Tuesday, 23 December 2014
[Belated] DPP 22: Trees for All
We visited family this week, and were unable to get out of decorating at least one tree for the season. Here's the finished product (with thanks to my brother-in-law for asking me to take a photo of it, since I barely remembered to turn on any of my electronics on the 22nd).
[Belated] DPP 21: Cardinal Directions
I. and I have long loved this road sign, which is on the path from Morristown to most northern places and marks the beginning of an important junction. Sometimes I don't even think that our travel has officially begun until we have passed this sign.
Friday, 19 December 2014
DPP 19: Christmas Mambo
After a hectic last week of school, I. and I escaped to the Christmas dance party held by our dance studio. We carefully avoided decorating our own tree this year, but were able to compensate by enjoying the trees at school, church, and studio (among others).
Saturday, 13 December 2014
[Belated] DPP 12: Night Lights
Our school had its Christmas celebration this week (which went smoothly and was enjoyable). The calm after the flurried storm--a week of rehearsals (for I.) and half-full classes (for me)--was even more enjoyable. I. generously stopped the car on our drive home so that I could get this shot of our town centre in tungsten lighting.
[Belated] DPP 08: Light Show
One of my students decided that I was not festive enough, so he brought a string of Christmas lights to school and decorated for me! They are not your standard Christmas lights--they actually have nine or ten differing blinking patterns (most of which can be pretty distracting to the rest of my students).
Monday, 8 December 2014
DPP 06 & 07: Quiet Home Companions
The weekend was busy and filled with a lot of general laziness. I did manage to rearrange one of our work spaces by swapping I.'s desk with our spare table. I really love this table, but it is hugely impractical in our current home.
Sunday was a day of essays, and also trying (and failing) to clean out my very beloved pen. I'm coming up on my year anniversary with this very lovely pen (a birthday present from I.), which has barely left my waking side since I received it.
Sunday was a day of essays, and also trying (and failing) to clean out my very beloved pen. I'm coming up on my year anniversary with this very lovely pen (a birthday present from I.), which has barely left my waking side since I received it.
Sunday, 7 December 2014
DPP 04 & 05: Work and Play
In addition to my very quiet, largely-unread personal blog (by this I mean this one), I've also begin contributing to my school's blog. I took this photograph for my next blog there, but thought it would count for the Photo Project also. It's supposed to represent my workload (a la the large pile of grading) and my very timid coffee cup.
The one below I snapped from the window of a moving car after a fruitless photography day. I was burnt out and it is terrible, but it is a pretty accurate representation of my day, in which I flew about madly from the wee hours of the morning until we finally left school at around 5.00 p.m. for our date night. This was snapped on the way home after our dancing date (I'd hoped to take a photo of actual dancing, but don't like taking photos of people without express permission).
The one below I snapped from the window of a moving car after a fruitless photography day. I was burnt out and it is terrible, but it is a pretty accurate representation of my day, in which I flew about madly from the wee hours of the morning until we finally left school at around 5.00 p.m. for our date night. This was snapped on the way home after our dancing date (I'd hoped to take a photo of actual dancing, but don't like taking photos of people without express permission).
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
DPP 03: Gold Suede Shoes
This summer, I. and I splurged on a taster ballroom lesson, and as the summer has given into fall, we have made it our unofficial date night (whenever school does not interfere). Although our classes sometimes seem extravagant, they have been a welcome relief from the stresses of jobs and house and everyday life.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
DPP 02: Herbal Blessings
I thought last week that the hardest part of the December Photo Project this year would be finding things to photograph. Most of the scenic views that we see on a daily basis are ones I already photographed last year, and I hate the inside of our house.
Thanksgiving is over, but it is time for me to be grateful.
Something I love about our current house is that it has lots of space surrounding it, and that our landlord is willing to let us experiment with plants. Basil and mint flourished in the front of our house this year, and I. grew tomatoes and squash in the backyard, but now that the colder winter has come, the other plants have all fallen before the might of the rosemary (a good British roasting vegetable). As I snapped this photograph to me, it occurred to me for the very first time that rosemary actually looks quite a lot like the bristles of an evergreen tree.
Thanksgiving is over, but it is time for me to be grateful.
Something I love about our current house is that it has lots of space surrounding it, and that our landlord is willing to let us experiment with plants. Basil and mint flourished in the front of our house this year, and I. grew tomatoes and squash in the backyard, but now that the colder winter has come, the other plants have all fallen before the might of the rosemary (a good British roasting vegetable). As I snapped this photograph to me, it occurred to me for the very first time that rosemary actually looks quite a lot like the bristles of an evergreen tree.
Monday, 1 December 2014
DPP 01: Winter Flowers
I didn't think as hard as I should have about signing up for the December Photo Project this year. I sat on the sofa and thought about the fact that I haven't actually taken a photograph since I.'s birthday.
