Summer, so far...

Sewing

"We the Guys"

Slide

Lush

"Crunch Buckets!"

Storms

*Crawldaddies Rock!

Wheaton Park

His favorite Zoo attraction

Lion

Farm

* note to myself because I want to remember this story 20 years from now: We went to see the "Crawldaddies" give a cajun inspired free concert at Strathmore. They gave out beads to the little dancing kids. The boy got his hands on some, and at the end of the evening when we left to go, he was absolutely adamant that he return them to the guys. So he walked up the the stage and placed them at the feet of the lead singer while they are still performing. They train them too well at the Montessori school!

The arrival of the iPad has created a backlog in the blog. Three days without power and a second minor outage last week can also be blamed. Summer isn't helping either, because most days we are busy being out and about, taking some pictures, but not taking the time for the actual computer where I still do my picture downloading and processing.

For the record, we have been to the pool, and an outdoor concert, and to the Farm (supposedly to "pick" peaches, but really we just rode the green tractor, and bought already picked peaches at the store). We've gone to the parks and rode the train, and bought ice cream from the ice cream truck. The boy got his first haircut, and man did he do a good job. He was actually excited about going (thanks creators of "Oswald"). We've rode the metro to visit D.C., and rode the metro for no other reason than to ride the train. I've finished two knitting projects and started two new ones. I sewed a bag and a mini bag, and am trying to find more time for more sewing. I've decided I need a crafty budget, so that my obsessions with making things don't completely bankrupt us. We got an iPad and I think it's quickly becoming mine, and I like it.

Lots of bloggable moments, but I'm to busy living them, so the pictures and elaboration will have to wait.

Dudes are here cutting down our neighbors trees that got damaged in The Storm. We are losing three trees total, possible a fourth when all is said and done, and I'm kind of bummed. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad nobody's house was damaged when a 50 ft. oak got tangled up in the wind and came crashing done right between three houses, taking large parts of two other trees with it, but I'm very sad to lose the trees. They provided our house with shade keeping our backyard bearable on the hottest summer day, and also helped stabilize the hill between our yard and our neighbors. I will miss you trees.

72 hrs.after the storm we got our power back at 1:30 in the morning, proving that PEPCO dudes don't sleep when there's power out. Thanks dudes whoever you are. I was just about to get really frustrated.

I guess things are almost back to normal. Now I have to go clean out our fridge.

Pictures of Feet

I've noticed that my 2 year old son has a strange fascination with taking pictures of his feet. Every time I go to download pictures off the camera I find some pics of little precocious feet.

I wonder where he picked this up from?

FO: On-Hold socks Ravelry Page It took me several months, but these socks are how I like them, nice and tight, and long.

Since quitting my job (well, more accurately letting my career wind down and not taking steps to feed it, so to speak) I'm finding that I'm perfectly content spending my mornings puttering in the kitchen and slowly taking back the house. In other words, I spend my mornings cooking and cleaning and I am perfectly happy with that. In fact, I'm really enjoying it. So much so that the paper in languishing a bit, because I keep thinking of things a want to cook (and eat). I feel a little guilty about this. Am I not suppose to want more, and be more? But the more I am away, the more I think that maybe I don't. At least not now. I want a manageable lifestyle. One where we have time to enjoy things a little bit more. It makes me a little bit sad in away, but I really want to enjoy this phase of my life, (the phase with the kid(s)), instead of fumbling through it in utter exhaustion, because I'm not going to get a second chance at it. I just hope that me not working takes a little stress off my husband and lets him enjoy it a little too.

Everytime I do Front Post or Back Post stitch in the Short N' Sweet sweater thing (which there are a lot of), I am reminded of the "swing the Picket Fence" scene in Hoosiers. Strange, but it makes me smile. I like Hoosiers.

Summer of Hooks 2010

I haven't written here for two weeks, and I have a whole lotta stuff with which to feed the blog.

The funny thing about not working, is that I'm as busy as ever. I honestly don't know how we keep things going when I was working. I just find things to do, and I think I will for perpetuity.

