weasel day with winnie g.

Winston is home with me today. I’m feeling a bit like a mensch. He isn’t sick, just tired, but sometimes that’s all it takes after a huge weekend.

On Saturday night we tried to go to the drive-in for a Shrek 4-Iron Man 2 double feature. Both Vali-Hi and Cottage View were at capacity, with incredibly long lines of cars hoping to get in at some point. Even though we were thwarted twice, we became determined to see a movie of some sort so we hightailed to Inver Grove Heights, the nearest movie theater, to see Iron Man 2 at 9:35 (we didn’t get home until close to 1 a.m.).

How was it? Robert Downey, Jr. was incredible, as always. Sam Rockwell was an outstanding corrupt tycoon. Mickey Rourke was genius as the villain. The plot was hopelessly predictable, but I don’t think that really matters since the movie is action driven. And the action was good. Some of the sequences were overwhelming—huge and fast and loud. I would love to have seen Iron Man 2 on the enormous drive-in screen. Best movie of the summer. So far.

On Sunday, the boys played at friends’ houses. Winston, for one, spent the day in his friend Peter F’s swimming pool=lots of sun, lots of activity. 94 degrees and humid—I hate this weather and wish I could have spent the day in the pool, too. John had band practice while I made stock from lobster shells and planned our June trip.

So I made Winston sleep in this morning. I even laid down with him for a while. He’s so small and cuddly. My plan was to take him to school around 10. Around 8:30 his teacher called to ask if he was coming to school. She was checking because the class was taking a field trip to the Dodge Nature Center, and she didn’t want him to be left behind. How convenient for Winston? His class wouldn’t return to school until close to the time it let out for the day. No point in taking him to school.

We made a pact: no kid TV, no electronics (DS or wii), no computer. Pretty much no fun. Trying to make the most of the day, we tapped into creativity. Winston and I rounded up all the never-used chopsticks from Chinese takeout and all the scraps of yarn from knitting projects I’d finished. Then I set Winston to work making god’s eyes, which he named after Greek gods: Ares, Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, and Hades.

While Winston was busy crafting, I learned how to knit using double point needles. The sweater I started this past winter is two sleeves shy of being finished. The weather is becoming less conducive to holding a bulky garment on my lap so I’d like to get this sweater completed and stored in mothballs until November.

gardening

The following is a true confession from the daughter of a gardener, who has an impeccable yard and landscaping, as well as a world-class vegetable/herb garden. Also, my mother-in-law is equally passionate about gardening. She has a prize-winning day lily garden and is an upstanding member of her garden club for which she had to audition. I’m not a gardener and am loathe to doing any yard work. I would rather read a book or cook or knit. It’s not surprising then that our yard looks like hell.

Our house is nestled between a professionally manicured lawn and the yard of a horticulturalist, both of whom perpetually put us to shame, though more so the horticulturalist as she and her husband work on their yard for hours every weekend. While I concede that, with children, we don’t have that kind of time to dedicate to landscaping, we also can’t manage to mow our yard and pull weeds, some of which now have trunks as thick as young trees. (Hangs head in shame.)

I make no promises of creating something grand, but this is the summer I’m going to get in touch with my inner green thing. For the past few summers I have grown herbs and tomatoes in containers, and this summer is no different. Already, using starter plants rather than seeds, I have planted basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano. I should be able to start using the herbs in the next few weeks. But in a more ambitious move, I pulled weeds from the beds in the patio area. The beds currently have hostas and sedum, which are now augmented by the deep red coral bells (heuchera) and sedum that I planted recently.

Now we do rain dances and hope the plants “take.” But, I’m also actively scheming the next addition of foliage! This gardening/landscaping thing is fun.

Note: the irises came with the house. 

summer vacation

Now that school is officially done for the summer, there are oh, so, very many things I would like to do. My top priority at the moment is planning our family’s summer vacation. We’re going to England for ten days, starting June 11. We have a night flight, otherwise, I would have liked nothing more than to take the boys out of school for their last day. By all accounts, a day of airports and airplanes and passport control is infinitely more educational than anything they will learn at school in the next three weeks. No knock on Capitol Hill, which is a fine school, or the boys’ teachers, who are amazing, but the year’s wrap-up has begun in earnest.

I’m trying to nail down a final itinerary. Years of business travel instilled in me an urgency to have every dinner and hotel reservation made well in advance. There is nothing like arriving in a town, Appleton, WI, for example, to find that there isn't a single vacancy in a 100-mile radius because the Packers are playing Monday Night Football. For example. Quite frankly, if John and I were traveling alone, we could play it by ear, but since we’re bringing the boys, I have to confirm that we’re safely resting our heads each evening. I’m less concerned about meals and, with the exception of the English breakfast that comes with most hotels and b&bs, as well as hard-to-book restaurants in London, I’m willing to wing most evening meals. Food isn’t hard to find.

