I’m not sure when Blog Me will resurface, but I wouldn’t mind being kept in your Google Reader, and if I do decide to close shop completely, I’ll post that here, too. 

For the past year and a half, I have much enjoyed my blog.  There were times when it was the perfect distraction from other things, and I’ve so enjoyed staying connected to good eggs like yourselves through this space.  I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed you spending some of your precious time over here. 

Thank you!

*title by Chris, natch (to be pron. like Bon Voyage, of course)

Best TV:

I know Michael has commented on this on the blog, and I have to officially concur that Modern Family is a great sitcom, and those seem to be so hard to come by these days.  My friend Aimee first alerted me to this show, and no episode has disappointed.  It’s fresh and clever; any show who gets me to like Ed O’Neill (of Al Bundy fame) is doing something right.  Every character is delightful (my fave is this one, however). 

Other reality shows I catch when I’m too tired to do anything else are Teen Mom, Celebrity Rehab (it’s back!), and I hear the RuPaul drag show is starting a new season, and many people have told me I would love the show, to which I have no doubt. 

Best Book:

Our friend Alex Lemon’s memoir Happy has finally hit shelves and online bookstores, and friends, you must get yourself a copy (except you, Erin–I’ve got one waiting here for you).  It is riveting, powerful stuff, and yet he keeps the book from being overdramatized.  The book has received rave reviews, and rightly so.  I bet if you get a copy I can help you get it signed by the author, too. ( I don’t want to toot my own horn, but beep, beep.)

Best Helpers:

Speaking of Alex, he and his better half have helped me and Chris mucho this month, and we are so grateful.  I’m not always good at asking for help (a few of you who read this are the exception, but it’s true), and they were so gracious they made it easy. 

On to February!

And here’s a moving song from the telethon last week, sung by Jennifer Hudson, for you donate by.

It’s called Betty Bow-tie (named for the Hello, Betty fabrics):

So that’s the quilt.  I really like it and figured this would be a typical showcase-the-quilt post.  But then Megan sent a pic of her sweet girl posing with her new quilt, and I knew you’d want to see this cutie (with her mom’s permission granted, of course):

I mean, that is some baby goodness, right there.

I was just getting good at bringing leftovers and varying my lunches, but my plan B is to have a bigger, better insulated lunch box and to have lots of non-perishable snacks around.  For the former:  my mom had two lunch boxes she wasn’t using and most kindly sent me a photo to compare the sizes, even placing a sample sandwich and soda in view to make the best choice.  My mom, you see, understands the import of knowing food is available.

I selected the one on the left, though I have always loved the combo of pink and gray.

And I also now have a snack drawer in my new locker; with the new addition of a microwave and sink so handy, this opens up the snack options.  For full disclosure, I share my snack area, even tho’ it shows some very naughty things like Pop Tarts:

You may think, why do you go on and on about the food and snacks?  Have  you seen the movie Jennifer’s Body?  Well [spoiler alert], it’s about a teenage girl possessed by the devil, and after she eats teen boys, she’s full and happy and pretty again.  When she is empty, she becomes horrible and Satanic–a murderer, in fact.  The other day, after waiting far too long to have lunch, Chris compared me that character, as I was crazy grouchy before eating and then returned to normal mid-meal.  That might help explain why these things are critical to my day, the fact that my husband compares me when hungry to a possessed killer.

All in all, I like the new office.  Apparently it’s a big deal to hang stuff on the wall, no painting is allowed, etc., so this, too, will stay pretty sparse until I’m in my more permanent space.  But aside from the institutional feel that will bring, I have a much bigger desk than I’ve ever had, and things seem ergonomically much better, too.  As much as I liked my old, old desk, it is nice to have shiny, new stuff, too. 

Here are a few views:

That’s a locker back there–to hold my coat and snacks, very important things.  One nice difference is that things are more contained in this office. My purse and other bags can be concealed beneath my desk instead of piled up in front of all to see every day. 

Here’s the view from my desk to where students will sit (Chris in the role of student).  This is also very different, as now the desk is a barrier.  After all these years, I now tend to think that the less homey feel is best, as some students don’t have the best professional boundaries, and I think this will help invoke that some:

[Notable aside:  Chris wore this shirt for the first time yesterday, and no less than four strangers complimented him and asked him where he got it.  These people were all youngish, too, so he felt quite hip, as did I, by proxy.]

And here is basically the rest of the office.  I’ll fill a couple of these shelves, but likely leave the rest boxed up.

There are really only two main drawbacks to the new digs that I can see; one I’ll write about tomorrow, and the other is that there is now a window in my door.  At times, it’s important to be in my office but not advertise that I am there, especially now that I am right by the main office–as in, the dept. copier is right outside my office.  If these first two days are any indication, the traffic to my office is going to increase greatly.  How bad would it look to cover the window, especially if I’m the only one in the office suite who does?  (I realize how unwelcoming this may sound to those with a different job, but I think people who aren’t in this field don’t realize how much work we have to get done even when our days are filled with student appts., meetings, etc.).

Thanks for being a part of the tour.

Let me clarify:  I am not saying my clock is not ugly.  Why I bought it in tan, I have no idea.  But I feel the model he has is clearly much older, even if it is a more deluxe model (two alarms, etc.).   So, what say you: which clock is newer?

Exhibit A–my clock (aka, as you can see, Dream Machine):

Exhibit B–his clock (note the wood paneling)

They are both functional; the “loser” clock will be donated. Vote carefully, future guests!  And remember:  you are voting for the newest clock, not which one you like better.

And my niece and nephew made him a banner. My brother and I did the same thing for my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary back in the 70s, so this seemed all the cuter to us. 

I also sent my dad a little something to go along with another retirement gift:  a quilt for his wall.

This quilt was one of the hardest I’ve made.  I bought it from Erin’s mom’s store years ago, when I was too new a quilter to understand that small does not equal easy.  Then I got freaked out at how small the log cabin blocks were and tried different math, and that was a disaster.  In the end (duh), I just followed the pattern, and I am really pleased with how it turned out, and just the thing for Soaring Eagle to show his patriotism. 

So today is my dad’s first day of this new phase. I expect more time for blog commenting!

What I do have pics of is what I imagine him doing with his time now that he’ll be retired.  Here’s a top priority:

When spring comes, there will also be lots of this:

(Okay, I’m aware that this is fall foliage, but  you see I’m referencing yard work here.)

I suspect there will also be much computer putzing and who knows what else he’ll dig into. 

So a huge congratulations to my dad!  Again, I wish I could be there in person to celebrate this huge milestone!

Happy Birthday, Dad!  Have a fabulous day!  I love you!