Things are growing in the garden, the pool has reopened for the summer, and I've been crocheting. The house, by the way, is still a mess. Although I did clean out my closet and reorganize my stash. I have a lot of craft store yarns....

I've decided this post will mostly be about the crocheting/knitting side of my life. I've taken to the crocheting thing, because its hot and for the most part I am not feeling the wool, and I feel learning something.

As you will recall this all started with some dishrags I made on our trip to Hilton Head. When I got home I restarted my DC blanket. The original one was way to large at 250 stitches (it was about king sized), and I started it when I was pregnant and the man was on a business trip to London. This one has a more manageable 150. And I like the way the stripes grow randomly. It is made with Red Heart Super Saver in various colors I had in my stash (see cheap craft store yarn and stash above). It is goinging, but all DC all the time gets boring.

First I want a definitive volume on crochet technique, so of course, I went to Debbie Strollers "the Happy Hooker." And in I quite friendly way it introduce me to basic techniques.

Then I picked up Eddie Eckman's "Crochet Motif" book , which is absolutely addictive, and great for scraps of yarn. I've basically made myself I bunch of Christmas tree ornaments! So my tree which has been bare ( I believe in slowly collecting ornaments, and making them), will look fuller next season, so that nobody can come over to see it.

Then one the way home form the pool one afternoon. I spied this shop (The Yarn Spot). Which I went to this weekend and bought some three irish girls yarn (Georgia Peach) and some denim yarn to make "short n' sweet" from aforementioned Debbie Stroller book.

I'm also still working on the "On Hold" socks, but I want to finish them so I can start socks with the Ga Peach....

So basically, I'm having a wonderful creative time, and it sure is nice to have very nice yarn shop 5 minutes from my house. Maybe I will make it over for needlework time one day.... (a mom can dream can't she?).

Vacation

I brought three projects with me to the beach: the 2nd green sweater, a blue sock, and a bunch of sugar n' cream cotton and a crochet hook. Who knew crocheting dishcloths is such a great car trip project?

Didn't touch the sweater (too hot to knit alpaca), and I worked on the sock on the trip home.

However, it might be a crochet kind of summer mostly. I crochet to big dish towel, and started the little striped one, as well as completing a 2nd dishrag that was in use. I found it strangely relaxing.

Hilton Head, SC or Beach 2010 pt 1

What a difference a year makes! Last year the boy was terrified of the ocean. This year, he actually asked to go out there. (However, he still admitted to being a little scared sometimes).

Hilton Head is a really nice beach. We had great weather. We played in the sand. We played in the surf. We played in our pool. Nobody got sunburnt. All in all a great vacation.

Back to the Garden

Things are still looking hopeful in our lovely little patio container garden. We've gotten to eat some strawberries, just a couple at a time, as they ripen.We augmented this with a trip to Butler's Orchard for pick your own last weekend. They were good.

The Arugula is growing and I should be able to start harvesting some leaves for salad soon. It's very peppery. I have some basil coming along, and I planted some mint, cilantro and flat leaf parsley in the actual flowerbed, and they haven't died or been eaten ....yet. I also got brave a put the bean plant, two peas, and two squash plants in the actual flower bed, and so far they are okay, although some insects have been nibbling at the peas.

And the tomatoes are great. They are starting to develop fruit. I'm so excited!!! Fresh tomatoes.

I also have three container squash. I replanted one today, and might have killed it. The stem is split. I probably should have replanted it earlier, but the squash in my big grey, ant infested pot looks great. We shall see.....

Sean's mother day project got replanted, and they are still growing. I hope they will flower again. I think they are petunias. Do petunias re-flower?

Overall we are looking nice and green and hopeful as we begin the challenge of summer.

The Sweater

I'd been wanting to make a cardigan, so in January after a lot of thinking and looking for the right pattern, I settled on Calluna . It had cables and interesting texture, things I was looking for, but I have to say it wasn't my dream caridigan. I didn't like the 3/4 sleeves, but that is easy to fix. I liked the half button, lower half skirt thing.

