I followed a goalpost all the way to Aggieville once

but I never got to see us beat the damn Jayhawks on the basketball court.

You can't hear me screaming right now, but I am. Man, this makes me miss the good old days on the Collegian. What an awesome news night!

Cats are 5-0 in the conference, and the Jayhawks are no longer undefeated. SUCKERS!

84-75 Wildcats over the Jayhawks.

An open letter to Barack Obama's handlers

We waited in the lobby of Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium for 90 minutes. We couldn't see over the crowd. We moved forward about 20 feet in that time. Bodies were jammed together like sardines.

We held in our hands the "RSVP" e-mail that you instructed us to print out and bring. We grabbed for the small piece of green paper that some Ya-hoo said we would need to get in. Yeah, right. All it was was a solicitation for volunteers.

Not once in that hour and a half did any official make any attempt to let the swelling crowd know what the hell was going on. No estimated time of entry, no information about security checkpoints, nothing.

FINally, at 5:45 (the time at which his event was scheduled to commence), someone did yell to the crowd in the lobby.

The announcement was something to the effect of: "We apologize, but the venue has reached capacity. The senator has just arrived at the airport and he's on his way here. We don't have room for you in the auditorium, but there is an overflow area in the plaza across the street. He will visit the overflow first, before he enters the auditorium."

So, he suggested we all move to the plaza - the Barney Allis Plaza, which, for those of you who don't know is OUTSIDE.

"He should be here shortly."

Okay, sweet. We'll just head over there and catch a glimpse of him, we thought to ourselves.

Sounded like a great idea until we realized that standing outside when it is 15 degrees outside is no fun. It wasn't just 15 degrees, either - the wind has been blowing here all day long. We thought we'd be there for 30 minutes, maybe.

We trudged across the street (in the snow, without proper footwear and socks). We jockeyed for position, and waited. And froze. And waited. And shivered.

About 25 minutes passed. Every once in a while, some jackass would start chatter that he was on his way. Nope.

Just when I was ready to tell Adam, "I don't care to see him THIS bad, let's get the hell out of here," three white guys in suits popped up in front of the crowd. Stupidly, I thought maybe we were almost there. These guys stood up there for about five minutes. I think they were playing odds or rock, paper, scissors to decide who was going to piss off the crowd. Finally, one of them manned up and approached the mic.

With resignation in his voice, he said: "Ladies and gentlemen - we're so happy to see you here and think this is just great. We wanted to let you know that the senator is here. But he's inside the building, and he'll be speaking for about 45 minutes in there. He will be out here after that, though."

CHECK, PLEASE.

That was it. I couldn't feel my feet, my back hurt from standing there like a schmuck for two hours, and we wouldn't have been very close to him anyway. We turned on our heels and made for the car like banshees.

Here's the deal. I realize that campaign schedules are tight, and the weather was crazy today, and planes can get delayed, and plans can get messed up. I could have forgiven all of that. Really, I would have - had Obama done one little thing differently.

If you KNOW there are more than 500 supporters (who've already been waiting all afternoon for you) freezing their asses off outside the arena - by God, stop and at least do five minutes with that group before you go inside. Blog readers - you can laugh at me all you want, or disagree with this logic, but to me, tonight's events illustrated something. If he wants to be a candidate for change, or a man of the people or whatever - take care of the people who obviously want to see you.

Have a little compassion for the freezing masses. Or at least get a new events manager.

Wheee!!! I'm officially an Etsy seller!

I've sold my first handmade item on Etsy...

The HOTLine phone/pda/iPod/iPhone cozy!



It's going all the way to Massachusetts. I suppose this time of year it's probably pretty cold there, so electronics really need to be cozied!

•••

Adam and I are going downtown to see Barack Obama tomorrow after school. The doors open to the public at 3:45, so we're headed there straightaway as soon as school gets out. It'll be the first time I have attended an event like that since I quit being a professional photographer. I'll have to see how the other half lives.

I sat down tonight with every intention of watching the State of the Union (it's on my TV right now), but when I checked the e-mail and saw I had made a sale, I got too busy doing my happy dance, and calling Betsy to share the good news. Plus, I just really can't stand to listen to our esteemed president for a very long period of time. All I do is fixate on the verbal ticks and smarmy facial expressions, so I can't concentrate on his words very well.

The bits and pieces that did manage to filter in while I was doing other things sounded pretty much like everything else he's ever said, anyway, so I don't know that there's any news.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sebelius give the response speech though. I really do like her, and I'm proud and excited that our governor gets to be a part of the national spotlight.

Wha? Huh? Wait a minute. The latest sign of the apocalypse?

Here's the news according to the Big Bird's website: Barack Obama will be in Kansas this week. According to the story, it's the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has campaigned in this oh-so-Republican of states since 1960.

If I was still teaching at Derby, I would take the day off to attend the event. And, I would drag a student photographer and reporter with me, too.

