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!

Happy Valentine's Day, After All

Late Morning: After having three flights canceled, Supergirl camps out with computer and wireless to blog out her misery. Post-post (and kind emails and calls from friends), she meets a cutie-pie two year old and the little girl's mom. Gets to play My Little Pony, see the brand-new Valentine Barbie, and finally has an audience for the Poppy the Cat slideshow. Superman, bless his heart, sends Poppy the Cat movie clips to make Supergirl/Cat mom happier. Confusion about 1:50 P.M. flight being cancelled or not. Gets on 4:30 flight that gate crew is more certain will leave.

Lunchtime: Supergirl enjoys lunch and purchases clean socks, gum, and elastics/clips for her wayward tresses. Wonderful friends BostonErin and Melissa provide Chicago friends' contact info, should Supergirl need a place to camp other than Midway Airport. Supergirl continues to worry about flight cancellations and once again considers flying elsewhere, for the heck of it. Boston? Back to San Jose? Vegas?

After lunch: Supergirl deals with Problem Hair and shares misery with anyone who will listen. Strolls airport for fun. Discovers, via one of the women with whom she has shared her misery, who is much more well-rested and lucid, that 1:50 flight is leaving soon. Goes to check on it. Gets back on flight, miraculously, and is the LAST PERSON ON THE PLANE!

8:00 P.M.: After landing on ice in Philly, waiting for bags that did not show, and filling out baggage delivery form, Supergirl and Superman, her trusty chauffeur, drive home to Newark. The trees are covered with ice and look like they're painted silver in the light. Supergirl has never been so happy to be home.

9:30 P.M.: Leftovers for dinner, a great bottle of wine, chocolate-covered blueberries sent by SuperAunt, SuperUnCole, and Supercute Cousin, and the company of husband and cat...there is no better Valentine's Birthday!

Sending LOVE your way!

Winter Wonderland

Here's what our house, our street, and our trees look like in real winter!

It's My Birthday, And I'll Cry If I Want To

Some advice: When you check your bag for a flight, and the woman who takes it from you tells you there's a Weather Advisory where you're going, don't go.

I am 32 today, and I am spending my birthday in the Midway Airport. There are far worse places to be stuck, and worse circumstances under which to be stuck; however, it being my birthday, I am a little bummed out.

I left for San Jose Airport on Tuesday, 2/13, at 7:30 A.M., with Superdad at the wheel, listening to the Dixie Chicks, excited for my birthday and to see Matt and Poppy. I knew there was a storm coming to the Philly area, and I knew it'd be bad, due to what Syracuse, NY has gotten recently, but I truly didn't think it would affect me this much. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. If I'd bailed on my flight, I'd be celebrating my b-day with Mom and Dad right now. Ah, well.

After circling Midway, my connecting airport, for several hours yesterday afternoon, we were diverted to St. Louis, where we spent three hours, before getting back on the plane at 9:30 P.M., flying to Midway, circling for several more hours, and landing. There were no more flights to Philly, so I booked one for the next morning (today). My luggage is somewhere, I hope. I can't get to it, that's for sure. All the airport hotels were full last night, so I slept on a cot (thank god for that!), cocooned in a blanket (hoorah!), with a bunch of other people.

In case you are wondering, they clean the escalators, wax the floors, and tidy the bathrooms in airports in the middle of the night. Fleets of good souls, who probably work two other jobs each, spend their nights making airports pleasant for travelers. I am impressed.

Also, the Muzak does play 'round the clock. I feel like there may have been a reprieve from 2:00 A.M.-4:00 A.M., but that might have been because I finally fell asleep.

At 4:30 A.M., a fellow hollered, "O.K., everybody, it's 4:30 A.M.; we have to pack up the cots, so everybody needs to get up! We have drinks for you; come help yourselves!" I was dismayed not to have Revelry played for me, as the circumstances were so camp-like, but I hopped up and got on my way to nowhere. I will also admit to the sarcastic thought, Whom are you kidding? No one's going anywhere today. Leave 'em up. But I do not get involved in airport administrivia. Bigger fish to fry, and all that.

There's something odd about being desparate for sleep in the middle of the night. Everyone just sort of fell on cots and crashed out. Boundaries were erased, so desperate were we for a place to lie down and get some rest. It truly was quiet there for about two hours in the wee hours of the morning. However, my crack-of-dawn wake-up was less comfortable. I felt exposed. Had I drooled on my cot? Was my hair standing up in twenty different directions? Did I have sleep marks on my cheek? Did I smell? (The hair looks marginal, and the answers to the other three questions are yes, yes, and probably).

When it became clear that my 6:00 A.M. flight was not happening, I re-booked, then re-booked again. I am now re-booked on a 1:50 P.M. flight to Philly. I couldn't stomach standby on anything earlier; the disappointment of having yet another flight cancelled is just too much for my tired, sorry self to take right now (talk to me when it happens at noon). Instead, I am trying to make this a Rich Life Experience.

I walked a blind man to his gate, so I could learn more about training Seeing Eye dogs. Turns out that the dog socializers have the dogs for a lot longer than the trainers , who only have them for three months, do. He said that his current dog, a black lab named Todd, is a little bit too "social." His last dog, a yellow lab, was a better worker. I had to stay on Todd's left and kind of steer him, so that he, in turn, could steer Joe. I dropped Joe off at his gate and took a stroll back to mine. I just keep walking back and forth, from the A Concourse to the B Concourse.

I feel a bit like Tom Hanks' character in the DreamWorks movie The Terminal. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel when I finally get out of here. Airports and airplanes provide a liminal space, in which you make best friends with people you barely know, just to have some companionship on your journey. As I walk through the airport today, folks I met last night ask, "How'd you sleep?" It's like being in small-town America with folks from all over the country. Last night, I met a soldier who did two terms in Iraq. What an impressive person he was. I gave someone my New York Times this morning; someone gave me OK and Life & Style last night. If someone needed me to buy them breakfast, I probably would, although not a fellow passenger I'll call Negative Ned. He's harshing my mellow; I feel like he's tracking me. Every time I'm at a gate trying to change my flight, he appears at my elbow to whine and complain. I got an earful about how his girlfriend is pissed he's not home for Valentine's Day, and how she can't handle the amount of traveling he does for work; apparently he almost told her to find another boyfriend last week. I don't do other people's bad relationships, so I keep trying to lose him. I'll be "working" a lot today. Earlier, I lied and told him I was leaving the airport and flying out tomorrow, just to get him off my back. I almost did it, too, until Matt reminded me that no hotels (if there are even any vacancies) will let me check in until late afternoon. I think I can handle one more night in the airport, but I'm not positive about that.

I pondered returning to San Jose, but I can't stand the thought of having to fly from there to Chicago again this week. I thought about going to L.A. Same problem.

So here I sit, in Midway Airport, grateful for technology, Southwest Airlines' Valentine decorations, and my friends and family wishing me Happy Birthday from across the miles. Matt informed me that the local news station in Delaware had some footage of a young woman crying about missing Valentine's Day. I said, "If she'd had her birthday on Valentine's Day her whole life, then she'd have learned how to suck it up by now!" And so I shall.

Happy Valentine's Day, one and all. Enjoy it for me!