July is here.

Let's see.
Classes: Second Summer Session is in full swing, and while last session was easy and carefree, this one is a bit more work and stressful. Currently taking Human Development with a great teacher. She is super funny. And I'm taking an online course, Introduction to Special Education.  Apparently, most of the people in that department are a bit on the high-strung side, all I know is, this teacher seems to follow suit from the syllabus and emails sent out.  Had our first test tonight, super easy, got 100%! Hooray!

Knitting: I have almost finished my Fang Garden Shawl, and I have started my Descent into Ashes Shawl.
I have decided that I really, really, really want to make a felted bag. So I am gathering ideas for that eventual project.

Books: As of late, I have been reading in the evenings to wind down.  Since the beginning of the first summer session, I have read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  I really enjoyed it. But I really like old photographs that are sprinkled throughout the book.  I've also finished Why is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality by Jared Diamond.  I really like this author. He brings light to things I had never really thought about before, like why is human female ovulation 'invisible' and make it so interesting that I get really excited about evolutionary biology. Again.
Right now I am making my way through The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.

Since my last entry I moved into the dorms and my roommate, Julie, was wonderful. We hit it off right off the bat. We are so similar about somethings and we can talk for ages. I say was because, well, she's not my roommie anymore. No, she's getting married this Saturday. So she's going to be her hubby's roommie, apparently that's how marriage work. ( I wrote that last sentence, and then I thought about some people I know, not so much. But for the majority that's how it works, so I'm leaving it. )

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy! 

Gelukkige Vaderdag Papa!! 

Summertime...

....and the livin' is eeeeeasyyyyyy, fish are jumpin', and the cotton is hiiiiiiiigh." Another song, yea its been a while. Um, livin' is easy? Not so much.

So let's see.

School: That has been going really well lately. My classes are pretty great. I'm taking Classroom Management with Dr. R, who is the most awesome woman/educator around (and I use awe-some in it's original meaning - filled with awe, as in she fills me with awe in her breadth of her knowledge, her kindness, and her classroom experience). When I first moved here, I registered for classes after the beginning of the semester. Because I had already missed the class and she didn't want me to get behind, she called me, let me know what I needed to do and welcomed me back to the US. She is wonderful. I learn so much in her classes. And she will be leaving after summer session.

I am super sad about this fact. Her class, my first day, I knew that this was where I was meant to be, and I know that part of that was her. She will be missed greatly.

The other class I am taking is Technology and Pedagogy. It is a good class, I am learning so much about using technology in the classroom, but I... don't know. I am all for technology and connecting with the current generation, but I have to wonder about the essential skills that we are leaving in the dust to make way for all the technology.

I was watching the news last night, and there was one principal who had taken out cursive writing. REALLY!?!?!? It was taken out to make way for more typing/computer classes. Are we really going to have a future generation that has no idea what to do when given a piece of paper and a pencil? Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but students in undergrad used to complain about physically writing out their papers with a pen/pencil. And therefore having to, Lord have mercy, plan out their papers before they begin writing. Seriously, I understand the value of having students being able to type and use common software applications, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. Like people were commenting on the news, a generation without signatures. I remember when I was able to read my grandmother's cursive handwriting as a kid. I was so proud of myself that I could read her letters on my own. I'd like my future children to be able to read her writing as well. As the key word of Tech and Ped, "balance" is the key.

Life: I am moving into On-Campus Housing on Tuesday. A little nervous, but also excited. I'll be in the graduate housing, so I won't have a repeat of freshman year. (For those who don't know, let's just say I only lived on-campus for that one year, and it was awful.) Moving on, I won't be to far from the Education building, which is nice. I'll be able to ride my bike.

Knitting: On Saturday evening I started my Fang Garden. I'm using Fresh from the Cauldron's Fangtasia yarn. It's just so darn beautiful. I'll post pictures when I think there is enough to really get a feel for the pattern.

