother because they cut into knitting time.

Change is exciting and painful all at the same time.

Real Quick

2008-02-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Here's where I'm at...

1) the exam has been moved to Feb. 21, not that it helps.
2) I've been applying for jobs, no interviews yet.
3) The boy and I have been terribly sick.
4) Mike and I went to Hotel Thayer for Valentine's Day party, very romantic.
5) Look at this
You can see more at xkcd.
6) I joined Ravelry, it's completely awesome.

Boy Are My Fingers Tired!

2008-01-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

I have to remember to take pics of my projects in progress.

I'll be putting my sticks away for a few months so I wanted to hurry and get my Mom's socks done first. The first pair were a little big so this time I measured through at each check point so there wouldn't be any surprises.

Also, after my Mom-in-Law saw my Aunt's hat/scarf combo she wanted one too. I don't blame her, it's a very nice set.

I thank Kody for the pattern.

Now, until I get through this semester I won't be doing any more knitting.

By the way, my exam is on February 14, which is Valentine's Day, oh and it's also the same day I'm supposed to start teaching. [shoot me]

The Game Plan

2008-01-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

I have entirely too much going on this semester, but additional opportunities have come and I think I'm supposed to take advantage of them. I've been asked to teach a course at the local college "Math for the Elementary Student". It seems like it would be a lot of fun, but right now there are only 4 students registered for the course, so unless I get some more enrollees the course may not even run. The woman who usually teaches the course has given me all her notes and supplies, which is A LOT of help. The course is taught mostly through hands-on activities so the 3 hours will probably go by quickly.

I'm going take the qualifying exam [Round Two] in February. I haven't been alerted to the date yet, but I've been putting forth some study effort in the hopes to pass it this time. The only thing I can say about the whole situation is (1) my memory was exceedingly better 10 years ago and (2) the more you know the more you realize that you don't know squat. It would be nice to be able to complete the PhD, because otherwise it means that it took me 4 years to complete the Masters! And a Masters in Mathematics is good, it's not like a parting-gift, like a years supply of Ronzoni, but employment is limited.

Which leads me to employment ops. It's very nice if I could teach this course I talked about because this woman has been looking for someone to take it over and I'm practically a shoe-in if I do a good job. But unfortunately unless you're tenured at a university the max they'll let you work is 2 courses per semester, which means I won't be making much more [if any] than what I'm currently making as a TA {Thanks Mike for the kick in the gut of reality!} But a friend forwarded a job op at the local community college which is tenure track and only requires a Masters, so I'll be applying there as well. That position is for Fall '08, so maybe I'll be working there come September.

This is the first time I can remember not having a clear direction in my life and it's terrifying! I always have a goal and steps to get there, but having to rely on my intellect caused me to come up short once and I'm afraid it's going to happen again.

I also have some knitting pics and updates which I will put in a later post.

"Hi" to all my peeps in Blog-World!

Hat-Fest 2007

2007-12-19T18:14:00.000-05:00

My Aunt gave me a bunch of yarn she had in her stash, among which was a lot of pink. It was such pretty yarn, but no one over the age of 10 was going to be able to wear it without major stares, so I found a nice basic pattern here, and made a few variations on it. There's one with a pom-pon, one with ear-flaps and pom-pons, and one with kitty ears (that Frank was kind enough to model for me)
They're for the daughters of a woman that goes to our church. They were fun to knit, I'm really loving hats!

Life is Good

2007-12-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

At a gift shop in Hoboken I see there is a new product line out called "Life is Crap". It shows those not so shining moments in people's lives like going to the dentist, having no toilet paper in the public restroom or getting attacked by a bear. For those of us with a twisted sense of humor, they're hilarious. I tend to think life is really great. I mean it. Even though I may moan about work and some other stupid junk I find real enjoyment in simple things. I'm pretty content right now just sitting here typing to myself. Here's some other things that make me happy (in no particular order)...

