Rock and Roll Superstar

I met Bob Mould, my punk rock idol, a few weeks ago at a great show he did at World Cafe Life in Philadelphia. We went with neighbor Mike, and not only was the trip up smooth, parking was easy and well-lit, and the venue was hands-down the nicest place I've ever seen live music (although UD's theaters come really close). We had a fantastic dinner and great wine/beer before Bob's Q&A session, watched him do a combination acoustic/electric set (I just get weak in the knees when he busts out that blue Fender Stratacaster), and then enjoyed his new DVD, Circle of Friends. The boys, apparently more aged than I, were chomping at the bit to get home to bed (true, it was a school night, and I do have a more flexible workday), so they dragged me kicking and screaming out of the theater to buy my DVD and have Bob sign it. Not only did he sign it, he shook my hand AND took a picture with me! My life is complete...I met Bob Mould. He has no idea what an inspiration he is to people...not only is his entire body of music lyrically significant and musically unique, but his intelligence as a blogger and speaker really make him stand out as a public figure. Bet you didn't know he wrote the theme song for The Daily Show. Buy his stuff--Husker Du, Sugar, and his solo albums. If you heart punk rock and alt. rock like I do, you won't be sorry.

Rebuilding New Orleans, Two Years After Katrina

While I was in New Orleans for Matt's Soil Science Society of America conference, I had an opportunity: join four other UD folks and the St. Bernard Project (http://www.stbernardproject.org/) to work on a house in St. Bernard Parish. My friend Jen Gilbert, determined that the brain and muscle power attending the conference should be dedicated to a good cause while in New Orleans, had attempted to organize a larger volunteer project in conjunction with the conference. There was a group that volunteered before our UD contingent arrived, but Jen wasn't going to let the opportunity to slip by while she was in the city. She got on message boards several months before the conference, asking which organization people recommended we support. The St. Bernard Project got glowing reviews, so Jen signed us up, rented a van so we could get there from the French Quarter, and reminded everyone what to bring.

On Wednesday, November 7, we left our hotel at 8am and drove to St. Bernard Parish. As the St. Bernard Parish Project explains on its website, the community is adjacent to the Lower Ninth Ward, and 100% of its residences and businesses flooded when the levees failed. As we drove into the area, my heart sank and my throat constricted. Almost every single structure had a huge X on its front, with the National Guard Unit number and date they checked the building. At the bottom was the number of dead found inside the building. We only saw zeros, but of course we all know that there were fatalities.

The Wal-Mart wasn't even open yet, but some businesses were open, and some homes had clearly been rebuilt. Many homes were under construction, FEMA trailers parked in the yard or driveway. But then there were the sadder sites--parking lots right on the main road filled with FEMA trailers, themselves filled with entire families and even pets. Two and a half years after a national disaster, how are people who have worked all their lives still living in trailers?

When we arrived at the office of the St. Bernard Project, we learned that the organization was begun in August 2006 when a couple visiting from Washington, D.C. observed "the overwhelming need for rebuilding assistance" and started the group to rebuild and renovate homes. The organization had a piece of butcher paper on the wall that said 83 families in the community are now back in their homes, and 21 houses are under construction. The organization raises funds for building materials and overhead, recruits volunteers, and builds home. Our UD crew was heartened by the simplicity of the organization.

On Tuesday 11/6, I had read an article in the New York Times about how haphazard and even risky much of the rebuilding in New Orleans is. My take-away was that it's all well and good to talk about how the re-build might have been done, but that should have happened in September of 2005, and plans should have been drawn up immediately, allowing a systematic method of rebuilding and re-homing of survivors. Instead, nothing was done...for two years. I really don't care about some New Urbanist architect's vision of how New Orleans should be rebuilt, unless that person has a plan to make it happen RIGHT NOW. Even as a fledgling landscape designer, I think the residents of St. Bernard Parish should get into their homes ASAP.

Matt and his colleague Brandon, the son of a master electrician, went to the home of a nice Filipino lady who took their pictures (she takes the pictures of all her volunteers, she told them). She told Matt and Brandon that after the flood, she stayed in fifteen shelters before getting home six months later. Another man in the neighborhood, who had served in the U.S. Military and is a retired police officer, told them that he had spent six days on the roof. On the second day, he assured his neighbor that the U.S. Military can deploy anywhere in the world in three days and that they'd be there momentarily. Instead, it was the Canadian Mounties that rescued them, days later.

Jen, her boyfriend Sean, and I went to another home in the neighborhood, that had been re-wired and had plumbing installed. We insulated almost the whole house, a grueling job that can't even compare to what the family has been through. They had already moved some of their things into the house, and the bathroom was even decorated, though it had no walls yet. I found myself choking up as I observed the small refrigerator, bike, and bathroom rug.

A woman from down the street popped in, smiling brightly as she took stock of our work. Cheryl had been on her roof for four days after the flood (she said it took eight minutes for the water to get from her ankles to her chin, and she was swept away by the water, but fortunately climbed onto her neighbor's roof). She and her husband got cholera from diving into the water to try to rescue one of their dogs. She is back in her house, now, after some time in Texas, and always makes sure to tell the volunteers how much the residents love them and that they can come to her house and use the facilities and see her trailer. I asked her about her trailer--did FEMA have a date by which people had to give up their trailers, like the hotel rooms? She said there had been a deadline, yes, "but now, with the formaldehyde issue, they don't care anymore."

At the end of the day, we drove around the neighborhood a bit more, with another volunteer from Brooklyn, NY. Mike, a musician and frequent visitor to New Orleans, came down this time to volunteer for two weeks. "It's not long enough," he said. "I should have come for the month." I understand his feelings. We felt like we should come back the next day. One day was something, but not nearly enough. We have the strength and energy to really make a difference there. I plan to return when Matt attends the American Chemical Society meeting this spring and work every day.

The feelings I came away with were mixed--I have great sadness and empathy for the families who are still living out this tragedy, whether they're back in their home, struggling to re-create the community that is still devastated; in the midst of rebuilding, having to take help from strangers when they've never had to before; living in a FEMA trailer in a parking lot; or in another state, trying to create a life somewhere they didn't ever expect to be. I also felt great hope, as I was waved to by neighbors and thanked by Cheryl. After all this, people have hope. They've come home. Volunteers continue to move to New Orleans to help, or even give just one day. People donate money, two years later.

The thing that hit home the most was that the story I felt I got from media accounts of the events was that the Lower Ninth Ward became a wasteland, and all of New Orleans was desolate, destroyed, and crime-ridden, without hope. In contrast, St. Bernard Parish, arguably the hardest hit, is still the middle-class community it always is, though hard-hit and reeling from the destruction. People are back, they are rebuilding, and they are trying hard to keep their community intact. The story in New Orleans is really one of survival and hope. I encourage those who have the means to get down there to volunteer or to send a donation to any of the wonderful organizations working to help people there to do so. We have the opportunity to help make this right, and we should seize that chance.

A Week in Crescent City

I've been in The Big Easy this week--Superman's entire research group, and much of the College of Ag. and Natural Resources, attended a conference here, and many spouses tagged along. The weather has been lovely, and we're staying at the pleasant Maison Dupuy hotel in the French Quarter.

The area around the New Orleans Convention Center has turned into quite the posh little stomping ground, and the Garden District remains gorgeous and inspiring.

I have also hoofed it around the French Quarter quite a bit, enjoying the historic buildings, European feel, quiet blocks, and pleasantness of morning.

