sunday entertainment.

every sunday, i go to the same coffee shop to grade whatever crate of language arts papers i've collected from the week. tables are hard to come by, so i snag one early and hunker down, ignoring the glances from couples awaiting a table for two, or teens hoping to sit and people-bash. my box of papers counts as another person, right? so what that i've been drinking the last sip of my coffee for two hours? i'm entitled to this table! today i sat outside, between families and bandmates, and sorrounded by the leaves that are piling up in the corners of all brick patios this time of year. soon, an area homeless man set up shop next to me with his broken guitar, plastic mariachis, and turquoise recorder. i could only listen and focus on grading for so long before moving indoors, but my favorite song (by far) was "dancing queen." he was having a lot of fun singing it, and i've never heard that one done solo before.

inside, i have to derive my entertainment from my students. so far, the best i've encountered is an asterisk by Shakespeare. glancing down to the bottom of the page, i read:

"the famous guy who wrote lots of poems"

awesome. and, yes, my students can make footnotes.

rocking my (non-handmade) socks.

oh lord, how snow days rock my socks. they rock my big, thick, plaid, knee-high, snow-boarding, comfy-schmomfy, winter socks. i haven't even begun my snow day (it's tomorrow!! school has been cancelled!), but already i can feel the stress roll off of me as i shovel my drive, snuggle my puppy, and begin what can only be described as my annual winter knitting.

i'm excited to announce: fingerless mittens are BACK, my friends!

i found this pattern several years ago, and i've kept it as close to my heart as pb & j to soggy bread - as close as dried glue on your finger tips after a little construction paper crafting session - as close as pantyhose. i've tried patterns with lower gauge (thinner) yarn, but they take TOO long to knit up. i've tried patterns with the little individual finger-stubs, but they involve more thinking and less of the mindless, day-dream infused knitting that this time of year demands.

so, as the snow falls down in fat, lazy clumps, and i enjoy my mid-week sojourn from the wiles of middle schoolers, i will once again be picking up my double-pointed needles and my leftover manos del uruguay yarn from last holiday season. my thoughts wander as i knit, which i think is why i love it so much. i'm sure this is common, but besides work and books i tend to mull over the person who will wear whatever knitted "thing" i'm concocting at the moment. is that why homemade gifts are so great? that they are given with time spent thinking about the friendship? i'm feeling pretty lucky right now to have friends and family who are so darn nice and helpful and supportive. this particular day, i'm looking through my box o'yarn and wondering: who is best represented by fuzzy pink with magenta stripes? which one of you is woolen cerulean with black marbling?

while i sort that out, here's wishing you a happy thursday - with or without the snow!

1776.

I'm loving Cryptonomicon,

but I needed something to listen to in the car.

Thank you library!!

creations with marking pens and colors.

ah, drawing.

this scene was pronounced boring and wanting for drama.

hence, the blood.

sunday.

ok, usually i am busy doing IMPORTANT things on sundays, like grading my classes' writer's notebooks or cooking a huge meal or painting a room of my house, but today i am letting my feet and the internet carry me hither and thither. allow me to now interrupt the very important things that YOU were just doing and point out funny stuff.

1. evany's extended cake mix. this blogger is a good writer, and she makes hilarious comparisons. good writing is inspirational - end of story - so i'm always happy to find a new writer to enjoy. like me, she likes dresses that make you look pregnant. unlike me, she just had a baby and owns a dress with the great lakes depicted on it. awesome! go check out her blog!

2. stuff white people like: the website. you've probably heard of this book, but if not then allow me to explain: there is a book that consists of a long list detailing (you guessed it) things that white people like. things like coffee. and reggae. and other people's religions. each choice is supported with evidence of why or how white people like these things.

it's kind of funny - not hilarious - but funny enough for a chuckle. and today a chuckle is what was procured form me. because white people do like sea salt. and ironic tattoos. and sometimes it is good to laugh at yourself.

3. i needed some relaxation this weekend, and it came in the form of friends, ice cream, crayons, forts, bike riding, hiking, coffee, and beer. mild weather helped too. did i mention coloring? and crayons? i think the indie rock coloring book brought this on, but i do love coloring. it's so relaxing. i must have really needing an outlet because pretty much every activity this weekend including crayons. go crayons!

4. does this happen to others? my underwear drawer overfloweth for years (YEARS!), and i'm thinking that i might never need to buy or make underwear again. then this morning i realize that i HAVE to buy new underwear - like, yesterday. how do all of the underwear wear out simultaneously? sigh.

movie time.

(on my break between school and conferences- escaping into blogworld!)

a few day ago, one of my friends mentioned little miss sunshine, one of her favorite movies. it's also one of my favorite movies. this prompted a 'top 5' discussion, and i've been thinking since then off and on about movies that i love. my thoughts have been interrupted but riding my bike last night brought them back. i stopped at a red light and watched leaves swirling down to the ground. they were really just shadows against the dusky sky, ebbing down toward the street; it was almost dark. my thoughts floated from my movie list to why i love cheese fries and then back to movies via thoughts about 'sex and the city.' i love carrie's outfits, and how the girlfriends interact.

and i love how my thoughts jump around when i give them the chance. anyway...

here's my current top 5. what's yours?

- amelie.
- the philadelphia story.
- pride and prejudice.
- uh, and, pride and prejudice.
- the royal tenenbaums.
- this james bond.

wha - ?!?!!?

indie rock coloring book? yes, please!

frenetic.

**correction - fall has just officially arrived. with snow. winter is yet to come...**

Fall has slid into winter, officially. Snow is here. Parent teacher conferences are here. The end of the quarter is here. The need for hibernation time has surreptitiously arrived.

My snowy weekend was relaxing, which I needed, anticipating the busyness that conference week always brings. Pictures were hung on the bare painted walls of my house and curtains affixed to the windows for warmth. The bathroom is still a mess, which I feel pppbbbbttt about, but friends have offered to lend a hand and help us bang it out. On Saturday, Rylee the mountain dachshund hiked with me through the snow and only had to be carried for a couple of miles. She's tiny but determined to keep up with her bigger-dog friend. We hiked near Red Feather Lakes, and the weather was sunnily delicious; it surprised me later how shadowed town had been.

In other news, I can't even think about starting to make Christmas presents. All of that pre-school energy I had is hiding from me. All I can manage right now is work, work, work, then sprawlingly lounge in the joy of not working. :)

a snowy snapshot

we had our first snow this week. it didn't stick, but my students were SO excited to have flakes falling down on them at lunch.

driving in, i saw one of my 6th grade boys furiously pedaling toward school. his gaze focused on the sidewalk ahead, head bent down. his legs pumped methodically, propelling him towards my classroom, essays, and literary vocabulary. obviously working hard through the snowy breeze, his gait was as even as his temper is each day. as i drove by, i glanced backward and saw his white hoody pulled up over his head (gelled hair protected!), a scarf tied over the hood to protect his face.

i laughed along to NPR as i pulled past my student and into the slushy parking lot. this was going to be a good day.

peace on a sunday.

this is one of the most beautiful places that i've seen in a long time. some sights are made better by chilly air or long drives or tired muscles -- somehow i felt i had earned this moment in time to sit and stare at the grass and think about life.

**this was taken on a hike yesterday at vedauwoo, near laramie, wyoming.