A thumbnail sketch of our trip:

~direct flight to Heathrow (volcanic activity permitting*), pick up rental car (automatic with a/c, please)

~Oxford to acclimate and walk around colleges and pay homage to Tolkien

~Avebury and Stonehenge

~various standing stones, stone circles, quoits, dolmens, and fogous throughout Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall

~the Jurassic Coast

~Tintagel and Merlin’s Cave

~Bath and Glastonbury

In addition to ruins, I hope to see the magnificent cathedrals of Exeter, Salisbury, and Wells but I am prepared to be overruled. The adventure will culminate in London where we’ll visit the Tower and the British Museum and see the neighborhood where I lived from ’87-88 (which, in a beautiful coincidence, was Sherlock Holmes’ “stomping grounds” as well). We each want to take advantage of a weaker Br. pound and satisfy our personal interests in bicycles, music, books, and food.

I am in need of a vacation and could leave today, but, in addition to the trip planning, I need to figure out what the boys will be doing for the remainder of the summer (whispers of sleepaway camp). And, I’m trying to undo the damage done to the house while I was a full-time student…lots to file and throw and repurpose. The next three weeks will fly.

*Eyjafjallajökull is fascinating and beautiful in a warped-nature way, but she had better not mess with my travel plans. I’m trying not to let the risks play into my neurosis, but it’s somewhat hard to avoid. The Christian Science Monitor published the photo above, and the paper's website has daily coverage of the volcano's affect on flights.

anatomy of a portfolio review

Tuesday (5/11)

I arrived in the Space Lab at 7 am, an ungodly early hour, to pin up my portfolio. Basically, I selected my best work, as well as a few obligatory pieces, such as the McNeal Hall drawing and the final project from Color. The interior design work I chose included the yoga studio floor plan (semester one final project), the two concept boards for "rustic", the condo floor plan/concept statement (semester two final project), the condo model, and a set of elevations from the volume project. Last night I blocked out a 4’-0”x8’-0” area with masking tape on the floor in the den (above), and I played around with the layout. So I know all the work will fit the allowed space. Then I took a picture and packed my portfolio cases so I could methodically I arrange the pieces in the Space Lab.

Despite such planfulness, pinning my work took the full hour. I had to move some items to make them fit, and I had to rearrange pieces to maximize their impact at eye-level. Also, I struggled with some of the 18”x24” presentation boards, which were laden with materials, such as wood and slate. The boards were heavy and bulky and laughed at the T-pins with abandon.

Before I started pinning, I gave myself a pep talk that went something like this: “Just pin up your work and walk out of the lab. Go home and prepare your comments. Don’t look at any other portfolios. No comparisons allowed. Now run, don’t walk.”

I’m neurotic and an unrealistic perfectionist. Argh. And, I peeked at other portfolios, then second-guessed myself. A last minute decision to include my condo model on the display, rather than setting on the floor, was an inspiration. Plus, the addition gave variety to larger, flat pieces.

To my credit, my work is arranged in a way that is neat and that maintains classic proportions, as we learned to do throughout second semester. I only included work that I intended to present, and I didn’t needlessly cram work onto the 4’-0” by 8’-0” display.

I will not sleep for fear that presentation boards have fallen and tiles have shattered.

Wednesday (5/12)

As suspected, I didn’t sleep very well. John went out with friends and didn’t return home until well after 1 a.m. He’s not to blame, but I didn’t fall asleep in bed until he got home, and I tried not to stew about not being well rested. Still, I couldn’t sleep. Okay, maybe I'm blaming him a tiny bit. At best, I got two hours, thus approximating a familiar situation—every large project this semester required an all-nighter to complete, followed by a bleary-eyed presentation this next morning.

My portfolio review was set for 10 a.m., which I chose so as not to need to wake up especially early but also so I didn’t have all day to stew about the presentation. I showered, had my coffee, dressed in a flattering black shirtdress that sported an a-line skirt and black w/ tan piping open-toed wedges (I looked professional and like I’d walked off the Mad Men set). Then I paced around the house practicing my speech. I had the presentation nailed to the minute. I wanted to get to campus early so I headed for my car at 9:15. Key in the ignition. Turn the key. Nothing. Car won’t start. This could have been the end of the story. Taking a bus or calling a friend or John (who works in Chanhassen) would have taken too long…I would have missed portfolio review. Plus, I had no way to contact the committee, especially since I didn’t know who is on it. Nor did I know which of my classmates were presenting around the same time as me. Fortunately, a Yellow Cab got me to campus with ten minutes to spare.

(self-portrait, in McNeal elevator on way to presentation)

Although completely unnecessary, I think that bit of drama kept my mind off my presentation. No time to get nervous. At 10 a.m. I was called into the Space Lab and introduced to the selection committee, which consisted of the two professors I had for first year labs, the department chair, another high-ranking professor, and a few other full-time faculty. They were all pleasant but quiet. I was relieved to see that nothing had fallen from the display. In the midst of my presentation, I received a three-minute warning. Apparently I lingered somewhere that I hadn’t rehearsed so I wrapped up, hitting every high point, and concluded my speech. The committee asked a few questions, though hardly any that required much elaboration. Then I was dismissed.

Fastest 10 minutes of my life.