Tuesday, after walking Superman to the conference, I walked along the river, pausing to visit the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial, which was beautiful and innovative. I continued on to Jackson Square, where I visited one of the state museums. My next stop was The 1850 House, followed by a visit to my new favorite cafe, Royal St. Coffee. I attempted to tour another restored house that the NY Times has lauded, but the timing was off, so I returned to the hotel to relax and work a bit.

That evening, we went to a UD/VA Tech mixer and dinner at the original House of Blues with the gang. Who knew, but it's hard to find vegetarian food in New Orleans, so I've eaten a lot of salad and indulged in some treats.

The animals here are a kick--all these very friendly, mellow cats and dogs. There is a Cockatiel around the corner that says "hi" when you walk by, and if you stop and talk to the bird, it will climb up the iron door it sits in and then slide down it! When we clap, it bows for us. It's really cute.

I could live here easily--the more we get out and about, the more friendly people we meet. The climate is so mild and the people so friendly, it's easy to see how badly people wanted to get home after Katrina. Yesterday, we volunteered for the day in St. Bernard Parish, a very meaningful and transformative day for me. I'll write more about it in my next post.

Laissez les bons temps roulez...and carpe diem.

Punkin Chunkin

The annual Punkin Chunkin (that's the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Punkin Chunkin to all you rookies out there) took place last weekend. Mary and I entered the baking contest; she baked pumpkin cupcakes and frosted them with cinnamon buttercream, while I baked Susan Carney's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Let's just say I should have worn that themed outfit.

The cookies turned out great, but the baking contest was much more sophisticated than Mary or I had envisioned. People threw it DOWN. We're talking fall tablecloths, real pumpkins, pumpkin confetti, pumpkin plates and napkins--one woman even served her "white chocolate pumpkin hot cocoa" out of a pumpkin soup tureen. Complete with leaf ladle.

"These are things you wish you had right now, but would never use otherwise," I whispered to Mary.

Despite any "points for presentation," Mary won third prize for cakes and desserts, scoring herself a ceramic pumpkin to use next year. I left armed with a plan for next year's decorations, but prize-free. I content myself with the fact that one of the chef-judges gave props to my chocolate chips (organic, from the Co-op). Another judge asked, "what else is in here besides the typical cookie ingredients and pumpkin? I'm detecting another flavor."

"Uh, cinnamon?" I hazarded.

That seemed satisfactory.

The chunkin itself was hilarious. Matt and Dave watched air guns for a while (if a pumpkin explodes upon being shot, everyone shouts, "Pumpkin pie!"), and Mary and I caught the chunkin of the "Yankee Siege" trebouchet (or however you spell that).

It was quite a day. We were all so tired that night that Fairfax put himself to bed during dinner, and Dave crawled in with him.

And another Halloween season comes to a close.

Mum's the Word

I have a ghost on my street...or, more likely a pre-Halloween reveler needed some curb appeal. My chrysanthemum has been kidnapped!

Superman said tentatively over breakfast, "I have some unfortunate news."

"Yes?" I responded, concerned that he'd read something terrible in the news.

"Your mum has been stolen. They left some flowers on the sidewalk." An offering? A diss? A sign from God not to plant annuals? I don't know.

Good thing my Halloween jack-o-lantern pot is safe inside on the sun porch, and good thing I moved my cute pot with flowers and geranium to the back porch!

Passersby will have to be content with the limited curb appeal of my pumpkin lights until tomorrow, when I will be putting new pots out with new flowers.

It's a lovely day here, and I have seen some funny sights...a witch working in the Employee Wellness Center and two women in elaborate costumes walking downtown...seems like the adults are having more fun than the kids are!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Howloween

The Great Pumpkin Bake-Off

Stacie's mom's chocolate chip pumpkin cookie recipe has been accepted for the annual Delaware Punkin Chunkin Bake-Off! I'm entering that, Mary's entering pumpkin bars, and we're working on cupcakes together. We get judged next Saturday, which means we have to be down in the middle of nowhere, DE, by 11 am on a Saturday, with enough pumpkin treats to feed a crowd. Sweet. I'm tempted to wear a themed outfit but will try to restrain myself.

I should add that the Bake-Off is a lesser-known aspect of the one, the only, the annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin: http://www.punkinchunkin.com/

Folks come from all over to watch pumpkins get "chunked" as far and as effectively as possible. More on that when I actually see it.

This month and next feature trips to NYC (yesterday, for a client product event), Huntington, PA (tomorrow), New Orleans (next Sunday, for a few days), Cali (aaah Thanksgiving), and then we stay put until Christmas, when we go to Maine.

Fairfax will be dressing up as a skeleton for Halloween. His best gal pal Peyton is going as a princess. Stay tuned for photos...

It's Fall

The humidity temporarily leaves Delaware these days, and I am psyched. Some warm fall days feel just like the best days in San Francisco. Luxurious.

We traded Fairfax for his brother, Ferris, a few weeks ago, because he needed to go on a "home switch" and get more exposure. He is a thicker version of Fairfax, basically. He snores louder than most humans and is darling, but huge and strong, which means Superman has to muster all his superpowers every time we go on a walk (three times a day, to wear Ferris out). We'll have him again next week, and Fairfax will go to a nice UD student who's new to our group.

Zinnia the stray cat has been spending time in our flowerbed, among the zinnias! Too cute! And the groundhog is also a permanent resident...we keep catching him under cars and in the garage.

In other animal news, Nomad, the newest Guiding Eyes puppy in our region, is about as cute as they come. We think he'll grow into his ears and paws eventually.

Also, SuperCute Cousin has welcomed Sweetpea, a four-year-old black cat that we can't wait to meet. Sweetpea turned five last week. Happy birthday, princess!

I spent Labor Day weekend with Supermom, Superdad, and Superbro in the glorious Green Mountains of southern Vermont--such a treat.

September also featured the Newark Oktoberfest, dinner at The Whip Tavern in Coatesville, PA, "Terror Behind the Walls," a top-rated haunted house at the Eastern State Penintentiary in Philly, and, last week, my discovery of the Newark Reservoir (it only took a year).

Am enjoying my many (yay!) wonderful (yay!) clients and my Landscape Design class, which is my new favorite hobby. Drawing for a few hours a week? Sure!

A Little Light Reading

Why my dog likes Michael Connolly so much, I don't know...

Fairfax Goes Canoeing

We took Fairfax canoeing on the Brandywine River last weekend. He liked being at the front of the boat.

Groundhog Day

I caught the groundhog on camera the other day, and just after photographing him, I got a shot of Zinnia (stray cat adoptee #1). Edgar Allen Poe (stray cat #2) was on the front doorstep (!) the other night but didn't stay for a visit. Unfortunately, I've got some sad news regarding the duck around the corner...we went by to see her last week, and she didn't come out. We looked in the bushes, and all we saw was one abandoned egg. I hope she and the other eggs are OK, but I fear that perhaps a nocturnal critter got her--I hope the critter wasn't human. We're sending her good thoughts and feeling glad that at least our backyard animals are healthy and happy. The possum family hangs out in the holly tree at night...

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

It's been a whirlwind...Cape May...NYC...NY again for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Regional Conference...now home to the cute pets (oh, and work). I've posted a picture of Cape May, a picture of the baby puppies at the GEB whelping kennels, and a cutie of Fairfax. More to come!