* soup, I just love soup, especially pumpkin or squash with a little sour cream in it

* reading with Frank

* snuggling with my Schmoopie

* colored chalk, paper, markers, basically all office/craft supplies make me happy

* that feeling you get when you know you can sleep as long as you like in the morning because you have absolutely no other commitment (this is extremely rare)

This is all for now. ;-)

The Reveal

2007-11-24T09:47:00.001-05:00

I was knitting Priscilla's Dream Socks for my mom for Christmas, but I think she may have seen them at my house a couple of times so I finished them up and gave them to her for her birthday. I like this pattern because I've done the baby version a few times and I'm really comfortable with working the heel in short rows. I must have done a lousy job blocking because when they dried (laid out flat on a towel!) they were twice the previous size. Some naughty elves came in at night and played tug-o-war with them! I hope we can fix them.

I AM BEOWULF!

2007-11-21T07:59:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went and saw Beowulf in the 3-D Imax. It was completely awesome. It was really action packed and the story was unusually tragic. However, the entire film was computer generated so occasionally the characters had this weird "Shrek-like" motion to them. But that was trumped by the delightfully evil Angelina Jolie. It would have made for a better story to have John Malkovich be evil as well, but the way he fell subservient to the heroic Beowulf made the tragic Beowulf character seem even more pathetic. It was very good.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We'll probably put up our Christmas tree on Friday. It's a good day for it because I certainly wouldn't be shopping and we're all off from school. We usually take it down the day after Christmas. This may seem Scrooge-related, but not at all! I just like to have my livingroom back.

Good Morning!

2007-11-15T05:05:00.000-05:00

The other day Frank asked if I would wake him up early so he could get up and play on the computer before school. I stood there puzzled for a moment because what I wanted to say was "Are you f'ing kidding me?" But you can't say thay to an eight year old, so I just said "no". This morning I was awoken by the hall light on, so I go investigate and he's in his room, lights on, video game on, getting dressed for school at...2 A.M. So I let him know that 6 is the earliest he's allowed out of bed and, although disappointed, he laid down and went right back to sleep. I, on the other hand, have been up since 2 now. Thanks little dude.

I always have the hardest time coming up with a title for my blog.

I'm knitting something. You'll wish it was for you.

Back on the Wagon

2007-11-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

About a year ago my doctor prescribed me a pill to help me not be such a moody bitch. It's been working really well, so of course I went off of them because as soon as I start to feel better I stop doing whatever it is that's making me feel better. I was doing well for a little more than a month, but then the dragon came out again, so I'm back to taking my med. For those of you in my sphere of influence I hope I haven't traumatized you. Unfortunately, Frank is probably the one to bear the brunt of my anxiety, so he'll have something to discuss with his therapist when he grows up.

Remember sleepovers?

2007-10-27T08:41:00.000-04:00

Frank tore out of here at 8:00 last night to go spend the night at his friend's house. I was a little worried when he showed up at 9:30 again to grab something he forgot. He uses my old video camera to make rock videos and wrestling videos with his friends. I've got to figure out how to get them on here. You will most certainly laugh til a little pee comes out.

Here's some things I would do with my friends at sleepovers...

crank phone calls
stay up late
dress up (yes we actually did this)
watch soft-porn on Showtime
pretend to be members of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
eat
make weird things in the Easy Bake Oven (damn, that little light bulb got hot)

Recycling

2007-10-26T08:29:00.001-04:00

I was eating an apple in the car and I usually just hum the uneaten portion out the window when I'm done because, you know, it's biodegradable. So I'm cruising at 80 m.p.h. and I put down the passenger side window and chuck...but the apple did not want to go. It just ricocheted off the windshield and lodged itself it the corner of the dashboard. I was slightly miffed with my apple remnant at first, but then I started giggling. Silly apple, get out of there!

A few miles down the road I witnessed someone tossing banana peels out of their van window. (Somehow I thought I'd better avoid them so my car didn't slip.) It's nice to know recycling can happen anywhere.

Cover of the latest Parent magazine

2007-10-13T22:32:00.000-04:00

This was a spoof in the Weekly Standard. Enjoy!

Overdraft Fee=WTF?

