Scattered Thoughts

 Happy St. Patrick's Day. Neal is cooking corned beef and cabbage for tonight's dinner. We have Guinness chilling in the fridge. I bought an Irish soda bread because the boys like it. We're not Irish. And corned beef and cabbage isn't either. The Irish adopted this food from their Jewish neighbors when they were living side by side in the lower East side generations ago. Fact! 

I got my first dose of my COVID vaccine on Saturday. It had to be one of the happiest days of this year. I was truly surprised that I was contacted to get this gift. I grabbed the chance to take it. My arm got slightly sore in the evening and I had some headaches for a day or two but I just popped Tylenol like I was told. I know after the second one that I may have a stronger reaction. I would rather have the side effects than COVID. Neal goes on Thursday. The boys do not qualify which makes me sad but maybe since things are picking up, they will be able to get vaccinated by summer. 

 

Everyone asks "What are you going to do once you are fully vaccinated and waited the two weeks after the last dose?" I don't know. Maybe have a cup of tea or a glass of wine with my friend across the street without masks on? Finally be able to visit my mother in Florida? I miss having breakfast at the diner and as the weather gets warmer and they put up a tent for outdoor dining, maybe that will happen. I have two friends who want to do that, too. I am not ready to go into a restaurant yet. I feel that it will take me a while mentally to realize that I am protected. 

 

I have been knitting and have too many projects going at once. First, in order to meet a challenge proposed by my group, KnitTalk, I am supposed to knit something blue or containing blue by March 30th. I finally started a baby sweater for my friend's second grandson who will be due in May. It's a new pattern for me using bulky yarn. I should have it done by the deadline. I joined a KAL for The Little Red Dress. I started the dress on Sunday and it's going fast. I finaly finished Ben's Spider Socks. I started the Hue Shift Afghan but will pick it up again after the baby sweater and the red dress. I promised my friend Maddy a pair of socks and picked out the yarn. I also started a surprise pair for Elijah for his new adventure in Albany. I also need to find yarn for Powder Wrap since what I had wasn't the right yarn. This is the kind of busy I like. 

I started to have issues with my sleep. I have been waking up in the morning around 4:30 for the past few night. I can attribute it to either looking at my phone before I go to bed, stres, or the little bit of coffee ice cream I had. I plan on not looking at my phone, going to bed at the same time every night, and tracking my sleep on my WW app. I tracked last night and saw that even with a 20 minute wake-up, I got over seven hours of sleep. Seeing that allayed my anxiety about the whole situation. I have always been the best sleeper. I could sleep on a rock so this is really weird for me. That's it. It felt good writing this all down.

I Think I am Back!

It has been quite a long time since I posted anything on this blog. That may be a good thing. The last few years were full of anger that is just starting to dissipate or change into more of an emotion that makes me want to act for change. I have discovered Craftivism and am just learning what I can do with my crafty ways to make a change in this world. I have unfriended people on Facebook who have insulted what I consider guaranteed rights for all citizens. The last administration has scared the shit out of me and I am still afraid of the hatred that has been unleashed by the rhetoric spewed. January 6th was the worst. I hope you are all well. It will be the one year anniversary since this pandemic started. I still remember the very first days of lockdown, sitting at my dining room table doing jigsaw puzzles, reading, knitting, and trying to hold it together. It was very frightening and I had no idea how bad it would be. I kept thinking that it would be over in May, by my birthday. I can have a good chuckle about that now. I remember how stressed I was going to the supermarket and wearing a mask for the first time and gloves because the CDC wasn't sure how the virus was spread. (As I am writing this I feel as if I am writing a science fiction story.)I wouldn't let Neal go because his immune system was compromised by medication. Elijah was still at school and we were just hoping there would be a graduation in May. There wasn't. This was the one thing that made me sob. But here we are now. Three vaccines are being utilized. The asshole is out of office. The governor who was lauded for his daily pandemic conferences is now being investigated for nursing home deaths and sexual harrassment. Most of the people we know are fine right now. We still wear masks and sometimes two masks due to the variants. We know how the virus spreads so I don't wear gloves anymore. I actually don't go anywhere anymore except to get food. We won't go into a restaurant but we'll take in. We can't wait for the warmer weather so we can meet our friends outside. Human contact has become a more of an event than ever before. And I continue to knit. And to have gratitude of all I have to keep me safe and sound. Stay well.

One Year and Three Weeks

I have been retired for 386 days.
It's life changing.
Sometimes I can't believe it but it's true.
Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

I smile for no particular reason. I don't feel the grips of stress from when I was working or even now because I would have to go back to work. I now consider myself a work-in-progress. I have time to volunteer for things without resenting the time it took away from me. It makes a big difference. I'm trying to be a better person by helping others when in the past I wouldn't because of the time factor. Sometimes I think I have too much time but I am learning to deal with it.

Just checking in.
Loving this new life.
Taking time for me and everyone else.
Time is on my side.

Retirement...2018

I've been retired since July 1, 2017.
I've been so chill since July 1, 2017.
I can't believe I'm not working since July 1, 2017.
I can't believe how much stress my commute generated.
I can't believe how my sons comment on how much happier I am.
I can't believe it.

Everyone now asks me, "So, what do you do now that you are retired? Do you make the bed everyday? Do you cook every night? Do you get bored?"

You can never get bored when you are retired because all the things you never had time to do when you were working are now easily done. Whether it's cleaning, organizing, cooking, bill paying, reading, knitting, socializing, it's done. And there's no rush to squeeze it all in a weekend.

I do make the bed but sometimes I miss a day here and there.

I do cook but not every night. Neal is the most amazing cook and he loves to cook the way I love to knit.