Make Way for Ducklings

Duck update: She's guarding six eggs. That's why she jumps out of the bushes every time Fairfax passes by--she's afraid he's going to steal her eggs. Why she chose foot-deep bushes (not juniper; not sure what they are) in downtown Newark, I'll never know. But now I have to worry that once the ducklings hatch, they're going to be wandering town in search of a pond, vulnerable to the psychotic local drivers, not to mention the cats, possums, and groundhog that live at my house. Come to think of it, why didn't she choose my house? Everyone else does!

I know there's an organization called Tri-State Bird Rescue in town; I suppose I'll call them. Why I feel compelled to be Mrs. Animal Rescue I don't know; perhaps it's the same compulsion that motivates me really fond of police officers. I'm old, I'm no longer particularly cool; I have nothing to lose by trying to make things right in my community. The more pets I get, the more of a soft spot I develop for animals, too.

Good luck, Jemima Puddleduck; we'll be keeping an eye on you.

Why I'll Never Be on the Food Network

Superbro used to say that if a meal had more than three ingredients, I wouldn't be able to cook it. This isn't completely accurate; I can bake, which prepares me well for my destiny as the grandma who bakes cookies and cakes and pies, just like the one in The Gingerbread Man.

However, it is true that I'm completely ADD when I try to prepare anything other than baked goods. The other night, I started sauteeing some squash from our garden, then forgot about it when I moved on to make pesto. The squash burned, so we had to start over. I say "we" because when I screw things up in the kitchen, Superman has to take over and fix dinner. Good thing he likes to cook.

Superman enjoys telling the story of how he used to get home from work and find me cooking dinner in an attempt to make his life easier as he finished his Ph.D. As soon as he walked in the door, however, I would typically greet him, then hand him the spatula and walk away with the phone to call someone, usually Supermom. Superman, in fact, often cooks for our dinner parties, if there's any chance of the food not being table-ready before the guests arrive, because I can't talk and cook at the same time. Something will suffer, and it won't be the conversation.

I also break things--for example, a ramekin and a cute red bowl bit the dust, one after the other, several weeks ago.

I have accepted my limitations. I make a lot of enchiladas, lasagna, and pasta dishes for guests, which have relatively simple ingredients and can be prepped ahead of time, leaving me plenty of time to concentrate on the cooking process and work slowly--so that all the dishes remain intact.

I do make great salads, if I say so myself--often with as many as five ingredients! I *am* the salad queen in our house.

However, clearly, I will never be the star of my own Food Network show. I can't imagine trying to tell people what I'm doing and actually being able to execute it--never mind being engaging and perky! Now, I know that often food is prepped ahead of time on those shows, but even still, I just picture myself starting to talk to the audience, then getting distracted and falling silent, or walking off the set with my spatula to go make a phone call. I am very impressed by Amy, the "gourmet next door" who just won a role as the next new Food Network host. Go Amy...better you than me, sister.

Just Ducky

A duck startled Fairfax and me on our walk this afternoon. Next door to the skate shop, one of the downtown businesses has juniper bushes, and I have seen this particular duck, a female mallard, emerge from them before. However, I certainly didn't think she resided there. Rather, I assumed she had flown to downtown Newark by mistake, from a pond somewhere, perhaps. Apparently, she is a permanent downtown resident. As Fairfax and I strolled past the bushes this afternoon, a major rustling occurred in the foliage. The duck leapt out, hitting me as she did so. I'll admit that I screamed. Then I started laughing. Fairfax and I took a moment to watch the duck. She wandered down Haines street, in front of several cars, who were laughing just like I was. Fairfax didn't seem to find it terribly unusual.

It's definitely Friday the 13th. Either that or God is trying to tell me to become a veterinarian.

In other news, Wonder Dog is up to his usual tricks, sneaking upstairs to steal the cat's toys and play with toilet paper, vacuuming up everything that comes near his mouth, and testing what happens when he hops onto the furniture and gets cozy. We took him to Longwood Gardens last weekend to expose him to a new environment; he loved it. An added bonus was seeing the century plant, which only blooms once and then dies. It's blooming this summer only.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Fireworks

The July 4th fireworks here in Newark, DE, were high-quality. Definitely among the top ten fireworks displays of all time. Which makes me want to make a list, so here we go:

Top Ten Fireworks Displays of All Time

1) Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, New Year's Eve, 2007. Add thousands of colored lights, the gorgeous conservatory, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and an array of people having a great time, and you've got the recipe for a great show. The fireworks last about a half hour and are right above the audience. There's hardly anything like it.

2) Shoreline Ampitheater, Mountain View, CA, pretty much any 4th of July. The San Francisco Symphony plays a variety of music, and the fireworks go off above the audience. I've watched it for free outside the ampitheater, too.

3) Coronado, CA, July 4, 1988? I must confess, I like pop songs along with my fireworks display, and San Diego radio had that goin' on. There was a good parade that morning, too, to get us in the Independence Day spirit.

4) Boston, MA, 1999? Again, not sure of the year, but I got to BBQ with BostonErin 7/3 and spent 7/4 on the Esplanade with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Don McLean sang. Good times.

5) Lake Tahoe, CA, 2001 (?) from Marta's boat. Why do the years all blur together after you turn 30? Michael Milken shot these off. Proof that you can go to jail for white-collar crime and still be too rich for your own good. At least I got to enjoy a little piece of it...

6) Newark, DE 2007!!! Twenty-five minutes of firework bliss, made even sweeter because we thought they might get rained out. We could see everything perfectly from Kelly and Gina's house on Kells Ave. It was the perfect dessert #2, following a smashing BBQ and epic trifle.

7) Frost Ampitheater, Stanford, CA, July 3, 2005. Superman and I joined legions of Palo Altans to cop a squat on the lawn of the Oval and watch the fireworks for free. We did miss the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, but those fireworks were excellent.

8) View from Los Altos Hills, CA, July 4, 2004. Superman and I met that night (cue violins). He had to leave before the fireworks shows to take someone to the airport. Fortunately, we re-met two weeks later. We could see fireworks from around the Bay Area, very small.

9) Bastille Day 1990, Biarritz, France. I was staying with my host family in their uncle's very hip pad in Biarritz. We were down on the beach after dinner celebrating Bastille Day, and the fireworks were the perfect cap to a unique day in France.

10) "The Neighborhood Dads Firework Show," a real hometown affair, back when fireworks were legal most places. We used to gather the neighborhood and have a block party in front of our house. Every family would bring a box of fireworks, and the dads would set up two ladders and a board. We'd start with sparklers, move on to those snake things, then amp up with a few groundflowers. Things really got going after that. Piccolo Peets, rockets, you name it. Sometimes they'd really go wild and shoot off a pinwheel at the end. One year, a tweaked groundflower leapt off the board and into the crowd. Schoolchildren screamed as the groundflower maniacally burned holes in several beach towels (my pink balloon towel included) before getting doused with water by a savvy mom. I think fireworks became illegal in town soon afterwards, but those were Fourth of July parties to remember.

For You, Dear Readers

According to my stat counter, a lot of people doing searches on the internet enter a question or topic and make their way to my blog, due to the bizarre combination of topics I address on a regular basis. Many, bless them, stay to read my ramblings. I feel that it's only fair to answer their questions here. Should they still choose to read my blog, great--but let's face it, we're all strapped for time.

Topic #1--by far the most popular: Who sings "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To?" (Most find themselves reading my blog entry that is a play on the words in that title--I substitute "birthday" for "party" and share my tale of woe about being stuck in Midway Airport on my birthday in February '07; they make the substitution by accident and get to my blog, not the song.) The singer of the song is, in fact, Lesley Gore.

