6 jobs! Over-employed?

My dear Grady, what a funny post! I think you might look for work writing comedy acts - or, even better, consider teaming up with your sister to do twin stand-up comedy. What's with throwing things on top of the refrigerator? blueberries included?

I think it's ad nauseum, Grady, but I'm sure that wasn't on any of our Latin vocabulary lists.

And skype doesn't transmit any blemishes. You looked perfectly beautiful to me.

Happy Birthday! Love and hugs from me and GR Jim
GrAnn

Simon and Charlotte

So I got another job. So far my job total is 6 (gotta pay them bills):

1) Izzy's sitter

2)Freyja and Katla's sitter

3)art teacher

4)administrative assistant (at Foster Pride)

5)Blogger (for Whistle Pig)

and now!!!

6)Simon and Charlotte's sitter

I met Simon and Charlotte's mother through the Park Slope Parents network and I went for an interview last week. This morning was my "supervised playtime" (yeah, seriously) and I must say, I play quite swimmingly. I believe the mom's exact words were "You are so great with kids, Simon takes forever to warm up to anyone but he seems totally comfortable with you. I can't believe you don't want to do something with kids after school, I'm the assistant commissioner, Resource Management and Reporting, NYC administration for children's services, and we're always looking for people like you!"... or something along those lines, that might not have been verbatim (okay, actually that was verbatim, I never heard a compliment I did not repeat to myself ad nausea)...

Simon is almost 3 and Charlotte is 2 months old and I can practically cradle her in the palm of my hand, she is the tiniest thing I ever saw. Today we did a lot of coloring and a lot of snacking on blueberries and A LOT of throwing things on top of the refrigerator, which was awesome. Also some singing: "Peel Bananas, peel peel bananas. I SAY peel bananas, peel peel bananas. Eat bananas, eat eat bananas. I SAY eat bananas, eat eat bananas...." and so on, everyone should invest in a City Stomp album.

The great news is, the cash I got today rounded off my rent money (due tomorrow), and then some, so I was finally able to buy some more foundation and cover up these blemishes that have ravaged my face (all of which you had the great pleasure of speaking to last evening). Just wait till the next time we skype, my face will be smoother than Charlotte's bottom (maybe I don't know her well enough yet to joke about her bottom...)

Anyway, I am off to the gym, gotta go work off some calories in anticipation of several birthday cakes. See some of you in two days!

My Dear Danial

But I think I am into the feature that I can turn him off anytime I would like to and then turn him back on when I need advise/ am willing to hear advice/ want advice.
Connor Sunday? Grady I can't believe I missed you when you were here! boo hoo :(

Dinner with Daniel

Looking forward to dinner on Sunday!  I will bring Daniel so you all can meet him.  But Patty I'm not sure he will work for you.  My fear is he is a little misguided and may you lead you astray.  At this point in your life I feel you need someone a little more grounded.

I can come! I can celebrate my move out of Hepburn 429 and into 303, Le Chateau!

We're up for it! Sunday PM dinner at our place. Who can come?
GrAnn

Family Dinner Needed...

ok, i am laughing hystericallly in my office! i need to be updated on these stories, live! Peter you are becoming quite the city boy. and maybe Daniel is a man for me?!
love to all and thanks for your stories. should we call it a celebration of the end of j-term dinner? or maybe a mourning of the end of j-term?
no racing for us this weekend.
sunday dinner anyone?
love you.
patty

We certainly did have a wonderful time! The concert was great...audience aside. I'm writing a story about it for my class, so maybe I'll post a link to that up here and you can all read about it in detail.
I will also post pictures when I have a moment.

Daniel did a great job as well, although he kept passing gas at one of the Boulevards, which was rude and not at all like most British gentlemen that I know.

Maybe I should have got the deluxe model GPS

Well eventually we find our way out of New York without the help of our GPS, who we'll call Daniel.  Daniel has an English accent and really really wants to go to New Jersey.  Peter doesn't want to go to New Jersey, he wants to go to Middlebury and he wants to go over the Tappan Zee Bridge to do it.  After re-calculating our trip for the tenth time Daniel finally gives up, goes for a spot of tea and a nap.  Peter thinks maybe Daniel would like to go for a swim in the Hudson River.

We had an absolutely wonderful time in the city.  Cailin, Grady and I got to see folksinger Tracy Grammer at a house concert which was atttended by thirty people.  There was a potluck supper beforehand (we brought Cheddar Ale Soup) and then we got to sit in the ground floor living room of a beautiful home in Brooklyn and listen to one of the sweetest singing voices I have heard.  Along with a hefty portion of overweight lesbians and balding men with pigtails.  But I'll leave the audience to Grady and Cailin to review.  Along with pictures.

