Couple-a Heys

from the girl who should have been asleep 2 hours ago given the schedule she's got going on tomorrow.

Hey! Apple Juice, thanks for that extra arsenic. I've been forgetting to give my kids their daily dose.

Hey! Pinky-toe. How is it that you can exist all day unnoticed and then DEMAND attention once I'm warm under the covers.

Hey! iTunes. Guess I WON'T be ordering the Classic Hits of the 70's. I've got better things to do with my insomnia (so far)

Hey! Kindergartener- "Nutcrapper?" Really? Thanks for doing my crack me up job for me.

Hey! Third grader-thanks for spontaneously saying (and meaning) three words that I will remember until I'm dead "You Inspire Us."

Hey! Big Bowl of Frosted Flakes that I just ate- why do I feel I have to DEVOUR this particular brand. I don't devour other cereals. I eat them as one should eat breakfast foods- except at different times. And yet pour a bowl of frosty flakes and I am led to believe that I haven't eaten for weeks and probably won't again.

Hey! Jason Kottke liberal ARTS web site smart guy- Did you really think I'd be able to resist watching all of the Coronet Instructional Videos including the "do's and don'ts of dating" and Dick York in a h0m0er0tic video called "Insomnia" put out by the US Navy in the 1940's? call me paranoid but the biggest hit on my blog to date includes the word M0j0-hence the zeros instead of o's

Hey! blog friends- thanks for being readers- maybe if I can get some of these thoughts out of my head I'll be able to travel off to dreamland. Did this post jump around plenty for you? Try living in this brain ALL the time!

turn that frown...

upside down.

This is the week that makes me crazy. I introduced the winter program songs before Thanksgiving. Today, after a week long break, I expected all kids to come back singing them to me "glee"fully.

Here's an open thank you to third grader "Jackson" who sang every verse to Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho including the line that starts "then the lamb ram sheep horn began to blow..."

Yes- we are doing all spirituals. No it is not multi-cultural. Yes there is educational value to it. No I couldn't do another year of Rudolph and Jingle Bells without completely losing my mind. I'm a formerly Jewish now Buddhist putting together a Christmas holiday program containing African American Spirituals in a sometimes racist rural West Virginia town. I crack me the hell up.

There will be some Amens and Hallelujahs- because kindergarteners sound so adorable trying to say Hallelujah. (they also sound pretty funny saying "I'm gonna clap when the spirit says clap" because mostly the letter "L" sounds like an "R") The thing that I know the most is that there will be some music that will make the audience happy and that the kids are happy to sing which means a lot to me.

This is all about motivation- mine and theirs. At one point today I said to 3rd graders "if you are halfway good, they will clap. If you are terrible, they will clap. If you put your heart into it, they will clap and mean it like crazy."

But back to the point of this post. One thing that got me through the first day of drive me crazy week was the Keurig coffee maker that now adorns my desk with an on and off timer. Breakfast Blend first thing in the morning, hot chocolate at lunch and something called "Nantucket" that should have been called "this will give your afternoon a kick in the a$$" a little later in the day.

It could also be called "enjoy this energy while it lasts because when you come down from this, you will be useless." Such was the case by the time I got home. I was also starving. And now to the point of this post (or maybe not). Mr. Sophanne has learned about this time of year and pays attention. I said, "I'm hungry." He took charge, went to Hardees and in addition to the tacos he brought from the "Red Burrito" part of Hardees, he brought home a chocolate milkshake.

I was a wiped out zombie and he brought me a chocolate milkshake. He can be a smart ass all he wants. I don't know how lucky I am.

p.s. I am 5 posts away from post number 1000 on this blog. That's just crazy! How should we celebrate?

I don't think she's asking for a bath...

I love that dog.

score a one liner for me...

Last night Mr. Sophanne was waiting for a call from his dr. about adjusting his blood pressure medicine. He told me this but when the phone beeped in, I didn't answer it, didn't think about a dr. calling at 6:00 pm, and he missed the call. He was annoyed for a while. After I apologized for the third time he said, "It's o.k., if I die of a heart attack tomorrow you can feel bad."

I said, "It's a good thing being a smartass isn't fatal."

Every now and then the right words come out at the right time.

You've Got Mail

I went to a conference in Pittsburgh this weekend, found everything and got out without causing any major traffic disruptions. Mountainmama served as navigator. That helped.

All I had time to knit once I got home was this cute little mailbox.

Also to share- some potatoes.