As I knit a began to wonder if this sweater was too mommyish and frumpy, but having seen no other options, I continued on.

I persisted, and now I have a completed sweater. The sweater I knit during blizzard part II, the sweater knit right after being radioactive, the sweater I knit when I left my job. All important memories to associate with a article of clothing I will probably be wearing for years to come.

A couple of things about it: It grew tremendously when I blocked it, particulary in length, and this is a pleasant thing. I kind of anticipated it from others comments on ravelry. I ended up knitting the sleeves at 3/4 like written (because who really wants to knit full lenght seed stitch sleeves when you could be done faster), and they ended up just a bit longer. They sit just above my wrists, and it works.

I don't like how the skirt and opening curl. They need a more substantial edge to hold the shaping and cables. I was warned about this on ravelry as well, but too late to anything about it. It is better know that it is longer and blocked, but still not perfect.

It's tricky to sew round seed stitch sleeves into a non-seed stitch ribbing armhole. They weren't perfectly fit to each other either, but I managed. Two things a found helpful: basting together first, and sewing from the top of the shoulder down, that way if there's any weirdness at least it's not at the top of the shoulder where it would be extremely obvious. I had to sew them on a couple of times, but I think I got them on pretty good. No puffy sleeves!

Anyway it is done and I'm pretty satistfied. On to green sweater # 2!

Post 101!

We had a wedding this weekend, and the boy wore his tie!

Confessions of a Mommy Scientist

Ms. Glampyre's recent posts, and my own situation of being almost, but not quite out the door have got me thinking a little about why its so damn hard for women with children in science.

A while back I read a blurb (I think at Salon, but maybe at Wash. Post, I don't remember) about how the statistics don't reveal any trend in women with higher degrees dropping out of the work force to raise their children. The piece was horribly written, and the analysis of the statistics was flat out wrong and ill thought out. The authors thesis was that if you look at the population of stay-at home mom's most have a high school education at most, and it is their lack of good choices and opportunity that leads to women becoming stay-at home mom's. The author might want to have considered that it is only a smallish subset of women in the general public who hold advanced degree, thus you wouldn't expect them to make up a big part of the stay-at home population, but this is neither here nor there. Anyway it was that thing about choices that got me thinking.

Simply put, I think that one of the reason's women with children have such a hard time making their scientific career's go beyond motherhood, is a lack of good choices. There aren't part-time scientist jobs. There isn't even an 80% option. Mid level, non PI, non grant writing, researcher positions are hard to come by, and from the talk I here at my former work, getting scarcer. It's all or none. And to do the all part and sustain it over a long career, even if you don't have children means you have to be very passionate about it. And if you do have children and are the primary caregiver........

The reason women with children lack good options, is that they are really starting their career in earnest right around the time they have children. In most other career paths by your early thirties you have a job and have established yourself somewhat. Not being established means they have little good negotiating power. It's hard to get someone to hire you in your first real position if you want to work 80%, especially when there are at least ten other good candidates who don't.

That brings me to the cold hard truth. We train way too many scientists for them all to have viable careers (especially in academic circles). Yes, we let them put their ten years in as graduate student and post-doc, paying them little, and taking advantage of their brain power (graduate students and post-docs are the engines that make science roll forward), and then we expect a lot of them to not make it as scientists. And this selection process hits women with children especially hard. Afterall we aren't stupid. Who would want that kind of crazy? Only people who are incredibly passionate about what they do.

Don't get me wrong there are women who make it work, and have done a great job with both motherhood and science. Then there are the horror stories, couple living apart, children raised by nannies (a notion most American women dislike), divorces, mental breakdowns. So knowing when to quit and what your priorities are is important.

Do I have answers? Mid level positions can help women. Real jobs sooner would help women. More flexible career trajectory would help women. More understanding about flexible career trajectory would help women.

