Long time, no see

It turns out, it has become difficult to post about knitting that is in progress. The pictures are boring to take, so you can probably just blame the other blog since that is taking most of my interesting photos. So, what is going on?

Knitting: I have finished both fronts for the Barcelona Jacket and am about 1/3 done with the sleeves.

I finished Len's hat, but it was about an inch too short, plus the decreases for the crown were too fast and made the top all gathered. I hate that. Len didn't care, but I do, so out it came. I'm getting to the point of starting the decreases again and need to figure out how to do them so the top isn't gathered. Because I want the cables to go up as far as possible, decreasing isn't as simple as knit 10, knit 2 together.

I have finished one knee sock and started the other.

I'm further along than this: I'm actually into the decrease section now.

Non-Knitting:
Kitties: Last weekend was the first weekend since the end of January none of the cats have needed to go to the vet for check ups or medications. I doubt we have seen the last of the gross, but things are calm for now (nothing life threatening, just gross). I did find out that they have all been eating too much, so they are on a more austere program. It hurts Len more than any of the cats.

Technology:
Len is becoming a nerd.

He found a laptop that had been left behind by a tenant 5 years ago (it is a long, kind of sordid tale, involving parents and power plays, best not to get into it). He brought it home and now our computer can keep up with our relatively slow DSL. Plus it has FreeCell. I've been seeing less of Len. And now he brings the thing to work with him and searches for free floating wireless internet. It's kind of hilarious. He hasn't gone too far, though: I asked him if I could unhook his e-mail from mine, and he wasn't comfortable with that yet. He did make an attempt at The Reason the Internet Took Off (ah, porn), scared him half to death, what with all the pop-ups and flashing and what not, so I don't think I'll have to worry about that anymore.

Also, this weekend I found myself in electronics wiring hell. It was not fun. I'm back to purgatory, but I ask you: why do I have to run our DVR and DVD player through an RF Modulator and VCR (which we do not ever use) in order for them both to work? Does that make any sense at all? Stupid wires. I had wiring diagrams lying all over the house, to no avail. Nothing worked, so we had to hook the VCR (seriously, we don't even turn the thing on!) and modulator thingy back up in defeat.

This squirrel yelled at me the whole time I was outside taking pictures yesterday.

Yes. Squirrels are fat in Ann Arbor, even in the winter. And yes. It was snowing. A lot.

Census 101

You know how I keep saying I'm going to do a Census post and then I put it off? Well, the day has arrived. This is kind of long, but I hope not too boring.

"The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of 10 years, in such manner as they shall by Law direct."
-- Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States

The first Census was taken in 1790, it was supervised by then Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and was under the supervision of the U.S. Marshals. The final count was 3.9 million, which both Washington and Jefferson suspect was an under count.

You can find a nice decade by decade overview, including the authorizing legislation and enumeration, here.

The questionnaire is 10 questions, each a result of legislation. These questions have to do with age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, relationships within the household and whether you own or rent the dwelling (you can look here to see when the question was enacted and what the purpose is).

This is the first year you will not get a long form from the Census Bureau. The long form has been replaced by the American Community Survey (ACS), which is a monthly sample survey. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one of the more important is that the demographic and economic data is more timely than the decennial census. If you happen to get an ACS questionnaire you are required to answer it (there are penalties, but they are rarely if ever enforced); because it is separate from the census, you have to fill out the census form as well.

Census data is used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives (and thus in the Electoral College). States may gain or lose seats (Ohio is projected to lose a couple of seats with this Census). For more information on apportionment, including a map of projected gains and losses, look here. The data is also used to distribute federal funding for hospitals, schools, roads and bridges (sometimes in Alaska). The data can be used by community leaders, residents and advocates to argue for (or against) funding for projects.

The basic timeline for this year’s Census: In May of last year Census workers fanned out to verify addresses, making sure that 123 Any Avenue is still a single family house that hasn’t burnt to the ground in the last 10 years. In March 2010, the forms will be mailed (or otherwise delivered). April 1 is National Census Day. If you or a member of your household splits time evenly between two houses, wherever you are on April 1 is where you should be counted. Census workers (or enumerators) will visit households which did not send in their form (this is why the Census is so expensive) from April to July. Population information is delivered to the President in December 2010 for reapportionment, and redistricting data is due the states by March of 2011.

