Thanks For Commenting

I appreciate all your comments. Here's a little more about my "career" situation (in Mish Mash fashion.)

• I have a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education.
• I have two endorsements on my teaching certificate: Elementary (grades 1-6) and Secondary Spanish (grades 6-12)
• Ironically, I cannot get a job teaching, say, 3rd grade because I have not taken and passed the Praxis exam which means I cannot be called "Highly Qualified". This test was not a requirement when I got my degree and because I was teaching in private school (and not teaching Elementary grades) at the time it was made a requirement, I was not "grandfathered" in. I could easily take the test and get the precious "HQ" rating, but haven't.
• I did take the Praxis exam for Spanish, passed it and was deemed "Highly Qualified" by my state. (Like I really needed them to tell me that.) Though I do not have a degree in Spanish I am certified to teach it.
• However, since I do not have a Master's degree in Spanish, I cannot teach at the college level. (Though quite frankly, I know I could and would be effective. Sorry if that seems conceited.)
• ESL jobs with the schools also require a degree (and passing a test.) I have considered going back to school for that, but I need to get Offspring through school first.
• More irony: I am being paid the same as a first year teacher. The public schools did not give me credit for the 14 years that I taught in the private schools. I did get credit for the two years in public...but the pay raise doesn't come until I complete three years. So next year I will get a raise. Still, I am making more than I was at the private schools.
• The one reason I stick with the job is the majority of the students are wonderful. We have a great rapport. I really am interested in what they say and their opinions about things. Maybe they need that more than they need Spanish.

Mish Mash and Kindle Love

• I honestly wonder if I'm just done with teaching. I wish I could put it into words. I feel like what I do is such a waste of time. Maybe two of my kids really want to learn Spanish. The rest are just there. As long as I make it possible for them to make a decent grade with little effort, they are happy and so are the parents. The worst part is, I don't see why I should push them. Even if they are going to take Spanish in college, my school only offers Spanish I and II. Most of the kids I teach are Freshmen which means a two year gap by the time they get to college. They'll just have to start over again. 
• Most of the kids don't realize that Spanish actually is a little important. A kid said to me yesterday: "you only need Spanish if you live in Miami." See? Why do I even bother? 
• If their parents aren't willing to push them, why should they expect me to do it? I'm still trying to get my own kid through life. Why should I have to do it for someone else's kid?
• The sad thing is a college degree in education basically makes you useless as far as a career change goes.
• Offspring got her first word from a grad school: a rejection. So she's bummed. Which in turn makes me bummed.
• I haven't knit in days. Very strange for me.
• But on a fun note: I love my Kindle. I've read two books which brings my 2011 total to 7.

#6 Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie- I'm a sucker for Agatha Christie. Warning! The ending to Murder on the Orient Express is given away in this book. (Good thing I wasn't planning on reading that one anyway.)
#7 The Scarlet Slipper Mystery by Carolyn Keene- Yeah. Nancy Drew. I really feel dumb 'cause I didn't quite get the "solution". But then, I was half listening to the TV, too.

• One of the coolest things about the Kindle is being able to look up words as I read...without having to stop and find the dictionary.
• It's also cool that if I'm reading...say... Little Women and the book A Pilgrim's Progress is mentioned I can look it up from the Kindle and put it on my wish list. Same goes for when the entire list of Poirot books is at the back of Cards on the Table. (Although Appointment with Death is apparently not available on Kindle. WTH?)
• So right now I'm in reading mode. Not knitting mode. 

Friday Fill-In 2/25/11

1. Ooooh, I like chocolate.

2. So many things annoy me, I can't stand it!

3. How the heck did I end up with so many cats?

4. My couch is one of my favorite places to visit.

5. I'm not a industrious sort, I'm not!

6. With a name like Smucker's it has to be good.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to decompressing and watching Triunfo del Amor, tomorrow my plans include visiting with Offspring and Sunday, I want to veg!

Well, Aren't I A Clod?

I was supposed to announce the winner of the Second Shawl Giveaway, wasn't I?



