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!