Splendid Misconduct

Oh, Links.

2012-02-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

I collect links like some people collect coffee mugs, until they clog up my browser and make it impossible to focus. So, I'll dump them here. Some more Linky Love.

"Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around." Oh gosh, yes. Also: This.

I already love Kristin Nicholas for her color sense, but I love her even more for showing off the not-so-pretty side of knitting. Cross reference: This.

This book is on my bedside table, waiting to be read. The fact that Curtis Sittenfeld loved it makes me excited to dig into it.

This resonates so, especially as I think back on my time in the elementary classroom. And then I read about crap like Miramonte Elementary School and want to vomit.

Ashley at Film in the Fridge may have just given me the inspiration for my bed quilt. Now, if only there is the time...

And back to writing.

On My Own Loose Ends and Developing Plot

2012-02-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've been writing all morning. Well, analyzing data, more to the point. Sarah Jaffe has been my soundtrack: melancholy yet not overpoweringly so.

That's been my mindset lately. Sad along the edges. This too shall pass.

I've been filling the time normally filled with a Manfriend with books and have been fortunate to find several really amazing YA novels as of late. Have you read anything by Gary D. Schmidt? If not, run (don't walk - his books are that good!) to your local library or book store and pick up any of his books. I read Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy over the holidays and loved his careful, honest treatment of the subject matter. I finished Okay for Now, his newest tome last week and was blown away by his beautiful and sparse words weaving together themes of art, love, and redemption. I just finished listening The Wednesday Wars, which introduces the character Doug from Okay for Now and was blown away. The man has a knack for packing a ridiculous amount of meaning into a sentence, for writing middle schoolers who are smart and vulnerable and maybe, perhaps, just a little bit devious. I loved all three of these books, though, reader be warned, they don't end happily ever after.

Perhaps that is why they have been the perfect before-bed reading: by the end of the novel, there are still loose ends, still stories to be told.

What I Wore

2012-02-08T19:04:00.001-05:00

I will admit: I didn't get What I Wore posts. In my head, they seemed a bit self-indulgent, a little too... I don't know... look at me. I am normally not the look at me kind of guy.

And then I went shopping. In anticipation for job interviews, I enlisted the help of my friend Willie, who has amazing taste in clothing, and we spent an entire day (I'm talking arriving at the mall when it opens and not getting home to my apartment until almost nine that evening) buying clothes on a somewhat tight budget. I ended up buying some pieces I never would have thought - pieces I never thought I would look good in. And yet they work.

I'm still not convinced that clothes make the man or woman or even dog, but the day does seem a bit better when you feel like you look good.

Things I Would Like You To Know:

2012-01-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

I stayed in it as long as I could, perhaps longer than I should have. By staying, I realize, I reified the idea I would always be there, by your side, through whatever. I stayed past my breaking point, almost to the point of resentment. I got out before resentment had a chance to ferment. I didn't want to hate you and fear that is where I was heading.

Two and a half days, in the course of fifteen months, is nothing. It's seeing the trees despite of the forest. Our forest was not in good shape. We weren't in good shape. For us to be healthy together, we needed to be healthy apart, individually. You weren't able to keep up your end of the bargain. I needed to give you the space to regoup, refocus, center, find your bliss. I cannot be your bliss. I know you don't see it this way.

I'm not running away. I'm still here, albeit not in the same capacity. I did not select my dissertation over you. I chose my happiness over you. Somewhere along the line, they stopped being the same thing. They hadn't been for a while. I understand that friendships with exes don't work for every relationship. I see that now. I'm struggling with the thought of not having you in my life in any way, shape, or form, but realize that is not my right.

I don't have the right to know how your story goes. I will be okay with this some day, but not today.

Where does the good go?

2012-01-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

And this is how I am thinking about life at the moment.

One of my Favorite Places on Earth

2011-12-23T08:35:00.000-05:00

2011-12-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

The lurch, it begins. Not quite free of my grading, I fled Indiana late last week and have been hiding out with friends. Oh, Michigan: I miss you.

Grading to finish today. I am oh-so-close to being free of my instructor responsibilities for Fall 2011. So. Close. Knitting at a feverish pace. (Hadn't I promised myself NOT to do handmade ho-ho-ho holidays this year?) Have two quilts to finish before the big day. Two. (Really, Nick? Are you insane?)

And this is how the holiday goes, sputtering and, at times, angsty but I really wouldn't want it any other way.

Now to finish that grading.

Some Days

2011-11-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

Some days are just Ride a Bummer days. Some weekends are Bummer Road Trip weekends. Sometimes you just got to ride it out and the only thing that gets you through it is the thought that it can't be forever. Embroidering initials on a baby sweater, is helpful as well.

It will not last forever.

It Will Be There

2011-11-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

I took a day off. Okay, a few days off. I ignored dissertation work, did minimal work on a manuscript due in a week, and didn't clean my apartment.

Instead, I sat on my couch, watched Doc Martin episodes, and worked with some yarn. Granny squares, mostly. There may have been some Florence + the Machine involved as well.

And I will get back to it tomorrow.

November 1

2011-11-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

November 1. When did you get here?

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

2011-10-31T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's Halloween. Crap. When did that happen? One of my favorite Halloween specials ever - 1979's The Halloween That Almost Wasn't. It would be on the Disney Channel when I was a kid and it brought together everything I loved: Dracula, Halloween, comedy. I watched this EVERY chance I had. Decades later, in the midst of my own Halloween-that-almost-wasn't, I still can't help but find it entertaining. Best line: "It's one of those days I wish I was dead. And stayed dead." Enjoy.

AND THE DISCO PARTY! OH YES!

And my orchid? According to Brooklyn Orchids, it appears I have quite a few roots, but I don't see any flower spikes. This is unfortunate, but means I've been taking decent care of the plant.

And now: grading. Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T15:04:00.000-04:00

There are few phrases in the English language that piss me off more than Welcome to the real world, as though I'm existing in a fantasy land of pixie dust and marshmallow-crapping unicorns. In my real world, I'm spending seven hours a day in front of my computer, attempting to make sense of data, while teaching and applying for jobs. Oh, and resubmitting articles after revising them. And writing letters of recommendation for teacher candidates. And attempting to keep myself in clean clothing so I don't get any weird looks when I go out in public. Real world, my ass.

In other news, I'm not sure what is going on with my orchid. I'm assuming this is good growth and leaving it at that...

Linky Love: Cold and Dreary Edition

2011-10-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

It is cold and dreary outside. I suspect that summer has finally given up the ghost and we're in the downhill slide into winter. It's a bit of a tricky thought - I thought I'd be much farther along on my dissertation than I am. I also thought teaching nine credits the first eight weeks of the semester would be easier than it was. Delusional, I am.

Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the swing of posting. So! Some links:

Amazon sidesteps the publishing houses: perhaps the very definition of post-modern.

I am normally suspicious of Starbucks, but I like this idea. It makes me like them more.

Hm. This is fascinating to me. Fascinating. I wonder if the gender trend will turn: men looking for woman to donate eggs and their womb.

I've been applying for jobs: apparently, I will never be a department chair.

Or, perhaps I'm not a nice guy. Hm.

Off to dissertate.

Regrets Collect Like Old Friends

2011-10-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

I keep telling myself, "You regret it because it is good. You regret it because you want it to always be good."

My head recognizes that it couldn't always be good. That's why I said what I said. There's an expiration date: like milk.

So I will rail against the expiration date, enjoy it while I can, and be thankful I had it in the first place.

No Life

2011-08-30T00:24:00.000-04:00

Dear Undergraduate Pre-Service Teacher,

The purpose of this letter is two-fold. First off, I want to thank you for your participation in class. As I stated in our syllabus, discussion is essential to the social construction of knowledge and your insights into class readings and connections with your own experiences and what you are seeing in the field is delightful. I am looking forward to the rest of our time together.

In order to make that time run more smoothly, I feel I must offer a piece of advice and it is this: there are few things that piss me off more than the comment "You must be okay having no life" in regards to the amount of work, including readings, that are part and parcel of the education experience you are paying for. It is insulting on multiple levels. To begin, I am insulted that you fail to recognize the work that I have paid to the construction of our class time together. While you are reading sixty pages a class period, I had to read nearly five time that to come to our class readings. What are you reading is the best of the best, culled from a large body of research and practice. Additionally, I have spent time making explicit the connections between the readings and to educational practice so that you may benefit. Furthermore, while I have read the readings at least once, I will read them again in preparation for classroom discussion. For some of these articles, I have read them a dozen times or more. Yet I still manage to find new insight in them. I have worked diligently to provide you with quality reading materials and they may be many in pages, but we have sixteen total class meetings, at the end of which you will student teach. There is much to learn.

Furthermore, I am confused by your surprise that I am unwilling to bend my expectations to the lowest common standards. I expect you to be exceptional elementary teachers and will accept nothing less. The topics we cover in class are not my pet topics; I am not spending half the semester on educational technology or critical literacy, Rather, we are delving into topics that will serve your students well. Here's what you may not understand: while you are responsible only for the classroom of twenty-four or so students you will teach in the course of the school year, I am responsible for the instruction they receive. There are twenty four of you currently enrolled in my class; if, going with a conservative estimate, half of you find jobs, that is 288 students my current actions are influencing. I have high expectations for those children and, thus, I have high expectations for you. I will work you hard because I will not let those children down.

