Ch-ch-ch-changes.

Out of boredom I decided to update my blog. I'm still in the process of beautifying it, but update your bookmarks anyway.

Latest post is already there...

I need an excuse.

As weird as it may sound: I knitted a poncho a couple of months ago. Even weirder is that I have actually worn it a few times. To tell the truth, I made a poncho because its easier than a sweater and because I felt that I should graduate beyond scarf.


Poncho with Cat Butt.

The thing about the poncho is that every time I wear the thing, I am roped into making another one. I think I have four on queue. Very exciting. Actually, I am excited. Easy and guilt-free.

Robbed.

I have a four-hour class to go to tomorrow. [SHUDDER]. When you include the commute, going to class becomes a 6-and-a-half-hour-weekend-ruining ordeal.

Sorry for the lack of postage -- I will come back with more regular posting soon. For today, I will leave you with this: ("Dr.Browne" from the USS Constellation came to talk to my class about life in the olden days -- really a crotchety old museum curator posing as Dr. B)...

Amber: [raising hands enthusiastically] Is it true that you were married to Alicia Keys??
Ms. U and Dr. B: ????????
Koby: [clarifying] In the biography we read it said you were married to Alicia Keys.
Dr. B:...I was married to Alice Key -- daughter of the man who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.
Students: ...
Dr. B: Who is Alicia Keys?

Also: I had a complete fit of laughter today -- could not STOP -- when Koby was so intent on getting back to his seat before I counted down to zero that he ran back to his desk and immediately sat his butt down on the chair that wasn't there. He managed to spring back up from the floor, run back across the room and grab his chair before I finished counting down.

That was probably because I couldn't stop laughing for long enough to finish the countdown.

Back to School.

An excerpt from class today...

Dashawn: I have a problem word: "occasion"
Koby: That's easy! That means black!
Ms. U: ???
Koby: Because "caucasian" means white.

Day of Respite.

My day off was good. I did minimal lesson-planning and a whole lot of vegging out. I watched the big fat snowflakes outside our window, I knitted some butt-ugly mittens, I read some of my book, and I watched two movies. I also did a little shopping. Good times.

Jamie just got home, though, so now I must touch base with him.

The Most Beautiful Thing I Ever Saw.

Don't get it? Have a closer look:



There is no way that this means more to the students than it means to the teachers. The happy squeals of my colleagues over the phone and the jump that my heart made when I first saw it cannot possibly be matched by a 3rd grader. No. Snow Days were made for the teachers.

Wanna see what happened this weekend?




It's very pretty out there.

And very cute in here:

It's All Relative.

Lots of snow! Finally! It's absolutely beautiful outside. Of course, this Maryland snow pales in comparison to what Williamstown is getting right now. I'm such a wuss now.

Late post tonight because Jamie bogarted the compy today. He was trying to get a 5.1 audio receiver off eBay...sadly the eBay gods were not smiling down on him. Anybody have a receiver they don't want?

Brown is the color of poopy service.

While I love our postman, I am not very fond of our UPS guy. He leaves little stickies on our door saying that he "tried" to deliver a package. In reality, I think he is just tapping feebly at the door, hastily slapping the sticky on it, and then running away with my package. When I got home yesterday the mail had not come. I spent the rest of the evening in the living room -- right off the front door -- because Jamie had confiscated my compy and I had little else to do but watch a DVD. At no point did I move farther than 100 ft from that door.

So what explanation can there be for my not hearing the UPS guy when he "knocked" on our door? Only that he is a poo that doesn't actually knock.

Oh Boy, Tannoy!

Today at 6am -- just as I had finished making my tea and brushing my teeth -- I got a glorious phone call: school was delayed for two hours. I immediately climbed back into my warm bed and slept for another hour. GLORIOUS. Once I did get to school, my kids were in great moods and everything went really well.

When I got home today, I was introduced to another member of our family:


Tannoy meets The Cheat.


Yes. It is a new speaker. We actually have six others (including one obscenely huge subwoofer) for a complete surround sound experience! It was a gift from Jamie's dad (acoustic engineer extraordinaire) who was passing along the complimentary goods. This complimentary good is worth a whole lot and is greatly appreciated by we music (Jamie) and DVD (me) lovers over here in Greenbelt. Between the speakers and cat, Jamie is as giddy as a little schoolgirl these days.

The Cheat was actually a brilliant Christmas gift from the brother. It actually makes different noises when you kick it. In all honesty, it's hilarious and never grows old. Ever. (Thanks, D!)

Wow, this post has been somewhat ADHD.

Mud Angels.

It was the first real snow on a school day today. During Writing Workshop, a few of my kids suddenly jumped out of their seats and to the window. SNOW! While we were only supposed to get an inch today, we ended up getting closer to three. Nothing huge, but our first snow of the school year.

Watching my kids run outside screaming happily and throwing themselves in the snow to make snow angels and hastily packing snowballs made me realize that I have missed a substantial part of my childhood by growing up in California. At least today I was able to live vicariously through my students. For some of them, it was the first time I got to see them acting like children instead of the young adults they have been forced to become. It was almost as if the snow had wiped all of that away.