Advice? Plan babies for natural breaks (end of grad school, end of post-doc), and take a year off. My first year back was hell and I had an extremely understanding boss. Marry a non-scientist, with non-scientist income. Don't be afraid to hire a nanny if you can afford it. I did traditional centered based daycare and the drop up and pick off added a lot of stress to my routine. In hind site a nanny would have better if a could get over that darn problem I have with hiring someone to work for me at home full time and paying them so little to do it. Study something where there isn't as much competition, but is still interesting (I stole this from a elder successful mommy scientist, could be rephrased choose your project and mentor wisely). Don't be afraid of the notion that you can't come back. I think this may be more perception than reality. Not many women attempt, so people aren't used to the idea. I think (at least in Biological fields) it's possible. I'm not saying it wouldn't be damn hard, but so is having a career in the first place. And I think the more women try to do this, the more likely it will be an acceptable practice. Think outside the box in terms of career; volunteering might be a good way to keep in practice or come back if you can afford it. And keep in mind you scientific training can apparently translate into all sorts of careers (at least that's what "they" say....)

Most importantly however, if you want to have a baby do it and figure out the rest. It will fall in line somehow. We don't have forever to have babies. It is just a chapter in our lives. It passes, and you won't get a second chance to write it. If you want a baby go for it. I also say this, because as you get into your mid-thirties you'll find things can start happening. Your parents start having medical problems, and mid thirties is prime time for center types of cancer to start showing up in women, and also the start of when autoimmune issues start cropping up. In other words don't wait until the last minute to have the baby you always wanted. You never know what might happen to interfere with you plans.

Having children is very challenging with two working parents no matter what their careers. Science might be particularly challenging because we build it up to be so much more than a career, but it's not. (well I guess for some it is more, but well nevermind)

Maybe women drop out of science permenantly because once you really leave that envirnoment, it's like clouds part and you suddenly can see the sun peeking through. I've been having a great time with my son, and I'm more busy than you could ever imagine. Maybe women don't come back to the bench because once they leave they realize there is a whole world out there they've been missing, that they can contribute to in a meaningful way, and suddenly they don't want to go back !

Truck Touch 2010!

...or The kid drives a BUS!!!!, (and a digger, and several trucks)!

Whoever thought of this as a fundraiser is a genius, or at least probably has lots of toddler boy experience. For the uninitiated, this is where a bunch of people or businesses volunteer their vehicles and let little children crawl around them, sit in the drivers seat, and blow their horns. Basically, every three year old boy's dream come true. We survived truck touch, and I've never seen the kid happier or more overstimulated.

Same weekend end, we managed Md Sheep and Wool 2010. This might be mommy's dream come true, but I'm not really doing it up right these days. I think I'd have to go sans kid and husband to do that. We did see sheep, and alpacas, and musicians, and even had sheep almost run us over. The kid especially liked the tractor ride in from the parking lot, and he liked the sheep too.

I did not buy anything, I have too many projects going or planned, and I don't want to add another, besides I didn't have much time to look for yarn.

In other news, this is our first week where Sean comes home at noon. I was a little worried about whether its the right thing for him/us, but we are starting to get into our groove, and a think it could be lots of fun. The weather has been gorgous to boot, so we've got to go out to parks, and play outside alot in the afternoon which I really like.

I'm still working on the paper. I've been going into old work most mornings, so not alot it getting done at home, but its kind of a pleasant rythmn. Morning at the lab, nap (which bytheway was a lot of work at first as the kid decided me picking him up at noon might= no nap), and then playtime. Good stuff. However, it's going to take at least another month the finish writing the thing. My boss is a bundle of nerves because of her upcoming review, and hasn't exactly been able to do very much, and we keep rearranging the figures. It is going to take forever. I just wonder when I get my red stapler!

Cookbooks

One of the great things about not working is having the time to cook real meals. Meaning something more complicated then spaghetti and Prego (although I have to admit, the boy really likes his spaghetti and Prego). Also meaning that I don't have to cook Tuesday and Wednesday's meal on Monday night after the kid is in bed.

I'm rediscovering my love of cooking, and love of eating well, which really we haven't been doing that much of lately.