Topic #2--What to do when your cat throws up. This one's easy: Grab a bunch of paper towels and clean up thoroughly. Spray some disinfectant and use more paper towels to wipe that up. Move on. Steam-cleaning works wonders on carpets and upholstery; I recommend Ernie's Carpet Cleaning to those in the SF Bay Area.

Topic #3--How I Spent My Summer Vacation. This topic is usually entered by users with IP addresses based in India, and is always phrased or spelled incorrectly. I have to assume the searchers are English language learners searching for a sample essay on the topic. My piece of the same title would NOT be the one to read. Let's just hope nobody tries to plagiarize it, because not only will I give them twenty lashes with a wet noodle; I seriously doubt anyone in India has done all the things I described in that blog!

Topic #4--What are the ingredients in Duke's Canoe Club's Hula Pie, Mai Tais, and crab wontons? Sorry folks, can't help you with exact recipes, but can tell you what I think is in each:
Hula Pie is Oreo crust, macadamia nut ice cream, and chocolate fudge topping; the Mai Tais have a nice dark rum plus Mai Tai mix; and the crab wontons are a delicious blend of crab, spices, and probably mayonnaise, in fried wonton skin. Mmmm!

Happy Fourth of July, all! Let's hear it for independence and the world wide web!

The Expanding Menagerie

Now that we've bitten the bullet and committed to adopting the stray cats behind the house, we've named them: Zinnia, because we discovered her kittens right after planting zinnias in the flowerbed, and Edgar Allen Poe, for local legend and because he looks like hard-drinking, tortured-soul kind of fella. Both are happily eating our food and supervising our backyard. However, they're not as vigilant as one might hope: I left the house today to see a woodchuck (or perhaps a groundhog?) scampering off. According to neighbor Mike, the little guy has been a resident in our house almost as long as Mike's lived in his. Mike's roommate has also spotted a possum family living behind their house, so we've got quite a crew, probably all of whom are helping themselves to the cat food. Ah, well, what're ya gonna do?

The dog has become an adolescent. I left him attached to the kitchen island for two minutes today while I cleaned up after him in the yard, and returned just in time to see him hastily hop down from the radiator, where he'd propped his two front paws while he played with the phone headset and retrieved Superman's Croc. Everyone in our house loves Crocs--we like to wear them, and Fairfax likes to eat them. He's already decimated an Old Navy flip-flop, so I'd really like to see the rest of my summer footwear make it through the season intact. The phone is now set to "Do Not Disturb," which will apparently require a technical genius to re-set. Thanks, Fairfax. Glad you're monitoring our calls.

He is in his crate for some "down time" with his dental dinosaur, a new favorite toy that's a) indestructable and b) helpful for a teething puppy. I meanwhile, am trying not to fail my nutrition class. Time to study...

Stray Cat Strut

Cat update: Mom and Dad Cat were spayed/neutered and returned to our yard. Their habitat was somewhat destroyed when our neighbor's landlord finally cleaned up the back of the yard, but I think we can rest assured his old car won't be going anywhere anytime soon, providing them shelter for a while. If we feed them, we're told, we'll have mouse cats and no new cat colony will move in. OK then.

We went to Newark Nite (street festival the whole town attends; as our friend/accountant C.R. says, "Everyone goes, you walk up and down the street, you see everyone you know in town, you go home.") Saturday and sat on neighbor Mike's porch with some drinks into the evening. When we saw Mom Cat and Dad Cat run across the street, narrowly missing an entanglement with a front fender, we all looked at each other. That would have been a quickly wasted $110, we agreed. However, they seem to be holding up OK.

The kittens are in foster care; they were hissing and not liking the idea of being someone's pet, so they're being socialized. This works for us because a) we are not trained in cat socialization and b) we have our hands full with Emma and Fairfax (a.k.a. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum). We walk Emma four times a day and Fairfax twice; Fairfax is worn out from walks and playing, but Emma never sleeps. She levitates in the air when she meets people during the walk. I've never seen anything like it.

Working at the cupcake store is a blast!

It's perfect outside today; I'm off to enjoy it (and go bake some cakes).

Welcome to My Zoo

I currently live with six cats and two dogs. Poppy and Fairfax are doing fine; Fairfax is enjoying playing with his squeaky flower that Aunt Heather brought from the Wag Hotel in San Francisco, while Poppy enjoys sitting between the fan and the air conditioner, letting her fur blow in the breeze.

We are puppysitting Emma, a golden lab who looks like she's always smiling, and trapping a family of stray cats who move in under the abandoned car next door and are too cute to be left to their own devices. We've already been remiss; we should have contacted Forgotten Cats, the organization that is helping us trap, spay, and neuter them and get them a clean bill of health, when we noticed mom and dad living back there. But neither we nor our neighbor realized that--oops--we might end up with a litter of kittens. Now we are forking over $50 for each male cat and $60 for each female, which is a great deal considering the end result (healthier cats, no future cat colony, and better lives for the kittens), but it does put the price of compassion and conscientiousness at a rather high premium! As Superman likes to say, the things in life that make the most positive difference to others are often the most difficult. No one said having a guide dog puppy would be easy, and certainly nobody said having two would be simple, but we're managing. Same thing goes for the cats.

Hopefully, the kittens will be deemed adoptable and will go to great homes. Mom and Dad cat are probably going to be spayed/neutered and returned to the backyard--I doubt they are really adoptable, but we'll see. We'll have mouse cats, and they'll have a check-up, and we'll decrease the vast number of homeless cats by several litters, I'd imagine.

Life is good.

Another Post from the Super Science Teacher

I was in a Mountain View gem & rock shop today buying cheap fossils for our two-day "Fossils as Evidence for Evolution" activity--we have two days on fossils, two days on homologous structures (bones in coughed-up owl hairballs--they have to articulate the rodent skeletons), and two days on DNA evidence. Now my students will be well-equipped to argue the evidence for evolution!

One of my brainiacs quite anxiously asked if I was "required by the state of California to teach intelligent design" but I happily told him that the California Science Content Standards are actually based on science! He was relieved. Today I clarified to a Muslim student that I did not "believe" in evolution but that I accepted it as a scientific theory, not as a belief system. One of my Hindu students is totally happy to accept reincarnation as part of her belief system and evolution as a scientific theory. I look forward to having more discussions about the controversy! Last year I had a Christian student who refused to consider evolution whatsoever, but "agreed to learn the material for the test."

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...a falcon family has taken up residence in the San Jose City Hall, and every middle school around is watching them on the UCSC/Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Group webcam. The city employees named the parent falcons Jose (for San Jose) and Clara (for our county, Santa Clara). The SCPBG hosted a chick naming contest, and our school sent in the names Cruz, Bella and Destiny. If we win, we get a visit from the SCPBG falcon expert armed with a falcon named Curtis. Since we are also studying the evolutionary morphology of bird beaks and Darwin's finches in particular, the webcam is a great part of our evolution unit. One day we tuned in on Jose using his beak to rip the heck out of a poor City Hall bird and regurgitate it for the chicks. The feast was viewed by my 3rd period, and 4th period caught sight of one of the chicks pooping quite visibly (in "an incredible trajectory," as I put it--they thought that was hilarious). The chicks took the rest of the day off and snoozed periods 5, 6 and 7.

On the big day when the SCPBG guy repelled down to band the chicks, they squawked in terror, and the parents dive-bombed the poor guy--fortunately for him, he was in a helmet and leather gloves. Their swooping shadows were caught on the webcam...