My sister, who works in an unemployment agency (and she is very busy for the foreseeable future) said this about applying for and hiring Census workers: “Census workers are hired through the same process any employer would hire someone. Positions (as one might expect), are temporary and local to the area. They hire for clerical and enumerators 18yrs or older & generally with no criminal background. They are also required to take 30min. test that covers reading, math & attention to detail. Additional training is required once they've completed the application process. They also pay a decent starting wage (at least for my clients)for such a mundane job-$12 for clerical & $16.50 for enumerators. So there you have it. The census worker in a nutshell;)”

The sample test she mentions can be found here, along with other application material and background check information.

In the coming months you may find me geeking out over sampling issues, over- and undercounting and other fun minutia, but this is the important stuff so I will spare you for now. The picture is my library's copy of the 1990 Census (with a bit of the 1980 Census). That is the last census to be printed. Its all online now.

Paranoid Cat

While we have finally upgraded our home internet service to the slowest DSL available (which is still blazing fast compared to dial-up), our ancient (in Techie years) computer can't really keep up, so this post might be a bit bare bones.

This is Judy. She's paranoid. The other two cats have been having various cat health problems (too gross to go into), and in the midst of it all Judy started licking her back raw, so now I need to get her to the vet. The only time I am allowed to even touch Judy is when she is in this room, better yet, when she is on the chair. This is my best chance to get Judy into the cat box and up to the vet. I was hoping to get her on Saturday but I only had two opportunities: once while the cat box was unavailable and then after the vet had closed. Judy is not stupid. I am home today, trying again. I have already missed one opportunity, and now she is in hiding. I love the crazy creature, but she does not make it easy.

Knitting Seen in the Wild

Is it just me or did the holiday rush by in a flash? I put up decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving and took them down January 3rd, barely a week later. I did a lot of frantic knitting during that time, but have very few pictures to show for it. Exactly one, in fact.

I knitted eight wee little stockings, took a picture of this one and the green and red ones, but none of the others (including the super cute beaded ones). I'm lame.

I also knitted a very nice wrap for a friend, out of some Blue Heron Silk Rayon she gave me in a fit of I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-Get-it-out-of-my-house (I could use a couple of those fits in my life). I made Asymmetry from Wrap Style, I didn't take a picture and I can't find an accessible one on the web, so you will just have to trust me that it came out well.

Today was my 100th day of photos. To celebrate, WordPress released a new photoblogging template. Wasn't that nice of them? It isn't very different, but I can finally link to my brother's photo blog.

And last, but not least: are you getting excited about Census 2010? Of course you are! This video of the unveiling of the Census 2010 NASCAR Ford Fusion is pretty funny (if you are as giant a nerd as I am). Some time ago, Sharon had suggested I do a post about the Census. I did actually start one, but got worried that I would get something and be boring at the same time. The director of the Census, Bob Groves, is keeping a blog and provides some interesting details (e.g. his post on January 4 explains why filling out the census form is mandatory). However, if anyone is interested, I'd be happy to put together a piece. If you give me some idea of what you would like know about, I might be able to keep it short.

Gingerbread Houses

For the past several years I've been going to an evening craft show in Saline and in the last couple of years my niece Lauren and nephew Isaac have come along. A particular feature of this show is the Gingerbread House competition/fundraiser.

Part of the competition is for professional bakers. The public votes for their favorite houses by dropping change in a little box by the displays, the display with the most money wins and all of the money is donated to a school charity.

I voted for this one. It was decorated by the children of the bakers and it is just so gleeful (more is more!)

The area school kids get in on the action, too. Part of the school's cafeteria is taken up with their houses. I think the younger kids all do the same basic pattern and the older kids get more leeway.

There is a cookie decorating station. Lauren takes her decorating seriously.

Sort of.

Isaac is of the More is More school of cookie decorating.

He went out on a sugar high.

We came home to find my dad backing out of the attic crawl space with this little guy in tow. Lauren was smitten, much to my dad's horror. They took him a few miles out to a nature preserve and let him go.

This and That

I want to get back to posting more than once a week, but I seem to be at a loss for words these days. It will get better, it has to.

I saw Where the Wild Things Are on Saturday with my mom, my sister Krista and her two kids (plus a friend of Mani's).



It was as beautiful as I had hoped it would be. One objection I've heard is that this isn't a movie for children, I find it hard to be objective, though, since it didn't seem that far off from my own childhood which was lonely, scary, occasionally dangerous, and often very fun.

We went shopping earlier in the day. Along with two blouses and a bunch of t-shirts, I found a great deal on this:

I've wanted a Professional 600 for a long time and now I have one! I want to go home and pet it right now!

On Sunday I dragged myself off the couch (quite difficult, I must say) and pulled out the rest of the garden: four stalks of Brussels Sprouts and a basketful of potatoes.