Another thing I missed by growing up in California was learning how to drive in snow. Sure I've done it...but always with 4WD or chains. Trying to go up a hill on ice is no fun. My car is the only SUV in existence that does not have 4WD. I have no idea what we were thinking when we decided to save some cash by forgoing the 4WD. Thankfully I have mastered my sliding down a hill in reverse skills. Also thankfully, Baltimore is filled with genuinely kind strangers who are willing to help push a clueless woman's car up said hill.

Please let tomorrow be a snow day.

Climate Control.

It is so cold outside. I would like everyone to do a little snow dance so that the bitter cold that I must suffer through will not go unrewarded. While I know that snow days will only make the school year drag out longer in June -- something about not knowing (a la Mountain Day) -- makes it more special. Do you think they'd cancel school for 1" of snow? Mind you, I live in the Mid-Atlantic region...

So. Jamie and I have come to a divergence of thought. We both agree that energy conservation is important, but I feel that when our indoor apartment temperature registers at 55 degrees or less, it is time to turn on the heat. Whereas before I could simply layer on more clothing, we now have a kitty cat who has a mild cold. It is time to turn on the heat. It is 16 degrees outside -- time for heat!

It's not that Jamie is against turning on the heat...its just that he will not leave it on automatic for the night. Its more efficient to let the heat turn on and off automatically around a predetermined temperature than it is to turn it off...let it get really cold, and then turn it back on again. We can both agree on that.

BUT, the problem is at night. He insists that we turn off the heat completely (rather than just turning down the automatic minimum temperature) so that it gets really, really cold while we sleep. I get up a full 2 hours before Jamie does, so the duty of turning on the heat falls to me. This morning, when I checked the temperature it was below 50 -- it went off the thermostat. All fine and good for Jamie who gets to wake up and get out of bed after the heat has regulated the temperature back to a bearable 68 degrees, but it is impossible for me to get out of bed when it is that cold.

Solutions? Should I just cut Jamie off?


Cody thinks so.

Not Free at Last.

So last Friday I was talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. with the kiddies:

Ms. U: Dr. King had a dream -- he wanted everyone to live in peace and to have equal opportunity regardless of their race or color.

Kiddies: (raising hands enthusiastically)

Ms. U: Does anyone remember the words with which Martin Luther King ended his "I Have a Dream" speech?

Kiddies: (raising hands enthusiastically)

Ms. U: Ronald?

Ronald: FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

Kiddies: (all hands drop down)

Deshawn: Man! That's what I was gonna say

Sigh.

A Whole Lotta Talk.

Drewie is really making me earn my keep! Another day, another post.

Last night, Jamie and I watched a doubleheader: we watched Before Sunrise followed by Before Sunset. As an adolescent I absolutely loved Sunrise. Not only because I had a massive crush on Mr. Hawke, but because...I actually don't really know why. I guess I liked the story. I guess I longed for a similar experience or instant connection with someone. Anyway, I had seen that film several times -- although not for years.

Seeing it again now -- when I'm supposedly the same age as the actors on the screen -- made it a little bit weirder. I mean -- who really talks like that?.

I wasn't disappointed with Sunset. I think that it captured their growth pretty well and I was thankful for that. I was especially thankful that they decided to fast forward nine years into the future, as opposed to the 6 months that the characters had promised in the first film.

Now all I need is for someone who has seen Sunset to explain the ending to me. Then I can decide if I like it better than the first. I mean...I get it...but I don't know if I get it...

Tagged.

Now it's my turn.

To tell you the truth, my reason for not posting lately was because I didn't have much to say beyond the cat. It's sad really...this cat has taken over my life. I also think Jamie loves the cat more than me now (meaning if he had to pick a friend to take on a deserted island, he'd pick the feline).

But, this post is not about the cat. This post about another sad and pathetic obsession of mine: yesterday, Jamie and I went to IKEA and purchased this...


Not so bad? Look at what's inside:



I am ill. To have so much yarn that one must puchase a separate piece of furniture to house all of the yarn is not healthy. But the cat was getting into all of the bags of it around the house, and I would forget the yarn I have stashed away in the closet. Unfortunately, I haven't progressed much at making stuff with said yarn. I just like to buy and fondle it...it just so purty.

I'm thinking of going to the yarn store later today.

Phobia.

Jamie's home again and life is good.

Jamie and Cody met and they are good too. Now I understand the extent that Jamie must care for me because apparently he is terrified of cats. I think a bad experience with one as a small child scarred him -- but I know that Cody will mend it.

They bonded today...and I'm sorry to say that I think Cody likes Jamie better. Boo.

Resolution.

Not that kind of resolution. I know it's New Year's but I have neither the will power, nor the patience to actually make and keep any of that kind of resolution.

The resolution I am talking about is that of the yearbook. I came home from my trip to find a letter from an old friend of mine from Williams. Our friendship is one in which we did not see each other all that much, but those times that we did manage to sit down and talk we had really sincere and honest conversations. Anyway, to the unfamiliar eye he is a big, huggable bear. Actually, he is a big, huggable bear. But, he always manages to surprise me with the genuinely nice things he does.