Farmer Supergirl Sings the Virtues of the First State

My favorite thing about Delaware is that I finally have the opportunity to do pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want. No teacher fatigue. No expensive rent. No car payments. It's reasonable to live here, and living can be done on one salary, and since we moved here for Superman's job, he's working, allowing me to build my writing business and save some money for us, but also affording me time to do more pro bono writing and editing work and take on new volunteer projects. I've also been able to fund our million-dollar cat's trips to the vet. Five tooth extractions here, an irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis there...

People are incredibly friendly here. If you go into a store, most proprieters enjoy it when you stay and chat for a bit. When I walk the dog, people stop to ask about the Guiding Eyes program and to pet him. At the ice rink where I skate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, people make a point to introduce themselves. I know every single person on the ice, at any given time.

On the farm, which is a real, working farm, where Superman's office is (in an old white farmhouse that is a designated historical building), it's quiet. You can sit on the lawn and gaze at the cows. Occasionally an Amtrak train barrels by, but it doesn't really shake the sense of peace that pervades that part of campus. I always enjoy being over there. Outside Townsend Hall, the main Ag School building, is a botanical garden and a vast lawn. We have puppy class there, and it's such a treat to get to be outside in such a beautiful place, especially now, when everything is flowering. The ice skating rinks are down that way as well, as is the outdoor pool, so I can sense that I'll be spending more time on South Campus this summer and fall.

I have now skated at both of UD's rinks and at The Pond. I have not set foot in The Pond's freestyle rink, where all the Olympians train, due to cost and intimidation, but I'll have to soon, to say I did it. I also have not met Johnny Weir, but I'm sure I will at some point.

My skating is improving. I can do a one-foot spin and am working on my Freestyle 3 change-foot spin, which involves spinning forward on the left foot, backward on the right foot, and forward on the left foot again. I notice that I get dizzy now when I spin. This is unfortunate. One of my skating buddies says, "It gets worse, the older you get." That's a bummer. I might be able to pull off a waltz jump (jumping from the left foot forward on the right foot and gliding backward) and a backward spiral soon, but I'm not holding my breath about any other jumps.

We are farming a 40'x40' plot of land down by Superman's office. We planted zucchini, squash, beet, bean, pea, lettuce, and melon seeds, and though everyone raised their eyebrows at that, we have sprouts, ladies and gentlemen! Next, we planted melon plants, tomato plants, and pepper plants, plus a bunch of marigolds, for their cuteness/protectiveness factors. We bribed our friend Jenn with future vegetables to help us, and Fairfax has been a frequent visitor to the garden. We met one of the two landscape design professors the last time we watered our plot, and now I am planning to take his classes in the fall. We're also growing tomatoes and peppers in our backyard. We have petunias, zinnias, snapdragons, and verbena in the flowerbed, and we seem to be vanquishing our poison ivy with some success. If the UD mowers would stop running over my little green fence, it might be easier to stay away from the poison ivy. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, and I'd just as soon not mow.

I heart Delaware. Come visit!

Wine and Jazz and Horse Races, Oh My!

We had the quintessential spring weekend in Delaware. Saturday, we went up to Longwood's first-ever, much-more-crowded-than-anticipated Wine and Jazz festival. The lilacs are blooming and the tulips are spectacular, so we admired the outdoor flowers and headed to Pierce's Park, where the DuPonts used to party in the summer, to taste some local wines. We had the opportunity to taste 22; we made it through 12 before the crowds got to us and we got hungry. Our conclusion was that the wines from the Brandywine Valley, closer to us than the other represented vineyards, were the best. Nice to have an excuse to visit a beautiful place and buy tasty local wine! It beats even the fantastic State Line Liquors as far as wine shopping goes (I'm not being sarcastic; for you Bay Area folks, State Line is like Beltramo's or K&L).

Sunday was Point to Point at Winterthur, a day of horse races, tailgating like I've never seen it done before, carriage parades, old Rolls Royces and Bentleys, and great hats. We joined neighbor Mike's tailgate, which involved awesome food, enthusiastic people, and a green VW bus (in which Fairfax is pictured). We were by far the most visible; even when Superman and I walked all the way around the horse track to see everything, we could still see the beacon of light that was the VW's brand-spanking-new yellow pop top in the distance. Today's Wilmington News Journal has a must-read article about Point to Point: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070507/NEWS/705070335/1006/NEWS.

Today, Fairfax is napping next to my desk, after a morning of insanity. Poppy is put out; this is usually her time to nap on the chair in my office. Ah, pets.

Off to do some work!

See Fairfax in Action!

Our neighbor, Mike, took these videos when we were playing with Wonder Dog in the backyard. Fairfax was new to the whole acting thing at first, but in the second take, proved himself to be worthy of an Oscar.

Fairfax the Wonder Dog

Fairfax continues to be adorable. He's very social; he came to Starbucks with me Monday morning and got frustrated when several passersby, fixated on getting coffee and getting to work, failed to pet him as they walked by. He loves living in a college town, where most people who see him do stop and give him lots of cuddles. People even stop their cars to tell us how cute he is. Poppy's not too sure about this whole thing. He sits when he sees her and wags his tail, hoping she knows he wants to play, but she just hisses and skulks past. She makes sure to sit on top of the furniture when they're in the same room, so she's higher up than he. We're having a great time; plans to acquire the next dog and cat are in the works!

Welcome, Fairfax!

We'll be raising a guide dog puppy for the next year and a half, and he arrived yesterday! Isn't he SO CUTE? Poppette the Rockette (as adorable as ever, of course) is taking it in stride, with the help of Supermom and Superdad, who are visiting this week and have given her lots of cuddles and playtime. She is sporting newly clipped nails after "spa night" on Sunday, which she tolerated with grace and dignity. In other news, it's spring again after some stormy, cold weather, and everything is blooming, most notably, our tulips!

Guest Blog: A Middle School Science Teacher Shares Her Experience

A former colleague of mine, who teaches science, wrote a great piece about her students to read to them on Read Across America Day. Her observations about her middle-schoolers are spot-on and incredibly warm and caring. I told her it had to be published, and that I would do it. Enjoy!

Dr. Suess Day—Read Aloud to Your Kids

Whenever someone asks me if I have kids, I chortle and tell them, “Yep, I have 120 of them!” Impressed with this number, are you? This is nothing. Some folks have 150 to 180. ALL BORN THE SAME YEAR. No, I am not a freak of fertility, I am a middle school science teacher, and I teach at the Disneyland of middle schools. Sometimes we refer to it as “camp,” and we have many happy, chatty campers, whom we corral in and out of classes 7 times a day.

I've been teaching science at Egan for 4 years, and my kids still continue to amaze and amuse me.

My kids have as many moods and personalities as they have Vans shoe patterns (I have a pair, too—the pattern is called “Frog Splatter”). Their brains and bodies are changing like mad, and they are very metacognitive. Yes, the average 12.5 year old IS pondering when their prefrontal cortex will blossom. Because they are in a State of Flux, you have to cut them some slack.

We recently dissected frogs, and the winners of the Annual Frog Naming Contest were:

Borat, El Grande Burrito, Harbinger of Nausea, The Kerminator, and G Dog da Frog. Hoolio the Hopper and Katy Kadaver made the semi-finals. Oh yeah, George W. Bush made the semi-finals too, but I took ol’ Dubya off the list because I am trying my darnedest to keep religion and politics out of science. These poor 12-going-on-13-year olds have to listen to me nag and screech, whine and preach enough minutes of the day. They also probe and bridge my synaptic gaps with questions like, "Can brain waves be manipulated?" "What happens to light in a black hole?" "Can a kid be born with a concave lens in his eye?" and, while leading a discussion about astrobiology, I get funny feedback like, "They found something on Mars, but they squished it!”

