In Which I Skin a Cat

I used the expression "There's more than one way to skin a cat" with one of my students today. He looked at me like I had suddenly sprouted gigantic green antlers and said, "Isn't that illegal? Why would you do that?" I think I scarred him for life.

After I finished laughing (in my head), I had to explain what that meant. This led to the observation that there are some truly disgusting idiomatic expressions. I love teaching kids that have autism.

In Which Christmas Comes to Town

Yesterday, Christmas came to town. I attended the 63rd annual Christmas Parade in the old part of town. It sounded like a fun, holiday-spirit thing to do, and I figured it seemed like a nice small-town kind of tradition. So at 9:30am, I drove into town,parked, and walked to the a spot on the parade route. There were a lot of people. Someone said close to 55,000, and I believe it. I found a spot right near the main stage, where all the dancers and bands stopped to do a 1-minute performance.

Surprisingly, winter also arrived in Virginia the same day as Christmas. At 9:50, I was wishing I had worn warmer socks. At 10:00, I was wishing I had brought heavier mittens. By the time the parade finally started at 10:18, I was downright cold. It was so cold, my digital camera refused to turn on. I have pictures on my cell phone. If anyone can help me figure out how to send them to the computer, I'd appreciate it. Then I can show you the parade.

It was very cool. There were over 100 groups marching, and at least 1/3 had floats. There were some really fun ones, like the one made by a middle school orchestra with broken instruments and Christmas packages. There were several dance troupes dressed in sparkly leotards and tights, shivering their way through their dance number. There was the Budweiser Clydesdales, which are really big. "Big" does not begin to describe how massive those animals are. The mayor marched. The local senator marched. There were men driving Harley-Davidsons decorated with tinsel and and Santa Clauses. There were two balloons. Marching bands in full regalia wearing Christmas elf-ear hats. The crowd was fun too, lots of families and children. bundled up in layers of lumpy coats and blankets, and everyone saying "hi" to each other and greeting people they knew in the parade. Stores lining the main street were all open and serving hot chocolate or coffee and cookies, enticing people to step in and warm up, and maybe do a little Christmas shopping.

I couldn't stay to the end. It got to the point where I couldn't get warm even in a store. I left just before noon, and the parade was only about half finished. Next year, I will dress warmer and bring a blanket. What a fantastic local event! The only thing that would have been better is if my family and friends could have been there too. Wishing you all happy holidays.

Thanksgiving!!!!

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I did. i went back north, and enjoyed the cold and snow. Really, I did. It was great to visit with my family and see a friend or two. I got to go see The Nutcracker ballet, always a holiday favorite of mine. I also went to the George Eastman House to see the gingerbread house display. Every year, people donate decorated gingerbread creations to auction off to raise money for GEH. Some are spectacular, and some are obviously by very young girl scout troops. Here a few of my favorites. And yes, that is a landfill.

In Which I Head North

Hi y'all. Yup, I've picked up a southern accent. I'll be flying north again for Thanksgiving. It will be strange to be cold. I need to find my boots.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

In Which I See the Capitol Building

Today I went into D.C. to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. (I must say that the Metro system is really convenient. The biggest problem is living 30 minutes away from it.) The weather was supposed to be rainy all day, but though it was certainly quite gloomy, there was a brief time when it was almost sunny. I took advantage of this and went to see the Capitol Building, which is about 1/2 mile from the museums. It was strange to see it in real life. I've seen it on tv and in movies, and there I was, seeing it for real.

I went to the Air and Space Museum, which was fantastic! First of all, it's free. Secondly, it has all these replicas of various space shuttles and stations. There is so much to see and so many buttons to push! I love pushing buttons. There also was a big exhibit about the history of stewardesses, complete with a panel of visiting retired stewardesses from the 60's. I must say, some of the uniforms from that era were crazy --- pink mini-skirts with paisley hot pants, orange ponchos, bright yellow mini-dresses.... Yikes! Anyway, as you can see from the pictures, it was impressive.


