Wordless Wednesday: I don't go crazy

January Photo-a-Day: Week 4

January Photo-a-Day.  Prompts by Fat Mum Slim.

This past week has been so cold that I didn't really want to even take my phone out of my pocket to snap pictures outside.  It was so cold that I didn't show much more than my eyes when outdoors.  I was so cold that it hurt my eyes.  Because of that, most of my pictures are inside this past week.  Hopefully, this next week sees temperatures past the twenties.

January 21 - What you do

21. I love trying new things with my hair now that I don't look like Hey Arnold anymore.  I tried to blow it out and can now even put parts in my hair - with the assistance of a few bobby pins.

January 22 - Corner

22. This is a corner of my pre-war apartment elevator.  I like that it is winter and I don't have to touch the buttons without gloves or with my keys anymore.  They just seem as though they are icky.

January 23 - Electric

23. I like to shred items with my name on them that come in the mail.  I guess I am a bit paranoid, but I don't like my name and address to be in the trash and then wind up in someone's hands.  Same with private information and even prescription information.  I finally got a shredder here in NYC - didn't bring mine from StL.  Now I have eliminated a huge pile of papers and feel lighter.

January 24 - Stripes

24. I love my Uniqlo clothes.  They have some sort of heat technology that makes you warm without needing a lot of layers.  I have this striped tunic that I am in love with (also have it in tanish).

January 25 - Landscape

25. I found this shop where I would eventually get my printer.   I like the little bitty park that is across the street from it.  The shops are behind the trees.

January 26 - Together

26. I don't know why this man sitting across from we on the subway had on two watches.  I guess so he could tell the time two times as well when his hands are together.  I tried to take the photo all sly, but my flash went off as I accidentally hit the snap button before I even had it pointed right.  I tried to play it off, and got a better picture after sitting like I was just looking at ish on my phone for a few stops.

January 27 - Sun

27. I should have known this printer would not be the sunshine in my life when, as it was being transported up the conveyor belt to be handed off to me, it slipped back down and I heard it sliding and tumbling.  I should have known.  Instead, I figured it must be padded enough and took it home.  After setting it up, it printed every page completely black.  I called customer service and they said it was broken and needed service.  Now, I must figure out how to carry this big-a thing back down to the beautifully landscaped store and get another one.  So much for saving time on school prep this week.

Saturday Quote: Change your focus

Buses, chips, movies, and special cupcakes

Yesterday we were to take a group of middle schoolers on a field trip to visit a college in Queens.  Everything was ready - forms turned in, five dollars collected from each student, students who did not have forms or money already sent to a teacher's room to do school work that each teacher left for them to complete.

Perfect.  We were all posted up in the auditorium by 8:40.  The buses were to leave at 9:30.

We waited and waited and waited until about 9:20 and then the head of the field trip went to make a call to the bus company to be sure they were on the way.

There is a bus strike in NYC right now.

Until 9:25, we did not realize that the private drivers were acting as scabs for some of the school buses and would not be able to drive us on the chartered bus.

We had a dilemma and a few options:

1. take the kids on two subways and a bus, 
2. have the students stay at school and go to their regularly scheduled classes that they and the teachers had not planned for (most kids did not have any school materials with them), or
3. have the students sit in the auditorium and watch semi-educational-college-related movies the rest of the day.

We chose option 3.

I thought it would be fine since during the first film, the students were enthralled.  They even asked if the schools in the movie were real.  Some asked other college-related questions.  They were entertained, and quiet.  I enjoyed the movie myself.

Then we had lunch and then we offered the kids some snacks for the second movie.

The kids were not as peaceful during this movie.  I think several had seen it already, and they wanted to talk and gossip and cause some drama.

I wanted them to be quiet.

I didn't want them dropping their snacks on the floor, I didn't want them poking at each other and irking each other.

I just wanted peace.

I wish I could have offered them a different sort of snack, something I wish I could have cooked up for them to help the situation:

I hope the time does not come again soon when I have to, basically, babysit (mostly unstructured) a gang of middle schoolers.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Greetings

I'm so in love with this right now.   At first I thought it was going to be a sappy engagement thing, but it is so much better than that.

Imagine this type of greeting when you return from a tiring trip somewhere!

It actually made my no-longer-tough-ass almost shed a tear.

January Photo-a-day: Week 3

Photo-a-day challenge.  Prompts by Fat Mum Slim.

January 14 - Something yellow

14. Poetry on the subway.  "Like hot food/ I love you/ like warm/ bread & cold/ cuts, butter/ sammiches/ or, days later, after/ Thanksgiving/ when I want/ whatever's left" Kevin Young 1970.  I love the yellow colors and how it goes with the yellow seats on the train.

January 15 - An ordinary moment

15. I know, I know.  Last week, I harped on how much weight I've put on.  But one of my keys to taking it off it to not limit myself from the occasional treat.  I wanted ice cream, so I had some.  Then I went to my exercise class just a couple hours later.  It was delicious.  It was a nice, ordinary moment.  Hadn't had ice cream since fall; I got a small cup and only filled it a little over halfway.

January 16 - Two things

16. First thing, my new workout bag is perfect for carrying my clothes on those days when I go straight from school to workout.  It is also good as a purse. I didn't bring any to NYC and am tired of carrying my backpack around everywhere I go.
The second thing is a look at the nasty-ass pipes in the kitchen.  The one on the right started leaking.  I called the super, he didn't come for two weeks.  Called him again after two weeks when the pipe became completely dislocated from the top part of the pipe.  He fixed it by reattaching it.  I guess it was too much to hope that he would replace the whole pipe system.

January 17 - Ready

17. Here I am getting ready to go into my workout class.

January 18 - Shadow

18. Walking through Union Square on the way home.  Lots of shadows as the sun starts to set.

January 19 - Delicious

19. These are delicious, low-cal, and a nice crunch.  Not super filling, though, so don't know if I will keep getting them.

January 20 - Something you saw

20. Saw this on the way to Trader Joe's and sent the image to Kid Sis #1.  She has her adorable puppy to take care of and this is an easy way to get the things she needs and wants for her.  Why don't I ever come up with these cool ideas?!