VH1derful...and other random musings

Last night, before we went out to celebrate Sage's 24th birthday, we got sucked in to "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" on VH1. I swear, it's lucky for me that VH1 broadcasts crap like "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels" and "Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant" because that's about the only time I actually turn off that channel. That schlock allows me to get up and actually get some constructive things done during the day.

We recorded the Top 10 songs last night because we had to go. Adam and I discussed what we thought would be number one. My choice for what "they" would say the top song is was "Smells Like Teen Spirit." My PERSONAL choice for top song of the 90s is "Alive" by Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam was in the Top 10, but it was "Jeremy." A great song, but just doesn't spark the same feeling as "Alive."

How good am I? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was, in fact, the number one song. The other great thing about watching those countdown shows is that they help shore up my knowledge base for Extreme Team Trivia. (So, we'll call it RESEARCH.)

•••

Here's the progress on the Relay For Life prize scarf. It's knit in a "faggoting pattern." I don't make up the names, I just knit the stitches. Mitzi is working on a scarf in the same pattern, with different yarn, so that's why I decided to try this pattern, too.

It's lacy, so even though it's knit from wool, it won't be superheated around your neck. Thanks to those of you who have entered the contest so far. To see what the contest is about, and enter, click here.


•••

I'm headed over to Mom's today so she can help me sew a few new sweater bags. We found some great wool at the Salvation Army last week, and I'm excited to see how they turn out. I made a new red tech cozy out of one of the sweaters last night. It's posted to Etsy.

•••

And last but not least, a snippet from last night's festivities. Maybe instead of football and basketball coaching, these guys ought to be cheer coaches?

The first annual ChittumFiles Contest for a Good Cause - Entry Deadline Feb. 10

See this pretty yarn? It could be yours - in scarf form, in just a few short weeks...


I am participating on a faculty team for BVHS's Relay For Life on Feb. 22 and 23. Some of you may be familiar with Relay for Life. It's a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Relay is the signature nationwide activity of ACS. Throughout the night, my teammates and I will walk the track. Cancer never sleeps, and neither will we.

Cancer has touched so many people in our lives: family members, friends, co-workers. Adam and I will be participating in honor of his mom, Vicki, who has so courageously fought through breast cancer this year. Research funded by the ACS has helped make great strides in the treatment of this disease.

Here's where the contest comes in: Each blog commenter who pledges to donate at least $10 to the cause will be eligible to win a drawing for a handknit scarf made of this Paton's Soy with Stripes yarn. Post a comment, let me know you're up for it (you don't need to mention your amount on the comment), and I'll e-mail you with information on how to donate. I would like to have all checks collected by Feb. 10, so that I can turn them in to my team captain, Manal. Our team goal is for each person to raise $100, but I know the readers of the ChittumFiles can do better than that.

Thanks in advance for your support. Your donation is tax deductible, and you will receive documentation from the ACS to acknowledge the donation.

If you have any questions, e-mail me at thechittumfiles at gmail dot com (type it in with no spaces between the username words).

The winner of the contest will be announced on Feb. 22 (the date of Relay) and your scarf will be mailed the Monday following the event.

Baby, it's cold outside...so check out these HOT deals on Etsy!

Okay, couldn't resist. But seriously - it's hovering around zero degrees every morning when we head off to work, so if you're not wearing warm fuzzies, you should be! Surf on over to my Etsy shop, Knit1Scrap2 to find some handmade items. New merchandise will be posted this weekend.

Check these out:

The Cotton Candy Headband This little baby is perfect for keeping your ears warm while you're playing outside, but it can also be worn as a headband simply for fashion reasons, as well. It can be yours for just $8.


The Chunky Blue Cheese scarf. You'll love the texture of this scarf. It's knit with thick and thin acrylic, and it'll keep your neck toasty warm on these cold days. Yours for $10. Don't worry - it doesn't smell like blue cheese! It's just chunky like it!

3 degrees? Really?

I'm on my way out to start the car. NBC Action News says it's 3 outside.

Why, oh, why, did I have to see that right before I go out there? So much for a good hair day. I'm definitely wearing a hat to school.

Gotta go.

Crafty...It runs in the family

Check out this awesome afghan my mom knitted. I knit a lot, but I'm not brave enough to tackle something like that yet.


Then, Adam got into the crafty game this weekend as well, when we were having "Girls' Night" at Betsy's on Sunday. Mitz brought him a balloon animal kit.


If you squint, you can see Mitzi back there in the back, working on her scarf.

Here's one of his creations.

A new career path?

My contribution to the great photo hunt

Okay, I stopped by Mom and Dad's today on my way home from a meeting downtown. I dug around for a bit, and came up with some pretty good examples of awkward photos. Denise, Jaime, Chris, Lori B. and Heather have also posted some sweet archival photos. You'll have to check them out, as well.

Here goes.

I'm pretty sure I saw this exact same background in someone else's pics.

Short hair on me but definitely still trying to get the wing thing.