I also went to the Freer Gallery. It has a large collection of paintings by Whistler, of Whistler's Mother fame. It does not actually have that painting however, which I believe is in Paris. It also had a room Whistler's Peacock Room. Only at the Smithsonian would there be an entire room devoted to decaying green velvet, gilded peacocks murals, and shelves of blue Chinese pottery. I think it would have been more impressive 5 hours earlier in the day. The Japaneses screens were really quite beautiful, though, and I could have sat and looked at them for hours. I was also impressed by the variety and quality of Asian art exhibited. There were some exquisite pieces.

In Which I Hear Opera

I got an e-mail today from the Metropolitan Opera announcing that streaming video of HD performances from the Met are now available. I am very excited. I love opera. I don't get to attend live performances often, but over the past two years, I've been able to attend the Met's Live in HD broadcasts at a movie theater. Now that I have moved, that is not as easily done. This is not quite as good as going to the movie theater. However, it is much more convenient.

I highly recommend the performance of Eugene Onegin, which I saw two years ago. It was fantastic. I recommend skipping Peter Grimes. The voices were good, but the sets are dreadful. I am looking forward to watching The Magic Flute, one of my favorite operas. It has a singing parrot, a lost princess, a melodramatic queen-mother, a prince, and a stretch where the characters are not allowed to make a noise. How could it be anything but fun?

In which I go to church

I went to the battlefield park again today to see the fall colors. The weather was quite warm. I do like the weather here so far a lot better then up North. I saw a deer. I even got a couple blurry pictures (see above). It let me get fairly close. There was a family at the park flying a kite. It looked like fun. I remember going to the beach in New Jersey when I was a kid and flying kites.

Ah, and back to the title of my post. I went to church today. This is not note-worthy in itself. I usually do go to church. However, this is the third week I've gone to the same church. It's quite friendly. I put my name on the "Visitor" list, and last week and this one, a pastor has contacted me later in the day just to say, "Hello, thanks for coming to our church". I appreciate that. That's what churches should do. There was also a very large hornet in the sanctuary today. It made the sermon quite lively. If your church is in a rut, I recommend introducing a gigantic flying insect to liven things up.

I am sorry to say that I got not a single trick-or-treater on Halloween. It was disappointing. Now I have 3 bags of candy sitting on my refrigerator. If you ask nice, maybe I'll send you some.

In Which I Bowl

Happy Early Halloween everyone! I was supposed to write progress reports tonight (well, ok, I wrote some), but got distracted when I opened my e-mail and was sent a link to a website that was pure stress relief. Click for Cat Bowling!!! I love cats. I always had cats growing up. I hate cruelty to animals. However, this was fun and silly. So bowl away. Have great Halloween!

In Which I See Prada

I went to Tyson's Corner Mall today. It was a luxury shopping experience. I did not quite realize what that meant until today. I'd never been to Neiman Marcus before. I should have dressed up. Next time, I will wear nicer shoes. I also went into Saks Fifth Avenue, and stores I've never heard of that sold evening gowns for more than I earn in 3 months. It was kind of fun to look. I do have to admit; really expensive clothes look and feel very nice. Cheap knock-offs are not quite the same.

What amazed me was the sale bins for handbags. My current purse cost $11 from JC Penney's about 5 years ago. The prices on the sale bin purses were crazy. These are the purses that are just thrown into a bin, with no order. They are not displayed on racks or shelves or anything. Just thrown in a bin. Check it out. There were lots of shoes that I've only heard of from movies, television, and those chick lit books where the main character is addicted to shopping. Like Prada. I felt like I was in a television show.

After 3 hours, trying on a few rediculously priced jackets, and rubbing elbows with elegantly-clad sales staff, and admiring evening gowns that were works of art, I was almost tempted to spend $750 for a pair of shoes. Almost. I really did like this handbag, though. Now I understand why the people in those books go bankrupt over shoes and clothes. There really is a difference between a $80 dress and an $800 dress, especially when you are surrounded by people wearing $800 dresses.