I am unhappy with this, and of my complete lack of blogging.
Since last year, when I became the de facto photographer for many of the events at school, I've had no desire to take photographs.
I still don't, really. I am wallowing in selfishness and grumpiness.
Nevertheless, here is something pretty:
Longsuffering readers--are any of you left--might remember that I. participated in a play last spring. This fall, the school attempted a rendition of Little Women, and very few young med auditioned, so he was invited back for a reprise (as Mr. March). We were surprised and amazed to receive a huge bouquet of flowers at the end of the third performance, and this is one of the lilies that have now survived nearly two weeks.
I am unhappy with this, and of my complete lack of blogging.
Since last year, when I became the de facto photographer for many of the events at school, I've had no desire to take photographs.
I still don't, really. I am wallowing in selfishness and grumpiness.
Nevertheless, here is something pretty:
Longsuffering readers--are any of you left--might remember that I. participated in a play last spring. This fall, the school attempted a rendition of Little Women, and very few young med auditioned, so he was invited back for a reprise (as Mr. March). We were surprised and amazed to receive a huge bouquet of flowers at the end of the third performance, and this is one of the lilies that have now survived nearly two weeks.
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Fleeting Summer; Lingering Heat
I don't really remember June. I think we spent a lot of it in the car (mostly driving to Knoxville). I. did a lot of grading and class prep, while I spent many of my mornings trying to make the house a little less crazy and to figure out dinners that didn't require preparation when we returned home. Our typical weekday began with breakfast a little past 3 before I. went to work. We often met up at 10 or 10.30 to drive to Knoxville, where I. would go to class and I would go shopping or read or study at Panera (yay big cities!). Along the way, I found a well-organized thrift shop, a $2.50 movie theatre, and an Indian grocery store (hurrah for food with flavor!). Knoxville is okay, and if we end up staying here for a while, I hope we end up moving a little closer to it.
June was also a month for houseguests: we had the pleasure of entertaining my friend R. for a week-end, and then my mother visited as part of a trip to learn to weave. As July began, she and I took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN. so she could take a weaving class. I spent several days in the local public library, which boasts some spectacular views and occasionally has functioning wifi.
Here's the view from the library parking lot:
More recently, I. and I have gone on our first hike of the summer, in Panther Creek State Park. I was a bit disappointed to have taken a giant loop to nowhere (despite the fact that we live in the Smokies, there was not even a hint of a view), but I. enjoyed the proximity to wildlife. He was particularly entranced when we crossed paths with some deer.
Last week, I painted the bookcases in my new classroom, and this week I have been putting books on shelves. Over the past year, I've assembled a rather formidable collection of dictionaries, and I recently scored another set of 1960s dictionaries from the free bin at a major Knoxville bookseller. I need to spend some quality time prepping for classes now; with six preps in the fall, I expect to be more than a little overwhelmed.
June was also a month for houseguests: we had the pleasure of entertaining my friend R. for a week-end, and then my mother visited as part of a trip to learn to weave. As July began, she and I took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN. so she could take a weaving class. I spent several days in the local public library, which boasts some spectacular views and occasionally has functioning wifi.
Here's the view from the library parking lot:
More recently, I. and I have gone on our first hike of the summer, in Panther Creek State Park. I was a bit disappointed to have taken a giant loop to nowhere (despite the fact that we live in the Smokies, there was not even a hint of a view), but I. enjoyed the proximity to wildlife. He was particularly entranced when we crossed paths with some deer.
Last week, I painted the bookcases in my new classroom, and this week I have been putting books on shelves. Over the past year, I've assembled a rather formidable collection of dictionaries, and I recently scored another set of 1960s dictionaries from the free bin at a major Knoxville bookseller. I need to spend some quality time prepping for classes now; with six preps in the fall, I expect to be more than a little overwhelmed.
Sunday, 8 June 2014
"Spring" into Summer
Spring this year was hot and sticky. My time was filled with weariness and grade complaints. I.'s was spent learning to lift heavy items and drive power equipment.
In early spring, I. was offered a part-time seasonal position with a home improvement chain (blue, not orange). He is part of the stocking crew, and gets out of bed at 3.00 a.m. each morning in order to make it to work on time (4.00). This job caused a significant shift in our sleep schedule, and we are now routinely in bed before dark every night (or, at least, most weeknights).
In the midst of the crazy, we managed to escape to nearby Asheville for a weekend. I found the city largely uninspiring--we stopped at a "riverfront" that was really a railwayfront--but it was nice to be out of our hometown. We enjoyed art exhibits and glass blowing in the railwayfront arts district; had some real mexican food at long, long last; and walked around the old town looking at about twenty identical gift shops that thought themselves unique and quirky. We also sampled a few local brews.