I think I killed

Thursday (5/13)

No sleeping in for this weary student for she must put the children on the bus by 7:30 a.m. And, I had to go to campus and take down my work least it get chucked. Now, I can’t see any of these pieces filling my mausoleum but I did put much sweat and blood into them and would like to use them for reference in the coming year. Fingers crossed.

After I took down my "exhibit" and said a quiet farewell for the summer to McNeal Hall, my home away from home, I took myself to Ngon for a celebratory lunch (below).

(bahn mi, sweet potato fries with rooster aioli, Lift Bridge Farm Girl [not pictured])

Later that evening, while on facebook, one of my classmate/fb friends congratulates herself on being accepted to the program. I hadn’t expected news so soon. Holding my breath, I logged onto my U email, and there it is!! I’m in. Honestly, for all the hard work and lost sleep, the news was a tiny anticlimactic. I’m not complaining but it all happened so fast. Sigh. But I’m in, and I don’t need to worry about what to do next. Sigh.

I’m in. I’m in. I’m in.

done

Today was my last day of classes. The semester, as well as the first academic year of my program is over. Done. But don’t put a fork in it yet. Next week I have a final exam in Psych 1001: 100 questions, 90 minutes. Then, I will present my portfolio to a committee of interior design professors, who will decide if my work is competent enough to continue in the program.

(McNeal Hall drawing in progress)

I suspect that my work is competent and that I’m trainable. 

(condo model)

But it’s not my decision…

addicted

Recently I found a small stash of goodies that I bought in Sweden last summer. Fortunately these candies are the kind that don't have a shelf life, and they've been stored safely. I have to admit that I'm moderately addicted and will need to find a source once they're gone.

What's to love? The name—Kryptoniter. The appearance—fussy pink with black piping. The Swedes, and Scandanavians in general, have a special fondness for licorice. Some licorice candies are a lot better than others, and Kryptoniter happens to be one that combines a few fine features. First, the lozenge is coated with a tart sugar, which is not dissimilar from a mild Sour Patch Kid. Then you hit the sweet hard candy, followed moments later by salt. I haven't yet learned to appreciate salt licorice, but can tolerate it when combined with sugary brightness. 

And for a moment I was transported back to a 13th century house and its attic-room views of the Baltic.

knitting

I'm knitting like the dickens even though I've probably missed my opportunity to this sweater this winter, which, according to the calendar, ends tomorrow. Yes, I realize we may still see some snow fall before June.

The Retro sweater is a yoke-down number. I just finished knitting the body and because I used circular needles, I won't have to sew side seams. Since I took this photo, I added another four inches plus three inches of wide ribbing to form the bottom band. Next: The sleeves will also be knit "in the round," though on double point needles (dpn) so no seaming there either. Basically, once I get the sleeves knit, I'm done, which is pretty motivating.

One small glitch: I've never knitted successfully on dpns. Typically they're used in sock knitting. Knitters who already have the hang of juggling four or five needles love it. I remain open to learning and to becoming a convert. Thank goodness for the internets and instructional videos on You Tube.

reading

Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou 

This graphic novel appears on the 2010 Tournament of Books' shortlist, and I thought that it might be manageable to read owing to its format. Once again, I've discovered that just because a story is told through the medium of illustration with little text does not mean that it will be a breeze to read. I'm enjoying Logicomix, but find that I need to put it down often. More a biography than a novel, the book suffers from not being very plot-driven. This is the story of Bertrand Russell and his quest to find the logical roots of math. Russell suffered for his art/science, toiling for years on a problem that, three written volumes later, no publisher wanted to touch. I haven't reached the end yet, but I know that Russell's story doesn't have a happy ending. 

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson

Hornet's Nest is simmering on the side. This is the third, and likely final, installment of Steig Larsson's mystery/thriller staring Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. It's a big one, too...632 pages. By contrast to most books, especially Logicomix, Hornet's Nest is gripping. It picks up right where the previous book left off and doesn't miss a beat, building new story lines in a way that keeps the reader turning pages. I've got the first 100 pages under my belt and hope to be close to done by the time spring break ends. On Sunday. Sad. I highly recommend this series to anyone who is looking for an absorbing read.

Also, until I lost momentum in a severely scratched CD, I was listening to 44 Scotland Street, one of Alexander McCall Smith's charming series. Smith's Edinburgh-set vignettes, involving the inhabitants of a building, were inspired by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. I noticed some of Smith's trademark quirky characters, especially with how they approach moral dilemmas. Easy listening at its best.

And, with the boys, I am reading aloud The Sea of Monsters, the second book in Percy Jackson and the Last Olympians series. Percy has returned to Camp Half Blood following his "odyssey" to return Zeus' lightning bolt, and nothing is as it should be. Percy's best friend, Grover, is in trouble; his mentor, Chiron, has been fired as camp director; and the new director seems out to get Percy. The camp is threatened, and a journey presents itself. The action and character development are incredibly satisfying, even as an adult. The boys are interested in Greek mythology and, I have to admit, I haven't minded brushing up, either. 

drawing midterm

Spring break is an appropriate time to trot out some of the work I have done leading up to this point in the semester. I am learning how to draw, and I have a fantastic teacher, Monica Fogg. She's pushing me to dig a little deeper, to not be so minimal and safe in my technique. So for the midterm project, we picked a piece of produce and explored drawing it in at least eighteen different ways, twelve of which were mounted, according to some grouping principle, on Crescent board.