In Which I Watch Television

My new favorite tv show is The Big Bang Theory. It's on Monday nights at 8:00. It makes me laugh because the characters are like my students. It's like watching what they will be like in another 10 years. Well, some of them. Not all of them. I just have to laugh. If you've ever been friends with a nerd or been a nerd, or known someone with Asperger Syndrome, or owned a comic book collection, you should definitly check it out.

In Which I Walk with Ghosts

I went on a ghost walk last night. It was kind of a fun idea. I got to walk around the old part of town with guides from the museum, all dressed up in costumes. The stories weren't great. Or maybe it was the story teller, who seemed very unsure of herself. But it was still a nice evening to walk around and see some of the old buildings. Apparently when Siam first opened to the West, the king of Siam sent his sons to a school in this area. That had nothing to do with ghosts, but it was one of those little factoids I picked up.

Today I went to a wildlife refuge on the Potomac River. There are some pictures of it in this post. It was a nice day to be out. Temerature in the low 60's. Trees starting to change color. I got bit by a black fly, though. Ouch! For an area with so many new developments, and people practically falling over each other because it's so crowded, there are a lot of national parks and wildlife habitats.

In Which I Buy Furniture

First, I added a couple pictures to previous entries.

Yesterday I went to IKEA. I have been needing bookshelves for a long time. I have had boxes of books piled in my closets, on the floor, in the trunk of my car. So, I trekked off to IKEA, where I bought two bookcases. I even managed to fit them in my teeny tiny car (it's only slightly longer than I am tall). I got them up the stairs, one plank at a time. And I even put one together in about 3 hours.

That was my big adventure for the weekend. It took most of the day. I was going to go to the park, but by the time I unloaded the boxes, I was too tired. But I like my new furniture. It makes my little nest look more finished. Mostly because I bought doors for the bookcases, so all the clutter is hidden. I still have one more to put together, but it'll have to wait. I think I have to buy another screwdriver. For those who are wondering what to get me for Christmas, a toolbox, fully stocked, and an electric screwdriver would be great.

In Which I Win

Yesterday, I came home, tired, weary, achy, after sitting through a long and ridiculous meeting (yes, silly, and even my supervisors will admit it), I had a message on my answering machine. This is always very exciting for me. I was even more excited when I heard the message.

I had won the grand prize drawing at Border's Books and Music! I entered during Teacher Appreciation Weekend. I always do, though I've never won anything. I was so excited, I skipped through dinner and drove right over. I won a book bag full of children's books!!!! Yay!

I know. You are thinking, "What does she need more books for?" Well, ok, that's a good point, but they were free. I won them. That's pretty cool. And I won a blue book bag.

Just an aside, I had two people today tell me that I don't sound like I have a NY City accent. Sigh.

In Which I take in Some Culture

Over the weekend, I went to the Kennedy Center to go to a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra. I made it downtown using the metro, and found the shuttle that runs right to the Kennedy Center every 15 minutes. It was easy. I got to see Watergate Towers on the way. It looks like it does on tv. Then I was there! It's big. It's impressive. There is a big hall with flags of nations hanging. There is a huge bust of JFK. Actually, it's kind of a scary bust of JFK but I didn't want to say anything. It kind of looks like his skin is peeling off from a weird nuclear disaster.

The concert was Beethovan Piano Concerto #4 with Helene Grimoud as guest, and Shostokovich 5th. Our seats were in the chorister loft, above the stage behind the orchestra. It's weird to look down on the conductor. I could see his every expression. We sat above the low brass, so the Shostokovitch was quite a treat, though a little unbalanced. I don't think I would buy tickets in that locatio often, but once in a while, it's kind of fun to be able to watch the audience.

In Which I Find Books

There is a library around the corner from my office, at the entrance to a big park with an exercise walking trail. It's a teeny tiny neighborhood library about the size of my apartment, but it's connected to the county system. Inter-library loan is a wonderful thing. I went in today to get a library card. Now I am all official. I have a local driver's license, a library card, and Blockbuster has my new address updated. I even checked out a couple mystery novels, though I really don't have time to read them right now.