Gift shop copper wind twirly thing (because I. likes copper).
Coffee shop on a double-decker bus:
Candy in an upscale and expensive "general store":
A flight of local beverages:
After Asheville, our noses stayed glued to our figurative grindstones for months. I. continued his early schedule, and I used the extra morning time to stay on top of teaching prep and grading. School ended with two of the craziest weeks imaginable, and then I had a week of teachers' meetings in which we spent dozens of hours watching a video series that offered, more or less, the basics of Christianity in fourteen easy lessons.
As soon as teachers' meetings ended, I laid claim to a classroom formerly occupied by one of my colleagues. The greatest perks of the new room are that it has functioning air conditioning and a thermostat, both of which will make next year significantly less miserable. My books have been moved but are waiting to be unpacked.
I. and I tentatively discussed ideas of a short vacation, but on the eve of making a decision, he was offered a last-minute teaching job at a community college in Knoxville. He teaches afternoon labs on a slightly strange schedule that in which he works an average of three days each week. His first week on the new job included a grueling four consecutive days in which he rose at 3.00, stocked shelves from 4.00-10.00, drove to Knoxville (about 70 miles each way), taught from noon till about 6.00 in the evening, drove home, and repeated the schedule over again. What a wonderful and hard-working man I married!
Needless to say, after a week of this schedule, I. was exhausted, so we spent a weekend in the city itself, partly for a break and partly to cut down on the driving required by this new post. Knoxville was largely uninspiring, but had a few charms.
I did enjoy walking down a sketchy alleyway, located between Market Square and Gay Street. Amid the rubble, trash bags, and old man in a wheelchair were several dozen works of graffiti art, all unique.
We also walked down Gay Street, which was mostly closed except for a really lovely French cafe where we sat and drank six cups of coffee.
After Knoxville, we settled into a slightly more stable routine (I. has no more six-day teaching weeks, which is a gift) and also bought an important new piece of furniture: a small table for our back patio. We are hoping this will make our rather small home feel substantially larger, and I am looking forward to reading and writing outdoors after I. goes to work in the mornings (it's too hot in the afternoons to use this after he has come home, alas).
Here's our inaugural use of the table; I. is grading lab reports, while I am reading The Once and Future King.
The nicest view from the back patio:
I. finishes his class in about a month, at which point I am hoping we will actually be able to see one another for a few days! In the meantime, I am staying busy preparing for next year, reading lots of books, and tutoring Latin.
In early spring, I. was offered a part-time seasonal position with a home improvement chain (blue, not orange). He is part of the stocking crew, and gets out of bed at 3.00 a.m. each morning in order to make it to work on time (4.00). This job caused a significant shift in our sleep schedule, and we are now routinely in bed before dark every night (or, at least, most weeknights).
In the midst of the crazy, we managed to escape to nearby Asheville for a weekend. I found the city largely uninspiring--we stopped at a "riverfront" that was really a railwayfront--but it was nice to be out of our hometown. We enjoyed art exhibits and glass blowing in the railwayfront arts district; had some real mexican food at long, long last; and walked around the old town looking at about twenty identical gift shops that thought themselves unique and quirky. We also sampled a few local brews.
Gift shop copper wind twirly thing (because I. likes copper).
Coffee shop on a double-decker bus:
Candy in an upscale and expensive "general store":
A flight of local beverages:
After Asheville, our noses stayed glued to our figurative grindstones for months. I. continued his early schedule, and I used the extra morning time to stay on top of teaching prep and grading. School ended with two of the craziest weeks imaginable, and then I had a week of teachers' meetings in which we spent dozens of hours watching a video series that offered, more or less, the basics of Christianity in fourteen easy lessons.
As soon as teachers' meetings ended, I laid claim to a classroom formerly occupied by one of my colleagues. The greatest perks of the new room are that it has functioning air conditioning and a thermostat, both of which will make next year significantly less miserable. My books have been moved but are waiting to be unpacked.
I. and I tentatively discussed ideas of a short vacation, but on the eve of making a decision, he was offered a last-minute teaching job at a community college in Knoxville. He teaches afternoon labs on a slightly strange schedule that in which he works an average of three days each week. His first week on the new job included a grueling four consecutive days in which he rose at 3.00, stocked shelves from 4.00-10.00, drove to Knoxville (about 70 miles each way), taught from noon till about 6.00 in the evening, drove home, and repeated the schedule over again. What a wonderful and hard-working man I married!
Needless to say, after a week of this schedule, I. was exhausted, so we spent a weekend in the city itself, partly for a break and partly to cut down on the driving required by this new post. Knoxville was largely uninspiring, but had a few charms.