One of my kids asked me, “Don’t you get bored teaching the same lesson all day?” Excellent question. The answer is no, because every class is different—the personalities are different; thus, the synergy is different. Being an amateur cultural anthropologist at heart, the observations of social mores and behaviors at a middle school are endless. No better place to see it than in a hands-on activity, when the students are directing their own learning. Yard duty is priceless, because the children are no longer artificially grouped together—they have self-segregated into their own tribes.

Here is an overview of my 6 classes:

Period 1 is surprisingly alert, and they help me wake up. I program the coffee machine for 5:40 AM, my alarm rudely awakens me from some highly imaginative dream at 5:45 AM (last night I was in an intense conversation with a white Bengal tiger), and by 5:50 AM, I am imbibing a cardamom-infused organic soy latte of my design (just say NO to Starbucks), but I’m still waiting for the caffeine buzz by 8:06, when period 1 takes the room by storm. If you gave the class a color, it would be Naples Yellow.

Period 3 is an interesting balance of shy and not so shy, girls and boys. By now, I am awake, and that helps, because they have turned up the volume a bit. Their class color would be Viridian Green.

Period 4 is my, um, vivacious class. They are a whirlwind of shrieks and silliness, yet at the same time, some of my most serious students. If you gave the class a color, it would be Crimson Alizarin blended with Titanium White, which would give you HOT PINK.

Period 5 is so tiny and quiet, they fall off the decibel scale. I am usually still recovering from the effect of the 4^th Period Dust Devil when these poor kids walk in the door. This class would be a mellow Phthalocyanine Blue.

Period 6, fortified by lunch, is by far my most inquisitive and cerebral class. That’s a function of who they are, but also time of day and nutrient delivery to the brain. (I have noticed a pattern: kids, if they haven’t scarfed sugar all lunch, are at their best intellectually 6^th period. I had a 6^th period 2 years ago, before we got rid of the soda machines, that was one giant sugar crash.) Their color would be Plummy Purple, made from French Ultramarine Blue and Perylene Red.

Period 7 is what I like to call my “Mini UN class.” It is a fun and diverse group, but there have been skirmishes throughout the year. I remind them that we are a microcosm of the world, and we need to try to get along. Their color would be a bright Cadmium Orange.

I Threw Up in PetSmart

Hi, I'm Katie, and I threw up in PetSmart on Easter Sunday. Yes, that's right. After managing to get through elementary, middle, and high school without incident, I saved my public embarassment for adulthood.

Some background: Easter was mellow. We woke up, read the paper, met our friends for brunch at Home Grown Cafe, saw the fabulous Blades of Glory, grabbed coffee and a cookie, and headed to PetSmart to look at kittens.

As I watched Matt cuddle Panther, a sweet black kitten, I started to feel horrible. I headed for the restroom, somewhat abruptly, where I felt like I was going to pass out. I returned to the adoption center, where I was able to blurt, "I think we need to go; I feel like I'm going to pass out," before literally tossing my cookies right in front of the adoption area. Those poor cats. Matt managed to get me out of the store, arranging for someone to clean up after me (I feel terribly guilty, but they were nonplussed; I guess when you work in a pet store, little phases you), and home without incident. I spent the evening relaxing, talking on the phone, watching Prison Break, and generally feeling fine.

I appear to be OK. Who knows what caused it, but I'm glad to feel normal now! Will we be getting Panther? I really don't know. Perhaps that was a sign that it's not the right time to get a new kitten?

Though my ailment was the more dramatic one, I should also acknowledge Superman's suffering. The rash mentioned last week turned out to be a hideous reaction to Poison Ivy that worsened as the week progressed. Apparently, the pretty purple shoots we so carefully refrained from pulling up during our spree of yard work are Poison Ivy's angry spring sprouts, due to become evil green "leaves of three; let them be" in short order. I was spared due to my uncanny ability to be distracted by anything and everything; I kept going off to do other things in the yard, avoiding the Poison Ivy area. I also had neighbor Mike's gardening gloves on--thanks, Mike! We'll buy you some new ones that aren't covered in poison! Poor Superman is using Benadryl cream, steroid cream, and calamine lotion, taking steroids that keep him awake with a chaser of Benadryl, which knocks him out, and generally being a trooper. My goal this weekend was to distract him with a movie and kittens; I like to think I went one better, by making him take care of me, in my short illness, to get his mind off his!

In other news, I'm bummed not to be able to vote in the city election tomorrow. Apparently, my voter status has not gone through. However, we are considering posing for a photo, to be included in a book about Newark's history (pictures of city residents will run in a small strip all through the book). Our tax returns are done, I have a little break from work today, and I'm happy to be inside, instead of out in the cold (yes, cold. Spring appears to be taking a break from emerging for a few days.). I'm reading the sequal to Twilight, which I heartily recommend to girls who like vampire stories and romance.

Happy Easter Monday!

Supergirl is Really a Delawarean!

I love the Delaware DMV. These are words I could not utter in California, where my last DMV excursion took three and a half hours. The CA DMV has been harassing me. I got DE insurance under my new last name, and despite my insurance company calling them AND mailing them proof of insurance, they couldn't handle it. Rather than pick my way through that bureaucracy, I decided it was time to bite the bullet. We arrived at the DMV, just a few minutes away from home, at about 9:00 A.M. and were done by 10:00. Better yet, we left with new drivers' licenses, a new license plate and registration sticker, good till '09, and a new car title! Oh, and we're Delaware Democrats now. We walked to the license desk (no line), where I changed my last name, registered to vote, was entered into the system as an organ donor, and got a new license (my CA driver's license was unceremoniously tossed in a pile for shredding). We moved on to the photo desk (also no line), where, three minutes after saying "Cheese," we received brand new licenses (I look like I have seven chins, but hey, I have a new license!). We pulled the car in front of "the shed" outdoors (no line here, either), where a friendly man verified that it's a 2005 vehicle, checked our mileage, and sent us back inside. We changed my name on the title, added Superman, transferred it to Delaware, and for the cost of registering the car in CA for two years, we not only registered it for two more years, we re-titled it, too. And whaddya know, no lines! That's how easy and pleasant a DMV experience should be.

Our weekend was a celebration of all the great things there are to do here. Friday night, we headed to a member's only viewing of Longwood Gardens' orchid show. A highlight was floral arrangements throughout the conservatory, featuring orchids and other spring flowers. We wandered around the conservatory with our wine and looked at orchids attached to trees in one garden, orchids in pots in another, with a steel drum band playing in the background. I always love being there at night, and this was a real treat.

Saturday, Superman went on a beautiful bike ride in Maryland, while I attended yoga with my friend Mary. It was Iyengar, my favorite, and the teacher was a hoot. He is the most enthusiastic Iyengar yogi I have ever encountered. Saturday evening, we hit Wine and Dine Newark with friends, where we sampled different wines and nibbled different snacks at a few of the downtown restaurants. The whole town was there--Newark gets lazy and quiet when the students are gone, and last week was spring break. While I love the vitality of the kids being around, it was fun to experience a different scene--"adult swim," I call it. We ran into several of our swim team buddies at Wine and Dine, and met our accountant's wife and friends We ended the evening at Mary and Dave's, with the best tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life. It has ruined me for all other tiramisu. Mary may become a chef someday, and if she does, she will be famous. That's if I don't hire her first.