I didn't have Brussels Sprouts until I was an adult, since my dad hates them and he did the cooking. I love them, as does Len. There are four stalks in that picture. This was the first year we did potatoes, they worked out well, despite my having put them in late.

Completely gratuitous picture of Lizzy. It might have been my picture of the day, but she wouldn't look at me and then she ran over to bark at the neighbor's horses.

Health Care Costs

I don't know if you are following the health care debate, or if you even care (there are certainly plenty of things to get worked up about, I would think one could be forgiven for not getting worked up about this issue). I myself am alternately fascinated, appalled, confused and depressed by the whole mess. My opinion is as simple as this: I have really good health insurance, Len has no health insurance and I am at a loss to explain why I deserve to have health care and he does not (of course if a catastrophic event happened, he would have care, but it would bankrupt him).

However, no matter where you sit in the spectrum of opinion on this one, I highly recommend listening to this week's This American Life which explains the rising costs of health care. It is fascinating, appalling and depressing. But not confusing. More Is Less.

Manistee

Len dragged me up to Manistee, Michigan to spend the night in a camper. Which is to say, he asked nicely, and I, because I am really not very bright, agreed. Let me give you a piece of advice from my own hard won experience: if you have spent the last month dealing single-handedly with the garden, house and dog because your beloved has been working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, do not, under any circumstances, go to Manistee to spend the night in a camper, with the dog, so your beloved can go fishing. Especially if you hate camping. It is a very bad idea. And you will cry. I did, anyway.

For what it's worth, here are some pictures (many more in Fickr):

We borrowed Len's nephew, Connor, who was delightful. He and Lizzy bonded.

He caught a salmon.

And cleaned it.

Amanda

Dylan

Anyway. Once I got over the melt down, it was fine. And pretty. I am leaving tomorrow for the knitting retreat and that really will be relaxing. See you next week!

A Friday Song List

Giveaway: Really? No one? You're missing out...

I've been revamping my teeny iPod (and dreaming of a big one), so I think it time to see what comes up in a shuffle, don't you?

1. "Flame of the West" -- Big Country (Steeltown)

Scots dissing Reagan. I wore out my cassette of this album when I was 16 and found a German import a couple years ago to replace it. The album is as good as I remember it, and since it isn't that synth-pop that was so popular it still sounds fresh. Also. They so do not sound like U2.

2. "Marie's Wedding" -- Van Morrison & the Chieftains (Irish Heartbeat)

This is another CD I bought to replace a cassette, but it turned out I don't like the album as much as I did when it came out. I do really like the very traditional Irish songs though, Van Morrison's voice is so beautiful.

3. "This is Your Country" -- Luka Bloom (The Acoustic Motor Bike)

Luka Bloom was a minor obsession for me in the early 1990's. I saw him at the Blind Pig the night after a riot in Ann Arbor (the UM basketball team either won or lost, I don't remember or care). Bloom is from Northern Ireland (which, you may recall, was having some...troubles), he said Ann Arbor looked just like home. Very sweet.

4. "Three Hopeful Thoughts" -- Rilo Kiley (The Execution of All Things)

I don't know this album as well as I should, but I always like the songs when they come up in the shuffle. This one is kind of power pop.

5. "Last Night" -- Traveling Wilburies (self-titled)

I downloaded a couple of the hits for nostalgia's sake. You know, bunch a great musicians hanging out, having a good time.

6. "So Wrong" -- Patsy Cline (12 Greatest Hits)

I think listening to Patsy Cline is the first time I realized that having a great voice is not nearly enough to make someone a great singer, the phrasing matters so much more. Patsy's voice is fine, but the way she uses it is what makes her a truly great singer (and this is a truly heartbreaking song).

7. "Voice of Harold" -- R.E.M. (Dead Letter Office)

My knowledge of R.E.M. begins with Murmur and ends with Document (which roughly encompasses my college, depressed, hipster years). Dead Letter Office is a collection of alternate versions of songs, covers, and B-Sides (remember those?), and is worth having for the hilarious linear notes. "Voice of Harold" is a pre-lyrics version of "7 Chinese Brothers" (from Reckoning), they used the linear notes from some random gospel album as stand-in lyrics. Michael Stipes sings with great sincerity.

8. "One Night in Bangkok" -- Murray Head

This would be 1980's synth-pop. It's kind of terrible in a nostalgic way.

9. "Don't Pass Me By" -- The Beatles ("White Album")

I do so love The Beatles and the "White Album" is my favorite in all of it's out of control, messy, weird, indulgent, in-fighting glory. Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abby Road may be better albums, but for me, they don't top this one for it's sheer human-ness.

