The life of a Catholic school teacher

I realized the other night that my ginger cat Joey is often the subject of my blog posts. In fact, the last Weekly Dose of Joey was all about his routine before settling in for the night and the comfort it brings me. My tuxedo kitty Faye deserves the spotlight now. Well, she doesn't deserve it so much as she demands it. Faye's name derives from Faye Dunaway, the actress who played Joan Crawford in the movie "Mommie Dearest". To play the part of Joan Crawford, Faye Dunaway had to give a very dramatic performance, similar to the performance that Faye (the cat) gave on her way to my apartment in her kitty carrier after I adopted her from a family I had found on craigslist. The wailing and clinging to the side of the cat carrier brought to mind the classic movie, and thus, Faye received her name.

Throughout the five years since that initial car ride, Faye has not wavered in her demands for attention. To say that Faye is vocal is an understatement. She is a sharp contrast to Joey, who is aloof and likes to keep his distance, only wanting attention when he is good and ready.

In these past five years, Faye and I have developed a nightly routine. Being the obsessive snuggler that she is, any instance of my fiance and I being in any sort of a horizontal position on the couch or in bed is, in her mind, an invitation to climb onto our bellies and lay with her head on our chests. As a kitten, this was adorable and even welcomed, however, Faye is no longer a kitten and has gained considerable weight since then (17 pounds to be exact). The fact that she is as heavy as a small watermelon has not deterred her from climbing on me at night when I first get into bed. Though I think it's sweet that she does this, I have instituted a new way to snuggle with her each night, one that does not reduce my air intake.

Every night, after the lights have been turned off and I'm settled in bed, Faye, without fail, will jump up on the nightstand. She will then walk down the edge of the bed and lay on my left leg for a while. Next, she will get up and walk back up to the nightstand and turn around and come back onto the bed where she will finally lay down against my side with her front legs and paws resting in the crook of my elbow which I have positioned in such a way so that when she lays down, I have my arm around her. We will lay like that until one of two things happen. I will either be on the verge of falling asleep and she will jump down on her own and be on her merry way, or I will gently nudge her so that she'll jump down and I can stretch out my arm again. For five years, we have bonded this way each and every night. Sometimes I can psych her out and pretend to be asleep when she arrives on my nightstand. Reaching my hand up to pet her is the signal for her to do her rounds on the edge of the bed before settling against my side. If I don't reach my hand up, she goes away. This is a gamble though, because sometimes she will take offense to this and go into the living room and get into some mischief, i.e. tear apart some of my knitting. This is why it's best to just let her lay on me for a little while so she feels loved and does not feel a need to be destructive. Of course, up until about a month ago, this was a silent routine. Those nights are over because now she jumps onto the nightstand and meows at me until my hand goes up, giving her the green light. Of course I can't let her continue to meow, unless I want my fiance to wake up, so on and on the ritual goes...each night...without fail.

For your viewing pleasure, I have a snapshot of Faye in action. I have a tendency to also let her lay on me when I am napping on the couch. I can position my body in a better way on the couch so that her girth is resting more on the back of the couch than on my stomach. This works until she has the desire to get down, in which case, her four paws dig painfully into my flesh as she uses me as a launching pad. This photo was skillfully taken while I began a nap on the couch. My cellphone was within reach, thus my ability to capture the typical "Faye" moment.

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"An exit to eternal summer slacking..." (from the song "The Way" by Fastball).

I wouldn't necessarily categorize the past 2 weeks as 'summer slacking', I have certainly done my share of cleaning, organizing, knitting , and half-hearted exercising. As I have done in the past, I have made a list of goals for my summer. It makes sense to do this, afterall, items on a grocery list or any to-do list seem to always get checked off. But then again, lists of big goals/things to-do, seem to go unchecked and eventually fall by the wayside. New Year's Resolutions are a great example of this. When I look at things I really want to accomplish, and know that I haven't completed those tasks, I feel a sense of incompleteness, even if only temporarily.