This, aside from plagiarism, is a sure way to raise my temper. You see, I have a life, one that I have dedicated to mentoring new teachers. I still find time to work with children, to teach reading, to work on my dissertation. To knit. To see my friends, although never as much as I would like. Yet I still find time to read and reread the course readings, to plan classes that are meaningful and interesting. I live correctly within my personal politics and I believe in education. I believe in teachers and in helping pre-service candidates become more than they thought they could be. So, before you question the quality of my life, question your dedication to your chosen profession. Do you want to be an informed, critical, savvy teacher or do you want summers off?

Honestly, I have to time to suffer fools and if your answer refers to summer, you may want to take this class with another instructor.

Be Well,
Me

At the Start

2011-08-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

I taught my first class at my new campus this evening. Teaching is such a ridiculous high. This is the fifth year I've taught this particular class and I love that I know it inside and out.

At the beginning of the class period, I had all twenty-five students line up behind a piece of painter's tape on the floor and pointed thirty paces ahead of them at another line of blue tape. I began rattling off terminology, things they will know by the time we are done. For each item they knew, they took a step forward. No one moved forward more than seven paces. "That," I told them, gesturing to the distance between them and the finish line, "is the intellectual distance we have to cover this semester."

I love using the space as a metaphor this way. They know that they will be inching ever closer to that finish line, class by class. It also keeps me honest. I know that they are reliant upon me to help them get there. I can't help but love the sense of urgency.

(Above photo from an installation at the Louisiana State Museum's exhibit Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond. Amazing exhibit.)

Vacay Photos: NC Ocean

2011-08-21T23:38:00.000-04:00

It's the eve before the beginning of classes and I'm still tweaking my syllabuses. Hard to believe that I was lounging on a beach this time a week ago...

Where the heck did the summer go?

Vacay Photos: New Orleans

2011-08-19T09:54:00.000-04:00

I think I've redefined my definition of lucky, having found myself on a plane three times in the past three weeks. I enjoyed the amazing city of New Orleans (I say amazing, having rediscovered the city after the last excursion out there) while visiting my Bestie in Baton Rouge. A few snippets from my time in Louisiana:

Descending

2011-08-17T22:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I woke up to the sound of the beach, the cacophony of waves hitting the shore. I closed the evening on a plane headed back to the Hoosier state. It was a vacation that ended much too early. I would have gladly spent several more days on the beach, punctuating the space between book chapters with dips into the salt water.

Alas: the new semester starts on Monday and there were meetings to attend to.

It was a solid reminder, I thought, of the state of relationships. While they have the potential to be long-term, there is no guarantee it will last. The key to both relationships and vacation: enjoy it while you are there, in it.

Back

2011-08-11T12:18:00.000-04:00

I've been away, experiencing and not doing too much documentation about those experiences. Returned from Louisiana last night after a week in the humid south. Amazing time - Baton Rouge and New Orleans are amazing cities, for very different reasons.

And now? Preparing for classes to begin in a week and a half. True to form, there are a multitude of last minute changes. More after I get caught up...

Links, Hot Friday Edition

2011-07-22T09:36:00.002-04:00

It has been deathly hot this week - then again, it's been deathly hot everywhere this week. I'm a bit stressed by the idea of July being so close to done. I've fallen short on my dissertation goals for the month, haven't canned a single thing, and those twenty pounds I lost? Oh, they are back. With a vengeance. So this week has been a week of prep: clearing out the items on my To Do list that are impeding on working on my dissertation, making lists of what is in season for the farmer's market this weekend, and locating a gym in my new town.

And? Links. Things that have been in my browser that I've found completely fascinating.

...or just kind of sad. Having lived in the Ann Arbor area while teaching, I'll miss Borders.

Just when I thought I couldn't love Al Franken any more, he does this.

This seems like a good plan, in conjunction with the exercise.

Facebook's got nothing on Ravelry.

Anne Lamott's reminding me to find time.

And just so I don't misplace it: The Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota has an awesome portfolio collection re: The Giver.

And now? Off too Bloomington for the day.

2011-07-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

I still knit. I swear. Just not as much as I would like to. This baby sweater has been on the needles for the last few weeks and reminded me why I extremely dislike fair isle knit flat. (Oh! the pain!)

These are in process photos - the sweater is now blocking. More photos once buttons have been procured.

Recidivism

2011-07-12T16:43:00.000-04:00

Noun. "A tendency to lapse into a previous condition or pattern of behavior; especially, a falling back or relapse into prior criminal habits."

And that, my friends, is the word of the day.

More Silverware

2011-07-06T21:46:00.000-04:00

I bought more starburst silverware while thrifting over the holiday weekend. I couldn't resist, really. It was six pieces for a dollar and there were tons of forks and soup spoons and, well, I thought I didn't have enough of them.

One look at my silverware drawer (and the look on Manfriend's face when he found me at the checkout, silverware in hand) reminded me that I was wrong.

But! (There's always a but when thrifting, isn't there?) But! There were patterns that I didn't have:

I'm particularly loving the closest pattern, with the nebulous stars. I wasn't able to track down much information about any of the patterns, save for the one farthest away. It's a pattern from Hull called Enchanted Star. I only know that much from the stamp on the back.

So: I have too much silverware.

But: I will be prepared for the next large gathering. That's it. Eco-party planning. That's what I will call it.

In the Meantime...

2011-07-05T19:14:00.000-04:00

The past week and a half has been something of a blur: I moved into the new place, met an academic writing deadline, and started teaching my summer class. I've had an apartment with no Internet, a new class of students to get to know, and really no time to be here. Huge surprise, right?

The Manfriend and I left for Michigan the weekend to visit my aunt and just returned this afternoon. Five days, a limited amount of work that could be done in the Internet-less country. There were many games of cards played, three (THREE!) whole (WHOLE!) books (BOOKS!) read, and lots of laughter. It was just what was needed.

Hope the Fourth was good for you and yours!

Linky Love

2011-06-24T19:20:00.000-04:00

The mornings have been like this all week: overcast and chilly. By the noon, though, the sun comes out and it's lovely.

A few sites that have been hanging around on my browser; time to put them here:

I will be the first to admit to my obsession with Detroit and this tour of the River Rouge (the river, not the factory) is fascinating.

I am constantly struggling with the putting together of colors. Kuler will pull colors form an image to create a set of colors that would work together.

Kathryn Clark's quilts based on foreclosure patterns in cities are beautifully sad.

There was so much about this NYT article that was fascinating: My Ex-Gay Friend.

Back to packing. I dislike packing.

Procrastination

2011-06-23T17:58:00.002-04:00

I should be packing. I should be working on some of the writing deadlines coming up. I should be, I should be, I should be.

And for the most part, I am.

I've been waking up every morning and scooting off to the coffee shop to write before I can think any better of it, alternating between my writing for other people and writing for myself. I've been writing the stories I think will make up my dissertation and I think I might actually have something to write about. Something solid, something that might actually be useful.

Insane.

But.

I've also found some time for fun. Not much, but just enough. Exhibit A: Bingo. Tuesday night bingo at the local American Legion - and I won! So did four other people, making our winnings equal to the cost of our pack of cards and an ice cream for the Manfriend and I afterward.

Too much fun and pretty much like high school: who has what markers? The caller? Totally like the prom queen. It was totally nostalgic, too - my Gram was involved in the VFW for years and I remember sitting in the hall during bingo, too young to play, drawing in one of those notepads she always had on her.

And tonight: celebrating the newly-minted Dr. Lee with fancy adult beverages!

And after: more packing!

Exciting life, no?

Moving in

2011-06-20T18:22:00.000-04:00

Tired of Hipstamatic yet?

Me neither.

I started the process of moving today. Keys have been obtained and some kitchen things have been dropped off. I, thankfully, have some time between now and when my lease ends here, so I can move in slowly.

But dang, that light. I love that light. I'm also trying to think of a color to paint a wall in the living room... perhaps a light, light yellow?

Work Horse

2011-06-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

I bought a new computer. This seems to be my modus operandi: every two years, I end up buying a new system for one reason or another. I bought a new MBP to go to grad school with; it croaked and I bought the lovely laptop you see above. I collected massive amounts of dissertation data and my poor laptop started wheezing. Literally. There was no way my machine was going to handle my collection of video data and still allow me to work, so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the desktop.

I've had the machine, which I've named John Holmes, since Wednesday and it's really changed my work patterns. Due to the size of the screen, I can have multiple documents open at one time and it's made all the difference in the world. I think I'm in love, although I keep stressing out that I now have to actually write a dissertation. It's a little terrifying, but it will be done.

Now to finish a draft of an article... So much to do.

Song of the Summer

2011-06-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure I found my song of Summer 2011. I'm also sure that I'm over my head with the move and deadlines and teaching.

I can make it to August. I can make it to August.

(Isn't this the opposite of what I used to think as a child?)

Thrifty Finds: Martz Lamp

2011-06-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

I don't need another lamp - hence why I almost passed this beauty up a week ago. I had glanced it on the shelf at the Goodwill and immediately loved the shape of it and the gray stripe. I love gray more than one should. I left it on the shelf, thought better of myself later that night, and kept my fingers crossed that it would still be there the next day.

Luckily - there it was, in all of its mid-century modern goodness. To boot, it was signed Martz near the electric cord - a name I had remembered seeing before but really had attached no meaning to. I snatched up the lamp, wandered home, and proceeded to Google where I found the page for Martz Lamps on the Jet Set Shop. Apparently, they're rather sought after - insanity. I need to find a different shade - I found a similar lamp with an original shade on eBay, but will have to find an alternative that won't cost me $250.