Okay - this was eighth grade for me. A textbook example of middle school awkward stage, highlighted by the horrendous white shirt with stars that makes me look three feet wide. I'm pretty sure Mom picked that one out. It's too bad, too, because it's a great photo of Jayne and Mom and Dad.

By the way, we never dressed up as fancy as the last two photos suggest we did.

Definitely my favorite photo of Jayne and I.
Notice that we're wearing identical henley shirts, just different colors. It was the closest we ever came to the entire-family-decked-out-in-denim photos.

I think the left photo is second grade, the right one is kindergarten.
I've had horrible posture since then, I can see. After supervising four years worth of high school picture days, I can't believe they would shoot me like this. Every kid hears: "Sit up straight and smile pretty" and you can see them all straighten their backs. Maybe I just didn't follow directions.

Fourth grade, I think.

We always had pretty awesome Halloween costumes. Mom was always making them. Wish I had a photo of the year I went as a Christmas tree. It was pretty sweet.

Again, with the matching shirts. I'm not gonna lie, though. This is pretty much a perfect bangs day for whatever year that was.

Check out Dad's sweet 'stache.

That's me on the left, and my cousin Sara on the right. She was only about four months younger than me, and her mom (my aunt Janet) watched Jayne and I when we were little. Janet says people would always ask if Sara and I were twins when she took us shopping.

Jayne and I again.

She had the 80s glasses - I never did.

I can't believe how light our hair is in this photo.

My senior picture ca. 1995. I guess they hadn't invented eyebrow waxing in 1995, eh? Or I wasn't smart enough to be doing it yet.

•••

I'm interested to hear the comments after y'all stop laughing...

On the town - this post dedicated to the memory of Spike Sparkelli

Even though the thermometer read a chilly 5 degrees last night, it was a hot time in the old town.

We started with dinner at El Patron, a cool little Mexican place on Southwest Boulevard (pretty much where you want to be for the best authentic Mexican food in Kansas City). It was more like a bar than a restaurant - bar right inside the door, long and skinny room, booths lining the wall. Freshly cooked tortilla chips started us off, along with a mild salsa and a delicious hot version. I went for the Tres Enchiladas Rojas de Queso. The sauce was good, but I think next time I'd ask for no onions.

Bets said the place is known for its fish tacos and margaritas. I can attest to the margs - pretty darn potent.

Following dinner, we headed over to the Levee, for the official Adam-Mitzi Belated Birthday Extravaganza. Unfortunately for me, the stinkin' KU game was on, so there were about a million people dressed in crimson and blue in attendance. Luckily, as soon as the game was over, most of the crimson and blue crowd vacated the premises.

We had a reserved spot on what is basically an enclosed patio - so, it was about 10 degrees when we first arrived, but as the crowd grew, the temp went up. Thankfully.

Downstairs, a band kept the joint hoppin'.


Take two.


By the way, for anyone who might be appalled at the content of this next photo, it was completely staged. Ethics schmethics.

Manal bought the birthday boy a shot.

It was so much fun to see everyone and just be able to hang out for a few hours. We've finally found our niche up here, and it's great to have the friends we've made. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to get to know in our new city.

Betsy and Mitzi are right up my crafty alley. And, we can just be dorks when poor Adam has to hang out with all the girls. (We're still in the market for boy space friends for him.) We're so lucky that Adam gets to work with such cool chicas. Manal, who I work with, is always a bright spot in my day when I see her. Such a positive, friendly attitude - she makes me want to be a better person (sometimes, as many of you know, I can be a little negative). I'm working on that.

I remember, when I was talking to my friend Carrie (of the Wichita Rengers-Stumpes) about moving up here, I told the biggest reason I didn't want to move was because I had been in Doodah so long that my tribe was there. All my friends. I didn't want to have to completely start over. That's so hard when you're this age. She told me something that I now see is totally true. She had moved to Doodah from Little Rock a few years back. She said - You'll see that your circle of friends will just expand. You won't lose your old friends, you'll just have more. So, now I see, we've just added to the tribe, not necessarily lost it.

•••

When we hiked back to the car last night, the car thermometer said 11. Brrrr doggies. We had to park extra far away because the parking lot was so icy and steep that I couldn't get the Vibe to go all the way up. I guess the clearing crews aren't as thorough in KCMO as they are here in JoCo.

Finally, a good day in the Fitness Center

Yippee!

Today, there was a girl on the treadmill watching "America's Next Top Model." I hopped on the treadmill next to her, tuned in to the same show, and away we went, in harmony. Then, a little bit later a couple came in, and they too exercised good TV workout etiquette.

It's about time.

We're headed out for Adam's late birthday celebration tonight. First, it's dinner at El Patron on Southwest Boulevard, then on to the Levee for the party with Mitzi (whose birthday also recently passed).

Gotta go get ready.

The Good and Bad of a Snow Day, Part II

Here's the good:

Got a TON of knitting done.