In less than a month, it will be my turn to celebrate a 30th birthday. I have watched, via Facebook, as many friends and high school acquaintances reached this milestone birthday. Though I may be one of a few people who actually look forward to getting older, I can't help but feel a need to examine my life thus far and take stock of what I've accomplished since my birth in in 1982.

Though I can look back with pride at most of the things I've done in my life, I can also see that I have a lot left to do; get married, have children, meet Jim Carrey... Of all the lists of goals I have made in the past, I didn't make a list of things to do before turning 30, as many people do. As a result, on my 30th birthday, there won't be a reflection on my life's goals. But I still want to feel that sense of accomplishment. So, in the spirit of competition (with myself), I plan to get as much done o n my summer goals list as possible. Losing 50 pounds in less than a month is probably physically impossible. But the other goals aren't. If I don't get at least 3 of the 7 goals checked off, I will officially and most definitely give up on these arbitrary to-do lists. Here I go...

Goals Before I Turn 30 & Explode Isn't that what happens when you turn 30? At least that's what it seems like will happen given everyone's fear of leaving their twenties.

1. Write THE book (the one that I have been writing in my mind my whole life--or atleast for the past 10 years).
2. Finish all 4 knitting projects that are currently in progress.
3. Archive all school newsletters on the website for the 2011-2012 school year.
4. Read 5 books off of my bookshelf that have thus far gone unread.
5. Catch up on my 2 scrapbooks (school and life since college).
6. Sew together liturgical color prayer table cloths for my classroom prayer table.
7. Lose 50 pounds.

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There are two kinds of people in this world, those who take naps, and those who don’t. I am a person who does. I don’t know if my desire to sleep in the middle of the day comes from an unhealthy lifestyle that consists of junk food and a lack of exercise or the stress and anxiety that I sometimes feel due to making a mistake at work and fearing the consequences. Maybe it’s genetic, my mom is an avid nap-taker. I have programmed myself to not call her during certain hours of the afternoon because I can be assured of waking her up in the middle of sleep. Perhaps my tendency to snooze during daylight is connected to my teenage mentality. I will be turning 30 in a little less than a month, yet I still feel as though my teenage years are still within reaching distance. Teenagers love to sleep, and perhaps my connection to my youth is still making me sleepy. Whatever the reason, this afternoon, I found myself lying in bed covered in my favorite childhood blanket, with my cat, Faye, laying on my stomach and my eyes quickly shutting as I soaked in the relaxation of the afternoon.

Whenever I choose my bed over the couch as my napping location, I can be sure that I oversleep the typical hour to an hour and a half napping duration. Today I set my alarm for two hours before drifting off. When I choose my bed, I can also be assured of a deeper sleep...the room is darker and cooler, and the bed is more comfortable. Sometime in the two hours of my deep, relaxing sleep, either Joey or Faye made their move and attacked one of my many knitting bags. Upon waking up and stumbling back into the living room, I found that my recently finished sock was laying in the middle of the living room next to the bag that it is stored in. The yarn destined for the second sock and my sock needles were still in the bag. This was not a quick job. Not like the times the cat(s) pull something off my craft table for attention, this sock had stitches pulled loose, cat hair woven in, and a large wet spot right in the middle. This sock had not just been pulled out of the bag to get my attention, whoever the culprit was, took my nap as an opportunity to roll around and play with the sock, which was knit from 100% merino, a natural fiber that the cat(s) are quite fond of. They ignore every other synthetic yarn I knit with, but anything made from natural fiber, it's a challenge keeping them away.

I'm not 100% sure which cat it was, it could have been Joey, but more likely it was Faye, given her history of running off with my knitting even when I'm not napping. No matter the culprit, the evidence has been restored to it's original state as best as I can get it, and put up out of reach. If I have to stand on my tip-toes to get the bag down now, I am hoping that the felines won't be able to get to it either.

