March 31st, 2008

Time to wrap up another month. Man, time flies. Remember when a year seemed like an eternity? Now, I can hardly keep up with the calendar.

Looks like this past month was all about Evan, my job, and my mail... interesting. Now that it's spring, I want to get outside more, take more pics outdoors. Blue skies, fluffy clouds, mellow sun... I'm hoping the April weather will play along.



Good news of the day: my Mets just won their season opener down in Florida this evening. Let's go Mets! :)

March 30th, 2008

Lunch, anyone? :)

March 29th, 2008

Special treat - Staci and Evan drove out to the Island this afternoon. Brad followed after work. We did a family dinner (including Brad's parents) at the Sherwood, then let Evan burn off some more of his energy running around at mom and dad's. At one point, when Brian picked him up, Evan wrapped his feet around his neck so he couldn't put him back down. I whipped out the camera, Evan gave BriBri a kiss, and I caught a perfect moment to remember. Woo! :)


In Evan's words: "BriBri so happy!"

March 28th, 2008

When I get home from a long day at work (and I mean LONG - I leave the house around 6:30am and get back after 10:30pm), I normally crash onto the couch, for a little while, at least. I curl up under the fuzzy blanket and let some of the stress of the day melt away, until I'm relaxed enough to head to bed and drift off to sleep.



Mmmm, sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

March 27th, 2008

See that box below? That's Evan's box.

It is his gift to the soldiers, his "present" to the men (and women) serving far from home.

How does a two year-old decide to send donations to the troops? Well, on Wednesday, Evan started pulling things out of the half-filled boxes on my living room floor. I tried to explain in simple terms why I didn't want him tossing the boxes' contents, so I told him they were "presents" for men and women far away. I explained that the men and women didn't get to see their mommy or families, and they didn't get to live in their houses because they were so far. Evan really latched onto the idea that they were presents (what toddler doesn't like presents?). I think he was momentarily put out by the fact that the presents weren't for him, but he quickly responded with "Evan share." Then he put everything back. I asked him if he wanted to help with the presents for the "far man," as he put it. He said "YEAH!" So he picked a box and we pulled it over to the couch. I dumped all my unsorted goodies on the floor, and Evan picked through and put more things in the box. I rearranged the items so the box would close... but otherwise, I let him choose what to put inside. Unsurprisingly, he picked snack foods and tossed them in. Popcorn, some chocolate cake snacks, and a few other goodies got piled on top of the books that were already in the box. When the box was full, I praised Evan for his sharing and was ready to place the box back on the other side of the room.

That's when he surprised me with his suggestion that a present should come with a card. "Present. Card!" We had some crafty things out, as Staci was creating a very cool scrapbook for our upcoming cruise. So I asked if Evan wanted to make a card. The answer, again, was an enthusiastic "YEAH!" He chose yellow paper for the card, which I quickly folded and handed to him along with a pencil. He drew on the card (and insisted that everything he drew was a fish - I'll take his word for it), stuck on some cookies and milk stickers, then asked me to write his name on it. I asked him what he wanted to say to the "far man" in the card. We settled on hello, cookies, milk, and his name (I added a few extra words so that would make some sense to the soldiers on the receiving end). We then inked up his hands (Evan chose "Blue!" ink) and he stamped his handprints as his signature. He placed the card in the box and dragged it back across the room.

So the box pictured below, that's Evan's box. Evan's present. I taped it up after taking this picture, and it's ready to go, ready to bring some of my nephew's innocence and goodness to the troops in Iraq.


Talk about the wisdom of children....

March 26th, 2008

What a day! A trip to the Long Island Children's Museum, a visit to Scrapaholics, a creativity spree... we were busy little bees! Evan was a nonstop source of excitement and laughs (as usual). But he got the biggest laugh himself when we were at the museum, and he was inside a bubble! So fun. :)


(One day he'll thank me for not posting the photos I took of him in the bathtub at the end of the evening.)

March 25th, 2008

Tuesdays and Fridays, my classroom is down in the basement. There's little natural light, though thankfully there's plenty of overhead fluorescents. This is my view of the outside world - out the one window where the blinds aren't flipped shut. Kinda sad, no?

March 24th, 2008

I love it when my mail smiles at me. :)

March 23rd, 2008

Oh look, it's Bare Minerals! Swirl, tap, and buff away fine lines and wrinkles!