Basketball: Mavericks Won!! YEEEESSS !!!! Dirk Nowitski MVP!!! Hooray for him. It was an amazing game. Close all the way through, lots of fouls and close calls, a 3(?, I think)-pointer right before the buzzer and a skirmish. Very exciting times.

Where have I been?

I know it has been so long.

Where have I been? Thailand, the land of warmth and sunshine, afternoon rain showers, scary on rice, ka-toys, elephants, massages and memories.

Pictures to come soon. (Update, apparently I have lost the pictures into the digital aybss. I don't know what happened)

What am I doing now? Summer school!

Enrich the Kids

Enrich the Kids is an awesome program for students to go to after school. They get a chance to take a bunch of different enrichment classes, work on homework and play outside.
The classes that I am offering are Kids with Yarn (a knitting/ crafts with yarn class), Multicultural Crafts and Drawing. This session there are only 5 weeks. That means there is only one week left. Waaahhh! Then I won't get to see my wonderful kids. Boo.

Here is the weekly lineup for each class

Drawing:
1: Perspective
2: Textures
3: Shapes in 3-D
4: Still-life
5: Mini-booklet and Life Drawing (no nekked people, k?)

Knitting
1: Fingerknitting
2. Spoolknitting
3: Pom-pom chickies, and we got to see some day-old live chickies too.
4: Loom knitting
5: Hand knitting (regular knitting)

Multicultural Crafts
1: Native Latin American
2: Carnival
3: Africa
4: Australia
5: Asia

And on the graduate school front...... FINALS are DONE!!! boo-ya!
So tired... must go and clean.
Only 6 days til Thailand.

ETA:
You may also be wondering if I have finished any new knitting projects, and well, I have but it can't be shown on here because it is for a certain Mom in my life. And even though I finished the project weeks ago. I have failed miserably in sending it out. I know, worst daughter ever.
No I take that back, just terribly busy daugther how took the time to make her awesome Mama a project out of a ton of purple lace weigth Merino/tencel yarn. And it only took me a couple of weeks, yeah, I the knitting bomb.

I am almost finished with another large project that should be blocked and photographed before the flight westward.
Cheers.

Isn't it amazing?

Bisquick now makes Gluten Free mixes. Alright the masses may not be super excited, but I am. Ana found this at the commissary. Isn't it a great find?

I did make pancakes last night, just not with this mix because I already have one open. Pancakes with banana and fresh raspberries for the win!

What's been going on?

What has been going on you might ask, as I haven't updated in over a month.
Well, there's school, school, school... and oh, look at that more school.

In graduate school we just finished midterms. They went well for me. And we are now on Spring Break. In Elementary schools, all the kids are sick and ready for the week off. Seriously, herding cats into bags would be easier somedays.

Besides papers, observations, presentations and such, I finished my shawl.
Pattern: Whippoorwill
Yarn: Fresh from the Cauldron's Elena on Silk Sock (pinks)
Regia Black Sock Yarn
Start to Finish: About a month.

What a lovely sideways picture. That's how it is going to stay because I've fixed it a bunch already, not doing it again. Just tilt your head to the left.... that's it. Super easy. Thanks for playing along.

Yesterday the fabulous Miss Penny and I went for a car ride. She loves car rides. She sticks her nose out the window and sniffs and barks at other dogs, some people, and horses. Apparently those four legged beauties are just too big for her liking. And the main event of the day, was an ice cream stop at Caliche's.

When we got home is ran around outside and then flopped on the bed.

You might notice a few things on the bed in the background...




Her treasures and bones. Penny has, count 'em, 6 milkbones. She has a tendency to horde them, which is better than burying them for weeks and then digging them up and they are all half decayed and nasty.

And my car. It is a Toyota Carolla, or however you spell it. I have finally given a name to this baby. May I present Dean, a beautiful dark emerald green that runs wonderfully, drinks oil like a fish dirinking

water, (we're working on the AA meetings for Dean, k?) and surprisingly good sound system and aircon. He got a bath last week so I should show you him all sparkly, but I'll include a before picture now and an after picture at a later time.