To make myself feel better, I bought this lamp and gave another away - thus, the number of lamps I own stays static.

Revelation

2011-06-12T11:16:00.000-04:00

Music, for my friend Kelly, is her life. She lives within songs, they encapsulate her experiences. It really is an amazing thing to watch when at a concert - her literal embodiment of the song.

I, however, have more of a soundtrack - music I live beside. It's on in the background, perpendicular to me going about my life.

On Friday, I was at the Iron and Wine concert in Indy and I completely enjoyed myself. I was slightly exhausted - my film festival (and the end of data collection) had happened that afternoon - but found myself thinking through the hours upon hours of video sitting on an external hard drive. To the sounds of Iron and Wine, I began constructing coding structures, thinking about applicable theory, and doing all kinds of insane general research think.

Crap. I'm a researcher.

For all of my talk of loving teaching (and I do!) and rethinking my decision to come to graduate school, I'm a researcher. I didn't see that one coming.

Quote Possibly

2011-06-03T20:15:00.000-04:00

This could, quite possibly, be my new living space.

Things I love about it:

Convenient location to work.
It's super spacious!
Those windows! The light!
It's in an old school building - uber-cool factor!
I can paint. Not that I would. But I have the option.
Close to a park and nestled in a really cute neighborhood.
Relatively inexpensive.

Things I'm not-so-in-love with:

The kitchen still retains its 1992 charm, complete with mauve countertops.
The carpet. While it's not bad, I was hoping for hardwood floors.
No laundry in unit. (These are such first-world problems.)

I'll find out early next week whether it's mine or not. I'm honestly so in love with the light that comes into this space that I'm fortunate there are only three not-so-in-love withs. I would deal with a few more to get that sunlight.

Thinning Out

2011-06-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

I love the primary set of Pyrex bowls. After coveting them for years, I came across them at the Flat Rock Flea market several years ago and snatched them up. The unfortunate thing? I found them too shallow to use and found myself returning to the set of MSE green glass bowls and a set of melamine bowls from Williams-Sonoma for my mixing and other bowl-related needs. So they've sat in my cupboard, looking pretty and all Pyrexy. I've moved them from the Mitten to Margi's through three houses in Bloomington. That's about seven years. And I haven't used them once.

I'm preparing to move again - let's hope tomorrow's apartment showing is a winner - and have come to the conclusion that I need to sell some of those things I've collected that I just don't use. The stack of Bauer saucers and luncheon plates? Oh, so lovely, but hardly ever used. (And heavy! I forget about heavy!) Random coffee mugs? Yes, you must go as well. It's unfortunate, but true.

I have a ton of work to do for a project I'm working on today, but between transcriptions, I'll be listing things on eBay in hopes that these beautiful things will find homes where they will be used and loved. They are things to be enjoyed and I sometimes forget that having isn't necessarily enjoying them.

I still play with yarn. I swear.

2011-05-31T22:44:00.000-04:00

I finished Lane and Mike's granny square afghan last night, weaving the last of the loose ends (and there were a lot of loose ends!) into the blanket. It was about four months in the making and I'm thrilled to ship it out to the newlyweds. I think it will be an excellent - and colorful - afghan to cuddle beneath during the grey Wisconsin winter.

I've also had a few moment to finish the thumb (why is it always - ALWAYS! - the thumb?) on this pair of squirrel mittens. They are, unfortunately, the last of my holiday 2010 knits. Yes, that's right - 2010. I am a horrible dissertating graduate student. That's my story and I'm planning on sticking to it.

The Evening's Spoils

2011-05-29T10:51:00.000-04:00

The strawberry-rhubarb jam is tangy! Almost like a Sweetart, which should be good on crusty toast. I did have a chance to try out the Weck jars I picked up in Ann Arbor a while back and golly, they are pretty.

I did end up having something of an inner dialogue with myself after realizing I as preserving jam made from strawberries grown twenty miles away in jars that were manufactured 6000 miles away. Granted, I bought them in a small hardware in Ann Arbor, but I felt a bit frustrated with myself for buying them when I could easily purchase Ball jars - made in the USA, as the sticker on their packages now indicate - for less money. I also know that the environmental cost of these jars and their trans-Atlantic journey will be offset by the many years I will use them and the reuseable-ness of the lids... but still.

My understanding for advocating for Weck jars is not only that they are beautiful - and they are, hence why I bought them in the first place - but also the glass lids, which are free of BPA traces. I still have to do some reading about the topic, but Tattler has BPA-free (and reusable!) lids for canning that I might give a go. They're more expensive, but if I don't have to buy new lids every season, that might be an okay thing.

I know I sometimes get caught up in the aesthetics, whether it's my knitting or canning or the things I surround myself with. I get that all these decisions come with certain costs and I need to remind myself to be more aware of them as I'm not sure about the 5,980 mile difference between where my strawberries were picked and where my jars were manufactured.

In a Jam

2011-05-28T12:17:00.000-04:00

In a jam. Horribly pun-tastic, I know, but I couldn't resist.

The Man Friend and I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and they had strawberries! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for strawberries to make their appearance and feared that they may not. The weather in this part of the country (as in many others) has been ridiculously wet this spring. In the past week, we've had some pretty forceful windstorms and the ground was so wet that trees were simply lifted out of the ground.

Regardless, there they were: small, red blobs of promised summer. I snatched up two pints - one for eating, one for jamming - and come tonight, once I've made headway on the pile of work that still isn't done after a crazy week, I'll be making the season's first batch of rhubarb-strawberry jam.

But first, the list of to-do. It never seems to end...

The Problem Continues

2011-05-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

Yep. More mugs. I'm almost ashamed, but when I saw them in the thrift store, mugs I had been regretting not adding to my collection since Christmas 2008, I knew they would be coming home with me.

Yet another installment in a seemingly endless list of "I have a problem..."

2011-05-20T09:40:00.000-04:00

First, it was silverware. Then came the mugs. I love it when the majority of people leave any given college town. It floods the local thrift stores with things they didn't want to move with and that I might like. Case in point: the Orla Kiely mug above. I love these mugs; they are hefty and hold a copious amount of coffee. I got three of them for my birthday a few years ago and have been lamenting not picking more up ever since.

I've found five of the mugs at Goodwill over the course of the last two weeks: four of the gray and brown pears above and the green abacus mug above. I've listed two on eBay and am keeping the other three. I just need to think about what to do with all those other mugs I own...

I also couldn't pass up this little beauty, a Jadeite coffee mug I picked up last weekend when in Michigan.

So yeah. Another mug. Crap.

I think I have a problem.

Treading

2011-05-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to keep my head above water, just enough to get to the end of the weekend. Having traveled back to Michigan for a good friend's wedding (amazingly beautiful bride - lovely setting - ferocious weather), I've been hit with a week of conference preparation (we're hosting - lots of printing, emailing, last-minute planning) and dissertation data collection (round two started this week - two weeks shorter than I was originally told - I'm too busy to panic about it). Add in a research project with a faculty member and the need to find a place to live in July and there hasn't been a lot of time for much else.

But soon. (I hope!)

A Toast

2011-05-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

Amidst the craziness of graduation weekend, several of my undergrads, now graduates, asked me to give a toast at their celebratory gathering. I was both flattered and excited to honor them thusly:

I have a difficult time reading the newspaper yet find myself sipping coffee every morning, pouring over the headlines in the New York Times. More often than not, there is some inflammatory headline about the decline of America’s schools, the sloth of the teachers who fill them, and the ludicrous idea that just anyone can teach. My blood boils for a moment until I think about the people in this room. You, the TAL class of 2011, remind me that there are good, hardworking educators with fresh ideas, seemingly unlimited energy, and a deep-seated desire to help children live lives of their own choosing and I find myself suddenly calm. Over the course of the last two years, I have been fortunate enough to teach you, learn with you, and watch you grow into formidable educators. I am in awe of your resolve, of your diligence, and believe, whole-heartedly, of your potential. You will do brilliant things, just as you have done brilliant things over the course of your undergraduate career. When you do brilliant things, you enable the students in your classroom to do brilliant things. We say that children are the future; I propose that you, my friends, are the future and I can’t wait until the New York Times gets wind of the good you will do. So let’s raise a glass and toast to the TAL class of 2011 – to the hard work you have done and the harder work you will do. There is no one more equipped, more ready to handle it than you.

We're going to avoid the fact that I actually forgot to toast anyone, but I like to think my words were somewhat pretty.

Grandma's Embroidery Bag

2011-05-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

This is a well-loved pillowcase. It somehow fell into my possession when I was seven and was a mainstay on my bed from that moment on, well into the college years. While it has been semi-retired for the last few years (at least until I can figure out a way to clean it more thoroughly), it's one of those things I can't bear to part with. My Grandma Donna, my mother's mom, made this for me; it's one of the few things I have from her, so it will move with me whenever, wherever.

I've been thinking for a while about reproducing the pillowcase for my nephews, so that they might have something from their Great Grandmother - even if it wasn't made by her hand, it would be made in her spirit. I had been scouring vintage iron on patterns whenever I encountered them in the vintage and thrift stores but no luck.

While beginning to prepare for this next move, I've been going through things. As in selling them on eBay or donating them to Goodwill. I came across an old paper bag that my mom gave me after my grandfather died while I was still in undergrad. It was one of those things that I held onto without ever really taking stock of what was inside. Lo and behold - my grandmother's embroidery supplies! Hoops and thread and transfers and needles. There's a threaded needle, just waiting for her to return to work. Strange: things and time.