Sunday was yardwork. There is a creeping vine we call "creeper" that likes to take over yards here and strangle other plants, who are just minding their own business and trying to look cute. We attacked it and have battle scars to prove it. My finger is housing a thorn, and Superman seems to have a rash. However, the leaves are raked, the creeper is at bay, the dead plants have been excavated, and there just might be hope for the rosebushes. The daffodils and crocus continue to bloom, and we should be seeing our basil and tulips in no time. Sunday night, my favorite eight-month-old came to dinner with his parents and finally made Poppy's acquaintance. She thought he might be a nice playmate till he got excited and exclaimed, "Bah!", at which point she hightailed it under the bed. Still, I think she likes babies.

Ice skating starts up again tonight, so it's a good thing I broke in my skates (and my legs) a little bit. Puppy class is tomorrow, self-defense class is Wednesday, and Katie and Jeff come to visit Thursday! It's going to be a great week, especially if the sunshine holds. Hope you're enjoying warm weather, wherever you may be!

Spring is Springing!

Daffodils, crocus, and magnolia blossoms are emerging all over Delaware. It was 85 yesterday and is in the 70's today. I love it! I got the best summer shoes ever yesterday; Crocs, my favorite company, now makes flats! Everyone should have a pair in every color; they are vastly superior to my Target ballet flats in structure, comfort, and probably scent (you know what I mean). You, too, can have some: http://www.crocs.com.

Skirt shopping has not been as effective; I am truly my grandmother's granddaughter: I can find ten million pairs of shoes I love, and exactly two brands of jeans (at least they're not designer) and two brands of skirts (Gap and J.Jill) fit me correctly. Maybe if I keep swimming, this will change. I am up to a 3:20 200 on short course! Which makes me chuckle, because as Matt showed me today's swimming story in the New York Times today about Michael Phelps breaking a freestyle record, with a picture of Phelps swimming BUTTERFLY, I realized I have become a real swimmer.

I'll be working on being a real ice skater tomorrow, as I ditch the sunshine for the icy temperatures of The Pond for an hour and a half. I only have a week to finish breaking in my beautiful new skates before synchro team practice starts up again!

In other fitness news, though yesterday's run was gorgeous, what with the birds chirping, the sun shining down (not too hot, either), and no students to clutter up the sidewalks (spring break), I can feel my body rebelling against running. My left knee, in particular, did not want to go on the run. Yoga, on the other hand, realigns everything and really does seem to be as good as a massage. Plus, I can take free daily classes on yogatoday.com!

Poppy is pleased that it's spring. She spends about ten hours a day staring at the birds from either the guestroom window or the dining room window. At night, we have to close our bedroom window, or she'll crawl behind the blinds to watch the critters and make a big racket when she decides it's time for a nap.

We'll be attending the members' reception/Orchid Show preview at Longwood Gardens Friday night and perhaps planting our vegetable garden. Last night was dinner al fresco at the Deer Park Tavern.

Happy Spring!

Supergirl in New York City

Superman had to do some work at Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island, so I hitched a ride and got dropped off at Canal and Broadway in Manhattan Friday afternoon. It was a "wintry mix," everyone's favorite weather. Superman refers to it as "hurty snow." My glasses may never be the same, but I did make it successfully to the Public Theater, where my Superfriend Laura works (lucky girl--I always tell her her friends love her job--fortunately for her, she does, too). I dropped the suitcase, checked in with her, and headed to the Yaffa Cafe in the East Village for lunch. It's the first place I ever went in New York City, and I was enthralled with its funky decor, festive back patio, and vegetarian food. It's been ten years since that time, and I must say, Yaffa has not evolved with age. Lunch was sub-par, but it was entertaining to be there again, and it was warm...my only criteria by the time I walked over there from the Public.

After lunch, I headed uptown to the MOMA with Laura's membership card (bless her heart). I'm not a lingerer, which most people would say means I don't truly understand or appreciate art. I don't think I understand it, no, but I definitely appreciate it. I got to see Jeff Wall's amazing photographs--what an exhibit! Yowza! I also wandered the entirety of the museum, marveling at the names in there, enjoying my favorite works, focusing on the artists I like most. From MOMA, I walked over to my haircut appointment with Alan at Salon Ziba. Alan is a very affordable genius. I think I might be his most far-flung client. Now I have stylists in Palo Alto, San Francisco, Delaware, and NYC! Philly is next. :)

Once I had good hair, I couldn't take the wintry mix anymore and returned to the Public to read while Laura finished work for the day. We then walked over to Om Yoga, my new favorite yoga studio, to take Margy the wonder teacher's class. Blissed out, we went to a Mexican place at 14th and Broadway (I think) for epic corn soup and a magnificent burrito. The evening's entertainment was Kodo, a taiko drumming group that performed at Joe's Pub, the small venue attached to the Public. The drumming was phenomenal, and the most interesting point in the evening came when the Resident Calligrapher at Princeton University (yes, it's true) did an art piece while the group was playing.

Saturday morning, I brunched at the famous Sarabeth's on the Upper West Side with my high school buddy Hillary. We had a great time catching up and wandering around the frozen tundra of the UWS. I headed downtown to another class at Om with Laura, and from there, we went to tea, then shopped a bit at the Young Designer's Showcase, before a magnificent Italian dinner. Joe's Pub hosted two bands that night, the Hunger Mountain Boys and Wyos, who were both amazing--bluegrass and...vaudeville? at their finest.

Sunday brunch was at Chiles y Chocolate, a Oaxacan restaurant in Brooklyn that's to die for. Their "Oaxacalatte" is delicious! Then, Laura and I saw "In the Heights," the best musical I've ever seen, after which we shopped a little in the West Village before she dropped me off at the Public Theater to see if I could get into Jack Goes Boating, the new LAByrinth Theater Company production starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. As I was sitting waiting for my name to be called, Mr. Big, a.k.a. Chris Noth, walked right past me! I froze. I wanted to call my friend Marta, but I realized how dorky that would be to do right then. He stayed in my vicinity for longer than was good for my blood pressure, and then Michelle Dessler from 24 walked in! Sam Rockwell and some actress I know I've seen in US Weekly but have no idea what her name is showed up next. What a kick. I got into the show, had a great seat, and thoroughly enjoyed the play. Laura and I attended the Opening Night afterparty and spied more stars...Martha Plimpton, "Phil" himself, Daphne Rubin-Vega, who was also in the show, and plenty of others whom I just couldn't put a name to. Also, the food and drinks were amazing.

Exhausted, we headed home. Now, I'm waiting for my exciting ride home to Delaware in the snazzy University of Delaware Dodge Stratus. No doubt Miss Kitty will be delighted to see her parents, though Superneighbor Mike, the best neighbor we've ever had, has been taking excellent care of her.