This is a short scarf I knitted out of Manos Del Uruguay. Really cool yarn. I originally bought it to knit a scarf for Adam but he's "allergic" to it. He says that when the yarn ball was sitting near him, he got the sniffles. He's allergic to pretty much everything, so I guess now we'll just add wool to the list.

So, a seed stitch scarf for me instead. Of course, the bad part is now I need to buy another hank if I want to have a matching hat and scarf set.

Once I finished the scarf, I started on Son of Sock. We watched "Down in the Valley" with Ed Norton (mmmmm...) and this is how much I did during the movie.


Now, the bad of a snow day: I'm trading yesterday off for working on Monday (when we're off for MLK day). Since we didn't have late night last night, we've got to go up to school Monday morning to finish the paper. We're pretty far along, so hopefully it won't be too rough.

A New Feature on the Chittum Files!

I'm taking a page from my good friend Betsy and posting a few Etsy Deals of the Week for this week.

If you haven't had a chance to check out my shop and you're in a spendin' mood, here's a few things you might be interested in.

This Recycled Fair Isle Sweater purse has been getting quite a few looks.



It's $25, and I'll ship it within 24 hours of your purchase time. It's quite roomy and you're sure to get compliments while sashaying down the street carrying this baby!

(I know, I should hire Elaine Benes to write my catalog copy!)

Next up in the accessories category is this Zippered Felted Clutch.

You'll notice in the photo it's got plenty of room for makeup of all kinds, your phone, and other goodies needed during the day.


This baby can be yours for $20. (Bare Minerals makeup and Blackberry not included - sorry!)

And last, but not least, since we all need our chores time to be a little brighter - it's the Sunshine Daydream dish cloth.



It's on sale for just $5. It makes a great housewarming or hostess gift.

Stop back by the shop often. I'll be updating with new items frequently - and I will take custom orders if you see something you like but would prefer other colors.

Have a great day!

This Just In - The Good and Bad of a Snow Day

Just got up. Today, I woke up two minute before the alarm, feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day. I looked out the window, thought to myself "Self, there's some snow out there, but doesn't look like enough to cancel school. But just in case, I'll turn on the TV before I get in the shower."

SNOW DAY! Everyone's out - BV, Olathe, Shawnee Mission, KCK, Turner, etc.

Mitzi and Betsy called last night and said they'd be over to play Wii if we were out. Adam and I didn't get our hopes up for a day off.

Here's the bad part: This snow day, just like the last one, is right smack in the middle of production for newspaper. We were supposed to stay late tonight to finish pages, in hopes of not having to work over the three-day weekend. I'll have to check in with the kids later to see what the heck we're going to do now. This issue is only a 16-pager, not 24, so that's serendipitous.

Just the other day, the students were complaining about having such a small paper. I'm guessing now they'll be glad it's a tight one.

It's still dark outside but we'll take some photos later so you can see all the snow. Now I'll be able to work on the sock, too!

Where have all the cowgirls gone?

The Wichita blogging contingent has been quite quiet lately. Makes me wonder - what am I missing out on down there that's keeping y'all so busy?

Wait, UPDATE: After a quick scan of Wichiblogs, I think I might have realized what's going on. Heaters are breaking, hot water heaters are breaking - maybe your fingers are all frozen?

•••

The last big buzz was the Olan Mills photo challenge. Didn't go to mom's last weekend because we were waiting until payday to put gas in the car. If I make it there this weekend, I'll add some pics to the bunch, hopefully. I don't think mine will be as fun, though, because I was born JUST late enough in the 70s (1977) that I missed out on some of the major fashion trends. Plus, I've only worn glasses (just for reading) for the last two years, so I don't have any sweet plastic frame with darkening lenses photos.

Yeah, so about that whole waiting until payday to get gas? When is my salary going to raise in proportion to the price of gas? Consistently hovering around $3 a gallon, gas is starting really starting to take a much bigger chunk out of the monthly budget. Thankfully, Adam's school is only 2.2 miles from home, so he only has to fill up every six weeks. I usually have to do it twice a month, depending on how many times we go to Mom and Dad's. But, the big trip to Doodah over break was obviously the budget buster this month.

I have to say, though, we really are pretty lucky. I'm only six miles from work, our grocery store is right across the street from our apartment complex. Our Cheers (little baby Johnny's) is also right across the street. We really don't HAVE to do too much driving, and honestly, we don't do a lot of recreational driving.

How in the hell do people who commute 30 minutes to an hour (or more) one way every day do it? And what the heck kind of jobs do they have that they actually do make more than they spend in gas money?

Grr.

•••

I should have went back and looked at this earlier, but I realized tonight that I have officially been at this blogging business for more than a year now. Jan. 3, 2007, was the date of my first ChittumFiles post. Some of you have been here since the beginning. Welcome to the newbies. I know Adam and I don't live the most glamorous and exciting of lives, but thanks to those of you who are reading. I've certainly enjoyed having the outlet. Before I started doing this, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed writing.