Perhaps most exciting of all: ducks. There may be pillowcases in my nephew's futures after all...

Mom's Day

2011-05-08T10:58:00.000-04:00

The last conversation I had with my mother went something along the lines of me telling her that I pushed her to do new things because I loved her, I was scared that she was becoming lethargic, more of a passive observer than a productive participant. It was possibly the most adult conversation we had ever had. My last words to my mother were "I love you," which has brought me no small amount of comfort. After her passing, going through the evidence of her life, I found print outs of emails, postcards sent form my travels, notes I had sent her when I went away for college. My favorite artifact: a postcard sent from the Vatican upon which I scribed, I was here and did not burst into flames. I doubt she ever became comfortable with my atheism. I sorted through these things this morning, remembering her and remembering how delightfully flawed and impossibly loving she was. Oh, I loved her, and continue to love her, in delightfully flawed and impossible ways.

Leaving the Semester

2011-05-03T22:36:00.000-04:00

The semester isn't quite over yet, but it's ridiculously close. I've spent the whole of the last two days meeting with my undergrads, engaging them in exit interviews before they leave campus for the summer. I've come to really enjoy the interview structure, allowing me a more personalized way to end the class.

As I think about the interviews and my own teaching this semester, a few things pop out at me:

* I like writing with my class. For the collaborative paper assignment this semester, students worked in groups using Google docs to write a paper around a hot topic in literacy education. I would go through each and every paper weekly and edit with them, leaving notes and suggestions in the margins. It's a time-consuming but valuable tool as I've struggled for years with attempting to think about how to help my students be better writers; feedback on the final paper always arrives too late.

* I need to continue focusing on developing habits of mind with my students rather than simply a culmination of grades. I've been struck by my students and their focus on grades rather than learning content and by delaying grades until the end (rather cruel), I think I facilitated more development of content rather than simply checking things off of a list.

* I need to think of more ways to include (a) children's literature and (b) phonics into my assessment class. I was struck by the lack of knowledge my students had about children's literature, despite thinking that they would connect students to literature and that would make the students interested in reading. How can teachers connect students to books if they don't read books themselves? Additionally, I was shocked to find the lack of phonics information held by my students. Normally, I teach the fall section of this class and we spend a large amount of time on phonics. That the students didn't have this makes me nervous - I need to think of ways to incorporate more phonics in everything I do.

* I need to have these interviews earlier in the semester. I love getting to know them and can accelerate our relationships by moving this to earlier in the semester.

Two interviews to go. The rest of the week will be spent finding an apartment, working on arrangements for a conference later in the semester, and thinking about extending my dissertation data collection.

And there must be some knitting. Soon.

Push

2011-04-21T17:36:00.000-04:00

It happens every spring: the final weeks of the semester sneak up on me and I find my schedule over-loaded and my to-do list running over. Yet I'm surprised by this. Every. Single. Year.

Have I learned nothing in my twenty-four years of schooling? Nothing?

Ah, well.

Pictures from Luhvul

2011-04-18T09:30:00.002-04:00

I giggle a bit whenever I visit Louisville, attempting to pronounce the city's name as the locals do. I still don't have it down, but I'm getting there. Scenes from this weekend's visit to the city, which includes some pretty awesome neon signs:

It seemed like the ice cream shop in this last shot is closed, but I loved the typography.

Thrift Breaking: Fiesta and Silverware

2011-04-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

I've collected Fiestaware for about a decade now, buying my first pieces in a Mervyn's store in Grand Rapids, Michigan the summer after my sophomore year at university. While my passion for the colorful dinnerware has waxed and waned, I always keep my eyes open for it in thrift stores. Up until Friday afternoon, the closest I had ever gotten to actually finding Fiesta at a thrift store was a mismatched teapot I found at a rummage sale for $5 more years ago than seems proper.

All in all, I found two plates, one dinner-sized and one bread-sized, and four mugs. Grand total: $4.46. Yep. I think that makes these pieces my least expensive Fiesta pieces ever. Granted, the plates, as seen above, are decently scratched. They have been well used but have much more life in them yet to live. They won't stay with me for long. Save for a lone coffee mug, I have plans for these pieces. I am not their forever-owner.

Rounding out a good hour of thrifting Friday, I came across three more pieces of starburst silverware - including a fork in a pattern I've yet to identify. And spoons. Can you ever have too many spoons?

On second thought, don't answer that.

Thinking in Lists

2011-04-14T12:00:00.032-04:00

I know I'm busy when I begin thinking in lists.

To keep with this state of mind, a list of things I've been thinking about in the world of the Internets:

I read this in Peggy Orenstein's Cinderella Ate My Daughter, but the Smithsonian Magazine goes into the historical background of our social construction of girls in pink, boys in blue.

I find this immensely entertaining:

I cannot tell a lie: I love IKEA. Expedit bookshelves, some day you will be mine. Preferably when I don't have to move. It do find their manufacturing practices here in the US to be interesting, though. "It's ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico"

Oh, Indiana. Yet another misguided attempt at school improvement. Invest in teachers, invest in students, stop investing in money-gobbling assessments. Please.

I have been slightly entertained by this comparison all week.

Kate, once again, leaves me slightly speechless. I need to stop being grumpy when I get ready to run in the morning. I can run, I need to relish that fact.

So many of my childhood memories are caught up in the mall. In the 90's. Hence my obsession with these photos. If only they were taken during those hilarious Christmas craft fairs... that would be awesome.

RIP, Flip Cam. I still love you.

In Which I Blather on about a Building

2011-04-13T20:22:00.000-04:00

The above snap is from Widow at Windsor Antiques, a beautiful shop in Springfield, Illinois I visited a few months ago and never got around to writing about. It popped into my head today, strangely enough, as I was walking to class. Obviously, it wasn't always an antique store; the building used to serve a car dealership. The the arched windows on the right side of the building aren't windows at all, but garage doors, allowing the dealers to move large pieces in to the showroom. If French and Belgian antiques are your thing, this shop would be paradise. I'm not particularly drawn to either of those styles, but I did fall instantly in love with the building. The building itself is amazing - literally a block or two from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Dana-Thomas House - it is filled with amazing woodwork, beautiful tiling, and that amazing feeling of being in a building that had been cared for and aged well. Oh, the interior arches!

But I digress. I was thinking about this building today. It's stood there for decade upon decade and has managed to reinvent itself over and over again and, because of this, it has stayed relevant. That's a good lesson. One I need to keep in mind: reinvention is okay.

Breath in, breath out.

Sleepy Sunday

2011-04-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

I went to an acting conference yesterday and was reminded why I am someone who can run the theatre house but cannot be on stage. The primary workshop was with Javier Cordona, a theatre scholar associated with Theatre of the Oppressed. While not TotO-specific, the workshop totally stretched me, making me uncomfortable at times but giving me insight into performance and the work needed to do acting work. The primary reason for going was to help me think of how to help the kiddos I'm working with in terms of their acting. Insight. Now to think about what to do with it.

A little linky love before I head off to get work done:

In the Czech Republic, they've found the remains of a male who was buried surrounded by domestic goods. Of course he must be gay. The oldest gay ever. Bury me with my knitting needles, please...

... or perhaps just a wool coffin. Can I get this in fair isle, please?

In preparation for teaching children's literature this summer, I came across this on NPR: children's literature or another genre entirely?

Distraction, thy name is the Internet. The New Yorker says so.

With data collection in full swing, I'm trying to stay focused on the task at hand and not borrow trouble about the job market.

Lastly: How to steal like an artist. Brilliant.

Happy Sunday, y'all.

Crochet Color, Exhaustion Version

2011-04-08T11:48:00.000-04:00

If PhDs were easy, everyone would have one. At least this is what I am trying to remind myself as I run back and forth from the elementary school, my video camera, tripod, and teaching materials in tow, while trying to balance giving feedback to my undergraduates, prepping for my trade books class this summer, and seeing the Man Friend on a somewhat regular basis. It's a lot and it's left me exhausted, but a good kind of exhausted. My brain is constantly firing and that's a good thing. I'm doing work that is interesting and helpful and I'm just taking it all as part and parcel of wanting to work with pre-service teachers.

I finished these up last weekend and am just getting around to posting them now. I did break down and buy a skein of Cascade 220 in goldenrod. I know this was a stash-busting exercise, but I needed some brightness of the 70's variety. Also: this is one of my new favorite blogs. A granny a day indeed.

I Might Need An Intervention

2011-04-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

I need to buy a video camera for my dissertation research. So Friday, I set out to see what was available in the wider world of Bloomington and happened to stop into the Goodwill on the far side (at least from where I live) of town. I was talking with my aunt on the phone when I happened across the silverware section and audibly gasped.

"What?! What?! Are you okay?! What happened?!"

I was inaudible for a moment, overcome with the stack of Oneida Twin Star flatware that lay before me. There were spoons, large and small, and knives and - blessed be my heart! - forks! It was one of those finds that you dream about when you are collecting starburst silverware. Twin Star! For 20 cents a piece!

"Um... I just hit the motherlode of starburst silverware. You're going to have to talk louder. This might be a while."

I started gathering starburst silverware toward the end of the summer. I was in a thrift store in Michigan with the same aunt who was on the phone when I happened upon the silverware and began casually going through it. I had dabbled with the idea of collecting Oneida Twin Star right after college, when the now-defunct Betty Crocker catalog resurrected the pattern for exclusive sale through that particular venue. Within a few weeks, the Betty Crocker catalog was no more and I hadn't thought about the pattern much since. Going through that tray of silverware, I became smitten all over again and not just with Twin Star. It seems there was a wide variety of starburst designs and I quickly found a spot on the floor and began sorting out the silverware. My aunt, she has patience.