Cailin stayed the night at Grady's apartment, partyng no doubt with wild and crazy roommates Spencer and Rob.  I managed to navigate the New York subway system back to Lauren and Ken's apartment in time to see the last two minutes of the Steelers / Jets football game.  Rex Ryan very sad.  Ken very happy.  Ken stop dancing.  No really, Ken stop dancing, I have to go to bed.  After a good nights sleep I drive my car back to Grady's apartment to pick-up Cailin and Grady for breakfast in a Brooklyn diner (more cwoffee sweetie?)  Props to Daniel who did a fantastic job handling my commute.

Love you all.  Peace.  Peter

Grady's In Town!

Grady trained up yesterday afternoon arriving on the 1:40 Express from New York, New York.  She, Cailin and I will be heading back down on Sunday morning to go to a Tracy Grammer house concert that evening.  Cailin will bring her camera.  Cailin?  Are you listening?  So we should have pictures to post.

We got to go to a hockey game last night.  It's tough to watch a hockey game surrounded by your parents and children and their friends.  Fun.

Love you all.  Peace.  Peter

Happy Birthday to Grandma Ann!! (one day late)

I hope you had a wonderful day! See you soon (hopefully).
xoxo

The Passage of Time

I saw a beautiful young Asian woman driving Patty's car today.  I suppose it's okay.  She probably has permission.

Love you all.  Peace.  Peter

Hahaha I laughed quite hard at that joke, Daddy. I bet I'll retell it tonight. Of course, I'll probably butcher it by saying "...He said if it gets any worse he'll have to let her out!" or something. Or I'll preface it by saying, "Hey guys, listen to this really funny joke!" (which I always do) and it just won't live up to the hype. I know it's hard to believe, but I really do have a lot of friends here.

Grandma, I have seen Grady's walls over skype. They are...very creatively done. Collaging your walls, teaching art classes, Grady, who knew you were so artistic? Tonight at dinner Nick Zhao asked, "How's Grady? Is she still finding herself?"....I'll be sure to let him know that you've discovered this whole new side.

I got a new haircut. Grandma, Daddy, Grandpa, Erin and Connor have all had the pleasure of seeing it. I keep going back and forth on it. At first I hated it, then I loved it, then I hated it again. It's shoulder length, and I kind of miss how long it was. My friend Meghan cut it for me and took a few more inches off than I had wanted. But yesterday I was back to loving it again until my friend told me I had "Playdate Hair,"...."You know, it looks like you just dropped your kid off at a playdate." So I'm back to not being so keen on it. You know how when you get a haircut EVERY person says, "Oh, did you get a haircut?" and it's just a reminder, over and over, that you know longer have long flowing locks.

Crew is going well. I'm over being sore, which is good news, but my splits are about 5seconds slower than they were last year at this time, so I'm kind of freaking out about the 6km test piece we have next week. I knew it would take a while to get back into rowing shape, but it's still frustrating.

I really need to go do laundry, but I've lost my laundry card. All my jeans are saggy in the butt. I just hate that.

Love to all of you.

Good blog!

It is so wonderful (no less, really) to have these posts to read! And we can't leave it exclusively to the young people whose stories are dynamic and entertaining and those parents who check in once in a while. The rest of us "contributors" have a part to take, too, if only to let the others know we are present. That's me (I?). GrAnn, present, and loving the connections here. Of course, first person encounters are best, like being bbb-by Cailin at the hockey game last night - and right there with Peter and Erin as well ........ (Tell Erin thanks again for the birthday dinner, Peter.)

.... but second person like reading your blog posting, Grady, comes close. How I wish I could see the wallpapering job you did! Of course I could, if I were to Skype you, but I mislaid the paper where I noted your Skype address. Is it: gradyross1? Please get back to me with that so I can pester you by calling just as you are getting into one of those books you are so enjoying. (I have just finished "Cutting for Stone." I gave it to your dad for his birthday. It is one fabulous read.) I am ready for a new book, so I'm going to go to the library for one of the ones you have recommended. All that reading will inform your writing. I also need your full snail mail address. I have a couple of things I want to mail to you. (email works for me.)

Peter, that person in Poultney with the wife out there in the snow.....................

Vermont Humor

I just got off the phone with a friend living in Poultney, Vermont. He said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is dropping way below zero and the north wind is increasing to near gale force. His wife has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare. He says that if it gets much worse, he may have to let her in.