2007-10-13T22:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, so sometimes I overdraw my checking account. The bank is 'good' about the whole thing, because they always pay the check but they also charge my account $38! Are you kidding me?! That's a lot of moolah! And where do they come up with the seemingly arbitrary amount of $38? That sounds made up to me.

Also irritating is the $2.00-$2.50 charged at the ATM when it's a bank other than my own. C'mon, quit pulling my leg. It can't possibly cost the bank that much for my stupid $40 withdrawal. Although maybe if I hadn't taken that extra $40 then my account would not be overdrawn.

The Red Sox are currently losing...good. Those bums.

Happy Columbus Day

2007-10-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

As a kid in school I used to rage against the celebration of Columbus Day, believing first 'how can you discover land when people already live there?' and second 'if Columbus discovered the land then why is it named after someone else?' Teachers rolled their eyes but never had any sort of intelligent response.

Thanks to the internet and some minor searching I see that Amerigo Vespucci was a bit of a loser and sailed to what was being called the New World after Columbus to make his wealth in pearls. He returned unsuccessful but wrote a couple of books about the trip, the second of which was a fake. However, communication not being all that speedy in 1507 the second book was published with copies of a map indicating "America" on the land above Brazil. I guess they figured it was too late to change it, so we are America. http://www.powells.com/review/2007_08_10.html

Can I See Dead People?

2007-09-25T19:47:00.000-04:00

When I take the train to and from school I always sit by the window. I like to see the birds and nature, but mostly I like to watch out for bodies. If someone was killed and left on the Main-Bergen line, don't worry I'll spot them between the hours of 7:00-8:30 a.m. and 4:50-6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Now, if your loved one has met their demise after 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, I'm sorry, you're just going to have to be patient until I spot them next week.

Soon I will figure out how to put pictures in my blog so you can get a closer experience to what it's like living in my head. If you're not too freaked out after today's blog.

Not so P.C.

2007-09-14T10:10:00.000-04:00

At work yesterday my kids took a quiz and because some of them get time and a half (educators will be familiar with the term-it means that for kids with learning disabilities they get extra time to take their exams) we had to wait to do some paperwork until they were finished. This was not a major blockage and something we're all pretty used to by now. Except for one new professor who declared "We just have to wait for the retards." She wasn't trying to be funny, that's just the word she chose to refer to them. Our mouths fell open and there was uncomfortable chuckling, but then she asks "Why do they get this retard-time anyway? Are they stupid?" I was astounded! I thought maybe she was trying to be cute, but then I realized she just didn't know that this was inappropriate (not being native to the U.S.) So I gently told her that this is not the vocabulary we use and gave her some alternatives. From the grading we've done so far I can tell you the "retards" did very well.

In the Arms of Morpheus

2007-09-12T02:28:00.000-04:00

The thing about insomnia is you feel like you have no control over it. One minute you're in the "arms of Morpheus" [more on this in a moment] and the next you're wide awake, ready to face the day, but then you look at the clock and realize you still have 3 hours to go before the alarm is going to explode.

Frank and I were reading The Hardy Boys' mystery #7 and the character Frank Hardy used this term for sleeping..."in the arms of Morpheus". Apparently Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams and the drug morphine derives it's name from his. I didn't explain all this to Frank, only that it meant they were sleeping. The book is a bit over his head as far as vocabulary goes ('scrutinize', 'rhetorically', and some others), but he's following the story and enjoying it. I have some more DSA books coming from the Scholastic Book Club at school.

Okay, I'm going to try and go back to sleep.

Oh, and I don't understand why this post says 11:28 p.m. because it's actually 2:40 a.m.

Not really claustrophobic

2007-09-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

I used to be claustrophobic, but I've outgrown it. But I do still have this weird way of being in crowds. I find people very interesting so I like to watch them and observe how they interact with each other and their environment. Unfortunately the longer I observe, the less "human" they become to me. They just become nameless organisms like any single celled organism in a petri dish. That's when I start to get uncomfortable. I don't really freak out about it, I just get an uneasy feeling that some organism will start to devour all the others.

Procrastination Station

2007-09-09T22:53:00.000-04:00

So this is where I'll be typing some mundane life observances while intermittently studying for my Ph.D. qualifying exam.