Having gathered about twenty pieces that first outing, a bit of an obsession was born. I began haunting the silverware bins at the local thrift stores, hoping I would find those familiar little stars. Some days, I would find just a piece or two - mostly butter knives and spoons, very rarely forks. Other times, I would find a multitude of pieces, close to thirty pieces - including forks! - of a Mar-Crest starburst pattern at a Goodwill in Springfield, IL. When I was driving home for the holidays, I stopped at Goodwill stores along the way and collected over fifty pieces. That's the thing about flatware: it's cheap and the ideal thing to thrift for when on the road due to it's portability.

So far, I've collected twenty-eight different designs. For quite a few of them, I only have butter knives, but it sounds impressive, no? I love the idea of setting a table with mixed-and-matched sets, cohesive in the midcentury modern starburst fabulousness. There are still designs out there I would love to stumble upon (like this!), but isn't it all about the thrill of the hunt and the serendipitous finds of the thrift store?

I took some time last night to identify as many of the patterns as I could. They're noted in the photos over on Flickr, should you be interested.

A bit of crochet color

2011-03-28T21:54:00.000-04:00

I still don't quite know what I am doing with all these granny squares (a blanket at some point, I would imagine) but I'm enjoying playing around with the color combinations. I think this particular combo is my favorite thus far: Cascade 220 in chartreuse, como blue, and Atlantic blue.

I'm getting to the point that I can whip out six of these little things in about an hour and a half. Two episodes of This American Life. There are worse ways to spend Sunday afternoon. I'm up to 48 of these things so far. I figure I need about 372 to make a blanket large enough for a bed. So, yeah... a whopping 13% done. Go me.

All this started as a way to use up some of my stash. I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

Highs and Lows

2011-03-26T09:44:00.000-04:00

Thursday was a ridiculously high day: I met with the course coordinator for the IU campus I will teach at the coming year to discuss classes and I'm going to get to teach some really phenomenal bits: tradebooks in the classroom (educational talk for children's literature), another assessment class, and (I am most geeked out about this one) research in language education. I essentially get to teach a class about reading research to connect with practice! It's my dream class, providing a conduit between those two seemingly separate worlds and I find myself dreaming of readings. Seriously. I'm pathetic, I know. Thursday was a high.

Friday was a low. I made an appointment at the student health center to wrap my head around what was happening with my breathing. As in I wasn't doing it all that well. I figured this was my new head cold - I used to get them every fall and every spring but hadn't since moving to Indiana. My lungs ached, my throat was scratchy, they hurt after running. What the heck, right? Allergies, apparently. I've never had allergies in my life, so the world of inhalers and things are totally new to me. So after the PA decides that I don't have bronchitis, as this was diagnosed in the spring, but allergies. He writes me prescriptions and I go get them filled and I go to pay and find out that my student health insurance has expired. Hm. This has never happened before. As a fellowship recipient, I should receive health insurance through the end of the summer. I spent the first portion of the summer working as a graduate assistant for another professor in the department, putting together materials and helping out with teacher study groups, fulfilling my fall duties for my fellowship with a separate contract written for the spring. Apparently, those two contracts were never looked at together, so it looks like I am just teaching one class, not enough for health insurance. (It is important to note that both myself and the office manager in my department cleared the fall semester arrangement with people, so imagine my surprise when my insurance comes up as invalid!) So, the baseline frustration: I have allergies. They don't know to what yet, but I have a massive amount of prescription drugs and inhalers waiting for me upstairs in my bedroom. I do not have insurance. At least not right now. My fingers are crossed that the people in control of contracts and things are working on it.

And today: today, I am sitting in my kitchen, drinking the last of this morning's pot of coffee and attempting to plan out what to do with my day. I need to finish taxes, accomplish some feedback, read some articles, volunteer for a play. Lots of stuff to do. Now to do it. I'm ready for an even-keel kind of day.

In Memoriam

2011-03-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

I knew Daphane in college, when we were both working to become teachers. She was terribly dedicated and worked hard in her coursework and eventually went on to become a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. In addition to being a competent, caring teacher, she was a passionate mother and a good, solid friend. In the years between then and now, she and I kept in sporadic contact, emailing at the holidays and when we encountered teaching dilemmas we felt the other might have insight into. I'm still in shock of it all; there is the space that she once occupied but no longer does and I'm never comfortable with that.

Rest in Peace, Daphane Ramey. You will be missed.

Chicago Weekend

2011-03-21T16:07:00.000-04:00

Highlights:

* The chicks at the Museum of Science and Industry. They're just so cute.

* Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me was hilarious. If you have a chance to see a taping - do it. The podcast is 47:30, but the taping was two hours. There's tons of stuff that are edited out - all of it hilarious.

* Wandering the Lake Michigan shoreline in the morning.

* The Vivian Maier exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center. Hauntingly beautiful.

* The food, of course. The Chicago Diner makes the best milkshakes ever, hands down.

But now it's Monday. Spring Break is officially over and I'm trying to catch up on those few things I didn't finish last week...

Linky Love: Packing Edition

2011-03-15T23:04:00.000-04:00

I'm heading to the Windy City tomorrow with the Man Friend (our first trip - a bit un-nerving) for a taping of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and a visit with my good friend Anne. I think I have everything packed and am just waiting on my sheets to dry before I can go to bed. We will not talk about the orange soda mishap that resulted in my sheets needing to dry. Anyway: links!

Embrace from Ben Sollee on Vimeo.

Ben Sollee won me over in 2008 with Learning to Bend and I found his 2010 collaboration with Daniel Martin Moore, Dear Companion, to be equally lovely. His new album Inclusions is due to hit May 10th and if Embrace is any indication, it's going to be another exquisite collection of songs.

I love it that Local Yarn Stores are making it work - 11% increase in sales last year.

OMG. I all sorts of want. I will restrain because I already have too many unfinished projects lying around, but I think this solidifies my obsession with cuckoo clocks as I want to make this as soon as I can.

I'm ignoring the gender and just declaring this inspiring. After Chicago, of course.

I didn't quite plan on retiring anyway, so this is good news.

I've been fascinated with NPR's series on cultural fragmentation and enjoyed their insights into iCarly, particularly the gendered findings re: audience.

Jesse Brown is a bit of an intellectual badass and he is raising some very interesting issues regarding technology and entertainment regulation in our neighbor to the north.

RIP, Zune. I'm not surprised.

Oh, Japan. You make my heart hurt. This is the where I've sent money, should you be interested.

More Color

2011-03-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

A bit more color. I'm finding myself drawn to some pretty retro combinations. Strangeness abounds.

Thrifty Finds: Embroidery

2011-03-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

I've had some decent luck finding some really adorable pieces of embroidery at the antique malls and flea markets lately. I found the above last weekend, which is ridiculously adorable and earmarked to be a holiday gift for a friend. There's something about the cheerful flowers that just makes me smile - hopefully, it will make the recipient smile as well.

This is a slightly older find. I think I found this at one of the antique markets in Coldwater, MI when I was traveling over the holidays. I originally bought it for my Aunt, who collects samplers, but have been second guessing this as I find myself wanting to add it to my repertoire of wall hangings. It was a ridiculous $2.00 with 60% off, bringing it down to an unbelievable $.80. Obviously, it needs to be cleaned, a task I will take on once I figure out how to remove it from the professional framing with the least amount of damage. But those colors... seriously awesome.

Come to think of it, I picked up another embroidery piece at an auction over the holidays, although this was Christmas-related and is already packed away with the holiday things. Part of me thinks I'm on the look out for these since I'm making no progress on my own cross stitch projects...

Color Combinations

2011-03-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'm still crocheting, although I did have a bit of a snaffu as I continued to work on the original project. After looking through a few You Tube clips, I came to the horrifying conclusion that I had been double crocheting incorrectly. Oh, the shame! So when I went to continue making those previous squares, I found I couldn't duplicate what I was doing previously. Seriously. I couldn't make the mistake on purpose.

It's possibly a case of running before walking. I tend to do those things. Regardless, I've started making granny squares of a simpler sort, following this tutorial. I don't quite know what I will be doing with them, but it's an interesting exercise in combining colors and thinking through what I have in my stash. Selecting three colors and laying out the various ways they play together color-wise. It's definitely too much fun.

Just in Case You Needed a Reminder:

2011-03-10T23:53:00.000-05:00

Walking the Walk

2011-03-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

Oh, Blogger. Why are you not letting me know there is a comment on my blog. There usually aren't many. You can at least let me know when there is one... or two.

Regardless: I'm teaching a class on literacy assessment for preservice elementary teachers this spring and we noticed an interesting disconnect the first day of class. When I asked students about how they would create readers in their classrooms, there was an overarching number of students who said that it was all about connecting readers to books, a la The Book Whisperer. Yet when I asked them about what they were reading, they admitted they weren't reading anything other than what they had to for class (and I sometimes doubt that). So however were they to connect readers to books if they have no idea what is out there?

Then I realized that I do very little reading outside of my own coursework / academic interests... And thus, I began forcing myself to walk the walk I was expecting of my students, reading at least one non-academic book a week and sharing those readings with them during the announcements portion of class. It's been lovely to leave the laptop downstairs and curl up with a book before bed... sometimes tricky, but rather lovely.