I Proudly present the 2011 potato crop-



Can anyone say Ireland- 1840ish? Glad I don't have to survive on them. I think we harvested too late because several of those pictured were black inside and clearly no longer interested in being sustenance. I'm going to stick them in the crock pot with a roast and some broth and some carrots tomorrow. Hopefully none of them will contaminate an otherwise easy and tasty meal.

Also at the convention center was a thing called the Handmade Arcade -sort of an Etsy live. Here I found some Monkey Zombie Art to let Mr. Sophanne know I missed him while I was gone. Nothing says I love you like Monkey Zombie Art. And for the first time since I can remember, Mr. Sophanne seemed pleased that I thought of him with a goofy souvenir. Go Figure.

Knit Knight- Birthday Edition

Birthdays are the best with people you like the most. In "day after your birthday knit knight" hoorayness I was ensconced.

KnitnightTara made me a pair of fingerless mitts (that I rudely but kiddingly requested months ago) in my most favorite color ever.



KnitnightalwaysmakemelaughJustine made me a pair of fingerful mitts that will one day have caps to cover them in some yarn that feels delicious on my fingers.



And there was a cupcake. A real one. Clandestinely escorted into Panera's, unbeknownst to them. There was very quiet happy birthday singing that I made sure I wanted to look at everyone because it was the best thing ever. Knitnighttara made the cupcake and there was a candle and it was cinnamon swirl with delicate icing and I tried to blow out one candle but couldn't even do that mostly because I was so happy to have such really great people singing TO ME and they meant it- I could tell.



Best. Birthday. Ever.

Warning Warning

picture from wikimedia commons

Full moon is coming and if today is any indication, it's going to be a doozy.

I was outside tending to bus duty when a parent I had never talked to approached me and said "You took a picture of my daughter and you put all of the tall boys in front of her and I want you to know that I don't appreciate that."

Which would have been a reasonable complaint if I had actually known what she was talking about or if she would have stopped long enough when I said "wait, wait, wait" instead of shaking her head, waving me off, and refusing to speak to me.

FortyDamnSix?

I wonder how many chins I'll have at 92!



I also wonder how many years they will print this card so that Mr. Sophanne can get it each time to make me laugh.

cuppy-cake

I bought the tiny mochimochi by Anna Hrachovek and made a tiny cuppy-cake in minutes. Then I bought an electronic copy of her other book and soon I will knit a grouchy couch.

Possessed by things that go Bump in the Night

or why you should disable your itunes account when you have insomnia.

Have you seen that show "Sing Off?" When the acts are good on these musical reality shows, I have to wonder if and when the musician's union is going to make a fuss. All of these performers, presumably not being paid union wages to entertain anyone who will watch.

On Monday night, the Dartmouth Aires did a killer arrangement of some Queen. I am not easily impressed and I was blown away.

Fast forward to Mr. Sophanne gently snoring in anticipation of his 4:37 a.m. alarm clock and me lying awake in bed with everything but sleep dancing in my head.

hmm... that Queen arrangement made me think of the music of Queen. I think I'll look up and see what other Queen songs I've forgotten on iTunes.

*click click click search*

oh look- Bohemian Rhapsody is considered "Classic Rock." I wonder what other Classic Rock songs I've loved and forgotten. Oh look iTunes Essential has conveniently made a buyable list of Classic Rock songs

*click click click scroll*

An hour later I have purchased the entire collection of Classic Rock songs from iTunes Essential Classic Rock. Did I discern between ones that I actually like and ones that are just there. No I did not. Because I wanted to have a classic rock radio stream on my ipad.

Mind you, I am a cultivated music consumer. I listen for real. There's never been anything close to "background music" in my life. I'm either listening or I'm doing something else. Classic Rock from the 70's and 80's was NEVER a mainstay in my listening repertoire. And yet I can now dial up Don't Fear the Reaper, Cold as Ice, Nights in White Satin, Stairway to Heaven and 75 other songs that have always been "there" but never been important. I was possessed by a Classic Rock demon and have been listening to them on the mindless drive to and from work.

I wouldn't be so worried but while Mr. Sophanne was driving home from knit night, I found myself in the passenger seat trying to see if I remembered how to french braid my hair. I'm going to blame the whole episode on the vast amount of hairspray applied to my head when I got a haircut on Monday.

If you are under 30 or over 55, this post may not make any sense to you. If this is case, please enjoy some knitting.



It's Clockwork by Stephen West done in some Stitchjones and Socks that rock.