Here's the report from 223 13th street, apt. #7:

I have made the space my own... I bought some plastic tablecloths for 99c apiece at a discount store and covered the walls with them. Then I cut out pictures and articles from magazines and newspapers and covered the plastic with those, so I have essentially wallpapered my room and it looks pretty cool. That was my one burst of productivity... Other than that I have been working a lot and watching a lot of movies and reading a TON, which has been great. I just finished reading Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids and I highly recommend it to all of you. Absolutely fantastic. Another great read: The Incredible Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime... So good, I read it in one day. It is written from the point of view of an autistic boy, and the author writes so well. Very moving. Then, a classic: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned, which takes place in the city around the first world war. Right now I am working on Zadie Smith's White Teeth and a non-fiction book about New York city from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s that is basically about gangs, burlesque, speakeasies and prostitution-- essentially, everything my New York experience has not been. I just started it and so far so good.

Last week was my first week teaching art classes to foster kids. It was really great... there is not much in the way of teaching, mostly just supervising as four year olds paint dragons. Awesome. The kids are super cute. I went yesterday to teach but the space was being occupied by some conference or something-- scheduling mix-ups or some such thing. so i didn't teach. oh well.

The good news is that I finally have spoken to both roommates and now that the initial awkward conversation is over I don't really dread running into them.

Right now I am sitting in a cafe doing some writing. Tonight I am watching Freyja and Katla while KC and Baldur go out, so that should be a thrilling saturday evening. actually not being sarcastic, giving Freyja a bath and putting her in jimmyjams and reading a few stories is kind of as good as it gets. Adorbs.

I will not chew gum in class

Bread Loaf
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Bread Loaf

Happy Birthday Peter!

Did i beat Lauren with the birthday wish? That's all i want to know. AND it worked again...Bread Loaf!!! 2, TWO, words!
Just caught up on the blog and love all the news! (so glad to be back from stinky Rumford, where apparently they don't really care if the internet works or not.)
I'm pretty sure the "Os" are hugs because that is your arms going around for the hug, and the "Xs" are the quick little peck on the cheek!
Grady I'm so sorry about your roommates. Can we move to a new place, because this is stressing me out? (it's about me right?)
Cailin and Connor I expect to see you in the Field House...
love you all,
Patty

Birthday Celebration

We had a wonderful gathering last night at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Missed you Grady.  Missed you Kels.  Get those exams done and get back here!  Great bowls of chili we had fun.  What do you think Connor, have Nick, Felix and Patrick been to Cider Mill Road enough to warrant an invite into the circle?  Get me their e-mails.

For some reason it decided to snow just above East Middlebury and the trip up the mountain took more than 45 minutes.  There was about a foot of snow as I turned onto Deacon Hill.  I think I left half my tires on the road up but fiinally made it.  Day off today.  Trip to the library for a new book and then possibly a ski at Breadloaf this afternoon.

Love you all.  Peace.  Peter

Beauty AND brains, some girls have it all...

Kelsey and I are the best looking roommates on campus. HANDS. DOWN.

Hurt so good.

I can barely walk. welcome to winter training. My second workout back was the hardest I've ever done. Crew, skiing, running, or otherwise.

We started with stadiums in the hockey arena. 10 times around the rink, running up and down every set of stairs. It took over an hour. Over an hour straight of running up stairs. Kill me.

Then we did chiefs. Dead lifts with the bars, decline pushups, 8-counts, scullers, jumpies (200 each)...
Then a 2kilometer erg race.

In total it took 2 hours for everyone to finish. People were throwing up and crying. I was definitely crying. Whatever I did in England did not prepare me for this.

Now I haven't slept for the past three nights because I'm in so much pain. I have to whine and cry to someone who cares, AKA my family :).But, next time I see you, I'll be so buff you won't even recognize me.

Grady, sounds like you've got it all figured out. I was going to come visit you but it seems like too much work, how about you just come to middlebury. Although this time you bring your own bedding.

the fine art of avoiding people

how to avoid the new roommates:

1) wear a headscarf and sunglasses (hooded sweatshirts are a more viable option unless of course you haven't done laundry in three weeks, as is my situation).

2)sit in your room until you hear both of their doors slam, then emerge to quickly nuke some soup in the microwave (things like rice, which take a long time and frequent stirring are discouraged). Return to your room.

3)go on long walks in prospect park

4)go to the gym

5)wear headphones constantly so if (gasp) you run into one of them you can point to your ears indicating, "this is not a good time for small talk"

6)frequently visit your old roommate who you actually liked

7)clean the kitchen vigorously all the while saying, "gross, who lives in a pigsty like this?" loudly enough so that the one in the room off the kitchen can hear you and feel ashamed and want to avoid you as well (the more people trying to avoid eachother, the more likely it is you won't cross paths)

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you.

Very funny!

You guys should hire yourselves to write for comedy shows.

Starring Connie Connor as the ace student...

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=13776959

Connor is taking Jim Douglas' course on Vermont politics for J Term at Midd.  This is some video from the Channel 3 News.

What is it about that city?