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"Make time for yarn everyday" is the sign off on each episode of Knitting Daily. So far this summer, I have taken it to heart. Who am I trying to impress? I have taken this slogan to the extreme for quite a while now. This week, I still have not started that second sock, but not because I'm unmotivated to do it. I'd rather put my full effort into two other projects. One, a shawl knit in three pieces and then grafted together, is near completion. The other, a floppy beach hat that I would like to wear this weekend on a day trip to the beach. I am too lazy and broke to go to the eye doctor and get a new set of contacts, therefore, I cannot wear sunglasses at the beach and need something to shade my eyes. This was a spontaneous project that sprung up, but because it's a hat, I don't expect it to take long. It is mostly garter stitch in the round, which I knit at top speed. The shawl that I have been working on is epic. The pattern instructions for joining all three pieces was challenging to figure out, thank goodness for Ravelry! Now that they have been joined, I am on the edging, which consists of 80 plus repeats of a 10 row sequence that not only adds a lacy edge, but binds off the stitches on the body of the shawl. The end is near for this project and to prepare for the final phase, blocking, I had to order more pins from Knitpicks. Granted, I could have gone to Joann's and bought T-pins from the quilting section, but then I wouldn't have been able to scoop up some clearance Knitpicks yarn at the same time. Hopefully by the time my order of 100 flower-tipped pins arrive, this epic shawl will be complete. For my fellow knitters, and perhaps, shawl lovers, I am knitting "In the Pink" by Izzieknits.

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“Omg, you’re one of them…”
-Drew Barrymore from Music and Lyrics

This movie is one of my favorites because the whole idea of cozying up to a famous celebrity, albeit an 80s has-been, is so intriguing. In fact, every now and then, I can count on having a dream in which I am best friends with a super-star (usually Jim Carrey). In my dream, I am hanging out with the person and referring to movies or shows they have been in, almost in a reminiscing kind of way. It’s a very cool feeling, and in my dream, I always come to the realization that nobody is ever going to believe that I am hanging out with whoever it is. This realization always comes at the end, when I’m about to wake up and find out that truly, it is an unbelievable dream because of course, it wasn’t real.

There’s another reason that I chose this quote for this week’s edition of Movie Quote Monday. I picked this one, not just because I was watching it last week in an attempt to distract myself while on my new/used elliptical for the first time, but because I can sort of relate to it. I’m not attempting to relate to Hugh Grant’s character who is the 80s has-been that Drew Barrymore is realizing for the first time when she says this line, in fact, my connection to this line is completely different. I chose it because I feel now, that I am “one of them”. One of those people who are into diet and fitness, one of those people like the women I work with who are very careful about watching what they eat. For the longest time, I have watched from the sidelines, knowing that I desperately wanted to be in the game, but just didn’t have it all together to play. My motivation was there, I had every reason to get on the diet and exercise “bandwagon”, but something, my own laziness perhaps, was stronger than my willpower. But now, finally, I am one of them. The reasons to lose weight are now outweighing, so to speak, my desire to remain lazy. As of now, I have a plan, and more importantly, the motivation, to take the weight off. As Billy Blanks put it, on one of his many exercise dvds that I have tried, “You put it on, you can take it off”. For almost 30 years, I have been steadily gaining weight. It is time, to steadily lose weight.

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With the onset of summer vacation, I can't say that I am as relieved to get to Friday as the other people in the world who have to work over the summer. I am glad for my fiance, though, who I get to spend much more time with over the weekends. Looking back at my first full week of summer break, I see a lot of things that have been good. I have stuck to my diet the whole week, more out of necessity, since I have been broke the whole week and couldn't afford going out to eat. I have gotten out of the apartment and exercised for two of the past five days, and now, I even have a new/used elliptical taking up half of my living room that I'm looking forward to using. I think I'll be able to survive this vacation. Last summer I ended up in a weepy mess toward the end because I was going stir crazy in this apartment. I think I have plenty to keep me occupied, and if not, I have the elliptical to help me stay happy. Because as Elle Woods from "Legally Blonde" put it: "Exercise gives you endorphines, endorphines make you happy..." She went on to say that happy people just don't shoot their husbands, but in my case, happy people just don't get depressed and bored over summer break.

