Updating

I found myself with a cooler day and a desire to update my profile. It started out with explaining where I got the name "the Yoda of Math" and went on from there. I will admit that it was a little cheap of me to use a picture of me walking through the woods from the back, but I was tired of not having a picture and I liked that one.

I am currently involved in one problem with not having air conditioning. Not only is it hard to deal with the 95+ degrees Fahrenheit, but mosquitoes will find a way into the house. My husband doesn't care because they do not like him, but they see me and think "dinner time, ladies!". We really don't have that much space for them to get in, but it is enough to add irritation to my life. I guess one must always have something about which to complain. Now, back to my sewing!

No chairman yet.

I spoke with my principal yesterday. Our choice for the math dept. chairman said "no", so he tells me that it's just not settled yet. Ha! Although I am not longer receiving the chairman stipend in my pay, he and the guidance department are still calling upon me to help. To paraphrase LB Johnson, I will not seek the chairmanship, nor, if asked, will I take it. I really need to concentrate on other school issues like the state of computer science classes, currently electives, in my high school and state plus other technology concerns for the faculty (I need to do something with my masters and my specialized license.). I'll be at the school tomorrow for a few hours, and I'll talk with the principal more then. It's really his problem, but the department suffers when the leadership is not there.

I did work on my shirt more yesterday while watching the History channel's 3-hour show on China's first emperor. I did not realize that it would end at midnight, but it was worth the time. During the school year I usually go to bed between 9 and 10 and get up between 5:15 and 5:45, so even in the summer I am not inclined to be awake past 11 at night. I made some serious inroads on the shirt, so I am up to the sleeves. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, but it can be satisfying. I'd love to get that idea into the brains of my students, but it is difficult.

Three weeks to classes

I am cooling off in front of a fan after doing my almost-daily morning walk. The hardest part of the walk is getting myself started. It's one of those "I don't want to, I don't have to, and you can't make me" moments. I experience all the benefits of regular exercise so I really have no excuse. I just do not want to walk. I do like to dance, so that would be easier for me, but my husband likes dances only on occasion. Ah, well. That's one of the prices of a successful marriage.

I did some sewing between breakfast and walking, so my shirt is taking shape. One thing I like is going on the fire escape landing outside my sewing room. It's cool, shaded, and has one of the best views around. I think I need to fix it up more as a small balcony because it's such a great space. What this has to do with sewing is the fact that I sat at the top of the fire escape stairs whenever I had to pin pieces of fabric together. It made for a pleasant experience.

I've already received an email from my principal about a trial offer of some math software and videos on the internet for the fall. I thought that I ceded the position of math department chair. Maybe the person he asked said "no", or maybe he hasn't asked anyone else yet. I march on to the new school year slowly but surely.

Tax-free weekend

Today I went to the local big-box store to buy clothes since it is the start of the state's tax-free weekend in anticipation of school starting. I hate to admit that most of what I bought was made in China, but it was. For about $150 I ended up with 3 blazers, 3 pairs of pants, and 1 pair of shoes. Why spend the money when I can sew? Because I am changing my clothing style for teaching slowly. Although I love wearing jumpers with blouses for comfort, I need to change out from wearing nylons. I expect the price of nylons to jump sometime soon even at the outlet store where I buy mine. Besides, I hate to shave my legs, and nylons require leg shaving.

I am in the midst of working on a white button-down shirt. If there is one thing that either costs too much in my view or is not made the way I like it, it is the button-down oxford-style shirt for women. I like full-length sleeves, a cotton or silk woven fabric, no stretch in said fabric, and a nice fit that doesn't make me feel squeezed into it. Big box stores do not seem to have that, and the thrift stores run out of them quickly. Mall stores and the like are out of my financial reach since I teach at a non-public school where the pay is thousands less than in the public schools. When was the last time you heard of a K-12 teacher making a six-figure salary, let alone more than $50,000 per year. The latter is coming quickly, though, due to inflation.

School Dreams

I can tell that I have the next school year on the brain because I am having nightly teaching dreams. Although I am doing preparation school work every day, I have a sense that it will not be enough to make a smooth start. Two main reasons for this: (1) I will have a freshman homeroom, and I have never had a freshman homeroom in 14 years of teaching; and (2) I am teaching a new subject, Honors Probability and Statistics. Since my first BS is in statistics, I can teach the subject in my sleep, so to speak, but I still need to create a pacing guide and a general walk-through for myself. Ah, at least I no longer have the time constraints of the department chairmanship. I can do this.

I've been trying to get out almost daily to walk for an hour or so, but today I woke up too late to avoid the summer's heat. I think I'll go to the local big mall and walk there while checking out the fall fashions. The funny thing is the fact that due to a small salary, this will be the first time I will be at said mall in over a year. The stores are too expensive for me and my family. It will be a nice change of pace walk, though, especially with the air conditioning. (Maybe that's why Barak Obama does not sweat when he works out in front of reporters: air conditioning?)

I still have my muslin shirt waiting for me to cut the interfacing and sew. The pattern calls it the "3 hour shirt", but the package notes that the time approximation does not include pinning and cutting the fabric. It is a rather quick-to-sew pattern, and it's one of my favorites, so I figure just a little bit of time on it. Today, maybe? Then I can move on to checking out the thrift stores for jackets and dress pants to get for teaching. I don't have enough time left to do any serious clothing sewing after the shirt because I have other obligations awaiting my attention.