I am so fucking happy it's sick.

I am reading books and really savoring them.

I am knitting and knitting and knitting.

I am sad to look back on the stress I was experiencing and how it contaminated my family. I was tired, angry, frustrated.

I met with my former colleagues. Things are worse especially for special education. One of my former students writes me every so often. She was from that period 8 class that was the very best class I ever had.

I worked almost 36 years. I worked my ass off. I'm now sitting on that ass and smiling.

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

As promised, here is my big news. I am retiring from teaching. Yep. I am hanging up my dry erase markers and my bathroom key. After 35 years + of teaching special education, this hipknitta is calling it quits. Part of the reason is due to the fact that special education is turning into a lose-lose situation for both the students and the teachers. The self-contained classroom is being eliminated. Students who can barely read are going to be placed in a general education class with two teachers. The curriculum is to be differentiated so that all students can understand it. This year I had self-contained students whose reading abilities ranged from kindergarten up to sixth grade. They will all be placed in a team teaching earth science class next semester. You cannot find this work on such a low level. This really upsets me. These students would do so well if they were kept in a self-contained class for earth science. I'm teaching them living environment (biology) and I wish it was three semesters instead of two. I don't expect the lowest students to pass the New York State Regents but I want to give the others a fighting chance. We gave a measure of student learning exam in October and then a follow-up in May. It broke my heart to see these kids take a 9th grade exam when they can barely read or write past a 4th grade level.

Those are just a few of the reasons that I decided to leave. Obviously, financial aspects play a big part in my decision. I'll be bringing home a paycheck similar to the one I am bringing home now. Why should I continue to commute everyday for the same pay?

Here is the list of reasons why I am retiring:
1. Special ed kids are being fucked royally and the blame will be placed on the teachers who have absolutely no say in their education.
2. Parents are so fucking disrespectful to teachers that it's become scary. Their students are never wrong. It's always the teacher.
3. I work for assholes. I nicknamed one administrator "The Pedophile". Yes. You read that right. Yes. Reports have been made. Yes. She's still working in my school. I absolutely hate her. If I saw her touch my sons the way I observed her touch the boys, I would be on her like white on rice.
4. I work for an asshole who is a bully. He has no idea what he is doing but he takes the side of the students no matter what. However, if you question him, he can't handle it.
5. I was told by another administrator once, after a parent harassed me to the point where she was no longer allowed to contact me, "You don't feel safe anymore, do you?" Bitch, please. I'll never forget you saying that to me. You have major issues especially when you stop me in the hallway and ask me how are you doing as an administrator. It's like Ed Koch was reincarnated.
6. Thugs are coming into the once highly rated school. See #4. He takes their side. These are nasty, disturbed kids. They say to the teachers, "I can get you fired!" (See #3. She protects these shits)
7. Danielson. Charlotte Danielson did not want her rubric to become a tool for teacher evaluations but guess what? It did. When I am observed with my self-contained class, I am constantly told that I am not asking higher level questions. Excuse me! Did any of you assholes read their IEPs? My principal looked at my students' notebooks and told me that they were a mess. He was worried about what their parents would think? I told him that I give the kids pre-printed notes and that their parents probably know that the kids can't write. (See the paragraph about the students who can barely read)
8. It's time. Let the newer teachers help these children. I still have energy. I still have great ideas but I am tired of being denigrated by those who know nothing about my subject area.
9. The MOSL-total bullshit. A lot of our schools are doing away with it. Why are we still doing it? Is it because this is what the asshole in #3 does? We never see her doing anything.
10. The winters. I hate waking up on a snowy/icy day and worry whether or not I should drive in to work. It really messes me up.
11. I'm still waiting for someone with a teaching degree and experience to be involved in making policy that actually makes sense and is relevant.
12. I'm still happy. I'm not bitter. I still like my job. I want to be like Derek Jeter and go out on top with whatever reputation I have still intact.

That about sums it up. I am sure I can think of a few other reasons but I want to leave when I am still "young" and healthy.

Hipknitta as teacher-out. (drop mike)

YO! YO! YO! HIPKNITTA HERE!

So how long has it been since I have posted on this blog? TOO FUCKING LONG! So let me make this short and sweet. I will be making a big personal announcement on Tuesday and that announcement will directly affect the rate of posting I will be doing on this blog. I am still in love with knitting and everything fiber and arty. I still love beads and shiny things. I still love writing but haven't been doing much of that...no, DUH.

Let's just say life has been interesting and that I am looking forward to the changes that are on the horizon!

Quick Knitting For This Hipknitta

I've been busy and neglectful of my blog. But I've been knitting. My friend was selling some of her stash and let me tell you, she had a lot to sell which made me realize that she probably had tons more that she wasn't selling. I picked up two skeins of Noro Kuryeon for $5.00 each. One was #149 which looks like this:

and the other was #102 which looks like this:

.

I decided to make the Maine Morning Mitts designed by Clara Parks. One pair is for Ben and the other is for his girlfriend. (I like this one!) This is a quick and satisfying knit. It goes so fast. I finished one mitt in about 2 hours. I highly recommend this pattern. Now, the purpose of this pattern is to use it with yarns like Noro which are beautuful yet a bit expensive. The two mitts will not be identical because you are using only one skein of the yarn. That's how Clara designed this pattern. If you need to have both mitts identical, you would have to buy two skeins of the same color. I finished one of the girlfriend's mitts last night and will do the other one today. It's a small project so you can carry it around with you. I highly recommend this. It's on Ravelry.If you look on my project page, hipknitta, you will see one of Ben's mitts.


Happy New Year. Happy Knitting.