That would be Retrobaby's comment. Congrats! Drop me a quick e-mail if you would be so kind? Thanks!

Should I Be Concerned?

I am becoming more and more anti-social. Not that I was a social butterfly to begin with, but still.

After work I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. I just want to come home, take a walk with Hubadub, then sit with him and knit while he watches TV.

I prefer solitary pursuits like reading and knitting.

I haven't been to knit nite in ages.

I get annoyed when people want to meet for dinner...at 6:30 (I'm done eating for the day at 5 and I go to bed no later than 9:30)

The closest I get to socializing is on the web...and lately I've even sucked at that. I stopped plurking, I'm considering deleting my Facebook account and I've got so many blogs on the blog roll I can barely keep up with them.

I don't mean this to be a depressing or "poor me" post. I'm just wondering if this makes me a terrible person that I prefer to spend most of my time alone or with Hubadub. It's really a lazy issue. Why should I stress myself out being social and over-extending myself just because society seems to think that is the way to be.

Seriously, do we really need to keep ourselves so busy all the time?

Just a Sunday afternoon thought. ;-)

Friday Fill-In 2/18/11

1. New experiences and possibilities consume my thoughts. Maybe I don't want to teach anymore, but I don't know what else to do.

2. Things took unexpected turn on a daily walk through the woods.

3. I'm looking forward to having Monday off.

4. (drawing a blank) never have imagined.

5. Try to find the positive, even when it seems impossible.

6. My utter, colossal laziness is what's extraordinary about me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Trinufo del Amor and knitting, tomorrow my plans include Thai food and Sunday, I want to knit!


****
As I type this I can hear a bird chirping. If birds are chirping in the morning, it must mean Spring is near. ohpleaseohpleaseohplease.....

Ooops! Forgot To Mention...

I finished book #5 for the year: The Westing Game. Obviously, I'm in a kid's book rut. Reading is reading, though. Right? I mean, when I was studying to get my education degree we were told that anything a child read was reading: comic books, game instructions, cereal boxes.The same should hold true for adults, right.

Now an off topic question for those of you on GoodReads: Have kindle editions been added to the site? I went to add a book a was reading on the kindle and couldn't find a kindle edition. Not that it really matters. I just want to be super honest.

Crafting Poetry-February

I went into February with all sorts of hope. I was going to crank out this project in a week, move on to a second, then finish up the third before the month was over. I was that inspired by this poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

I just love the beginning:

AS a quiet little seedling
Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
And this is what it said:

"I am not so very robust,
But I'll do the best I can;"
And the seedling from that moment
Its work of life began.

I figured the easiest way to find a pattern was to just search "seedling" over on Ravelry and this pattern popped up. All I had to do was adjust it for toe up and change up the arrow pattern just a bit. Piece o' cake.

No. It wasn't a piece of cake. I made mistake after mistake. First try too bigMy usual plug in heel is Wendy's Gusset Heel, but you need an even number of stitches on the needle for that. So I tried the same heel I used on my gumdrop socks. They were a little snug. Luckily I found the Andersson Heel. (Now that I'm looking at all the pictures, I notice mine looks nothing like the others. Bummer.) It works, although it's a little too short for my foot (bad timing on my part.) I'm still not perfectly happy with the socks. I wore them to work. Meh. I hope the next project turns out better. Anyway, here is a crappy picture of this month's offering:

Squee! In Which I Announce a Winner (Plus A Side of Mish Mash)

I won't keep you waiting until the end for the winner. I will lead with that. You may do what you will with the mish mash.

And our lucky shawl recipient is...


#7! (That would be Deneen) If you'll just drop me  an email so I can confirm your addy.

Bummed you didn't win? Fear not! I have another giveaway today!

The lovely Multnomah shawl!


Same rules apply, sort of. Every time you comment on the blog between now and February 20th, I'll add your name to a numbered list. I will use the random number generator to choose the winner and I will announce it on February 21st.

I should probably add some disclaimers like:

• The shawl will come from a non-smoking household.
• But there are cats. Expect some cat hair. 
• There is wool in the shawl.