I chose a pineapple, which I carried around in my book bag for two weeks. Of the twelve drawings I mounted, the top left was my favorite. It's a highly detailed and very delicate pencil rendering of a dried pineapple slice, which I also used (third row, right) as a stamp. This assignment was fun and allowed me to try many different media, including collage, pen, charcoal, paint, and beeswax. Other favorite drawings include the blind contour drawing (third row, left), in which I drew the pineapple top without looking at the paper. I also really like how the calligraphic strokes (top row, center) turned out. Inadvertently, the strokes formed diamonds, such as those that appear in other pieces, leading to a similarity grouping.

Next up in drawing: perspective, where we draw an interior view of McNeal Hall, my home away from home.

spring forward

Even though the vernal equinox is a week away, spring seems to have begun in earnest. The day's high temperature was 64 degrees, when historically we're at 39 degrees for the second week of March. I am not complaining.

On top of the ridiculously amazing weather, my friend Sarah called this morning and asked if I knew that we "sprang forward" to daylight savings overnight. And, shockingly, I did not. I am so used to having Eric Englund remind me at the Homeplans' Monday morning meeting whenever the time was changing. Sadly, this lapse indicates just how myopic I have become since second semester began. Just so head down—get kids to bus stop, get self to campus, listen/participate in lectures and studios, do projects. Wash, rinse, repeat. I count on routine to get everything done, but clearly need to step back and see life's bigger picture.

Thankfully, spring break occupies my next seven days. Seven days that I hope go s-l-o-w-l-y. After I got my head wrapped around the time change, discharged the overnight guest, and shuffled a kid out the door to play with a friend for the WHOLE day, I looked around and wondered what to do next. Anything or nothing was possible. Winston was playing the wii, which he would continue to do until bedtime if I didn't stop him, but since his brother was gone, I knew Win would be at loose ends. Only one thing to do about that—get out of the house and have an adventure.

First stop: Uncle Sven's Comic Shoppe, where Winston picked up a pet avengers comic (I refrained, having brought my own). Then we grabbed a bite at the Groveland Tap, while we watched a little NHL and read our books.

Next stop: Minneapolis, shape of culture vultures at the Walker. We wandered through various galleries until we arrived at the current "show," "Benches and Binoculars," highlights from the Walker's permanent collection. Arranged salon style, the paintings crowd two adjacent walls, covering every surface from floor to ceiling. John and Simon saw the exhibit last week so I was anticipating this part of our visit. Certain I'd find "Benches and Binoculars" gimmicky (it is, a little), I was enthralled by the way the paintings were arranged, and I was thrilled to see some of the work, such as the Chuck Close and an actual Joseph Albers. When the exhibit is done, it would be nice to see some of these pieces back in galleries. The installations, which have become so pervasive at the Walker, can go into storage or travel to other museums.

Also, I think it's safe to say that since I have started taking art classes, I have come to see art in a new way. Mostly I wonder how an artist came to their technique and how long a particular piece took to make and when the artist knew they were done.

After the Walker, Winston and I headed to Linden Hills, the charming and secluded Minneapolis neighborhood. First we hit Wild Rumpus. Visited all the animals and browsed sections before settling on Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Demigod Files for Winston and Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? for me (score! especially since the guys at The Source told me I'd never find this Neil Gaiman collectible). To put the cherry on the cake of our day, we had ice cream at Sebastian Joe's.

Winston and I had a spectacular day. We marveled at how warm and sunny it was. Driving around Lake Calhoun, we saw a scene unique to early spring in Minnesota: snowkiting on the still-frozen lake while shorts-clad joggers and cyclists took their laps.

Hope your return to daylight savings was a spring forward as ours!

let the sunshine on

The Weisman Art Museum from the Washington Avenue Bridge, on a gloriously warm, sunny winter day.

soopa cowl

Winter break gave me an opportunity to knit my little heart out. One of my favorite projects was this chunky cowl. After I saw the article in the New York Times about Yoozo Gibran, an Atlanta-based artist, I fell in love with her cowls (the chains, in my opinion, are a little odd), but not with their price tag or the backorders. She’s a one-person studio and workshop, and, according to her etsy page, demand has spiked.

Internet research led me to some comparable cowls, including this one from Lion's Brand:

At the end of the day, I decided to come up with my own pattern. So that was the first step. Next, pick out yarn. Lamb’s Pride Bulky is soft, which is crucial for a garment worn close to skin. It’s a dream to knit with. Choosing a color was difficult as there isn’t a clunker in the bunch.