Some of the greatest hits recently:

Tinsel :: This book, written by a journalist, seeks to understand the contemporary meaning of the rituals that comprise Christmas as we know it. It's a narrative journey through the 2006 season in Frisco, Texas, and an enjoyable read at that.

Random Family :: I don't know how I haven't written about this one yet. This is a journalistic narrative following a group of teenagers growing up in the Bronx beginning in the early 1980's. LeBlanc follows these people through jail sentences, child birth, geographical moves, relationships, failures... it's breathtaking in the way that it captures the experience of people who are born into certain circumstances and work toward changing those circumstances. Brilliant book.

Before I Fall :: Oh, my. This YA novel had me from the moment I started the first page. I literally tore through this 400+ page book in a little over four hours. While Samantha, the protagonist, tries to think through her life and death, is sometimes frustrating and the prose, at times, sugary-sweet, it was a fully satisfying read.

I just picked up Cinderella Ate My Daughter from the library, which has been making the round on the news sources. While somewhat connected to my research interests, I'm counting it as a pleasure read.

Seven Up

2011-03-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

I was in Madison, Wisconsin for a conference a few weeks ago and, in between periods of protesting at the Wisconsin capital, happened to sit in on a session with Dr. Nicholas Hitchon, a physicist. Seeing as the conference was about the intersections of space, time, and literacy, I was a little confused as to why he was presenting, but was excited at the prospect of science goodness within a literacy framework. It turns out that Dr. Hitchon had been one of fourteen British children who had been featured in the 1964 documentary 7 Up, a movie that sought to explore the idea the adult a person is to become is fully seen in the seven-year-old. Michael Apted has followed up with as many of the children as possible every seven years since, following them through some awkward adolescent periods into adulthood. The original program, in some very heavy-handed ways, sought to establish that particular ways of rearing children were more valuable than others. There are some children, particularly Nick, who are painted as childhood tragedies, but life isn't always so predictive.

It's a fascinating study in how our lives are shaped by a strange combination of educational experiences, the circumstances of our birth, our own biologies, and our inner drive. It's also a fascinating look at the ways in which chaos comes into play as we live, while also highlighting just how quickly life moves. I haven't been able to look away, pushing through six of the currently-available seven documentaries.

The Facebook Effect

2011-03-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, possibly insane from the euphoria of teaching, I changed my relationship status on Facebook. He of the Hopeful Yarn and I have been together for six months and this was apparently cause enough to make the according changes on his own Facebook page. I think it is somewhat hilarious to point out that I completely missed this action – my housemate had to point it out over breakfast one day – “So you’re official now, huh? You know you’re official when it’s on Facebook.” I immediately grabbed my coffee and went upstairs to confirm for myself, chugging caffeinated liquid life with one hand, typing in the web address with the other. And there it was: he’s now in a relationship. I hoped it was me he was talking about, but kept this thought to myself.

So, three days later, I changed my own relationship status. It was a new thing, really. I’ve been in relationships since joining Facebook in 2003, but never had I declared such. There was certain perlocution in this particular situation: he had validated our unit and it was only proper to do the same. Right?

In the last twenty-four hours, friends and family have been a-flurry in a massive amount of liking and commenting. I love my friends and family for being happy for me, but it all seems a little strange. I really haven’t accomplished anything other than fooling some poor fool into thinking I was worth hanging around for longer than a week. Furthermore, the core of who I am hasn’t changed all that much. The way I parse my time? Sure, although I think that is more due to the ever-looming dissertation than the relationship.

I continue to fail to get what the big deal is. I happened to be lucky enough to find someone I’m compatible with, with whom I may be with for a while. There are no guarantees that this status will last. Do I hope? Of course I do, but I also hope my friends and family are prepared for the chance of my status reverting back to single. Will they see that as a tragedy, as some of them have seen this as a triumph?

Such questions.

Things of Interest

2011-02-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day. It's almost upon us. It's also, apparently, overwhelmingly imported from Columbia.

The American Dream used to include owning one's house; in the increasingly global economy, is that realistic anymore?

I find myself in this loop more than I would like.

"Consider this a warning to new mothers: Fourteen years ago, I 'opted out' to focus on my family. Now I'm broke"

I wonder what they are planning on doing with all those soul-less Kindles? Resell them on Amazon?

Etsy: Valentine's Day Cards

2011-02-04T10:01:00.000-05:00

I'm unsure where January went, but here's February with Valentine's Day bearing down on us. I love Valentine's Day if only for the cards. I, in general, adore stationary so any holiday that encourages the use of such stuff makes me ridiculously happy. I spent a ton of time wandering through etsy, so I present some of my favorite Valentine's-inspired cards.

I love Krank Press and this delightfully simple card is bright and cheery and I all sorts of want it.

Smock Paper is new to me, but I love their sophisticated, retro designs. The color combo on this card sold me.

Blackbird Letterpress was a lovely surprise when I visited Baton Rouge this last fall. Their series of die cuts are adorable and this bee is a perfect holder for a love note.

I am such a huge fan of PaperMichelle and her style. It is bright and whimsical and I love this cuckoo clock card. It makes my toes tingle.

Parasol Press was another find when I went to the Renegrade Craft Fair this December. I'm totally digging the retro look of this card (available through their main website, but I'm sure coming to their etsy store soon...)

I bought a few of these... It's always good to have a few back-ups.

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

2011-02-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

It's raining here rather than snowing, covering everything is a layer of ice. The day has been spent inside, emailing in fellowship applications and following the city as it shut down on Twitter. By one this afternoon, the majority of the city and businesses therein where shuttered for the day. It's been raining steadily since two this afternoon; I'm not hopeful for much of anything tomorrow, which would be just fine by me. I would love a day to catch up on it all.

The freezing rain does make for some beautiful pictures, though.

The number grows

2011-01-31T20:53:00.002-05:00

Crochet progress. Not much progress anywhere else, though.

At least that is how it feels.

Crochet Crazy

2011-01-17T00:43:00.000-05:00

And the crocheting continues. I pulled together a few colors at the yarn store a week ago and have been working on a square here and there while finishing holiday gifts. (Yes, still.) I will admit that I'm a bit addicted, even as I question whether that green (chartreuse, how could you go wrong?) belongs with the other colors. It will all come together, I guess. It's come together a bit more quickly thanks to the BBC shows on hulu - I'm finishing up the first series of Kingdom now and want to move to the English seaside. Now, please.

I'm still not convinced that I will abandon all knitting for the crochet hook - doing so would fly in the face of my "both/and" attempts at navigating my own life, but there are a few bits of inspiration that tempt me:

Attic24 is ridiculously amazing - and she lives in northern England! Her crochet tutorial for a granny stripe might make it into my list of things to make soon... The brilliant photography doesn't hurt either...

Pinterest user marybethburrell has collected the most amazing images of crocheted items. They leave me a little antsy, not going to lie... Antsy in a good way, involving a hook and yarn...

The Royal Sisters is also tempting me with this star granny...

But first: the last episode in the first season of Kingdom. Then bed. I definitely will not start series 2 tonight... right?

First of the Lasts

2011-01-12T22:28:00.000-05:00

Bloomington finally got some snow. Lots of it. I took the above picture leaving class last night, around 9pm. This is after an entire day of steady snow. It's lovely, really, although I'm sure there are many who don't agree with me.

Today was the first day of the last (barring a summer appointment) class I will teach here at IU. It's strange to think that I've been here for four years, as long as I taught first and second grades. Four years. A decent chunk of my life. After spending last semester working on a research project, I was thrilled to be back in the classroom, albeit small and in no way appropriate for the twenty-six bodies that attempt to learn in the space. While I wouldn't do graduate school again had I the choice, I continue because I do love the teaching. I love working with pre-service teachers and stretching their thinking. I love working hard to prepare them even better than I was prepared. (And I had some amazing teachers in my undergraduate and graduate programs.) I love coming to know them and seeing them in their own classrooms, long after they have left my teaching space. I need to remember this when I look for positions. I like the teaching. I can do the research, but the teaching is what is going to keep me in it.

Snow Day

2011-01-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

This is my road, just a few minutes ago. It started snowing last night and hasn't quite let up yet. This is unfortunate as I have several meetings to make this afternoon, but hopefully the snowplow will have been through at least once by the time I need to leave.

I did spend some time this morning, once my class syllabus was finished, putting the final touches on Captain Jack's hat. (Yes, I am still knitting things for the holidays. Still. Shameful, I know.)

It's something of an adaptation of the Cheery Scrap Hat from the Winter 2009 issue of Petite Purls. With a nickname like Captain Jack, I figured a hat with skulls on it is appropriate, although that was about where my following a pattern ended. While I like the skulls, I'm not in love with them; rather, I found myself more enamored with the impromptu colorwork I did above, drawing partially from the chart provided and imagining some while watching It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. (Yes, it's been sitting in my bag awaiting finishing for that long... double shame!) I did crochet a single edging all the way around the hat (flaps are a little wonky - it's homemade and I'm a new crocheter. That is my story and I am sticking to it), and finally had a chance to use my Clover pom-pom maker, which might be my new favoritest thing ever.

Now to finish the good Captain's sister's mittens. They just need thumbs and then can be shipped on their way.

In My Own Bed

2011-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

After fifteen days away, I'm happy to be back in my own bed. Flannel sheets are definitely a good thing.

Remarkably, I'm also ready to get down to the work of the semester tomorrow morning. A little over two weeks with some delightful people was exactly what I needed to recharge, renew, and rethink. And now: bed.