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

Supergirl in Philadelphia

We went to Philly on Sunday, to see the oft-discussed Philadelphia Flower Show. How could I miss it, when the theme was "Legends of Ireland?" The pictures here are of the show. Each display, of Rose Parade-like size and elaborateness, was made by a different floral designer in the area. They were beautiful, but I was a bit surprised at the $22 price tag for the event. I know it benefits the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, but still...The crowds were a bit of a challenge, too. And I wasn't really feeling the Irishnessness of it. However, we're glad we went, and we happened to go on a gorgeous day, so when we left the Convention Center, we wandered down to Old City to check out the sights and shops. The new Visitor Center is impressive, as is the Constitution Center--we'll have to return to spend more time there. We decided to see the Liberty Bell, because it's free, but the price we paid--a near strip-search--was frustrating. There we were, giving up some of our personal freedom before viewing an icon of liberty. That was surreal. Superman joked to the people behind us that "there's a flight to Florida on the other side" of the security line, but no, it was just the Liberty Bell, plus a ton of information about it. I remarked that I thought the build-up was a little excessive, but we were still glad we went. We also viewed the currently-being-excavated home of George Washington and John Adams, where Washington, that jerk, kept slaves. The language used "enslaved persons of African descent" struck me as a little too nicey-nicey--I mean, our nation's first president kept slaves. That's despicable. I think the writer should have called it out, instead of making it sound inocuous. Superman, in either a more charitable mood or a more cynical one, said, "Well, at least they acknowledged it."

We moved on into Old City (written as "Olde" city in many places, which I love), wandering past old churches and cemetaries, the U.S. Mint, and some lovely brick houses to Penn's Landing. On our way back to the car, we passed the Betsy Ross house, where she is actually buried. The house is adorable, and we enjoyed the tour. And, what do you know, on our way through the house, we ran into a young General Washington. I tell you, the man is everywhere. At that point, I was in a better mood, so I didn't chat with him about his rotten slave-owning habits, but trust me, next time, he'd better watch out. On our way out, we admired the fountain, with its ceramic (?) cats and the thirteen colonies' names around it. It's so nice to see my colony's name! It really made me feel like a Delawarean.

On the drive home, we thought about going down to South Street but skipped it due to a massive traffic jam. We discovered both an amazing glass sculpture *and* a great place to park, though, so I think we'll be spending a lot more time in Philly in the future. The SEPTA train also runs to the Market East station (in the center of town) from Newark on weekdays. The city's walkability is a huge draw--we didn't even make it to Rittenhouse Square, which I know I'll love. I look forward to my trip back!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Hi there, folks, my name is Stanley Snowman! I live in Delaware, where it's snowing mighty hard today. I suspect I may be going to snowman heaven pretty soon, though--it should be spring any day, now. In fact, snowdrops and crocuses are already blooming up at Winterthur. So far, in a week's time, we've had cold, gray weather, 50-degree sunshine, pouring rain, wind, and this snow. SuperMother-in-law got to experience all of it--fortunately, she and Supergirl went to Winterthur on the prettiest day. Superman and Supergirl are headed to the Philadelphia Flower Show Friday to experience a little bit of spring indoors (not to mention a little bit of Ireland in PA--that's this year's theme. Perfect!). Have a great day, everyone!

Supergirl on Ice

We got another huge snowstorm on Sunday, and for this one, I was home and cozy. When the snow let up, we ran outside to make a snowman and shovel the walk and driveway (we had heard there'd be a nice coating of ice on things after the snow died down). I made a cute snowman, but failed to take his picture before the overnight rain melted him down. He had a good life, though...

We pulled a California and skipped our organizing meeting for Obama's campaign to stay inside and cozy. We're not so political that we brave snow and ice for political organizing; plus, we figure maybe we should wait to get involved until they are already organized!

We're thinking about training Seeing Eye dogs, assuming that our knowledge that we'll be here at least another year and a half is enough certainty to take on the responsibility of socializing a puppy for about that long. I go to orientation Saturday to learn more.

I've already slipped on ice once this winter (I believe everyone should have the experience at least once, ideally without injury), on the campus green with no one around--it was more entertaining than anything else, but I had a less happy spill on Tuesday. I was on my morning run, and stopped to pet a darling dog, who looked like a cross between a Bloodhound and a Wiemeraner. I was so distracted by the dog and by the fact that I was blocking a car trying to turn onto the street I was in the middle of, that when I resumed running, I didn't see the sheet of ice on the sidewalk. When I spotted it, I was already on it, falling forward. I fell on my face (naturally, during the morning commute on a busy street), picked myself up, and skulked off to a side street to survey the damage. It was nowhere near as bad as one fall I took in Golden Gate Park, when I destroyed my walkman and scared a small child (I was bleeding), but it was embarrassing. The only casualty was my wedding ring, which now has some divots in it that I'm going to have to discuss with a jeweler. This would be one of the reasons I don't have bling on my wedding ring--I'm too accident-prone. I continued on my merry way, and discovered a lovely new neighborhood, so I deem the run a success, despite one minor setback along the way.

Yesterday's big news was the purchase of new ice skates. When I skated seriously, in elementary and junior high school, my parents invested in some high-quality figure skates that I continued to wear into high school. However, at that point, I had quit skating seriously, and as I outgrew the skates, I decided I wasn't going to be doing much beyond skating in circles for the rest of my life. I replaced my beauties with lower-end skates and discovered how much I missed jumping blades, arch support, and ankle padding. I've been skating on those skates for at least ten years now, and now that I live in the ice skating capital of the world (or something like that) and am skating regularly, I decided it was time to get grown-up skates. These will be the skates I'll wear for the rest of my life, so they'd better be what I really want.

I cleverly, yet unintentionally, chose to shop at the end of the season, so when I walked into The Pond Pro Shop, I was delighted to see that the skates were all half-price! I had to wait a bit for two men who'd driven all the way up from Baltimore to buy hockey skates to make their purchases, and consulted one of them on the best figure skates to buy for his wife. A very knowledgeable UD hockey player helped me with my purchase, heating the skates in the oven so they'd mold to my feet, punching out some padding that was pinching, and talking music with me. I walked out with brand-new, high-end figure skates that I can't wait to skate in! I'd better get on it, because the synchronized skating season starts up again soon! The only bummer of the trip was that I didn't spot Johnny Weir, who trains at The Pond, but I hope to get to see him skate soon.

In other exciting news, one of my former students mailed me a copy of an article by Eric Schmitt of the New York times, signed by the man himself. I think I'm going to frame it.

It's sunny, and spring is coming!

Well, Hello There, George Washington!

Ran into George Washington on Saturday. He was chillin' at Longwood Gardens for the weekend, chatting with visitors, enjoying the sunshine. Mr. Washington gets around--saw him at the Hale-Byrnes house at Christmastime, too. I guess that's what I'd do if I were George--cruise around to the various wonderful places, chat with the nice people, keep my name out there.

Today, the University of Delaware is not honoring George, however. They're in session. Which means Superman is at the office and at class, and I am working, too. Probably good--I should be working--and I did sneak in a nap after swimming--but I do find myself just slightly nostalgic for Egan's Winter Break. Supermom and Superdad are in Santa Monica, visiting Superbro (have fun at the Farmer's Market, guys!) on their week off.

We spent Saturday enjoying the sight of Longwood in the snow and petting the cats who keep the gardens mouse-free (they have cozy condos and are well-fed and cared for by Longwood's wonderful staff). We went winetasting at Chaddsford Winery and learned about East Coast wines. Sunday was spent in Historic New Castle, site of William Penn's arrival and home to the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. For a half million, you can own one of the oldest homes in town, a gorgeous large brick dwelling with a cute yard on a lovely historic street. I'd live there in a minute! We visited the old graveyards in town and the Courthouse and saw the historic Amstel and Dutch houses. New Castle's right on the Delaware River, so we wandered down to Battery Park on the banks of the river. We can't wait to go back when the weather's nicer.

Today, it's sunny and much warmer, which means the ice will finally melt off the sidewalks and I can run again without fearing a tumble. Spring is coming...blossoms, flowers...can't wait.

Happy President's Day!