About I month before leaving official work, I convinced my husband to let me try cooking mostly vegetarian meals during the week. Let's get this straight, We are not vegetarians. I like a good medium rare steak as much as the next gal, and a good hamburger too. My reasons for the switch is that it forces us to eat more vegetables. The challenge is in trying to come up with good combinations and different ones.

I will also mention that having a nice repertoire of vegetarian soups or other one pot meals in your cooking regime is nice, because often you have your basic ingredients just lying around. Dry lentils have a nice long shelf life, chicken on the other hand does not. I can cobble together a good red lentil soup any day from things I have lying around my pantry and your basic carrot and onion which I always have anyway. Some vegetarian cooking is very pantry friendly, whereas meat based meal always require shopping and forethought. Also the kid, loves lentil soup with rice!!!!!

Back to the point of this post: I love me a nice hardcover cookbook. (Hint: if ever need a gift for me and can't figure out what to get me consider that last sentence) I bought two new ones yesterday, and I am positively excited about cooking from them. I'm a little bummed that I've already done my cooking for the week!

The new cookbooks made me think of my collection, and sharing with you, my one reader, my favorites. My shelf contains both some great conventional cookbooks and some vegetarian ones, but here goes:

Betty Crocker Cookbook This is just hands down the most friendly, easy to use classic cookbook, with all the roasting tables and stuff you need. My favorite recipe is the White Chili (which is a chicken chili/ soup with white beans and corn. Also very useful baking section

The Gourmet Cookbook My sister gave this to me one year, and it is a great cookbook, not at all intimidating as the name would imply, most of the recipes are pretty straightforward. Favorites include Goulash, Oatmeal cookies, Glazed carrots, Spanish style Fritatta. I often use this one to get ideas, or figure out how to do something if I'm not exactly following their recipes

The New Moosewood Cookbook This one ain't so new anymore, but it's the classic vegetarian cookbook, many great recipes. The soups are some of my favorites. Brazilian Black Bean Soup, Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup, Gazpacho, and the recipe for Falfel (although not traditional and puffy) and Tahini-Lemon Sauce

125 best Vegetarian Slow Cooker recipes Everybody should own this book! It is excellent. And the marvel of being able to prep everything the night before, put it in the fridge, and plug in in the morning. You couldn't do that with meat, because of the food safety issues, but with vegetables it works. Fav recipes: Red lentil and Carrot Soup w Coconut, Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chilies, Smoky White Chili with Potatoes,any number of the other Chilis, and what I cooked this week, Tamale Pie with Chili Cornmeal Crust . An excellent, excellent cookbook, and many of the dishes are surprisingly hearty for being vegetarian.

So there you have it, my favorite go-to cookbooks. The ones I just bought are Jamie's Food Revolution (the photography is absolutely stunning, and he had a whole chapter on curries, which sold the book for me), and How to cook everything Vegetarian which I wanted after ready an article about Mr. Bittman's food philosophy, which I find very akin to my own. Both books have a philosophical slant, and as I haven't cooked from either I can't really say whether I would recommend them. Perhaps more on this later. In the meantime Bon Apetite!

Containers

Well, as mentioned in the last post, it appears to finely, and safely be spring!! That means it is time for me be compelled to plant some stuff. (Last year I did not feel so compelled, I was too stressed and tired and had my hands full with a 1.5 year old.) This year I have time on my hands, so why not be a little bit more ambitious than usual.

In all the talk about how people should try to grow their own food and all, I've decided to container grow some vegetables. Why container grow? A. The soil in our yard has very little topsoil, with clay underneath, so would need a lot of conditioning to get stuff out of it. B. Deer and Rabbits like our yard, but will mostly stay off our deck (I think). C. Our deck gets excellent sun exposure, far better than the rest of the yard (although this means it is very hot there in the summer and this may be a problem).

So what are we trying???? I bought some everbearing strawberries, three different types of small tomatoes (one called patio which seems to be breed for containers), a peppermint plant, marigolds (okay they not edible, but pretty and will go in the actually garden) and a pepper plant which I might have alreadly killed.