Now for the Mishy Mashy:

• I have a kindle!
• If I'm not careful, I will end up in the poorhouse from buying books.
• So I'm trying to stick to classics (most of which are free.)
• Of course, very little knitting is getting done.
• This is not a good thing.
• Though I did manage to finish a pair of socks. (The FO post is coming.) I am only marginally happy with them.
• How hard is it to smile? If you work with the public you should try not to be so mean looking. Heck, the people who work with you are tired of your angry mug.
• I hope this week goes quickly. 
• I have next Monday off.

Friday Fill-In 2/11/11

1. Family comes first. (And I'm  amazed at the number of people who criticize me for refusing to over schedule myself with social engagements and extra work because I prefer to stay home with my family.)

2. Life has its ups and downs.

3. Trust but verify.

4. Always look for for the best.

5. Parents (I'm staying away from this one. I teach an I have some strong feelings about what parents seem to be like these days.)

6. I can never remember what was said.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting and watching Triunfo del Amor, tomorrow my plans include catching up on my sleep and Sunday, I want to knit and read!


And a quick FO for Friday:





Being the lazy bum that I am, I will simply direct you to my Ravelry project page for the details.


Thanks for the comments on the shawl giveaway! It's still not to late to enter!

The Downside of Decluttering

We interrupt this WIP Wednesday for some musings on past and future FOs.

I'm beginning to realize that I knit without purpose. I'm finding all sorts of FOs that I never use/wear. I really need to assess my knitting and think about each project. Will I use it? Will it get worn?

• Socks. Yes, I will wear these. Continue to knit them.
• Dishcloths. Really? Do I need 1,236 dishcloths (A little piece of me still says "yes")
• Scarves. Hmm. I haven't been wearing them because I own so many turtlenecks, but I really want to start wearing them more often.
• Sweaters. This is a really tough one. Making a sweater is a crapshoot. There are several I've made and actually wear. If I'm serious about decluttering, I'm going to have to be really sure about a sweater.
• Shawls. I'm kind of torn. I think if I knew how to wear them I would use them more often. Any fashion tips for me, folks?

There wouldn't be a problem if I liked people/had friends. Then I'd have homes for all the knitting I do.

Maybe I should just start giving away FOs on the blog. First come, first serve that sort of thing. Trouble is, most of you knit. You can make your own stuff...and far better than I can.

What the hay. Let's try one now.  

Up for grabs:

Here's a link to the project page.

Leave a comment. I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner. Hmmm. Deadline...uh...Sunday at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Valentine's day.

February Goals

Oh my. I haven't made monthly goals in a while. Heaven knows why I'm doing it now! (And a few days late at that.)

1. Finish socks for Crafting Poetry. I'm making something up as I go along based heavily on this design. I've screwed up more than I've been successful. There's nothing like knitting for a week and having nothing to show for it. *insert annoyed face here*
2. Cast on and finish mitts.
3. At least begin the Forest Canopy Shawl.
4. Finish one book. (I'm aiming kind of low, huh?)

Please Accept My Apologies

The post of earlier this morning was not at all timely. I didn't say a word about the Super Bowl and I apologize. If I had been thinking ahead I would have written a lovely post about my favorite commercials like I did back in 2005 (Even then I was lazy...posting a top 3 list instead of 5 or 10.)

All I can say about the Super Bowl is that I thought far too many passes were dropped. Seriously, guys. You're paid millions of dollars and you've made it to the Super Bowl. Don't play like a pee-wee team.

Why I Love Telenovelas

I have a confession. I have recently become addicted to telenovelas. Well, maybe not so recently. A couple of years ago I showed a telenovela from the 90's to my Spanish III class and they loved it...and I had a great time watching them get so into it. (And it was educational!)

Then, last Summer, I stumbled onto Soy Tu Dueña and got hooked...bad. I had withdrawal when it ended. I actually felt a sense of loss when the Gran Final aired. (Ok. So I'm pathetic and I just made it public.)