10. "Mr. Jones" -- Counting Crows (August & Everything After)

Even though the Crows are so not Seattle in the 1990s, this is what I was listening to and these songs always take me back there.

And now for something completely different. According to this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, between the years 2003-2007 2,228 deaths occurred in the production of crops and animals; 108 of those deaths involved cattle as a primary or secondary cause. I wonder how many involved roosters?

Summer Madness Give-Away!

I'm dubious about the "summer" part, actually. I don't think we are really getting summer this year.

It's a meme by way of Quixotic Pixels, but one with prizes! I know, be still your heart.

Here’s how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.
But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people. The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

I know some of you do not have blogs, in that case you could use Facebook or invade someone else's blog (for example, your wife's while she is off at Creative People Camp). So, get to it!

And no, I will not be making you a queen sized quilt.

Lame Blogger

That's me. I thought I would be back in the swing of things after the 4th of July, but apparently not. I'd love to say I'm too busy, but no. I'm just lame.

Here is a pretty picture to distract you from my lameness:

So, what is going on that I haven't been posting?

I just started the fifth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Um. This is embarrassing, I'm addicted. They are stupid, but funny (mostly intentionally). Once you get beyond the awful of the first couple of books (which I did, because I was promised semi-incestous werepanthers, it turns out there is nothing "semi" about the incestuousness), her storytelling is really quite. You know. Good. There, I said it. If you want something fun and won't tax you too much while you nurse your sunburn, you could do worse.

I also finished Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss---and the Myths and Realities of Dieting by Gina Kolata. Kolata, a health journalist for the New York Times, compiles the history and research of dieting and obesity and reaches the conclusion that weight has far more to do with genetics than willpower. It's so well written, so readable, I had a hard time putting it down (even for Sookie).

It was Art Fair last week.

I ate a lot of very bad food.

I bought a piece of pottery (which I failed to take a picture of), I didn't realize until I was leaving the booth that it was by my old housemate (she wasn't in the booth, I'm not that lame). Kind of a coincidence, but I have always liked her stuff.

In other news, the dog got skunked Thursday night at bedtime. That's a smell that will bring tears to your eyes! Len gave her a bath before I got home on Friday evening. It didn't work. My brother and sister-in-law had looked up a natural de-skunking recipe, which mostly did (hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a bit of dish soap). Then on Saturday evening she went out happy and came back broken. Her tail was between her legs and she was very very sad. We took her for a very expensive vet visit on Sunday, it seems she strained her back. She's on some anti-inflammatory and she should be better by tomorrow. At which time she will get another peroxide-soda bath, 'cos, seriously. She stinks.

I Arrived In Time to See the Firetrucks

It turned out the parade in Grass Lake was at 10:00, not 11:00. Oh well.

Too late.

The weather has been a bit loopy, but I don't think it's October.


Gratuitous picture of super cute kid (C & A's kid).


Sparklers are always pretty

Silhouette with added filter in a misguided attempt to distract you from the lack of crisp focus.

Trippy fireworks

Long Silence

Sorry for the long silence. It isn't that I haven't had anything to report, I've just been tired and cranky. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things after the weekend.

In the meantime, here is a clip from the Colbert Report about the census.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Noncensus
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

Around the 2 minute mark Colbert mentions the nominee to head the Census Bureau, Bob Groves. Groves is the director of the Survey Research Center, the largest center in the institute where I work. In case you are interested, the controversy around his nomination is because he is an advocate of using sampling to supplement the head count -- essentially a bit of statistical mojo (also known as "science") which allows a smaller group to stand in for the whole group. If the sample is large enough and random enough, it gives an accurate view of the whole. Sampling for the census is off the table, so really, those holding up Groves confirmation are just being big babies. Also, contrary to what Michelle Bachman implies in the clip, pretty much the only question you will be asked on the census is "how many people live here?". The long form questions have all migrated to the American Community Survey (which is a sampled survey and, if you happen to be called for one of these, it is part of your duty as a U.S. resident to respond).

See you in better days (as my stepmother's sister says).

Decision Made

I had decided that I wasn't going to go to the Silver Springs Knitting Retreat in September. The timing is terrible, I always take the last week in August off to help Len with the rental properties, and the retreat is two weeks later. Plus, the garden is producing like crazy at that time of the year, and when I returned last year, I discovered Len hadn't picked a single bean. Grrr. So, no. Too hard, go to the one in February instead.

And then the registration form came. I was sent into a tailspin of indecision, but finally I realized two things: I don't have to go for 10 days as I did last year, and if I don't go now, I would manage to talk myself out it in February, too. And I really really really want to go, and if a few beans go bad because Len is too lazy to pick them, so be it. We will probably survive (as will the library).