In addition I'm seeding argula, basil, green beans (the big tall thing in the picture), non support needing peas, yellow squash, and zuccinni. I hear zuccinni is fairly easy to grow and very prolific. I might purchase some more herbs and maybe spinach seeds, as it seems the greens might be pretty easy to grow. I also want to try making sprouts with the kiddo.

I've had a good start, but I need to get some big containers and a lot of potting soil. This operation is neither eco-friendly or economical, I fear, but maybe next year or in future years, if I can continue to do it. Maybe one year I will actually conquer composting, but it seems you need some kind of advanced degree to safely do that (oh wait a second, don't I have some kind of advanced degree in something bio related. Oh yeah, its in something entirely useless to the real world, mammalian cell biology and biochemistry!!!!!!!! Good thing I didn't have to pay money for that education! just time :)

Anyway It's kind of nice having the new green babies around, kind of hopeful again. That reminds me, I need to water everybody outside. We where away this weekend, and the tomatoes look thirsty.

Spring!!!

As any D.C. native will tell you, Spring arrives when the Cherry blossoms bloom. In celebration the boy and I went downtown to see the pretty flowers on his day off from nursery school (Good friday). We got to ride the train and visit mommy's work. I managed pretty well with a toddler and a stroller, but we did lose a hat when boarding our last train, as I frantically was doing something with the stroller when the train pulled up. It was crowded, but pretty and worth the trip, although we didn't make it very far along the tidal basin. We also saw three fire trucks with their sirens blaring on the walk back to Farrugut North! Sean was plumb tuckered out from the trip and took a three hour nap when we got home. I really like having easy access to a city, and will miss it if we ever move.

Stuff....

Spring is here. I drafted my fantasy league on the same day I went to my little cousin's bridal shower. Funny she isn't little anymore (well maybe there's alittle bit of the little cousin left if you look really hard). When did that happen?

Sean wore green on March 17 to celbrate his most likely Irish roots on my side of the family.

In the beginning of March I missed three consecutive Mondays from work, do to Sean sick with fever (1), Sean sick with overeating/throwing up in the middle of the night (2), mommy food poisoning throwing up all night (3). I knit these stars on the days Sean was sick. They are a good quick project. First finished objects 2010! Details on my ravelry page when I get a chance.

Offically down to my last week in the lab, to be followed by writing, some from home, and some from the lab, no pay. I think I've turned the corner and am okay with this, though I am still madly scrambling to do experiments (during normal working hours).

I've been listening to a lot of concerts on npr. This is getting me into trouble. I hear stuff I like, and I download an album. Very good marketing policy. Tonight I'm downloading Joanna Newsom, after listening to a very nice concert that was here in D.C. Mostily I'm listening to women, which is odd.

Endings and Beginnings

I've entered what is probably my last month doing bench science.

I have mixed feelings about this. It's kind of like a really bad and slow break-up. Science, we've had some great times, but this really isn't working anymore....

It's hard not to feel like a failure. But this is how it goes for most people.

Part of the failure thing is probably because my beginning is very open ended. Slow down... Spend more time with the kid. Get life back to calm. Then figure out what it is I would like to do, and how best to go about doing it.

I'm luck I can take this break, but it's a mixed blessing not to have a finicial goad pushing you forward.

The kid has changed daycares. So it is both an end and beginning for him too. I miss the old place, but I don't miss the driving into Bethesda during rush hour to drop him off or pick him up. My husband is doing the dropping and picking now. I have an extra hour of work, and I'm suprised to feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

I (I mean WE) survived Blizzard week 2010!!!!!

"Sauraman is this the worst you have??????"

mmm okay???? 30 hrs without power......Boy, heat is nice. So is hot water, and lights, and T.V. Thank goodness we have a gas stove and we charged the protable DVD player just in case. Oh French Press, how I love you so.......

But the power dudes got the lights back on and the house returned to cozy, and we spent a week mostily cozy at home.

Out our back window (which now has a curtain). That's alot of snow.