Here's a short list of why I love them so.

1. They end. Even if more episodes are ordered and the writers do some really implausible things to stretch the story, you still know it will eventually end.
2. When they do end, the galán and his lady will be together...forever.
3. And they'll be married.
4. Villains always pay for their evil. I've seen them end up in prison scrubbing toilets, killed and killing themselves. One lady villain ended up dead, cremated and flushed down the toilet! It's practically a rule: Evil must be punished.
5. The music is wonderful. Most telenovelas have a beautiful theme song and lovely incidental music. (Oddly, one thing I missed the most about STuD was the music.)
6. I get to hone my "listening to Spanish" skills.
7. They are complete and utter brain candy. Check your brain at the door and make sure your aluminium beanie fits correctly...it's going to be an over-the-top, wild ride (see #4 above.) 
8. Community. Check out this site (I became a recapper just last week! Squee!) and this one (though I mainly lurk there.) Here's a good one with a great overview and all the rules explained for your convenience.

If you have any of the Spanish Channels and you want to hone your Spanish, telenovelas are da' BOMB.

The Mother of All Mish-Mashes With a Dash of Burning Questions

(Maybe that is hyperbolic)

• I have to frog the sock I recently started. Sometimes it sucks making stuff up on the fly. It was the flipping heel I didn't like. ETA: I have tried three times to get the heel right and I'm getting frustrated. It has seriously cut into my feeling of productivity this weekend. I hate when I knit for days and have nothing to show for it. What's your favorite heel?
• Old Man Winter is a mean SOB. Just sayin'. It seems to me this year has been snowier than usual and that the Northeast and Midwest have just been slammed. So, readers...has it been a particularly rough winter?
• My daughter is a perfectionist and very much a planner. Sometimes I worry it takes some of the joy out of living for her. She builds things up in her head and often seems a little disappointed or gets frustrated with more "go with the flow types." So, do you think perfectionists have a lower quality of life?
•  I'm itching to do a little cross stitch project (check out these.) Do any of you cross stitch? Does a good site for freebies exist? It's been over 10 years since I cross stitched anything!
• I find it easier to comment on blogs on Fridays and Saturdays (duh.) Do you do most of your blog business on the weekends or during the week? (I tend to do more on the weekends.)
• Should I be ashamed of my 33 frogged projects on Ravelry?
• The 9th graders at my school have been assigned The Westing Game in their English class. We are a magnet school. Is it just me or is that book a little, um, easy? I read it in the 5th grade for Pete's sake.
• When I went to amazon to link the book, I read a couple reviews. One parent was like "it was boring." I wish I could slap that person. You're a grown up, dumb ass. You're tastes are probably a bit more sophisticated now. Luckily a 7th grader came behind and said "I read it in the 5th grade and loved it." As far as children's lit goes, The Westing Game is a keeper. Seeing as it's been around 30ish years, I'm willing to bet it's pretty good.
• Note to self: re-read The Westing Game.
• Woohoo! I have a copy already!
• Have you read the Westing Game?
• In an effort to feel somewhat productive I read Sweet Valley Twins: Boys Against Girls as part of the YA Fiction of the 80's and 90's challenge. (Also makes book #4 for the year. 21 more books and I will have outdone myself and read more than in 2010.) Anyhoo, it wasn't a complete stinker. What's your opinion of kid's fiction? I don't remember as many "series" when I was young. I remember Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown. Do you think children's books today are of higher or lower quality? (Maybe their is just more low-quality out there that makes it look like Children's Lit has gone to hell in a handbasket.)
• I am reading more grown-up books. They just take longer. And require more thought. I love the YA challenge because I can completely check my brain at the door. They may be thought-provoking to kids, but to me not so much.
• I'm still dreaming of a kindle, but I have discovered the kindle app on my droid. Maybe I can hold off buying one.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, those of you who keep up with football. I don't have a horse in this race, so I just want a good game. Blow outs are boring (Unless it's my team doing the blow out.)