For this project, I chose rust, which doesn’t have nearly as much brown in it as the name implies. Using

size 15 needles and double-stranded yarn, I cast on 24 stitches, then knit in stockinette. On every tenth row, I threw in a garter stitch, which created a raised stripe in the pattern. When the yarn was gone, I bound off and sewed the two ends together. Really. That easy.

Voila, a cowl is born. And, I can’t wait to knit another one. It’s soopa warm, fashion forward, and an orange that is complemented by my current hair color.

spring 2010 has begun

Well. I survived the first week of spring 2010 term. It was a good week too. I reconnected with a few classmates from fall 2009, and I made the acquaintance of a few new faces. I sat through the reading of syllabi and learned of professors’ pet peeves. I have purchased $200 of textbooks—one of which used was $100. Better be a lot of learning in that one. I have purchased a small fortune in art supplies and an enormous portfolio, a size up from 20x30.

This semester, I have an 8:30 class Monday through Thursday. So, in many ways, going to campus will be like going to the office, except that in one of those classes I won’t be allowed to drink anything. Which is just as well since I’d like to limit my caffeine consumption so that I can ramp it up again when all-nighters become necessary.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I start my day with a three-hour drawing class. Yowza. Three hours of ANYTHING is long, but three hours of an activity I avoid could be, well, interesting. Way back last semester, I decided that I was going to dig really deep and find a good attitude for drawing, especially as I suffered through my color class. It’s not a stretch to say that I am excited about learning how to draw. My boys draw fearlessly, and I envy them that ability. Then, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Interior Design Studio 2, which consists of a fifty-minute lecture followed by a two hour lab.

Finally, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Psych 1001 meets in Willey 175. This is one of those mondo lecture halls. In fact, during the first lecture, I learned that Willey 175 is an amphitheater, seating over 700 students (1,100 students are taking this class; approximately 300 are online). Again, yowza. Never in my previous academic experience have I taken a class with this many people. At St. Catherine’s, a large class was thirty students, and we all made noises about how huge that was. I find the whole scene rather entertaining and was amused to see a mostly full lecture hall on Friday. At 1:25. We’ll see how that pans out as the semester progresses.

So, with a class that large and with the lecture hall’s tremendous acoustics that made the turning of syllabus pages sound like a powerful waterfall, tests have to be administered in some other way. Here is where the brave new world of computers comes into play. Tests are set over two days, each student signs up for a fifty-minute time slot in a computer lab. Part of my orientation involves setting up an account in the computer lab for which I will receive fifteen points. Every Wednesday, before the lecture, I have a discussion section where I receive points just for showing up. We have written assignments each week, as well as individual and group activities. Yes, activities rather than papers or projects/presentations. Plus, we can earn extra credit points (yes, it’s a very points-driven class, carrot-stick analogy is apropos here) for participating in research studies or for interview TAs about their research areas.

Another reason I find Psych 1001 so fascinating is this fact: the University of Minnesota is the last large university to have faculty teaching this class, as opposed to professional lecturers or grad students. Ten professors will lecture, each on their research area. Further, Psych 1001 has a course coordinator, whose role is to project manage the professors, students, and TAs, as well as to troubleshoot technology (yes, there is a technology TA) and counsel students. It’s quite an operation.

The semester has started at a relaxed pace. I am trying to push myself so I don’t fall behind, though it’s hard to get motivated without the pressure of deadlines. I hate working in this mode, but I fear I thrive under enormous stress. So far, I have a lot of reading, which is a change from last semester when it was an endless stream of projects and assignments. I will also be taking tests and quizzes, within a timeframe, online. Brave new learning, indeed. 

winter break draws to a close

The past month has blown by too fast. Winter break, richly deserved, was a true break. I had plans to bail out the house—rearrange furniture, find a home for everything not nailed down, file papers, organize books and clothes, and so on. But with the dawn of each new day, I stretched deeply, put the boys on the bus, poured myself another cup of coffee, and engaged in whatever felt best. Most days what felt most relaxing was to do nothing, to just dial down and let non-franticisity make an impression—you know, something to tap into when stress piles on. And it will. Here’s what I did:

~traveled

We spent a wonderful week with John's family in Princeton, NJ. The cousins enjoyed each other's company and were sad to leave.

~saw friends

Thank you all who helped me fill my time!

~ate good food

coffee cake (from Bittman, the yellow book), Greek-style pasta, Christmas cookies, dark chocolate-enrobed marzipan from Lubeck, the "variety" pho at Ngon Bistro (the broth, redolent of star anise, can cure all), foie gras torchon and duck breast on a wonderful date night at Meritage with Mr. Little Trooper, baked eggs florentine for lunch

~practiced yoga: chaturanga

~knit: two scarves (above: entrelac scarf in Noro Silk Garden) and one chunky cowl (below: Brown Sheep Bulky in rust, double strand, garter stitch every 10 rows, size 15 needles), plus one sweater started

~read

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Girl Who Played with Fire, the first two books in Steig Larsson’s Swedish crime series. Compelling page turners with nice attention paid to setting (Stockholm) and to developing characters. I’m looking forward to reading the final volume, Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, which won’t be published stateside until May. John couldn’t wait until then and bought a copy from the UK. I’m just waiting for a friend to finish it so I can dive in.