So I got this letter from him saying that he had gotten the yearbook and that he loved it. Seriously, I almost cried. I had no idea that the yearbook was even out there. Through some weird glitch (of the computer? of the procrastination? who knows?) I was never put down for my own copy. Every last copy of the yearbook was sold, so there aren't any extras left for me. Cruel world.

But, I'm confident that I will somehow get my paws on one. Even if I have to break down the door at Jostens I will at least get to see a copy.

I hope.

Now I have to deal with the angry people who are unhappy with their ads. But so far the emails and letters warm the heart...making the yearbook (gasp!) worth it.

Hooray for closure and resolution.

Baby Talk.

So I know I said I wouldn't make this blog entirely about my cat...but give me a grace period. Little else is exciting about my life right now.

Can I just say that it is extremely difficult to photograph a kitten. The thing will not sit still if conscious. Which is why, so many of my pictures will end up being of the cat in a state of respite. Here is the one money shot I could get out of a set of many.


Need proof?


(I used the flash in this one, which is why Cody looks like a giant Cheeto).

Some Cody-antics in the past 24 hours. Remember, the cat is not dumb -- he is just very young (5 months) and has spent his entire life to date in an animal shelter. He has little experience with home life. Consequently, the cat is curious and skittish -- an interesting combination.

11:00pm: Jumped in the shower.
11:01-02pm: Freaked out, tried to find a way out of the shower

12:03am: Saw reflection in mirror -- freaked out and hid under the bed.

4:05am: Came out from under the bed. Slept on Melissa's face.

5:52pm: Cautiously batted at the screensaver.

5:53pm: Received static shock from the screen -- freaked out.

This cat is awesome. And easily freaked.

Recap.

It's been a while. I survived the crazy week with little energy to spare and then I was whisked away to Jamaica for my week off. No email or internet. But of course there was lesson planning.

But let's not speak of those things.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and New Year. Mine was pretty great -- I got to spend time with my family and cruise around on a giant boat. I have pictures!

We started in Miami, Florida.

You can actually see our ship in the background...see the red, white, and blue?

Our first port was the lovely Cozumel, Mexico.
This is the view from our room. We ended up hiring a cab to take us around and show us the island. It was absolutely beautiful. And we stopped at a local restaurant...good eatin.


Waves crashing at Cozumel.

Next, we found our way to Grand Cayman. This island was completely devastated by the hurricanes last year. In the part of the island that we got to see, there were lots of fallen trees and houses in disrepair. So many of the houses still lacked shingles because they simply couldn't get the materials they needed to fix them. It rained pretty much the whole week, so several of the beaches were closed, but we still got to see Hell.
Hell, Grand Cayman. Nice place to visit...wouldn't want to stay.

Apparently the place got its name from the rock formations.
The shores of Hell.

Our last port was Jamaica...which was so beautiful.
View of Jamaica from our balcony. One of those houses is Mick Jagger's. We visited the Ochos Rios area, and climbed up a big ol' waterfall (in the river!) and bounced around in jeeps as we trekked into the hills. .
Beautiful, beautiful Jamaica.

Even though the weather wasn't cooperative, it was great to be able to spend time with the family and to see these beautiful places. One last parting shot of the ocean...

This is the view from our balcony. It was so incredible to walk outside the room and suddenly be in the middle of the ocean.

One thing: why on earth would they show "Open Water" over and over and over again on a cruise? That's bad form. Although the last time I went on a cruise they showed "Titanic".

Finally -- the most important news of all! In December, Jamie and I hit the 6th anniversary (...onto year #7...) and for the anniversary Jamie got me something amazing.

He got me this:




I am in love with this cat. Technically, I was the one who went to the shelter and adopted him. And, maybe Jamie has never seen him before. But that doesn't mean that Jamie didn't give me his blessing and doesn't trust me to adopt only the very best, very smartest, cat out there.

I only meant to go to the local PetSmart to pick up some things in preparation for the new family member. We had planned to wait until Thursday when Jamie got back from break to look. But the local shelter was having an adoption fair and this baby was embodiment of every cat dream I have ever had. I played with him for five minutes and then I had to have him. I had to take him away from the greedy eyes of all those other pet adopters who were oohing and aahing at his adorableness.

Trying not to be rash, I asked the shelter lady if I could just see an application so that I might take it home to look over and decide. Apparently, they only have one copy of the application -- their way of hooking people I guess. But after my interview she let me take it home. Really, I went to the supermarket and bought food and kitty litter. I have never been one for patience.

When I came back he was gone. Some other couple had taken him out to play with him and a different shelter person was searching for his missing files. I signed and he was mine. I actually had to take him away from this other woman's arms. I felt bad...

...but not horrible because now I own the most perfect cat in the world. If I say his name and look at him, he rolls over immediately so that you will rub his belly. He purrs something fierce when you pet him, but he is so undemanding. He will play with his little toys for hours, but as soon as you want some love he'll come over and lay on your lap and kiss you. I LOVE HIM.

I will try not to let this blog turn into me talking about my cat all the time. Just one more picture.


His name is Cody.