let's go to glasgow!

Right now I'm posting from glasgow, scotland. the sun rises at 9am here and sets around 3 pm. I'm having such a fantastic time. But duh, of course I am!

I can't wait to get back and show you all the photos.

Today I'm taking a bus to Edinburgh for the new year's festival called hogmanay, to stay in an old woman's flat and also to tour castles for a few days.

The only thing that has thrown me off so far is that to my surprise and dismay, people here don't actually look like this:



to stay you a little while, as I know you are salivating for photographs of my trip -
here is one of me as an auntie - letting Catie suck on my pinky. how f-ing adorable:

oh heck, and here's another:

Oh God, and one with her great-grandmother and namesake:


And one in a laundry basket, just for good measure:

see you soon, buddies.

Screw you, Jessica - stop posting from your cell phone

My brother had a baby, or rather, his wife did. But you probably figured that was the case because you see these photos of this beautiful baby girl and know that I didn't spawn her - but since she is so gorgeous, you figured that she must be closely genetically linked to me. You're so smart sometimes.

Go to CatharineJane's new baby blog to see tons of photos. Aren't I cute? I made hers match mine.

Friday was my reading with Katherine's Art and Jones' Music. It was an excellent turn out and I stumbled on my words less than I thought I would have. Thank you to all the people who came out to the show - it was so awesome to see you all there. I have to give a special shout out to the two people who traveled the most for the show - Nic and Alex. From New Haven to Baltimore to hear me read - You are the two best. Really. Break my heart, the fucking best.

I spent Saturday oohing and ahhing over the new baby. I got hold her and she sneezed for the very first time. She seems alert and pretty - Two qualities I have a feeling she'll maintain through adulthood. These are good things for a woman to be. I finished knitting her Christmas stocking. And when you talk about her, I make this strange face, proud face where I squish my bottom lip into my top one. Try it. You'll see.

Also, please note - new babies do not smell at all - they've never, in their entire life had a poop. Imagine that?

Late Saturday night I drove to NY and knitted things with Adrian while watching The Jerk in French. I spent all of Sunday exploring the city by myself and all of Monday laying in bed watching LOST and napping on a big shoulder. Suffice it to say, besides my friend Adrian, there is also a big shoulder I've been visiting recently in NY.

Adrian drove back with me late, late last night. It was great to have company on my long trek home.

Today is my company Christmas party.

Oh, I know - I know - I miss you too. We'll talk soon. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it.

This message was sent using PIX-FLIX Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures with your wireless phone visit
www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getpix.

To learn how you can record videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getflix.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime Player. Note: During the download
process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Catharine Jane

This message was sent using PIX-FLIX Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures with your wireless phone visit
www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getpix.

To learn how you can record videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getflix.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime Player. Note: During the download
process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

BBHH

Last night the blogger bitches got together. I don't know why it took us 50 emails to orchestrate this ladies-only event - but it was all worth it. What a wonderful group of women - dirty talkin' women. Love it.

Tomorrow is my show. Remember?

A question for teachers

What do you think about the Baltimore City Teaching Residency?

If I want to teach is this the right way to go?

help.

Blogiversary

Today is my two year anniversary of having this little "live in love" place. I had another blog before that - but it's long gone. This one was always my favorite, anyway.

To celebrate I'm reading all of your blogs from Dec. 13, 2003.
Virginia
Eebmore
Roxy

And all the rest of you are suckas, suckas.

geekatar

Look how happy she is.

3rd world antics

CRAFTS!

This message was sent using PIX-FLIX Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures with your wireless phone visit
www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getpix.

To learn how you can record videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getflix.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime Player. Note: During the download
process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

next friday

Little miracle

At tutoring, I got a new student who had trouble with her old tutor. She has trouble staying focused and doing math work. She said her old tutor "talked to her like a baby." I realized that she didn't like her because she didn't feel successful or smart.

I taught her how to check her own subtraction problems by adding back the difference. I saw her eyes light up when she understood this little "trick." Suddenly, subtracting three-digit numbers wasn't as scary as it once was and, Sierra, who usually has trouble staying focused, plowed through her worksheet.

It wasn't that I was that excited to watch little Sierra learn a new skill, or understand that her math grade will improve with this new practice. It even reached far beyond Sierra comprehending the concept of "taking away from a whole." The reason why this was so exciting, was because I could see little Sierra's confidence improve ten-fold. For a girl who chronically gets the answer wrong - it must be a little miracle to know that you never have to get subtraction wrong again.

I was so glad I got to see it happen.

déjà vu

I was in the hallway at work, just now, and I had déjà vu. I don't think this has happened for years. Scientists believe this is triggered a by a neurochemical action in the brain that is not connected to any actual experience in the past. One feels strange and identifies the feeling with a memory, even though the experience is completely new. This occurs when there is a misfiring in the temporal-lobe and is occasionally associated with seizures.

This sensation of déjà vu often occurs in a adolecent's developing brain. I used to love when it happened. Maybe my brain was confusing soemthing that was happening with the sensation of memory, but it ruled. It felt so unworldly. But, since it's been so long since I've had this sensation, I was worried, just now, that I was about to get a seizure while we were talking about the AIDS quilt in the hallway at work. I had to sit down immediately to write this (and, also, to avoid sharp objects and falling down.)

I must be over-tired, too.

World AIDS Day and Monument Lighting

Zenchick came into work on World AIDS day with her outreach project and we got to hear one of the amazing speakers she talks about at Happy Hours. He made me cry, just like she said he would. And not only me. It was great for our International organization to have a connection to a local organization. It made us feel like our efforts were collaborating and we were all really fighting this disease together. It was painful, beautiful and thoroughly rejuvenating. Everyone is still talking about it.

It was great to see ZC and be able to give her a much needed hug.

After work, I went to the lighting of the monument. I got there by myself and was surprised to run into Cindy, who is new to Baltimore. We made a tiny tree our home base so we could find each other throughout the evening. It was chilly. I only found one leg-warmer in my car, so one leg was very cold and the other was toasty when I took these photos:




I love Baltimore.

Also, I hope I find that other leg-warmer, Jeanne just gave them to me, I can't have lost one yet!