I finally finished these projects: cabled scarf and a sock. I also just got this in the mail:


An interchangeable set of circular knitting needles. Yay projects.

Work is going well. This week my boss assigned me a book to work on! I'm very excited. It is a paperback conversion of a hardcover edition that we printed last year. I get to usher the book into its paperback stage. I took today off work. Got to sleep in. Very nice.

I start teaching my SAT class in the Bronx next weekend. Tomorrow there is an informational meeting for the students, and I'm going to that. I'm a little worried about heading into the Bronx, the only borough I haven't visited before, but it seems like a good school. I'm not sure how I should act. Sidney Poitier in To Sir, with Love? Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds? Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver? Certainly not Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland's Opus. We shall see.

Next week I also start my copyediting class. I just hope it isn't horribly boring. That is my one wish.

What else? What else is going on?

John David and I got some furniture. Some guy in our building faked his suicide in order to leave his wife. When she found out that he was still alive, she decided to get rid of everything and move. So, we ended up taking some of her furniture, including: a bed stand, a bookshelf, a rolling kitchen unit, and a dresser. John David's friend Trey also brought us a chair and desk to use (very nice). John David also ordered a bunch of furniture online from Ikea. Hopefully, that stuff will arrive sometime next months. Hurray! We couldn't make it out to Georgia this January. I'm not sure when that will happen, but it will happen at some point.

Alright. Enough rambling from me. I'm off to make lunch and think about my next knitting project.

I still haven't gotten my rhythm this year. It is hard to fall asleep, it is hard to get up in the morning, and I am tired most of the day. I think my body is starting to relax and take its revenge for all the abuse I have given it the last few months. An itchy throat developed into something nasty yesterday morning, and now I can't get to sleep this cold Sunday morning. I keep on having confusing dreams about knitting, about me having to follow this knit and purl pattern that I can't keep straight. I'm also sad to see that my subconscious has absorbed all my lame hobbies.

My lame hobbies are going quite well, though, so perhaps a few bad dreams is just recompense. I am still working on that cable scarf that I posted about awhile ago. It is about 4 feet long, and I am anxious to find a stopping point. I have also started a sock, which I am very excited about. Single ribbing at the cuff, stockinette down the leg, I am about to hit the heel, which seems like a real challenge for my inchoate knitting sense.

I'm not sure why knitting has become such a large part of my daily life. I bring it to work in case I want to knit at lunch, I smile thinking about getting more knitting supplies, I knit off-and-on most evenings while half-watching TV, I get excited about the weekend because of the knitting potential. Do I have an obsessive personality? I wonder. I look back on past activities: origami (yes, I know), theatre, music, radio. I've also dropped each of those activities rapidly at some point. Still thinking about this issue. Obsession? Passion?

I'm trying to enjoy January as much as possible. Mainly because in February I'll be adding a few things to the mix. I'm enrolled in a copyediting class at NYU, which starts the same week that I begin teaching at Kaplan. Too much? I hope not. It will get me out of the house and into the city. That is a good thing. I have been staying in way too much while the city spins around me.

Suddenly I've run out of things to say. I hope everyone is well. I'd like to talk to all of you soon. I've been too much in my shell lately, and it is time for me to reconnect.

Perhaps Rachael and I should have sent this out along with the tide of Christmas gifts, cards, and cookies. In our defense, Christmastide is not officially over for several more days, so in celebration of the Twelfth Night and the Epiphany, we have recorded a song for y'all.

Drummer Boiiiiiii :


Vocals: Miles and Rachael
Sleigh bells and triangle: Miles
Fat beats: Rachael


I think a longer post is definitely in order to recap the last month, but here is a list (following Rachael) of things I am grateful for from 2007 and things I am hopeful for in 2008.

Grateful:
- Saw Cirque de Soleil with my wonderful guy.
- Wrote papers not entirely at the last minute with the encouragement of John David, Rachael, Edward, Helen, Haley, and Erin.
- Enjoyed my classes and graduated without a major obstacle.
- Co-hosted the best looking theme party I have ever seen (Great Depression--Great Fun!)
- Went to the lake with friends and family (scary boat ride!).
- Finished job and trained replacement.
- Packed up all my shit, took a plane to New York.
- Went through six weeks of publishing camp and met hip cats.
- Found a good job without a panic attack.
- Survived move from one sublet to another.
- Survived second sublet.
- Learned how to knit.
- John David got job and moved up here.
- Found real place to live.
- Finished training at Kaplan.
- Survived move into real apartment.
- Enjoyed holiday season in New York.
- Spent good time with parents in Tacoma.