~shoveled snow

Two feet (or so) fell while we were in Princeton. Most turned to ice. We have a very long walkway to the house, up a hill.

~made a home repair

Furnace died. More accurately, I oversaw the installation of a new furnace, which took the HVAC guy 11 hours.

~ran errands and restocked supplies

A trip to Cook's of Crocus Hill, a first-rate cookware store, resulted in a new nonstick pan. I resisted, but even the salesclerk said, "You need a pan for scrambled eggs." And, indeed, I love my new Swiss-made, non-teflon coated pan. Plus I scored an avocado green-colored ceramic vegetable bowl on the holiday clearance rack. A trip to Minneapolis' Sugar Sugar Candy shop capped winter break. I'll write more about it later...it was a mixed bag, to be sure.

~watched movies and TV

First season of Mad Men, which I resisted for too long. I love it. Stylish and dramatic, maddening. This was the soundtrack to my knitting sessions. Also, I saw Sherlock Holmes in the theater, which, the further I get from it, the more I love. Robert Downey, Jr. is all that. The Guy Ritchie-directed action was awesome. The special effects and CGI-created London sucked, but I can overlook those things. And, I took the little boys to see Avatar. Two Sundays ago we arrived at Roseville to find the 3D version sold out so flew to Highland to catch a non-3D showing, fifteen minutes later. You know what? Since the movie is special effects driven, I'm sure it's incredible in 3D, but we enjoyed the movie without.

And it was all good.

people behaving bizarrely

Yesterday was epic for witnessing bizarre behavior. Was there a full moon? Did you notice bizarre behavior, too?

Scene 1: Trotter’s Café (St. Paul), a man and woman seated at four-top in the main window. The area around the table is drafty so she’s wearing his jacket to keep warm. More than sitting close to each other, this woman is practically on the man’s lap. They kiss. They talk in sultry voices. They sing to each other. They deliver lines as if acting in a play. She climbs back in his lap. WTF? I’m not against PDA. In fact, I engage in it with my husband. I think it’s sweet to see couples holding hands and giving a peck on the cheek/lips. But these two? They needed a room.

Scene 2: Lund’s checkout lane #2 (St. Paul). So, I’m in the checkout lane nearest the Express/10 Items or Less lane at Lund’s, with six items in my cart. I have opted not to use the express lane because there are ten people standing in line, each with one or two items. The next lane over is empty; the person who preceded me was paying for his groceries. No brainer. So, I’m minding my own business when a sixty-something woman jumped in line behind me. She had a green bell pepper in her hand, which she waved as she said, “I just have one item.” Uncertain how to respond, I said, “I just have six items.” She persisted waving her hand in an attempt to get the cashier’s attention. Then it was my turn, and the cashier made polite small talk. WTF? Why did this woman think it would be okay to jump the line? I wish I’d asked her that question. If we’re talking about entitlement, I humbly submit that I waited for a shopper with a larger load than mine, and now it’s my turn.

I don't like to dish on friends, but...

Scene 3: Book group (friend’s house): No fewer than five times did I hear my friend M tell people a story, setting it up the same way each time: “My wife and I decided to give our six-year-old [son] an experience, rather than a present, for his birthday.” WTF? “We took him to a Packer’s game at Lambeau Field.” No, M does not have season tickets, nor does any Wisconsin family member, which means that M bought tickets from a broker. Ah, so you spent a small fortune on your son’s birthday present and you want to let everyone know what a cool father you are for springing for $200/person tickets, but you’re self-conscious about spending upward of $1,000 for your son’s present so you call it an experience?

Scene 4: Book group (friend’s house): Another overheard conversation. This time, K is telling us about how amazing her 14-year-old daughter is for diagnosis her medical condition. Yes, K’s daughter told her mother that something was wrong, that she was thirsty all the time, which is a symptom of diabetes. K took her daughter to urgent care; the daughter was hospitalized and tests were run. Sure enough, diabetes was confirmed. Everyone listening to the story said, “Amazing.” One woman said, “It’s treatable.” K said emphatically, “I know. And, she diagnosed herself.” WTF?

It really was. All. Too. Much.

movies of 2009

Around this time last year, I started logging the movies I saw at a movie theater, on DVD, or on cable. Why? Because. Like the books I read, I have a really hard time keeping track of what I see. Possibly because not many movies are notable. Or maybe it's the sheer volume (apply sarcasm here) I watch. Mostly, I made the list because I like making lists.

Looking over the list, it's pretty obvious that I took the boys to nearly every kid movie in the theaters last year, a trend that will likely continue through the near future. I love taking the boys to the movies. The joy and marvel on their faces, lit by the big screen, never ceases to amaze me. Corny? Perhaps. Still. Many of these movies flat out sucked, fueling my disbelief that producers are able to con studios into shelling out money to make them.