I went to an all-day autism training today. It was all stuff I already knew, but my whole department was there, so it was nice to see them. We spend so much time on the road that I think this is the first time we've all been together in the same building this year. I got recommendations for a lot of good books to use with my students, and just spent a lot of money on Amazon.com. It's all a tax write-off, right? Um, if anyone needs a coloring book about autism, I know a good one.

I got cookies from my mom today. Have any of you heard about the presidential cookie test? Supposedly, the candidates wives submit a cookie recipe, and people choose which one tastes best. Oddly, the winner of the cookie contest has also won the election for the last four elections. There's some food for thought. Thanks for the cookies, Mom. I vote for McCain.

In Which I go Undercover....

I went undercover on Saturday. I spent the morning at the DMV, and now my car has Virginia plates. I no longer stand out like a sore thumb. When I drive badly, nobody will know I'm from out of state. Driving here is like being surrounded by Florida retirees. Everyone drives slowly, stays in the left-hand lane, and block other cars from passing. It's like I've entered the land of passive-aggressive drivers. It's probably safer than driving in Boston or Chicago, but not anywhere near as exhilarating. Occasionally, I freak out and have to drive 15 miles over the 25-MPH speed limit, just to remind myself that I am capable of maneuvering a motor vehicle.

It was very odd to take off my old liscence plates. My car looks different. And now I have to memorize a new liscnece plate number, not that I ever memorized the old one. I recognize my car by the steering wheel cover. But now I am less likely to get sworn at when I make three u-turns in a row. My old plates are sitting on my washing machine. I suppose I should turn them in, but for right now, I like the reminder that I'm not Southern quite yet.

In which I meet Natives

This evening, I met some Natives. While throwing out a microwave box (I caved in and bought a microwave. It was really hard to eat leftovers without one.), I ran into my neighbors, who were grilling. They are Natives to this town, born and raised, and filled me in on some of the local lore. One of them has an aunt who took the 911 call from the infamous Lorena Bobbitt incident. We chatted for a while, and they gave me the scoop about the fastest way to get across town, and the place to get the best cuts of meat.

So it turns out the Native wildlife here is friendly and helpful. And it's always good to know one's neighbors.

In Which I Explore the Civil War

Today the weather is sunny and in the high 70's. I'm not used to it. It should be frosty and gray. It's the middle of September, so I expect the leaves to be changing and to wake up to frost. Instead, I am lured outdoors by the sunny mild weather. It was hard to be at school this week when the weather was so nice.

In between filling out paperwork for the mandatory orientation session I have to attend on Thursday for work, and trying to organize my apartment in some fashion, and making data tracking forms for my students, I went out. I found the local farmer's market, which was great! It's small, but has a wide variety of produce. I look forward to going weekly.

I also spent two hours exploring the Manassas National Battlefield Park. It's only $3 for admittance to the museum and tours, and the park is free. I took one of the guided walking tours, and learned that this park was the site of the famous Battle of Bull Run. It was odd to stand on the spot where Stonewall Jackson earned his name, where the first major skirmish of the Civil War was fought, and where later there was another, much bloodier, battle. (For accuracy's sake, I believe the guide said the second battle was fought in a slightly different location) The park is really very lovely, with lots of rolling hills and trees. I took a lot of pictures that I will post eventually.

In Which I Migrate South

I have been here for a few days. Right now, there is a lot of new. My place is new, the neighborhood is new, the town is new, the maps are new, the grocery stores are new. Thank goodness for Wegman's and Barnes&Noble because otherwise everything would be new. I'm mostly unpacked. I have a new phone. New new new new.

I am mostly unpacked. Two pictures are hanging on the walls. The refrigerator is covered with pictures in magnetic frames. The computer is up and running. My clothes are unpacked. Tomorrow starts the new job. Let the adventure begin!