So yeah, I'm trying something new with these. I don't wear makeup... or at least, I haven't before. But Staci buffed some of this stuff onto me the other day, and I liked the way it looked. I'm always worried about being too shiny, too oily. This smooths me out. We'll see how long I go along with it, though... I'm not used to having makeup as part of my daily routine. I'll see how I can make it fit.

March 22nd, 2008

At a little aquarium on the Jersey Shore with Evan, Staci, Brian and Mom. Ran around chasing Evan from tank to tank, trying to enjoy the swimming things and keep an eye on him at the same time. He wanted BriBri to pick him up so he could get a closer look - it's so cute watching the two of them interact. Guess we're shaping up as a good aunt and uncle after all.

March 21st, 2008

Welcome to the Vernal Equinox. Spring is getting ready to... well... spring. I can almost see the pink blooms wrapped tight within these growing buds. We'll start seeing the colors of the season soon. :)

March 20th, 2008

Back on campus. Not such a sunshiny day, but there were breaks in the clouds that brightened stuff up. Walked past the 9/11 memorial yet again - it's right near the building where I teach on Thursdays. Always catches my attention...

March 19th, 2008

It's fun having Staci and Evan come over and hang out. Tiring, but fun. Extra-fun to go out and paint pottery with Evan. And also extra-tiring. It took a lot of effort to keep him from going through the place like a bull in a china shop.


Wait 'til you see what we painted. :)

March 18th, 2008

Lit some candles to scent the air... which smelled rather unfortunately of garbage. Ew. Wasn't coming from in here - guess the landfill across the way was giving off some pungency. It doesn't happen often, but it isn't impossible for a bubble of ick to escape from under the pile.

March 17th, 2008

I spend an inordinate amount of time working on stuff for my three classes; these are some of the fruits of that labor. Lesson plans, tests, exam reviews... once I do my lessons, all this paperwork goes into these page protectors and waits for reuse (I hope!) next fall.


Meanwhile, it's my nephew's 2nd birthday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVAN! :)

March 16th, 2008

So Evan got a lot of cool gifts for his birthday. We bought him a cute little bistro/grill playset - now he can cook at his Evan-sized grill while Staci and Brad prepare dinner themselves. But "Crazy Uncle Alan" (hey, he calls himself that) got Evan a super-cool baby iPod. Now Evan can hear the Itsy Bitsy Spider whenever he wants - and the rest of us don't have to! :)

March 15th, 2008

Basking in a little winter sunshine (I like the way it lights up my hair):

March 14th, 2008

Finally sat down with the old iPod and loaded on some music I like (it held Brian's playlists before). Brought it along to work to make my basement computer lab a little less... empty. I filled my ears with music instead of the sounds of silence (or early-arrival's chatter) between classes. I think the iPod just might be my new best friend. :)

March 13th, 2008

It's very much a part of the scenery of New York. A long, graceful bridge arching over the water, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn (which is geographically part of my island, Long Island). The Verrazano Narrows Bridge. It offers crossers a terrific view of lower Manhattan (marred by the gaping wound of Ground Zero, but marvelous nonetheless). Trips over it are often slowed to a standstill by traffic, but still, this bridge speaks to me of beauty, and of home.

March 12th, 2008

So when he comes to my place, Evan likes to climb up the back of the couch and hang out on the window ledge. If our neighbors are watching, they probably think we're nuts for letting a toddler scramble around back there. We probably are, but it's just too cute, and he has too much fun for anyone to want him to stop (except for mom, who seems convinced he's going to crash right through one of the windows - she's always been the nervous type). We just keep a close eye on him, and make sure our windows are securely locked before he arrives....



How much IS that baby in the window?

March 11th, 2008

Another day in the computer lab. This is pretty much how I set myself up when I get there. My water bottle, a bag full of office supplies, my lecture notes and the textbook. Once those are out on my desk, I'm ready to teach!

March 10th, 2008

I treated myself to some lip gloss from Joseph Christopher when I was there for my hair cut/color a few weeks ago. Want to know how often I use lipstick? Well, it's still sitting in this bag...

March 9th, 2008

Now *these* could easily become an addiction....

March 8th, 2008

It's raining, it's pouring...