•••

Sock update: We have a three-day weekend this weekend. I'm hoping I can get sock number two done.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

It's Amy's birthday today. Here's to some quiet knitting time, or at least a little time to sit still.

The saga continues

Minding my own business, running, no one else in the room, watching "The Biggest Loser" (more on that in a minute), it was bliss.

Halfway though, danged if the same stupid girl from the other day didn't come in and turn on and turn up one of the other TVs. Let me tell you, "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" and "The Biggest Loser" don't really go together auditorily. At all.

She got on the elliptical that is all the way across the room from the treadmill I was on, and turned up her TV. She worked out for about four minutes.

Then, she SAT on the elliptical for 10 minutes and watched the show.

Then, she left the room. Of course, she left the TV on at full volume.

Unfortunately for me, she returned shortly.

But, instead of going back to the elliptical, where the TV was already on, she sat on the exercise bike directly behind me. It has its own small TV she could have turned on, but she didn't. She wasn't biking. She was just sitting there, watching TV from across the room. At this point, a guy came in and got on the treadmill next to mine. He tuned to "Biggest Loser" so we were in TV harmony, with rude girl still sitting on the bike.

Cool guy left, rude girl gets on treadmill next to me. She tuned that TV to Bobby Flay, and turned it up. Keep in mind, the corner TV is still on and turned up. She's watching hers in stereo, and I'm fuming.

I did turn mine up tonight. Partly to be defiant, but mostly because I COULDN'T HEAR IT WITH ALL THE OTHER RACKET IN THE ROOM. Seriously, if this happens again, I think I'll just reach over and turn hers off.

Maybe I'll write a guest column for the Dunes monthly newsletter - "No Matter What You Might Believe, You're Not The Only One Who Uses The Exercise Room." The subhead can be "Don't act like a friggin' idiot."

•••

I never really blogged about "The Biggest Loser" over winter break, but during that time, I rediscovered one of my TV guilty pleasures. Adam and I watched the first season pretty religiously, then he decided he didn't like Jillian, the uber-hard core trainer. So we stopped. During break, I think it was Bravo (?) that ran BL marathons. I watched a lot of them. I'm fascinated by this show - people losing 15 pounds in a week? Jeesh. It's amazing to watch the ass-kicking a lot of the contestants receive. I love to watch it while I'm on the treadmill.

What a disappointment - Xtreme Team Trivia

We haven't played trivia since Christmas break. We were all excited because the little baby Johnny's just a block from the apartment is now hosting trivia on Monday nights.

The plusses:
1. Smoke free.
2. Family establishment. No ridiculous teams of college girls naming themselves after tampons (Pearl Girls) or even more horribly - names based completely on certain, um, positions. I'm not going any further than that because I don't want inappropriate ads on my site!
3. Small place. So small that the sheer number of teams that could fit in there would make our chances of being champs even better.
4. They start at 8 p.m., not 9. I can be home in bed before 11 most likely! Trivia is always on school nights, after all.

The big fat minus:
The freaking Xtreme Team Trivia website says the 10-week session starts tonight at the Johnny's on 135th. Not so. Stupid KU game was on, so no go on trivia. Did they put that little nugget of info on the website? Negatory.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the great thing about the internet is that it can be updated constantly, quickly, and most of all, pretty damn easily. Like, I can type this post, post it, decide I want to change one word or phrase and do it instantly. I'm not even a webmaster. Surely the trivia folks can figure that out?!

Unfortunately, we were not made aware of this scheduling change until we showed up at Johnny's. I had to text everyone else and tell them to put the cars back in the garages because there would be no trivia tonight. We were all ready, too - been jonesin' since it's been a few weeks since we played.

At least Adam and I only had to go a block away. I would have been HOT if we'd have driven all the way across town for that.

A crafty surprise

I spent a lot of time today doing random things - laundry, finishing a couple of small projects to put on Etsy, a little bit of school work, and bit by bit cleaning out of our spare bedroom/office/craft room.

I was looking through a bag of stuff that my Uncle had given me a long time ago. I thought it only had knitting needles in it, so I hadn't really gone through it yet. I found this:

It's called Hazel's Loom. I think the brochure is dated May 1967, but I'm guessing. You're supposed to use it to make straw flowers (like the ones on Aunt Edna's bag in National Lampoon's Vacation), but it also says you can make yarn flowers too. I think I'll try it and see what develops.

The best part of the brochure is this photo of the two women using the loom:

Don't they just look so happy to be wearing all of those straw flowers?

Here's what I put on Etsy today. Just a couple of hostess gift/housewarming gift type things.

Nice handknit 100 percent cotton dishcloth.

Set of four felted coasters.