Friday Fill-In 2/4/11

1. We are on this earth because God gave it to us to care for and to care for each other (and we are doing a terrible job.)

2. Sometimes experience trumps a college degree (ask any first year teacher.)

3. One of the hardest things for me to learn is organization and time management.

4. The computer helps me stay connected.

5. I remember my grandparents often.

6. My husband is one of the best parts of my life.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting, Triunfo del Amor and Starbuck's, tomorrow my plans include knitting and Sunday, I want to watch the Super Bowl!


Some mish-mash

• I'm hoping the sun is shining this weekend because I want to get better pictures of my gumdrop socks.
• I leaned so many new things about my droid this week. They may block everything on the internet at work, but I still have my droid!
• I haven't been to Knit Nite since August. It's not the people. It just feels like such a Herculean task to do anything after I get home from work. I'm really becoming a hermit. 
• I wish Spring would hurry up and get here.
• I wonder if I knit half the things on my queue this year. Of course, the key is to not ADD anything.
• If I'm going to not use animal fibers, I'm going to need to invest in a steamer for blocking....but I sure don't want to spend $100+ on one. I wonder if a travel steamer would do?
• I've come up with a million "burning questions" in the last week, and I can't remember one of them.
• The groundhog is a lying little chump. No way is Spring coming early.
• I can't decide what wastes more of my time, the computer or caring for the cats.

Woo Hoo! Wednesday (With a Mish Mash App)

I'll get to WIPs in a minute, but first:

I finished the Gumdrop Socks! (And took crappy pictures!)



I will try to get better pictures this week-end.

I'm very proud of myself because this was one of those "outside of my comfort zone" projects.

I still have the usual WIPs- Haiku, Stangling Vines and Seaweed. And I'll be adding to my WIP list soon as I plan to cast on

• Seedlings
• Forest Canopy Shawl
• Green Thumb

And I also want to cast on 

• Sleepy Hollow
• Duckies and...
• Geometric Scarf

It will be very interesting to see how February shapes up in the FO department. I dream big, that's for sure.

Random stuff going on in my head:

• HPKCHC classes are up and none of them appeal to me.
• The first month of Crafting Poetry has ended and I just loved everyone's projects.
• Do you think a post can have too many labels?
• Do you even pay attention to labels?
• I'm so glad it rarely snows where I live. I hope all my Northeast and Mid-west readers are safe and warm.

Crafting Poetry-Official Entry Post for February

I don't know about y'all, but I had a blast in January.

Link it up here, folks!

And the Winner Is.......

Eve of St Agnes Mitts by Lily-Lemon!

Congratulations!!!

Ten on Tuesday 2/1/11

Ten (+) Things on My Bedside Table

1. A lamp
2. An alarm cat clock.
3. Mama cat (variable)
4. Baby cat (also variable)
5. Dust (semi-permanent)
6. 2 At-A-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes (for browsing)
7. Walden Pond by Thoreau (unread)
8. How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler (unread)
9. Living a Life that Matters by Harold Kushner (unread...what does that say about my life?)
10. Burro Genius by Victor Villaseñor (being read)
11. Rules of Engagement by Christina Dodd (trashy romance being read)
12. The July 2010 issue of Creative Knitting magazine
13. The August-October 2008 issue of Cast-On magazine
14. The August 2009 issue of Knit N Style magazine
15. The February-April 2009 issue of Cast On magazine
16. A mid-80s copy of a Schaffhauser Mode knitting booklet

And I'm just going to use this list as a segue...

I am being overrun by stuff. I just have too much stuff (surely the fact that decades old magazines are sitting on my beside table tipped you off.)

But the thought of going through all my stuff and getting organized makes me just as uptight as having all the stuff does. 

So I think what I'll do is just go through one drawer or shelf per day and get rid of at least 5 things. 

I really feel so disorganized and crazy lately.

And my brain won't shut off. 

And I want to cast on a million things. Ok. Maybe not a million, but at least 3.

PS: For those of you doing Crafting Poety, I'll be posting January's winner later today.