Travel Day

2010-12-29T10:43:00.000-05:00

And that, I figure, is the cost of having one's own life: the moment you are in one space, you begin missing another. It's a constant state of longing that, while painful, reminds you of just how lovely your life really is.

Putting It Off

2010-12-28T11:59:00.001-05:00

I had grand plans for these days of vacation: books were going to be read, articles written and sent off to their respective journals, interviews transcribed. While the reading has happened, there has been little else going on. I am a horrible graduate student right now, which is why I put off traveling back downstate for a day to spend today in front of my laptop, working through some of the things on my to-do list.

There has, however, been a flourish of crocheting. (Crocheting? Is that how that verb works?) My mom's best friend taught me how to put together a granny square on Christmas day and I find myself sneaking away from holiday presents-yet-to-be-knit (yikes!) to work a round. Addicting, it is. I'm hoping for a granny square afghan, especially after seeing this beauty. A full-size granny square for the end of my bed, please and thank you.

However, now I must transcribe. Two hours of transcription. My reward will be a trip to the antique store on the edge of town.

Steven

2010-12-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

I watch him from the couch, fiddling with the scooter, attempting to maintain his balance using his walker while wanting so much to ride the scooter his brother received under the Christmas tree just yesterday. Every so often, he loses his balance and the scooter crashes into the floor. He looks up, nods his head at me, giggles, and leans down to try again. It's a ten minute ordeal for him to work his way through the palsy, to make his body do the things he wants it to do. I get up off the couch to help him and he sees me. The scooter drops to the floor again and he waves me away. I sit back down and he works for the better part of a half hour to turn the bike upright and place one foot on the platform. Here, however, he is stuck, unsure of what to do next.

I am finally allowed off of the couch and I place his other foot on the platform and hold his hands over the handles. Together, we wander through the house, his squeals of laughter causing Craig to chuckle. As we turn the corner of the kitchen island, the most absurd thought enters into my head: I wish I believed. I wish I bought into some sort of system of belief that supported reincarnation because this laughing ten-year-old on the scooter deserves some grace should there be a next time around, to be able to move his body as a dancer does.

But I don't believe in a next time around and unfairness of the situation is almost overwhelming until he lets out another squeal and I find myself brought back into the moment. And in this moment, he is flying on his scooter and neither he nor I need any more grace. This is enough.

The Merriest

2010-12-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

There is a moment while driving home, normally once I realize I haven't seen a coffee joint in 100 miles, that I begin questioning why I make the fifteen total hour drive home, especially as I grow bored with the CDs I have packed and find myself facing a wall of Christian music stations. Nothing wrong with them, just not for me, thank you.

And then I get home and the little brothers are bouncing up and down before we all end up crashing in bed together, a giant sleepover.

I'm frantically knitting, consuming massive amounts of coffee, and watching reality television with the little bros. It's delightful. Hopefully yours is as well.

Our Story Thus Far

2010-12-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

I have no idea where the fall went, yet when I arrived back in Bloomington last night from Chicago, snow had fallen. The fall, it is over. It seems as though I did things and yet nothing seems to have gotten done. I don't like this feeling and suspect I will be spending the next two weeks hurrying through tasks to remedy the feeling that this semester hasn't been a complete wash.

And it hasn't, truly. It just feels like it.

Between this post and the last, a lot has happened. I've travelled to Orlando for the NCTE annual convention (and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!), spent Thanksgiving in Michigan, and just got back from a weekend in Chicago. I've also worked through a pilot of my dissertation study - actual data collection to begin in January! - and have worked through several fellowship applications for the coming year. To top this flurry of activity, I've been seeing DF (Dear Fellow) for about three months now, which eats up what little free time I have. Life, all in all, has been delightful, though. Busy, but delightful, and only getting busier as the holiday gears up. My knitting isn't anywhere near completed and I'm feverishly trying to finish it.

It all gets done. Thinking: it all gets done.

2010-10-31T21:24:00.001-04:00

This is hopeful yarn.

Now Containing Actual Knitting Content

2010-10-04T12:37:00.000-04:00

Oh, Monday. How I love you for starting the week off. I returned last night from a weekend in Michigan, where I got to eat donuts at the apple orchard, watch soccer games, and wander around a flea market... good times, I say. I also finally got around to taking a few final photos of the Lizard Ridge, which I am officially declaring done.

Overall, I love how this turned out, aside from the fact that it took so long to actually finish. It's a great in-between project, however, as the blocks were ultra-portable but something of a pain to seam together. I really love the edging color - Cascade 220 in Como Blue. It's a simple garter stitch, but it makes the colors really pop. I've spent several cold afternoons cuddled up beneath it on the couch and it was worth all the time and energy.

This is actually only the second thing I've knitted for myself and I imagine it sticking around for a while. Oh with the holiday knitting in these spare moments of fall.

Oh, also? I am in love with the fall weather. IN LOVE.

Medium

2010-09-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

This is the big box of clothing that arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I was actually giddy when the UPS man left it on my doorstep, having gotten to the point where there is barely anything in my closet actually fits anymore. A few sweaters, a couple of polos, and a great cardigan. I tried the sweater on: too big. All of the clothing, save for a polo I had ordered in medium, was too big. I have never been a medium. Ever.

It was a bit of a boost, really, although it's sad to send the box back and wait for their replacements.

Linky Love: Bad Blogger Edition

2010-09-22T14:18:00.000-04:00

Indiana can't seem to make up its mind: does it want to be summer or fall? I forget, every single year, how long the summer waits it out here. While I'm jonesing for sweaters and hats, the climate has a very different idea. The semester is in full swing, but no semester like I've ever known. There are no classes: just meetings and writing and perhaps even a little procrastination. I'm in high gear now, however, as my data collection is set to begin in, oh, t-minus four weeks. Yikes!

I don't have an actual post, so I will leave you with some links:

Even though I haven't finished the first pattern I bought, I'm excited at the prospect of there being more Gera designs coming in October. She's kitschy and fun and well worth the money, methinks.

I totally dig Palladium's series on Detroit, Detroit Lives. There are some pretty amazing things doing on in that city.

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

I'm all about this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

This could very well be the longest scarf EVER.

Linky Love: Randomness Edition

2010-09-10T16:53:00.001-04:00

Not going to lie: I did fall in love with New Orleans when I was there last weekend. It never really felt like a city people actually lived in and much more like Disney World. I felt the same way about Venice, Italy. Regardless, I did happen to find my way into The Quarter Stitch, the yarn store in the French quarter, and snapped this photo of their needwork yarns beautifully displayed on the wall behind their counter. I was tempted to buy a canvas but resisted. I don't need another project. (I am still, however, very much in love with these Charley Harper needlepoint pieces... one day.)

In project finishing anticipation, Carrie Strine's blog has given me the inspiration to finish up some of the holiday sewing I've been putting off. This particular picture sealed the deal. Now to see if I can follow Anna Maria's directions and get some quilting done...

Cornelia Fine's new book, Delusions of Gender, is on my list of things to read in my free time, whenever that happens to be. Salon has an article here that is both enlightening and fun.

In other book news, I finished Julian Comstock on the very long plane ride some (Thank you, Hermine) and found it delightful.

Hungover Owls will most definitely get you kicked out of the library for guffawage. Or perhaps that is just me.

Strangely, it's the weekend already. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for it. I didn't get all I needed to get done during the week...

(A portion of my) Lousiana Photos

2010-09-09T11:04:00.000-04:00

Off for the weekend

2010-09-03T11:39:00.000-04:00

Off to Baton Rouge for the weekend. Only bringing two skeins of yarn with me, but this is the beginning of the holiday knitting.

Kind of in Love

2010-09-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Life is so much better when edits are written in turquoise Stabilo. I'm actually all kinds of in love with turquoise at the moment, seemingly behind the curve. It figures. I never caught onto anything until it's almost cliche anyway. I'm okay with it.

Holiday Manifesto

2010-08-31T16:37:00.000-04:00

It's August 31st, which reminded me of two things this morning: my parking permit would officially expire at midnight if I didn't purchase a replacement at some point in the day and that the holidays were a little under three months away.

Three months. One-fourth of a year. It seems like a decently long amount of time, but really it's not. I've taken to making my holiday gifts for the past few years, an endeavor that has required massive coordination over the course of the summer and fall. Here it is, the eve of September and I have nothing knit or sewn for the holidays. I'm a little nervous, not going to lie.

I have assessed the situation, though. I have materials, bins of yarn and of fabric that can be made into useful items for those I love. I just need to get a move on and in an efficient manner as there's a lot going on in those three months between now and Christmas. I have thought up something of a holiday manifesto for myself, a set of guidelines to keep myself focused on the task at hand:

(1) I will use the materials I have on hand. I am a hoarder of crafty goodness and have amassed a lovely collection. Time for them to be put to use, especially since the reason I started making my gifts was because I was tired of the commercialization of the season. Use what you have, Nick. Use what you have.

(2) I will be efficient in my use of time. I envision huge blankets and cabled sweaters being unwrapped and that's just not reality. I need to be cognizant of my time, my resources. In other words: I will be giving many hats this year.

(3) I will be reasonable about the number of people I gift to this year. My gift-giving list is always expanding. I need to contract this a bit and remember that notes of good cheer are as welcome as a small gift in the mail. At least I hope they are.

There's so much work to be done, but my calendar is color-coded and I am feeling prepared. Now to knit. Like the wind.

It's a Book!

2010-08-30T11:25:00.001-04:00

2010-08-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Do you see that? All those loose ends to be woven in?