If I had to pick favorites, aside from Life Aquatic, which is an all-time fav, I would gush my love of Julie & Julia (I wept for the power of women in transition and for the beauty that is Paul and Julia), It Might Get Loud (electrifying, the whole way through), Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, TV on the Radio, Robin Hitchcock, cinema verite at its most unnerving, need more?), G-Force (funniest movie of the year), and Charlie Wilson's War (smart and funny).

For posterity, the 2009 movies:

Mamma Mia

Hellboy 2

National Treasure 2

The Women

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Runaway Jury

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Bottle Shock

Rachel Getting Married

Race to Witch Mountain

Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Marley and Me

The Squid and the Whale

The Life Aquatic

The Visitor

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

Gross Pointe Blank

Star Trek (twice)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Charlie Wilson’s War

He’s Just Not That into You

Up

Land of the Lost

Revolutionary Road

Transformers 2

Then She Found Me

Princess Bride

Hancock

Ice Age 3

G-force

Weeds (all four seasons)

Burn After Reading

Julie & Julia

G.I. Joe

Shorts

It Might Get Loud

Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs

Astro Boy

Planet 51

Turk 182

Aliens in the Attic

Angels and Demons

Australia

Bonne Annee

I haven’t managed to blog here since October. Usually when I fall behind in blogging or journaling, I still manage to “write” a draft in my head. In the past three months, not so much. School was really intense. Three classes—two of which were studio classes with work due every session—kicked my ass. But I came out on the other side, with flying colors and a forgiving family, ready to do it all over again.

During the past three months, I’ve struggled with a lot of bad habits—procrastination chief among them—and less than ideal behavior, such as complaining, crankiness, and general freaked-outtedness at being overwhelmed. John says it’s all part of my “process” and perhaps it is, but I’d like to think my behavior was justified by being pushed right to the brink. I’d also like to think that I won’t repeat this performance next semester, that I can conduct myself with all the dignity I’ve acquired in forty-some years. Ah, one can have goals.

The holidays were amazing. I don’t think Christmas has been this anticipated since I was eight or nine years old. And, we did the whole season without the grace notes of a Christmas tree or decorations or baking, which made me very sad and bitterly resentful of the time school was taking from my family. I had to promise the kids that we wouldn’t let holidays lapse again (you should see what I have planned for MLK Day ;-)).

Thankfully, my mother-in-law decked her halls in Princeton, NJ, as I knew she would. The Christmas tree grazed the 11-foot ceiling, not an inch left bare of ornaments. She had countless tins filled with the Shepard family staples—crescent cookies made with Georgia pecans, sand tarts adorned by pecans or candied cherry halves, crispy  chocolate chip cookies, and more of those fat Georgia pecans toasted in butter and salted. We had amazing meals—Beef Wellington on Christmas Eve, a plump kosher turkey with southern sides on Christmas Day, a surprisingly good Cajun turkey on Boxing Day with David’s four children and their little families and in-laws (!!), and a smoked brisket and all the leftovers on the 27^th with Mary K, a childhood friend and her little family.

We made a number of treks to Palmer Square, Princeton’s main retail area, across Nassau from campus. Christmas is a magical time to be in Princeton. Greenery and bows on lampposts lend a festive air, while townies stroll the streets, enjoying the quiet after students have left on break. This year was especially lovely because Princeton, a recipient of the East Coast’s big winter storm, had snow. For a few days, anyway.

The boys had great run-around time with their cousins. In fact, the boys still miss their cousins, which is so gratifying. And, the adults had a wonderful time hanging out. None of us had the energy to do much so no trips to NYC or Philly for “cul-cha” or jaunts to the movie theater. We were all about the lounging and listening to music and reading (Caroline regaling us with lines from When You Are Engulfed in Flames). It was perfect.

And now we are home. And, we are still snowed in. While we were gone, Snowmaggedon hit the Midwest. Fourteen inches of snow, followed by rain and another six or so inches of snow. A solid wall of icy snow blocks our front stairs, with more solidly packed stuff all the way to our front door. We may remain encased until spring.

I am excited about the prospects of a new year…and I have some goals. Of course I am resolved not to let this blog lapse. I hope to see you here again soon.

Happy New Year to you! 

this is only a test

hey. been having problems with blogger. thinking about jumping ship. doing a test to see if I get a recurring error msg.

meanwhile, have you seen this blog?

hi! remember me?

I can't believe that a month has passed since I last posted here. Actually, I can believe it...so much going on that renders blogging a very low priority. A brief summary of my time since Orientation would include, but not be limited to, boatloads of paling around with the boys, getting ready for the school year (the boys and mine), starting the school year (the boys and mine), and making adjustments to the new school year. Pretty all-encompassing.