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The lights have just been turned off, the blankets pulled up, and my head positioned perfectly on the pillow. All the conditions are perfect for sleep. My eyes close with a heaviness. And then I hear it, a scratching noise that alerts my mind to something unusual happening. Then I remember, it’s just Joey, and my eyes close again.

That scratching noise is the first of many that will follow, each more vigorous than the last. Joey is in the litter box, and because the apartment is so small, every scratch is echoed into the bedroom. I should be frustrated with his incessant digging that seems to come only when I first settle into bed for the night, but strangely, I’m not. I welcome the familiar, if not oddly comforting sound. It lets me know that Joey is engaged in his nightly routine, just as I am. We are all ready for a peaceful night of rest and relaxation. All is right with the world.

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Knitting socks is a lot like getting a tattoo. Before getting a tattoo for the first time, you’re a little bit afraid of the process. You’re unsure if you can really go through with it. Then, once you get your first one, you’re hooked and can’t wait to get another. Sock knitting is very similar. I was very hesitant about knitting socks at first. The process seemed so complicated…turning a heel? Gusset stitches? What the hell is a gusset?! But then, I just picked a pattern that I liked (Monkey by Cookie A), and armed with sock yarn and size 2 sock needles, I got to work. It wasn’t so bad! Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Although, my virgin pair of socks never got worn. My guess is that there was too much elastic in the yarn that I used because the socks came out much larger than necessary. Unwearable actually. They slouched down to my ankles in a crumpled heap of beautiful, but unrecognizable stitch work. But, I was determined to make another pair. Having mastered the construction of my first pair successfully…almost, I browsed the patterns on Ravelry.com and found a great pattern that I liked (Diversion by Kiersten Hall). Today, I finally finished sock number 1 from this pattern. I attempted to knit this pattern a couple of months ago, but got confused in the directions and ended up frogging the sock before I got too far into it. This time, I learned from my past mistakes and created a beautiful new sock. I was nervous when I tried it on. As I was knitting the foot part, it seemed too big. But alas, it fits me perfectly! The ribbing around the top is even a little too tight and I have to work it up over my calf inch by inch. It is the most comfortable sock and did I mention that it fits my foot perfectly! I can’t wait for cooler, sock wearing weather when I can wear this beauty out in public. Though not very cost effective to make your own socks, this ball of yarn cost me 27 dollars, I highly recommend any knitter to get on the sock making bandwagon. Of course, my next knitting task can undoubtedly be to make the second sock. I better act fast before the 2nd sock syndrome kicks in.

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I’ve come to realize that blogging is difficult. In the past I have had so many ideas and goals for my blog, but sadly, after a burst of blogging energy, my niche in cyberspace has gone un-updated for more than a year. The difficulty level of blogging, in my mind, is in direct proportion to how much free time a person has. During the school year, my time is consumed with writing lesson plans and grading papers. The miniscule amount of free time that I do get is spent with knitting needles or a crochet hook in my hand rather than updating my blog. However, I now find myself with a two-month supply of free time, known as summer break. Years ago, I was an ambitious, new teacher and wanted to spend my summer working. Granted, I never got hired anywhere and I have long since given up trying to find a summer job. I am in my first full week of summer break and I am already bored. I have a to-do list of goals that I would like to accomplish this summer. Maybe I’ll even accomplish them this time (I never do). Blogging isn’t on the list, but since it’s my list, I can change it as I see fit. Even before the summer, I have been tinkering around with some ideas for things to write about, and I don’t see any other time more perfect than now to write and keep my blog updated. I have created a weekly agenda of topics and themes that I will be sticking to, so please check back often.

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