•••

Last night, Mitzi and Betsy came over for a little Mexican fiesta. Mitzi brought some awesome enchiladas, Betsy brought a Key Lime pie from Tippin's. We made the margaritas. We tuned the Sirius to the Latin Pop channel to complete the atmosphere. Post dinner, Bets and I knitted while Mitzi and Adam played guitar. (Yes, just guitar, not Guitar Hero.)

We played that later...

•••

Almost forgot - I've added another friend to the list of blogging buddies over there on the right. Check out my friend Kim's blog at Warrens Wandering.

It almost makes me long for Sweaty McSweaterson

I said "almost."

Okay - I've said before - I'm so glad that the clubhouse/fitness center is right next door to our apartment. I can walk there in about 20 seconds, and I can use it any time of day. It's free (with the price of rentership, of course).

But, lately, I've been a little frustrated with the other Dunes members who also use the facility.

Today, I worked out in the middle of the afternoon instead of the evening, so the sun was shining through the windows. It was reflecting off of the dark green paint on the wall in front of the treadmill. (Caution: I'm about to talk about something totally disgusting. Read at your own risk.)

On the aforementioned wall, there are about 50 spit stains. Like, 50 different times, whoever was running on the treadmill thought it'd be socially acceptable to hock a giant spitwad and shoot it at the wall.

GAG ME WITH A SPOON.

And, seriously, folks - after the first time you're compelled to spit something up, might you remember to bring a towel with you from then on? So that, when you're working out, and you feel the need to do that, you can be at least a little hygienic about it?

I mean, I know I said I don't pay to work out there, but that doesn't mean it has to be the equivalent of the Trailer Park Branch of your local Y.

Besides, I'm pretty sure the people who are using the free workout facility are not of the "elite" athlete class, so I THINK they can jump off the treadmill for 20 seconds and go do their business in the restroom?

Thankfully, the TV distracts me enough that I have something else to stare at while I'm running. Usually, I'm in there by myself. Today, after I was there for 40 minutes, another girl came in. Then, a little bit later, a couple came in.

Let me explain something about the TV situation - it's no Genesis Cardio Theater. Yes, there are decent TVs, but you can't plug headphones in and watch them. You have to turn the volume up pretty loudly. Hence, when I go workout, and someone else is already in there, I just turn to the same station they are watching, or I tune to a different channel but mute my TV. Pretty darn polite and thoughtful of myself, I think.

Well, I suppose it goes without saying that people who would actually spit on a wall would not be the most polite in the bunch. Girl came in, turned on her TV across the room from me, and turned it up super loud. Couple came in, turned on another TV, to a snowy channel, and turned it up super loud. It sounded like what I imagine an elementary school classroom on indoor recess mixed with the way someone's hard-of-hearing grandparent watches TV would sound. Thank God I was almost done.

I did NOT turn down my TV or change to their channel. I thought maybe they'd be polite like me.

No such luck.

Too tired to think of a creative title, so it is what it is

Okay, so it's the end of the week, and there are a few things on the desk, but if you could have seen it before I went home for Christmas break, you would realize what a step forward this is for me...


This one, below, is what my classroom looks like from the corner where my desk is. It looks strange, even to me, because I so rarely spend any time sitting in my chair back there.


We made our yearbook deadline today. The editors stayed after for just about an hour, until we got the last page uploaded. It's so nice to have conscientious kids to work with.

I was looking through the card I shot the desk photos on, and here's a pic of one of the kids working. She's actually been voted next week's Staffer of the Week, because she's been rocking everyone's socks with her hard work - getting it done on time, and even picking up extra tasks when asked (without TOO much gnashing of teeth).


Plus, it's just nice to have kids who will sit down and copy-edit a page, and do it well. (Sorry, O Copy Editors out there who might be reading this - high school students just don't see that as a glamour job.)

•••

Adam and I just got home from the little Johnny's, where we hung out after school with Betsy, Mitzi, Adam's boy-friend, Mike, Denise, Manal, Chelsea and the principal of Adam's school. It was a nice little happy-hour get-together. I think we're going to watch a movie (Please, God, not "House of 1000 Corpses").

I'll be working on some more knitted goodies, hoping to update my Etsy site this weekend.

Four-fifths of one-twentieth = ?

At the beginning of this week, I thought I'd be sapped by now. But, here it is, Thursday, and I've made it through. I'm four-fifths of the way through the first of 20 weeks of second semester.

Here's my desk before school started Monday morning. I'm going to shoot it tomorrow after school, too. I've actually done quite well with my new "make sure it's clean before you leave" philosophy.

Having the kids back has pumped up my energy level quite a bit. That, and the fact that we will make our 50-page deadline tomorrow. All the pages are ready, they just have to be PDFed and sent.

J1 has been fun so far this week, too. It's a whole new crop of kids in two classes. In letters of introduction they wrote to me, many of them said they took J1 because they want to be on yearbook or newspaper. That's great news. I didn't get anyone who said: "Uh. I took this class because it was the only one open." So, we're starting off on the right foot.