It's already been done. Pictures coming soon.

It's the night before the first day of fall classes here. There's a certain electricity in the air as everyone gears up for the start of the fall semester. I find myself at a bit of a loss. I don't have any classes. I'm not even teaching classes. I'm a research assistant this fall, a role I'm fortunate to have but one that keeps me out of the classroom for a semester.

Gone are syllabuses. In their place is me, structuring my own time, reading about my own interests. Gah. So much to do this semester, so many things to attend to.

But the possibility. The possibility is amazing.

I Wish I Had Said That

2010-08-29T11:44:00.001-04:00

"How do you even reason with people who believe that, when something bad happens to you, it's God's wrath, but when something bad happens to me, it's God's pop quiz?"

- Dan Savage, The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family, p.166

Rear-Ended

2010-08-26T14:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was move-in day here in Bloomington, with flocks of anxious parents descending on the vehicularly constipated city to drop their children off in front of their dorms, bid their tearful good byes, and then travel back to their cities of origin. I normally shy away from driving in the city on days such as these, when a combination of anxious parents, one-way streets, and frustrated townies create unfortunate conditions for traffic, but couldn't this year. I had tutoring and needed to be at a certain place at a certain time.

It was after leaving that place that I stopped on one of the busiest streets in the town and, while waiting, was hit from behind. I think I remember seeing the Subaru in my rearview mirror and thinking, "she's going to hit me, what do I do?" but am unsure whether that actually happened or if that's simply me constructing the story of what happened after the fact. Regardless, her Subaru SUV collided with the back end of my Saturn, propelling me into the gentleman ahead of me. I remember hitting my brakes, thinking that I might be able to avoid hitting his Honda, but to no avail.

After it all happened, I sat in my car, dripping with the diet soda I had bought at McDonald's just moments before. I was shaking and breathing heavily. I had never been hit before, much less inflicted vehicular violence on someone else. There was so much to process: what was the next step, what just happened, was everyone okay? I could see the woman behind me walking around her car, the man ahead walked around his. They both checked on me. I was shaken, but fine. Flashing lights and sirens and badges and the handing over of papers. I stayed in my vehicle for all of this, not climbing out until we cleared the road, in anticipation of the 5:00 rush.

"You stopped. I saw you in my rear view. You were stopped," the man driving the car my car collided with told me when we climbed out of our cars after pulling onto a side road. I breathed, having run through the scenario in my head repeatedly, attempting to conjure up the appropriate emotion: shock, guilt, exasperation?

I landed on fortunate, feeling fortunate that everyone was fine. I kept thinking back to the moment I realized what was happening and how fragile I felt, at the beck and call of forces of physics as force moved through metal structures. Fortunate that, in the grand scheme of things, the only thing that needs to be healed is the hatchback and front end of my car. These things are replaceable.

Oh, life. How delicate and surprising and tricky you are.

Linky Love: Lizard Ridge Edition

2010-08-20T14:22:00.000-04:00

With qualifying exams behind me and proposal breathing down my neck, I've been attempting to relax at the end of the day with a little knitting. Well, not exactly knitting. More sewing than knitting as I've continued to make progress on the Lizard Ridge. All the blocks are officially seamed together. I finished it at 1:30 this morning and promptly did something of a happy dance. All that is left to do is to pick up the stitches on the edges and knit a border... after some sleep as I was wide awake at 6:30 this morning. Why does my body hate me?

Yet another project nearing completion. Not so good for my motivation today, so I leave you with links.

I want to collect every single one of these My Little Ponies For Geeks, but would totally settle for the My Little He-Man and Orko.

These photographs are testaments to creativity and Mila's ability to sleep deeply.

If only news media actually used such warning stickers.

I can't help but take some glee in these photos from Westboro Baptist Church protests.

To try and be productive now...

ABD

2010-08-19T08:54:00.000-04:00

It wasn't until I finished eating my ice cream last night that I realized I was a PhD candidate. No longer a student, I was a candidate. Crap. I need to make things happen now, don't I?

Saucy Sunday

2010-08-15T20:32:00.000-04:00

I Wish I Had Said That

2010-08-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

"The structures, the physical objects of our days, shape our thoughts more substantially than we often realize. A really comfortable chair makes reading better, of course, but more significant than the overt and recognized impact of structures is the fact that inanimate objects can be so influential as to seem almost animate, as if some force works through them."

Michael Ruhlman, House: A Memoir, p. 28

Fibbed

2010-08-13T11:24:00.001-04:00

I totally fibbed. I told myself I wasn't going to break into the pasta sauce until cooler weather descended but I couldn't resist. There was a zucchini and a summer squash sitting on the table and it was just calling out for pasta. And sauce. And it was delicious.

Other fibs I have told myself lately:

I love Denyse Schmidt. My love for Hope Valley is deep. My desire for Flea Market Fancy epic (though unrequited as I cannot afford $40 for a yard on eBay...). I happened upon her website last night and noticed her new collection, Greenfield Hill, was coming out this fall. At first, I was a little put off - it's a very different aesthetic from Hope Valley, calling forth vision of my English great-grandmother and her house filled with art deco treasures. On second glance today, it's growing on me. I might need a fat quarter. Or ten.

I am also in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald. I discovered him in high school when Mr. Krznarich, my social studies teacher mentioned the book in class and I realized it was something I hadn't read yet and should. I devoured his books, biographies about the man himself, and something of an anti-hero in him. I have several copies of his books but Coralie Bickford -Smith has redesigned hardbacks for all his books and my heart is a-twitter. I told myself I wouldn't buy any more books but when these come out in November? I will be collecting them all.

Okay. I feel better.

Basil Tomato Sauce

2010-08-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

The moment canning tomatoes arrive at the farmer's market in large boxes, I begin dreaming of canning sauce.

I tried out a recipe for basil tomato sauce this year from Ashley English's Homemade Living: Canning and Preserving. I've yet to actually taste said sauce but if the smell that filled the house while it simmered is any indication, this is going to be amazing on pasta. I bought a small farmer out of all of his Roma tomatoes picked up an onion from another stall, and was given a lovely bunch of basil by a professor in my department. I love the idea of these materials coming together to become sauce.

After peeling, before simmering and an attack by the immersion blender. Meaty deliciousness.

And the simmering continues. I am always a little shocked by how quickly tomatoes simmer down, especially as they simmer for the second time. The smell, however, continued to be amazing.

Oh, yes. Little jars of summer sunshine ready for the winter. I can't wait to get into these when the temperatures drop.

I am continually amazed by the reactions I get from people when I stop to buy canning supplies. In preparation for this canning excursion, I stopped at the local hardware and bought new jars. The lovely woman behind the counter, to her credit, asked me what I was planning to fill them with. This is normally a conversation about what my wife will fill them with, which always makes me giggle a bit. After explaining my plans for said jars, she commented that I was really young to want to can. Unsure what this means, but entertaining nonetheless.

More canning adventures to follow. I still need tomatoes in their own juices for chili and would love to can some apple butter. After my quals defense, of course.

They Tend Not To

2010-08-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to watch a dear, dear friend defend his dissertation yesterday after watching him write furiously all summer. It was amazing. He was amazing. His work was powerful and meaningful and, well, amazing. It makes me excited to begin my own work in the fall. Oh so much to do before that happens, though. Decisions. Writing. Ugh.

At a soiree afterward, I saw another dear, dear friend who is returning to her classroom today, teaching fourth grade after being a reading specialist for several years. She was relating an exchange she had with a researcher at a conference she attended this summer, during which the researcher shared that "lots of PhDs want to return to the classroom, they really do, but they tend not to."

Just something that has been marinating in my brain the last few hours.

I Wish I Had Said That

2010-08-07T15:55:00.001-04:00

"The working-class children we once were are in our bodies, even though we have moved on. We occasionally still feel physically uncomfortable in some privileged social settings, keen to escape rather than engage, afraid that we will be exposed as imposters when we make some kind of verbal or physical wrong move." (Comber, B., Thomson, P., & Wells, M., Critical Literacy Finds a "Place": Writing and Social Action in a Low-Income Australian 2/3 Classroom)

Linky Love

2010-08-04T08:17:00.001-04:00

I love Detroit. I love it even more when it is written about in a positive light.

Why would you need a college degree? I bet he's got a degree, though...

This reminds me to revisit the plagiarism policies in my syllabus.

I kind of all sorts of love it: Transgender camp.

I enjoy this more than I should:

The Fall of the House of Whelmed

2010-07-31T20:49:00.000-04:00

It wasn't until this morning, as I listened to this song in my car after seeing Liz and Don off on their multi-state adventure, that I broke down and cried. It's not that moving has been hard - physically tolling, yes, but really nothing I haven't done before - but that this last year has been so good. It's hard to imagine it ending. Even writing this now in my new bedroom, filled with boxes waiting to be unpacked, my brain thinks I will eventually go back to Clark Street. My gosh, that's melodramatic.

Regardless, I am all moved into the new digs. My roomies are diligently working through their first weekend of qualifying exams while I'm attempting to be quiet while unpacking. I'm being partially successful.

I was brutal with this move, culling the collection of stuff in ridiculous ways. I'm a sentimental hoarder: I keep things because someone made it for me, bought it for me. Items that I don't use but hold onto because I feel I have to. My fourth move in as many years and enough was enough: I dropped two carloads of things at Goodwill, which, judging from the line of cars at their donation door, had a very good day today. So much schtuff.

Schtuff that needs to be unpacked. I should go do some of just that.