Sewing Days

We may be close to "dog days", but I call them sewing days for me. We have no air conditioning in our house, so when the heat goes over 94 degrees Fahrenheit, one can only do so much and that much cannot involve a lot of movement. Hence, I get the urge to sew.

I got my muslin out and ironed it last night in front of a large fan. It's hanging on the banister waiting to be pinned and cut out. I found my favorite shirt pattern, so now I'm ready to take both to the dining table and begin. I'll probably get to it tonight with fans going strong. I also found the muslin dress I made as a try-on for my daughter's wedding gown (I made said gown, too.) 3 years ago. I tore the seams out, and I'm now using it to patch the back of our favorite comforter. "Wash it, fix it, wear it out. Make it last or do without." Those WW II people knew of which they were speaking.

Successful Thursday, lazy Friday

In the afternoon on Thursday, I replaced the screen on the fire escape screen door. Getting the trim off was not as hard as my husband expected; the fact that I did it and not he contributed to his opinion, of course. As I expected there was no spline keeping the original screen in place, so I felt confident that I didn't need any either. It took a while to get all the nails and brads out. Then my husband helped me start to put up the new screening, minus spline as explained above. While I was standing on the ladder, I found that I could easily touch the overhang on the eaves, so I measured it: the overhang on our eaves is just a tad over 25 inches. No wonder gutter people shudder when they look at our house.

Back to the screening ... I used a marking roller from my sewing supplies to push the screening into what grooves there were. There were not grooves across all of the wood. Did I mention that this was an old wooden screen door? I stapled gunned the heck out of it. That screen ain't going nowhere anytime soon. I trimmed the excess with one of my new utility knives. Lastly, for me, I replaced the trim; I think my dad would probably have gotten new trim, but I'm not that perfect in my home rehabbing skills ... yet. My husband painted over the trim after dark. I think everyone should paint after dark, it's so hard to tell how the new paint makes you realize that the whole door needs painted. It is nice, though. My sewing room is getting a friendlier, homier feeling as I continue to fix it up, and this just adds to the charm. Now, I need to work on making the fire escape landing look and feel like a balcony. Hmm. Next summer.

I did finish making my jumper that night by sewing the hem. One new jumper for the fall. Next to make is a tailored shirt. I can never have too many of them.

Summer Preparation

What is it about teachers that we spend part of our unpaid summer "vacation" preparing for the next school year? I understand that I am teaching a new-to-me subject, so I need to do some serious prep work, but I ran into the Latin teacher today when I dropped in at the high school, and she was creating new tests, worksheets, etc. for new textbooks. I sometimes wonder why we don't just require that we will never teach new subjects nor use new textbooks in our situations; it would certainly make the summer freer for us. Oh, well. I just need to keep in mind that time spent well now means more free time outside of school in the next year.

I've been finishing up my jumper, but I ended up doing more hand stitching than the pattern suggests. I find that as I get older, I want things done better. Maybe my father was right: "Good enough never is."

Cheap Traveling

I have been out for about 2 weeks because my husband and I were camping up north while visiting my mother, other relatives, and some friends. We camp because we like it, but it doesn't hurt that it is cheap, especially since my husband gets the senior citizen discount of 10% off the cost. Actually, the hard work of camping is setting up and taking down our campsite. The rest of the time is pretty easy, and we can slow down so quickly.

No television? No problem. I read Truth plus jokes by Al Franken, 2006, and Rome Wasn't Burnt in One Day by Joe Scarborough, 2004. I find it interesting to see what others say about our political history when it is still rather recent. Aside: Franken's book was not as good as his book Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. I also read a few of Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer mysteries. In the way of e-books, since we have a tent ... on the ground ... with air mattresses and sleeping bags, I read Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Boroughs, Othello by William Shakespeare, and I started The Republic by Plato. It's much easier to read an e-book in a tent than reading a bound book by flashlight. I did not take any school stuff with me because I know that I will never touch it and that it will wear on my brain.

While we were visiting my mother, I worked on the tablecloth that I am embroidering for my daughter and son-in-law. Note to self: never again agree to embroider anything with so many satin stitches in it. It looks more beautiful as I finish each section, but it takes hours to do! Being a person who needs to move while talking, etc., I find knitting, stitching, working crosswords, etc. helps me center on the conversation. Okay. I do not listen so well when I work crosswords, but the rest is true. I wonder if I would have been labelled ADD when I was a student if I were in school now.

The albatross around my neck

Yesterday I finished up for another school year which means this year that I did my last duty, at least I hope my last, as math department chairman. I feel so free of that albatross. I have been looking forward to having more time to work on my classes, the school's technology, and my own life outside of school. It is so nice to be rid of that title. Good luck to the next math chairman.

As I start my summer "vacation" (actually 2 months of unpaid leave), I am enjoying catching up on reading the local newspaper and planning what fun things I will do for myself. First off: work on my teaching wardrobe. I enjoy sewing but for some reason I haven't done much over the past 2 summers, so I am really looking forward to this. My sister presented an idea of planning a wardrobe and then sewing it ... I may have this mixed up, but anyhow I will sew this summer for clothing and fun.

In addition, I have to start planning to teach a new-to-me subject of probability and statistics. It shouldn't be too much trouble since my first degree was in statistics, and the stat I'll be teaching is rather elementary compared to what I learned. I do a certain amount of planning in the summer just to decrease what I have to do once school starts up again at the end of August. Hmm, sewing and planning. Sounds like a full summer to me.