I took Grady back to New York, New York yesterday.  The car was fine, made it past Saratoga Springs without the engine throwing a tantrum.  Every time we go to New York, New York we take the George Washington Bridge onto Manhattan but we're never too sure if we want the upper level or the lower level and invariably end up getting lost.  We done good this time, hooked up with the Harlem River Drive and the FDR and then couldn't find our way into Brooklyn.  We kept driving around, Grady pointing out landmarks she recognized, (oh wait I guess that isn't entirely accurate), circling and closing in on Calyer Street.  Except Calyer Street is one-way and apparently WE ARE AT THE WRONG END OF IT!  We finally got to 139 Calyer and found a parking space right out front with snow piled up all around that made me feel right at home.

X's and O's and a quick goodbye.  I've got to get back to Vermont.  This is where things get interesting.

Instead of finding my old friend Major Deegan and his highway I end up getting acquainted with the Queen and her Midtown Tunnel and end up back in Manhattan.  Well I figure if I just head west eventually I'll end up in New Jersey and be able to head north.  Tried a couple of times to get into the Lincoln Tunnel but kept missing the entrance.  Let's go south and see what they got shall we?  Oh look a sign for the Holland Tunnel, I've heard of that.  After about three shots at hitting the entrance to this tunnel I finally find myself coming up for air in a part of New Jersey that closely resembles the set of The Sopranos.  There I am able to find Interstate Highway Number 95 which I'm sure will head north.

Yeah, north to the friggin' GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE!!  Welcome to Manhattan, have a nice day, would you like the upper level or the lower level?  I know what you're thinking.  "Why doesn't he pull over and use the Hagstrom New York City Large Type Street Atlas sitiing in the back seat?"  What and toss generations of male driving traditions to the curb?  Not on my watch.

My relationship with New York, New York can be summed up as follows.  It consists of one-way streets which I am always at the wrong end of and exits from its highways which off-ramp to the left if I'm in the righthand land and to the right if I'm in the lefthand lane.

Back in Ripton now, watching 2-3 inches of light powder making its way gently to the ground.  Big pot of tomato soup cracking a bubble and bread rising in the kitchen.  You know I love you Grady and I'm just kidding when I say, PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DRIVE DOWN THERE EVER AGAIN.  Either that or buy me a GPS for Christmas next year.

Love you all.  Peace.  Peter

Grady, everyone knows that the "X" is the hug and the "O" is the kiss. jeesh.

what, they don't hug in england or something?

Happy New Year!!

Hello Fam! I guess I'll get this going again, after a short break when we were able to share stories in person! It was great to see everybody over Christmas! Being home was wonderful, I wish I had another week of break to sleep in and watch movies and go skiing and all that good stuff that doesn't get to happen at school....oh wait, this is Jterm.

Today was the first official day back, I moved in yesterday with the help of Grady. I'm living in a single in Hepburn, 429, if you'd like to come say hello to me. I still haven't unpacked everything. Grady and I spent most of yesterday afternoon catching up with people and eating in the dining hall (oh man how I've missed those spicy potato cubes). We also rediscovered that these college beds are not made for two, even head-to-foot. I have to say I was happy to see her go at 7:00 this morning so I could have my bed to myself. Although even then, it's not too comfy. Apparently not much of that $50,000 goes toward the mattresses.

I'm taking creative writing, non-fiction, a class that meets TWRF from 1:00 until 3:00, and working at Mary Johnson Child Center on Mondays and Thursdays. I had my first day of work today. I get there and they're already asleep, so I read for 2 hours, and then they ate snack, and then it was time to go home. Awesome job. Yes, I get paid for this. My classroom is the one with the 2 year olds, which isn't as much fun as the 5 year olds I had last year. They don't do much but yell and fall over eat playdough. But awfully cute, just the same.

I had my first day back at practice today too! It's safe to say that I'm not the only one who's out of shape. This could be a rough few months of winter training. We did Indian Sprints on an hour long run and lifted. I may not be able to brush my teeth tonight because I don't think I can get down from my bed. Yay crew. Great to be back.

I'll let you know about my class after I have it. Already Prof. Bain has cancelled tomorrow's class. But I do have an assignment, I have to write about something I own that is special to me. What will I choose? My Frye boots that Grady bought for me and have walked miles and miles of London? My little royal guard? My journal, full of deep dark secrets (like whether or not I enjoyed dessert last night)? My humpback whale, a gift from Grandma Ann so many years ago?

It's great to be back at Middlebury, a little weird that Grady and Kelsey aren't here. Hopefully I'll see some of you around campus. Connor, this goes for you too. I don't want to see you duck behind a tree everytime I walk in your direction. We can come up with a secret salute if you don't want people to know we're related.

love to you all. See most of you on the 9th. XXXX <----(did you know that in England there's no such thing as XOXO, just XXXX???)<----fun fact.