New Toy... not the Lene Lovich kind...

Ok, I couldn't help the new wave reference!

Hubby gave me a T1i. VERY surprised...we don't buy gifts like that for each other - except when I paid for his car to be fixed after that broad ran a stop sign in '99. I have gotten rid of the nervous feeling when I touch it. Getting used to all the doo-dads on it. I took some candids of the Mr. when I put the lens on and turned it on for the first time...and I liked them! Now, normally, taking pictures of people is not my thing...others do it much better than me...but I liked it...I read a few pages in the manual each day and try a new thing or two. Millie is my model for now. I was going to set up something in the attic, but I didn't want to be up there when the roof blew off yesterday... yes, it was that windy...

Post Christmas...

Well, Millie loves her Christmas presents... I just have to make sure she passes all the yarn she's been eating from the yarn ball... I am still waiting for the blue poop...

At least the rain held out long enough for the snow to be there on the day...

I find it is actually nice having two churches within spitting distance. I don't spit on them...they are just that close... I really like seeing all the people going to Midnight Mass, hearing the bells chiming, seeing the lit up stained glass windows at night...

Don't like hearing so many fire sirens though... Don't know what the heck is going on in town lately... hope they are mostly drills...

Went to a gathering at a friends' house yesterday. A gathering of former college station dj's and friends. A pot luck... more desserts than anything else. That's the kind of folk we are... they have two little kids... probably two of the coolest little ones I know. Normally I have to run from little ones... not these. It's like they just belong with the adults. Kind of like when I taught elementary in Rockaway. Good food, good friends, and play-doh. You can't ask for anything more...

Snow?

Well, expected to see snow this morning...nothing...

Saw the Nutcracker after skipping it last year b/c of Dad's cancer operation. It was nice. I drove sis and her hubby in Sparky. Apparently my driving was "awful" and I do not think I will be driving the two of them anywhere anytime soon. I would argue that I did not get us hit by the guy who ran the red light and I passed the seemingly drunk school bus driver with nary an incident. But they disagree...

Was going to grade projects but they still sit in a box on the dining room table...

Want to sew, print in the basement, but Millie needs to be occupied.

At least I am close to repairing the hugely-important-to-me family-historical blown glass lamp shade hubby broke while dusting last year. There are apparently some missing pieces, but I'll make it look decent again...

Looking to sell my organ. My credit card has a Yamaha keyboard I can get once I earn more points. I can still play music but the keyboard takes less room than the organ...

4 Day Week!

Well, I was granted my personal day! Hooray. Spiffy - hubby's car - is in the shop, and the loaner is not available, and the two cars at the rental place came back damaged, so he has to take today off with no way to get to work. If I still had Nellie, I could let him drive her to work and could take the train to or get a ride from the parents. Hubby doesn't know how to drive Sparky yet, so not a good idea. I had a TERRIBLE Wednesday last week and decided to take tomorrow off. So that means Millie gets 4 whole days in a row with Mommy or Daddy! I never take a day off this close to Christmas, and I know the rumour-mongers here at PV will think I am shopping...but I just need a day to vegetate. I am done with shopping, so I will probably end up doing Main Street work on the computer, Etsy stuff, sewing - yeah, the machine is back to working. Not sure if I can fit in the baking this year.

Still cannot reply to blogs at work, only at home. Grrr.....

Still waiting for B&H to drop the T1i to $699.95....

Still trying to drop yearbook....perhaps I need letters from family and doctors to verify the need for me to drop it...

Now on to sub plans...

Lights and sirens...

The day starts with many firetrucks and the Morris County Hazmat at a house a block over...

Fixed lights on the reindeer in the backyard, wrote out all the Christmas card to be mailed, paid bills and wrote out checks for donations, did laundry, read all the answers to this week's journal...

I now have to revisit my town's signage codes one last time, research good sidewalk codes to improve ours, send that off to all the other volunteers, then hopefully develop a roll of 120 from DC.

And I keep hoping the Rebel T1i kit will go on sale for just under $700. That's all I want, even five cents under would make me happy... B&H, are you listening?

ssslllooowww......

I HATE IE8. I am trying to look at and comment on everyone's posts but it takes at least 2-3 minutes for one blog to come up... grrrr....

I will try later.