During the last two weeks of summer, I held my second annual Camp Mom. The boys and I had a great time running around the Cities. Highlights included comic books splurges at The Source and movies (G.I. Joe and Robert Rodriguez's comic gem Shorts), but also

enjoying a picnic with friends


Juicy Lucy baskets at Groveland Tap

skateboarding at Merriam Park

backflipping at the RenFest

learning how to play golf (he has a great backswing, even though he grips the club like a baseball bat...all in time)

swimming at Cascade Bay, which has come to define summer

I love outdoor waterparks. I'm a sucker for swimming pools, but swimming pools with slides...heaven. The boys aren't great swimmers, but they can do the crawl, even if it sometimes looks like they're drowning. And, they can float and tread water in 6 feet so, for the first time ever, I let them swim on their own while I parked it on a lounge chair to work on my tan and read a book. Cascade Bay has a lifeguard stationed every few feet, so why not get out of the way and let them do their job? A long day at the pool was the perfect—and time honored—way to end the summer.

The boys seem to be adjusting well to their new teachers and classrooms. Both have at least one friend in their class and are happy about that. When John and I accompanied the boys to the Open House, we both had great first impressions of their teachers and shared their enthusiasm for a great school year.

I have had a reasonably good start to the school year, too. I was only late for one class on my first day, all because—nightmare come true—I walked in on the wrong classroom. Getting to campus has been a bit of a chore. Normally I would take Cretin north to University, then jog west to Raymond, which I could drive all the way to campus. The commute would only take about 20 minutes. On my first day of class, I was detoured from Cretin to Cleveland, along with every other person who lives south of St. Clair and who takes Cretin to get to I-94. Which is A LOT of people. I took me 20 minutes just to get to Raymond, only to find out that the road is closed at Energy Park, so I had to detour east, all the way to Snelling!! At that moment, school felt very isolated and difficult to get to. Every day, I'd try a new route until I settled on the best one. I'm not trying to shave time, just trying to avoid sitting in traffic and driving miles out of my way. Now take River Road, exiting on Marshall east. On Marshall, I rejoin Cretin to 94 to 280, exiting at Como, where I grab the detour to Larpenteur, which takes me to Gortner and the ramp where I park. Seems convoluted, but I fly because the path is less frequently traveled.

I realize I'm rambling on about my commuting woes, which isn't very interesting but consumed a major part of my waking hours last week. The rest of my time was spent scrambling to finish projects and papers. This week was only my first full week of school, but I handed in two mounted projects in my interior design studio—so far, I haven't missed a point!—as well as a (draft) paper in Design Thinking. Plus, I asked for my first extension for a very involved first project in Foundations: Color, an intense theory class, where I've mounted two pieces that will go into a portfolio and written two papers. Or will write two papers. Over the weekend. Twenty years ago, when I attended a small midwestern liberal college, the model for teaching was to have students read texts, listen to lectures, crank out a few papers, and take a final exam. Now, at an enormous land-grant university, I am working in small groups and churning out projects and it's a huge shift for me. And it will be fine and I will get good at it, especially if I continue to take pointers from Simon and Winston, who are fully engaged in project-based learning.

My world and routines have changed dramatically in the past few weeks. I miss knitting and cooking (I have class two nights a week) and reading and seeing friends. And spending quality time with my family. I miss staying connected to my online communities, through facebook and forums and my blogs. I miss writing about goofy things and writing just for the sake of expression. I do not, however, miss the creative loafing that became my life over the past 18 months. I am so grateful to be on a path that feels right, even if it's a very long path.

Blogging feels a little decadent right now—this session has been a pure delight—but I will try to get back here as often as I can.

orientated

Yesterday was Orientation Day for me and many of the other transfer students who will be attending the University of Minnesota this fall. Before attending orientation, I managed to dredge up a few memories. First, I flashed back to my CSC orientation, which took place the weekend before school started. A whole weekend of thoughtfully planned and beautiful workshops and picnics and brunches and masses, or so I'm told. I wouldn't know as I skipped most of orientation.

The second memory involved visiting the U of MN bookstores, when I was a rep, during orientation week. Every time I saw a telltale yellow sign with maroon lettering, telling students "orientation this way," I would cringe. I don't know why I have such an aversion to orientation, and I don't wish to examine it too closely, but I did decide that I was going to be cheerful and listen to every word uttered by an orientation "leader," without rolling my eyes.

When I walked into the Main Hall at Coffman Memorial Union, I saw a number of adults who were my age—each of which was accompanying their eighteen-year-old. It was really hard to fight the feeling that I didn't belong here. But, soon, students were divided into their colleges. With a handful of other College of Design students—interior design and graphic design—over to the St. Paul campus, to the building, McNeal Hall, where all my interior design classes will be held.

At McNeal Hall, I listened attentively to presentations on campus involvement opportunities, career services, and study abroad programs, among others. I also had a chance to see how my credits transferred from St. Kate's (all but PE and Sister Vera Chester's Intro to World Religions class?!), as well as the outlay of my program. Then, I met my adviser; took a tour of the classrooms, studio, and lab; and registered for classes.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it. My adviser is cool and will be a great help. The studio and lab were inspiring. and, my classes, well, I can't wait! For the first semester I am enrolled in the following: foundations in color design; intro to design thinking, which has an extra discussion section; and studio 1, where I will create my portfolio for the review I need to pass to start year two. Next week I'll order my textbooks online.

Until then, there's much to do...a house to get in order, freelance work to line up, Camp Mom to conduct, friends to see before I disappear.