Heavy rains (torrential at times, but overall steady and relentless for two days - ick) caused flooding in our area. Our neighbor's yard resembled a duck pond, and even the hydrant in front of our house looked like it was about to float away. Talk about an absolute mess. Sodden branches snapped in high winds, the rains pulled down some power lines here on the Island (thankfully not ours)... I guess the good news is that we won't have drought issues this year.

March 7th, 2008

I've been teaching Microsoft Excel to my CSI classes the last few weeks... thought I did a darn good job between class sessions, getting these lecture notes on the board in a clear, well-explained way. And then I remembered: I have to switch classrooms on Fridays. So all that effort (I even illustrated!) was for naught. Well, poop.

March 6th, 2008

Okay, so you probably don't expect me to take pictures of the signs outside a church. Neither did I. Until I started reading the signs posted by the pastor(?) of this little bible church. He's clever, and his signs are usually witty and wise. I was particularly drawn to this one - it's a good message for us all.

March 5th, 2008

Okay, if my nephew comes across this picture when he's a teenager, he'll probably kill me for taking it. But I think it's hilarious that his fascination with phones runs so deep, he'll play with one while on the potty.


Looks like Evan's learning quite a few things from his Poppy...

March 4th, 2008

Y'know, I like WaMu.... A bank with a sense of humor; who'd have thunk it?


This particular sign rises to the south of the Belt Parkway, my path to Staten Island several times a week. It's near the exit for JFK Airport - if you know the area, you know that part of Queens isn't exactly known for its cheerful, bright colors, so this sign really stands out.

March 3rd, 2008

Seasonal Affective Disorder... I'm not sure I can say I have that, but I find grey, wintry days to be especially sad (if you'll pardon the pun). Aches are achier, gloom is gloomier... I crave sunshine even more than I crave books. I'm no tanning goddess, even on summer's sunniest days, but I love to spend my days in (and out of) the sun. For me, it's all about the light, the warming rays... I got over the cycle of sunbathing/sunburning after my teenage years.

I may've let my skin fry in the sun when I was younger, but I've always been careful with my eyes. I drive around with my sunglasses on in all but the darkest conditions; this pair's lasted me nearly two years now. For me, with something that gets such constant use (and abuse - I can't keep track of how many times these have ended up falling to the ground!) that's a record.

At the moment, I'm just glad it was bright enough to wear them!

March 2nd, 2008

Yes, I just got a box of books in the mail... but I can't stay away! :)

March 1st, 2008

Ah yes; books, glorious books. A box arrived just in time to save my sanity - I can't seem to go long without a new batch to read, even with old favorites reread regularly. I just crave them, like a pregnant woman might crave the vinegary taste of pickles on her sweet ice cream. I need them.



Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, here I come!

February 29th, 2008

February photo mosaic... more pics of people than anything else, but I also seem to be taking a lot of pics pertaining to my job at CSI. Interesting to look back and see my trends......

February 28th, 2008

Back on campus again. Lots of trees and green space at the College of Staten Island. This'll be pretty come spring.

February 27th, 2008

Staci: Twinkle, twinkle, little....
Evan: STAR!

Too friggin' cute! :)

February 26th, 2008

Tuesday is a long day. A 16-hour day. Out of the house before 6:30am, home again near 11pm. Yeah, it's a long, tiring day. By the time I get home, I'm drained of all energy... I spend a moment swallowing my Ambien, then head to bed soon after, more than ready for a night's sleep. And then some! Here's a glimpse of me between sleeping pill and sleep...

February 25th, 2008

We had more snow than expected in last Friday's storm, but it's already largely gone. Just a few snowy patches lurk in shady places, a reminder of the 8" that fell just a few days before, giving me a much-appreciated snow day. I'm glad the roads were quickly cleared and we weren't housebound once the snowfall ended!

February 24th, 2008

Brian's CPAP machine showed up this week; he's learning to sleep with the mask forcing oxygen into him, to prevent the problems associated with his recently-discovered sleep apnea. With that mask and the long tubing, he kinda looks like a deranged Snuffalupagus. Poor Brian.

February 23rd, 2008

Mmm, a big plate of yummy food from PF Changs. Talk about food porn. :)

February 22nd, 2008

Not sure whether the driver was flying this flag in solidarity with the ethnic Albanian majority in newly-independent Kosovo... but it seemed timely enough to snap this photo.

February 21st, 2008

Had a brief moment of early morning quiet (and solitude) in my computer lab. These rounded mirror things are probably there for some security reason, but I thought they made for a pretty cool picture...