Speaking of the library, there is a profile of one of our faculty and her research in the Miller-McCune Online Magazine. I think it is a very interesting look at what she does in particular and why population study is often so very crucial. Her work on teen pregnancy and racial health inequality is very controversial to both liberals and conservatives, and if she is right, the crisis (and it is a crisis) is more complex and intractable than anyone can imagine.

Happy Things

Sharon tagged me for the Six Unimportant Things That Make You Happy meme. Sometimes I worry that all I think about are the dumb little things that annoy me, so it is very nice to think about the sorts of little things that make me happy. And really, it is the little things that make or break most days.

1. Lilacs.

2. Coffee. Not just any coffee, the cup in which the mix of brewing, sugar and milk all combine into something perfect. Why can't I get that more often?

3. At the end of an episode of Scrubs, the air band consisting of Ted, the janitor, the pill-popping delivery man and Turk perform "More Than a Feeling" by Boston. It isn't just that the scene is funny (it is), it's that the performance is pure joy.



4. Islands in the Stream -- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (extra points in this video because she giggles, and there are few things better than Dolly Parton giggling)



5. The 1961 Chevrolet Impala. That is as elegant a car as you will find. Yeah, yeah, gas guzzler, blah blah blah. Whatever. This is Detroit doing it's greatest design work, the likes of which we will not see again, no matter how the current crisis shakes down.

6. Fluevogs! Was there any doubt?

So, I'm supposed to tag 6 more people, but I can't help but think most of the folks I would tag would either kick me or ignore me. So, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. I recommend the experience.

Baby brother

My baby brother got tenure! Everyone send him an online high five! Can you tell, I'm so proud?

Poor Lizzy

Why, mommy, why are you torturing me?

It's tick season and Lizzy, poor thing, is a magnet. Especially those cute ears and she does not appreciate us yanking the nasty things out, when we call to her now, she goes and hides in her kennel. Pretty pathetic. We hadn't gotten the Frontline in time to prevent the infestation 'cos we are bad parents. Len finally got the stuff on her yesterday so we should not have to pull bugs out of her any more. Life in the country, it can be kind of gross.

William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Yeah, yeah, it's blue. What of it?

Bad Day Made Better

I am in the middle of hormone hell: run down, crampy, irritable in the extreme. I'd take a couple of days off of work, but it is a very busy time (for not being particularly tied to the academic calendar, I sure get busy at the end of the semester). Plus, I forgot to take an allergy pill and don't have any with me. Why yes, I am on a fast train to Crazy Town.

But I watched two videos of "Across the Universe" which made at least 8 minutes of my morning a little more pleasant.

Fiona Apple's version is just lovely. In the background a bunch of guys cheerfully destroy a soda shop.



Rufus Wainwright's version does not allow embedding, but you can go to YouTube to see it. It is also a lovely version, and his video is more on the surreal side.

I'm hard pressed to say who is prettier, Fiona or Rufus.

Today in Poetry Month

Nikki Giovanni. My mom gave us Spin a Soft Black Song when it came out and it was one of my favorite books growing up (if you can find a first edition, I highly recommend it. For some reason the illustrations are different). My dad and I saw her speak several years ago. When we met her, he thanked her for helping him raise his kids, which I imagine she found...odd. I don't know exactly what he meant, but her poetry advocates having a strong sense of self and of pride. "Ego Tripping" comes from her next children's book, published in 1973. It is one of my favorite pieces of writing.

Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)

I was born in the congo
I walked to the fertile crescent and built
the sphinx
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star
that only glows every one hundred years falls
into the center giving divine perfect light
I am bad

I sat on the throne
drinking nectar with allah
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe
to cool my thirst
My oldest daughter is nefertiti
the tears from my birth pains
created the nile
I am a beautiful woman

I gazed on the forest and burned
out the sahara desert
with a packet of goat's meat
and a change of clothes
I crossed it in two hours
I am a gazelle so swift
so swift you can't catch me

For a birthday present when he was three
I gave my son hannibal an elephant
He gave me rome for mother's day
My strength flows ever on

My son noah built new/ark and
I stood proudly at the helm
as we sailed on a soft summer day
I turned myself into myself and was
jesus
men intone my loving name
All praises All praises
I am the one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my back yard
My bowels deliver uranium
the filings from my fingernails are
semi-precious jewels
On a trip north
I caught a cold and blew
My nose giving oil to the arab world
I am so hip even my errors are correct
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off
the earth as I went
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid
across three continents

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission

I mean...I...can fly
like a bird in the sky...