There's a few interesting personalities in the classes, and I think they'll be a lot of fun to teach.

So, there's been some classroom successes this week, but there's been a couple of knitting disasters. I'm experimenting with some designing of felted items, but so far it hasn't clicked yet. They're still drying, but MAYBE I'll post a photo or two when they're done. They can serve as a cautionary tale, I guess.

Grr. I'm going to start sock number two this weekend, so that I'll actually have a pair fairly quickly, I think.

•••

If you're not reading my friend Denise's blog, check out this post. It's all about sweet Olan Mills photos from the 1970s. She's posted a challenge, and as soon as I can get over to Mom's to pick up some photos, I'll be scanning and adding a few to the mix. Jaime's gotten in on the action as well. I can't believe how much those color photos taken in the 1970s have faded. Or, did everyone just wear a lot of oranges and eat a lot of carrots?

•••

Off to do a little more misguided knitting, before doing tonight's run. Gotta get it in before Grey's - new eps start tonight! (At least until they run out, I guess.)

All the women came out just because she almost cried?

If you're listening to the pundits, that seems to be what they're saying about Hilary's comeback win in New Hampshire last night.

"Showed a side of herself that shows she is very, very human," Tim Russert just said on Today.

I don't know what I think about this yet. I'd like to explore it further but I have to go to my real job. Maybe I'll write a little more about it this evening, but for now, I've got to brush my teeth and hit the road.

Have a good day!

7:54 p.m.

Just got home.

I think the staff got a lot done tonight. The moment of truth is Friday.

I also think Adam has been playing Guitar Hero the entire time I was at school - he's getting much better on the hard level.

No more computer tonight. Must take it easy, knit a few stitches, bust out the heating pad for the neck. Jeez, I just read that - sounds like I'm 60.

In your dreams

Ever since I was in elementary school I could never sleep on the night before school started. Was it excitement? Nerves? Anticipation? I'm not sure.

Even last night, I couldn't sleep well. It's not like it's the first day of a new school year. We've only been out for a couple of weeks. I didn't fall asleep right away, and then when I finally did, it was fitful. I got up once to use the bathroom, and I remember looking at the clock sometime around 3:30 or so. Must have fallen back asleep.

At 5:18, I looked at the clock. I thought to myself - I'm getting up in 30 minutes anyway - should I just get up? The decision took so long I must have fallen back asleep.

I dreamed that we were at my Grandma's house. I can't remember what was happening, but I remember a bunch of non-sequitur people being there. Then, I went from my Grandma's house to a school. There was some kind of assembly, and I was supposed to be supervising, I think. (Details are sketchy at this point) All I really remember of the school portion of the dream is that I was hurrying around, going from one gym to another, and at one point, I had to climb down the bleachers, and I scaled section to section, like a superhero. It was very weird.

After that, I heard a LOUD buzzer once in my dream. Then I heard it three times in the dark of my bedroom. Keep in mind that all of that happened in the span of 25-30 minutes. When I woke up, I felt like I had been asleep for hours. I stumbled around, turning on the coffee pot, and starting the shower. I was rollin' slow.

THEN, it was time to be ON for the enrollment fair. This was a really long day at school. But, I survived, my desk is still as clean as it was Friday (the kids noticed), and I got to knit for a little bit earlier tonight. I just finished a 2-miler. Short, yes, but I'm hoping that some consistent exercise will lessen some of the stress I've been under. I don't feel stressed out, but my neck and shoulders have been sore for about a month now. I think it's just muscle tightness from stress. Grr.

I really should have gone and gotten a massage over break.

Sock Success, Part 1

Here it is - my first completed sock. I know I won't be wearing it for a while because I guarantee it will take me at least a few weeks to get sock number two done.

But, it looks pretty cool, doesn't it?

I still need to block it, but I think I'll wait until I get its twin done.

Guitar Hero in the news

(It's old news, but the story is pretty funny, and my buddy Cary shot the photos for it.)

Check it out here.

Fabulous Friday Felting

I finished Aunt Alice's bag, so I threw it in the washer last night while Adam and I were watching "Thank You For Smoking" and "Derailed." I ran the washer on two medium, hot water cycles. I'm wondering if Alice will want it smaller still. It's quite a bit larger than the first bag I made. Here are some photos, for comparison:

Right before it went in the hotwater bath. Check out my fly new project bag I got from Amy for Christmas. Love it. Just so you know, size-wise, the paper you can see in the bag is regular 8.5 by 11, so that should help give you some scale.

Here's what it looks like now, after two wash cycles.

It looks like a Mama Bear bag and makes mine look like a little Baby Bear bag.

•••

Okay, now for a little running talk - does anyone who reads this blog own a Nike+iPod? I bought one awhile back for $10 during the Tigerfest fire sale. I've owned it for about six weeks, but haven't used until just the other day. I don't wear Nikes so I had to get a pouch that fits over my shoelaces to hold the sensor. I got everything ready to, had Adam put the sensor on my shoes and went to run. It already says replace the battery. I used it for MAYBE an hour.