Horse drawn carriage rides in town today. It is so cold, I don't know if I can swing that. I want to feed my addiction to magazines by goin to Borders tonight. And there is a Jimmy Stewart movie on 13 tonight! Woo hoo! It's "Call Northside 777" and I have never seen it. I am so excited....

Oh, and...

...the mail finally came after 4.00 pm...five BEAUTIFUL 620 spools! I LOVE E-BAY!!!

Oops...

So it just dawned on me that the December 10 that the Vernon Invitational reception is the same December 10 that a town Holiday bash is. Problem is...I have to go to the town bash... It is for the group I volunteer for...Shoot... Well, that will be two out of four Vernon shows I will have gone to, so my record is still ok... I just want to be there to take pictures of the kids' work on display and them with the work...

Sore throat report: phlegmy and nose is running...not looking good...but I will persevere...

And why can I not leave comments on my students' blogs at PV but I can at home? Grrr....

What...no mail?!?

Ok, so minimal talking - for me - b/c of student teacher (thank goodness!) but throat still sore. Head feels warm, but I will ONLY stay home when I get a fever...

Expectantly go to the mailbox...waiting for 5 620 spools in the mail...NOTHING!!!

Ugh, why does may post office do this to me? First my mailman steps on my groundcover - just b/c it's winter does not mean they are dead - then he doesn't deliver the mail every day. You would think that after we landscaped the whole darn post office, they would treat us better...but no...

At least we now have working lights in 024 and it looks and feels like Christmas! Ho ho ho...

Ugh...

Trying to post a comment on Navajo Bodies but cannot...grrrr.....

Sore throat two days in a row...this stinks.... but the snow was so nice...especially walking to see Pooh and Piglet then walking into town for dinner Saturday night.

I have been recommended as a board member for our town's Historic Preservation Commission. This is exciting. The man in charge is not healthy and needs fresh young blood ready to take up the fight. The guy who nominated me is of my kind - not willing to back down from a fight! Hooray!

But...

I will have even less time for myself...oh well.

Holiday party at A.I.R. gallery Friday night. Nice to see one of my sculptures in the gallery setting. I also found out I have been selected for another show. This one is in Kentucky! Funny, that's apparently where Grandpa Berry would have wanted to move the family... I will say, I find it interesting that my art students can appreciate having a teacher who makes her own art and exhibits it, but some administrators don't. Clueless...

Brooklyn was surprisingly nice...but DUMBO isn't the hipster enclave that W-burg is, so that may be the reason. I do think I will have to go near hipster W-burg though, because that's where my dad's family settled when they came to the US. I want to seek out the old addresses...

More yearbook work to do...sigh...

Hooray Thursday!

Well, that's sarcasm...working on the budget...it is always such hard work. I have yet to teach an art subject here that gets most of its items from a bid list. Why don't Sculpture and Photo suppliers want to do that? Then I would not have to spend endless hours scouring catalog - print and online - for the best prices? It is so tiring. The only nice thing is thinking of the new things I can try to finagle to introduce the following year. This year it's large format film. Next year, I have two special things I hope to be able to afford to get. Keeping my fingers crossed for that...

Snow in the forecast...I just want it to wait until I get home tomorrow night. No, I am not going to THE football game. I have a sculpture in a gallery in Brooklyn. The opening is tonight, but hubby would not have made it home in time for us to get there. Tomorrow night is the gallery's holiday party. So I go to that...not that it matters to much of the PV world...but it matters to some...I think...

Mission Accomplished Part 1

Took mother on a trip to Brooklyn yesterday. I have a sculpture going in a show and had to drop the art off by 6.00 pm - stinks when you can't take a day off work. The weather was poop and mother has not ridden in a tunnel since 9/11. That is the excuse she gives for not going back to DC too.

Well...

To get to Brooklyn one must take the PATH and the subway....through tunnels! She made it!!! No freaking out, no gripping on for dear life, no tears! And...I hesitate to say this...but DUMBO - the area the gallery is in - actually looked nice. And the cobblestone streets and being under the bridges may have added to the atmosphere...

Anyhoo...A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, Generations 7 biannual invitational benefit auction and exhibit opens Wednesday with a reception on Thursday and a Holiday party Friday. I will be going Friday...excited...

Now it is my sister's job to get her on a plane...