Hopeful:
- To get furniture and live in a comfortable place!
- To take a class on copyediting.
- To stop eating candy
- To continue knitting and learn how to make socks, a hat with flaps, mittens, and a sweater.
- To learn how to cook new, healthy meals.
- To visit Philadelphia and Chicago.
- More!!!

John David and I have moved! Yes, we now live in a comfortable apartment in one of the northernmost neighborhoods of Manhattan called Washington Heights. I love it for many reasons:

1. The subway is one block away, and my new commute is 25 minutes.
2. There are two corner grocery stores, a McDonald's, a Burger King, a Dunkin Donuts, two hardware stores, a movie theatre, a Papa John's, a Dominoes, and a Duane Reade within three blocks.
3. Fort Tryon park is four blocks to the north, both overlooking the Hudson and the East Rivers and also containing the Cloisters.

We finally have a real bed (after sleeping on the floor/leaky air mattress for a week) and a TV (though no cable yet).

Also, more exciting news: Rachael and I are brewing some mischievious holiday fun to send to everyone. Don't ask us questions when we demand your holiday mailing addresses soon; just prepare to be amazed.

Some photos of knitting!

Here is the scarf I made for John David. It is long! I don't understand why the scarf is always a first knitting project; so tedious during the last half.

And here is my next project. Cable knitting. Reminds me of when I did origami.


I will post more about reality next week. I have a busy weekend of packing, moving, and unpacking. I will post pictures of our new apartment soon.

Wow, so much to blog about: John David arrived on Thanksgiving day, we signed a lease on our new apartment on Saturday, and now we are spending the weekend together: walking, eating, drinking, sleeping in, watching movies, trying to catch up for the last few months of separation. I'll just dig in.

Thursday:
I went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. At first I went to Columbus Circle, which is the southwestern corner of Central Park. Huge mistake. I really cannot remember the last time I have been in the midst of such a crowd. I soon decided to move uptown, walking along the edge of Central Park glimpsing the balloons. Here is Ronald McDonald (please tilt head 90 degrees) looming through the trees over the crowd huddled along Central Park West Ave:

After the parade finished, I watched the crowd scatter through the streets and across the Great Lawn of the park. Then I read and waited for JD's flight to come in. I waited on some benches, watching artists draw the faces of tourists. Then I took the train and bus to the airport and waited in the airport.
Then he arrived!! yay
We took a taxi back to Brooklyn and collapsed on my air mattress for a long nap. At night we headed back to Manhattan to eat at Ellen's Stardust Cafe, the only place for singing waiters in Times Square. A little annoying and overpriced, but the novelty was a bit entertaining. We finished the night looking at the Christmas windows at Macy's and then walking around the Empire State building.

Friday:
We got up. Ate. Made the long trek across town to sign the lease on our apartment. Complicated and frustrating, but we've made another step and that feels good. Later that night we watched the movie Willow on youtube and ate Chinese food. We played this game on the internet: www.freerice.com. Go to it. Vocab and solving world hunger together at last.

Today:
Slept in very late. Hung about and finally made it outside. We took the subway to Coney Island. We walked along the boardwalk, looked at the closed rides and games, and crossed through Brighton Beach before heading home. Brighton Beach (aka "Little Odessa") is the Russian center of Brooklyn. All the signs are in Russian, you can order borsch if you can read cyrillic, and the pastries look wonderful. Sergey recommended I try the Napoleon cake, and I bought a brick of it from the cutest pastry shop I've seen in a while. John David reluctantly had a slice, describing it as bacterial sludge made from the chewed remains of something that once tasted good. Through my perspective: Layers of graham cracker crumbs are separated with a sweet cream cheese filling. It is a little mushy--true, John David--but I think it tastes good. We ate at the Mexican restaurant across the street, and now we are cruising the internet, chatting with friends, looking at Ikea goods, blogging, and posting photos.

These next few weeks will be difficult--I'm sure--but it is nice to have someone here. A pair of hands to help carry a heavy load. A reassuring hug. Soft sleep breathing at night. Company for the ride. I'm feeling a little better each time I think of the coming days.

HATS ARE SO EASY TO MAKE!