I'm looking for a little insight as to the battery life. If you have one, how often do you change it?

I plan on using it today, so I'm hoping it'll last at least one more run before I have to get a new battery. It's already 48 outside, working on a high or 59, according to the Weather Channel. I'm ready to get out and hit the path again instead of the dang old treadmill.

Jillo...Jillarino....Jillaramdingdong...

I know, I know. I've been back at work for two days, yes. But inservice days and teacher work days aren't really being back "at work."

Don't get me wrong - I worked A TON today - makin' copies. And copies. And copies. Everyone else was doing it too. I think I walked back and forth between my room and the teacher workroom about 100 times between 7:30 and 9 a.m. Luckily, I'm pretty close. It wasn't that I had a 100 things to copy - I just had to find an opening. We have two machines in the workroom, but one wasn't working until after lunch time.

Basically what I needed was one of those Fast Passes like you can get at theme parks to let you know exactly what your time to use the machine is.

I finally gave up, went to item number 2 on my list, and resigned myself to making copies while everyone else was at lunch. I shouldn't complain, though. At least they LET us make our own copies. At dear old DHS, you had to send everything to central office, and wait a week for it's return. I can't lie - that doesn't work for me because I just don't plan that far ahead.

I had to get yearbook and newspaper applications copied because we're having an enrollment fair on Monday. Students will be choosing four electives and four core classes to visit so that they'll have some idea of what's to come when they begin enrollment in a few weeks. It's a great idea - I think it will open kids' eyes to the available classes (especially important for us elective teachers). But, I think it'll be brutal - I've got to give the same 10-minute dog and pony show four times and hour for three hours. I hope by the end I still sound as excited about it as I am during the first session. I started a Powerpoint today - I've got to finish that this weekend.

So, worked on that stuff, and then spent the better part of the day cleaning up my desk, organizing one of the counter tops, etc. General housekeeping that I should be doing weekly, but that's the first thing that gets shoved aside in the general malaise of teaching and publications advising. I'm just not OCD enough to make sure my desk is cleared before I go home every day. (This will come as no surprise to anyone who has lived with me - college roommates, parents, Adam).

However, after today, I think I should be that OCD. I refuse to call it a New Year's resolution, but I would like to set a goal that I get it done every day. A bad blogger, I did not have my camera at school today, so I didn't shoot a photo of the desk. Maybe I will on Monday morning, so you can see my handiwork.

I had a good couple of days at work - got a lot of MY stuff done, which is the first thing that goes aside when the little puppies and kittens are needing attention...

I'm ready to go back Monday - I think I'm starting to miss the kiddoes.

•••

In Etsy news, I have updated my profile and I'm now accepting PayPal. (Capitalizing on the impulse buyers among us...)

A sign of things to come?

A cautionary whale...

for stupid 20-year-old boys: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, go to "Juno" expecting to see "Superbad" just because Michael Cera is in it. Or, at least, don't sit in the row directly behind us.

It is not "Superbad II." Inappropriately timed guffawing really reduces the enjoyment of the moviegoing experience for the rest of us. Seriously - have you seen the freaking previews, dudes?

I'm like Betsy, I'll have to see it again so I can actually hear the dialogue that followed the laugh lines. Plus, the "smartest" one in the bunch must have felt like he needed to make sure the other guys saw everything, because every five minutes he said: "Hey, did you see that?" or "Hey, they both have hamburger phones." Good eye, Einstein. Thanks for keeping us all up to date.

It is, however, a damn good flick. Ellen Page rocked, but most of you probably already know that because of the buzz surrounding the movie. JK Simmons, of "The Closer," plays her dad. His character was an ex-military man, but he wasn't the stereotypical hard-ass dad to his teenage daughter.

Post-movie, we had dinner at Granite City. It's been quite a while since we ate there, but we are still members of the Mug Club, so we took advantage of the cheap beers and food discounts.

•••

As promised, here are a few photos from the Doodah days. I really didn't shoot too much, though.

Here's Kat rounding the last corner during the Frosty 5K. I had just enough time after I crossed the finish line to run down to the locker room, grab my camera, zip back upstairs and there she was coming around the corner. Good timing. Notice how bundled up she is.


My date for the New Year's Eve party - Amy.


Hostess with the mostess - Denise. So good to see her again.

Stan and Denise work together to take a photo of something - I think it was birthday girl Lori and Dale.

It was very nice - most of the bloggers we know were at the party, so we all got together for a photo of blog nation you can see here.

Earlier that day, I had a very nice lunch with Jeff, Kat and my girl Lauryn. She cooked me up some good microwave corn in her new Dora kitchen. It was a nice appetizer before Kat cooked up some Buffalo Wing Casserole that tasted even better than plastic corn.

She's such a ham - you'd think her mom was a scrapbooking maniac wouldn't you?