I did enjoy walking down a sketchy alleyway, located between Market Square and Gay Street. Amid the rubble, trash bags, and old man in a wheelchair were several dozen works of graffiti art, all unique.
We also walked down Gay Street, which was mostly closed except for a really lovely French cafe where we sat and drank six cups of coffee.
After Knoxville, we settled into a slightly more stable routine (I. has no more six-day teaching weeks, which is a gift) and also bought an important new piece of furniture: a small table for our back patio. We are hoping this will make our rather small home feel substantially larger, and I am looking forward to reading and writing outdoors after I. goes to work in the mornings (it's too hot in the afternoons to use this after he has come home, alas).
Here's our inaugural use of the table; I. is grading lab reports, while I am reading The Once and Future King.
The nicest view from the back patio:
I. finishes his class in about a month, at which point I am hoping we will actually be able to see one another for a few days! In the meantime, I am staying busy preparing for next year, reading lots of books, and tutoring Latin.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Wet "Winter" Wonderland
I've lost count of the number of "snow" days we've had this year (occasions notable, frequently, for their complete and utter lack of snow). Even when it does snow, the grass is usually still visible under the powdered-sugar dusting that we get as a result.
Usually we don't return to school until everything has melted, but on the last day of a snow-filled week, we showed up to find school looking unusually attractive:
I. and I spent most of January sitting in the house waiting for school to come back in session, and a huge part of February travelling. In the middle of February, a time distinguished by a sad lack of snow days, we managed to travel several thousand miles and visit eight separate states (all while missing only one day of school).
This semester has been quieter than last; I dropped a class and was given permission to assign books that met my students' reading levels. As a result, although I ended up reading sixteen separate books for ninth grade alone, I had a much more enjoyable time and experienced far less stress overall.
We've also been building up the school library, which--for upper school--is smaller than my personal library at home. I've spent a few planning periods rearranging books, and have been able to suggest a few books to buy, as well.
Our February travels led us to Alabama (to see a wonderful production of Carmen), Illinois (for a funeral), Maryland (for the dentist), and many states in between. March was filled with rehearsals for a play called Plotville, written by a colleague, in which my most excellent husband played a major role and for which production I designed the set.
Here's my set:
And here's my husband in his role as a preeminent (but treacherous) Council Member. Plotville is about a town filled with people who love to write, so the enormous feather in his pocket is his character's personal quill pen.
Shortly before the production, I spent a few too-brief days in Washington visiting the Folger Shakespeare Library for the first time in more than a year. As ever, I relished my moments of research and writing, but I was additionally impressed by the commitment of staff and researchers, whose summer cycling habits are, like the Post Office of old, unhampered by bad weather.
Spring has sprung, and Tennessee is already sweltering. With the play and most of our travel completed for now, I. and I are looking forward to spending a few weekends sitting quietly and sipping iced tea. We have not wanted for adventure and travel in recent days!
Usually we don't return to school until everything has melted, but on the last day of a snow-filled week, we showed up to find school looking unusually attractive:
I. and I spent most of January sitting in the house waiting for school to come back in session, and a huge part of February travelling. In the middle of February, a time distinguished by a sad lack of snow days, we managed to travel several thousand miles and visit eight separate states (all while missing only one day of school).
This semester has been quieter than last; I dropped a class and was given permission to assign books that met my students' reading levels. As a result, although I ended up reading sixteen separate books for ninth grade alone, I had a much more enjoyable time and experienced far less stress overall.
We've also been building up the school library, which--for upper school--is smaller than my personal library at home. I've spent a few planning periods rearranging books, and have been able to suggest a few books to buy, as well.
(One bookcase, in December. It has actually improved quite a lot since this photograph was taken).
Our February travels led us to Alabama (to see a wonderful production of Carmen), Illinois (for a funeral), Maryland (for the dentist), and many states in between. March was filled with rehearsals for a play called Plotville, written by a colleague, in which my most excellent husband played a major role and for which production I designed the set.
Here's my set:
And here's my husband in his role as a preeminent (but treacherous) Council Member. Plotville is about a town filled with people who love to write, so the enormous feather in his pocket is his character's personal quill pen.
Shortly before the production, I spent a few too-brief days in Washington visiting the Folger Shakespeare Library for the first time in more than a year. As ever, I relished my moments of research and writing, but I was additionally impressed by the commitment of staff and researchers, whose summer cycling habits are, like the Post Office of old, unhampered by bad weather.
Spring has sprung, and Tennessee is already sweltering. With the play and most of our travel completed for now, I. and I are looking forward to spending a few weekends sitting quietly and sipping iced tea. We have not wanted for adventure and travel in recent days!
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
The Mountains and Valleys of 2013
Moments of 2013 were among the happiest of my life, but the year as a whole had its fair share of disappointments. I. and I were able to travel abundantly, and we had adventures both together and apart.
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