Anybody have a copy of Meg Swanson's A Gathering of Lace? My local library doesn't have it, nor does my mother's local library. I do see that the Amazon price is pretty reasonable though. And I have a gift-giving occasion coming up.
Is the opposite of ennui off-wee?
I'm wanting to broaden my chocolate horizons. As an American, I've grown up on Hershey's, which I happen to love. I few years ago I heard this book reviewed on NPR. I remember something about Milton Hershey developing a chocolate recipe that was definitely American, different from anything that was being produced in Europe. And he succeeded, because Hershey's chocolate is unique. But I want to know more.
In my quest so far, I've tried Sam's Choice Belgian Chocolate with chopped almonds. 7 oz/200 g bar, for under $1.50. Great price, but the almonds are indeed chopped, and chopped very small. I like large almond pieces. I didn't like the chocolate at all either. Too smooth, no bite to it. One of the reasons I love Hershey's is that it has a bite to it, and it lets me know when I've had enough. It's hard to explain, but I know what I'm talking about!
I've also acquired Cadbury's Roasted Almond. 4 oz/113 g, about the same price as the other. Much better flavour though. The almonds are bigger, the score lines on the large bar are smaller, and it is smooth, but still has bite.
So what else shall I try? Obviously I like almonds, but I also like hazelnuts. I'm not opposed to shopping at the dollar store, because I have found some very intersting confections there on occasion. I'm not so big on dark chocolate, I prefer milk chocolate. When I lived overseas, our chocolate was imported from Australia. It was quite different, but not bad. They had a bar called Club, made by Hershey's, that was much darker than the Special Dark that we get here. I brought some back for my dad because he likes Special Dark, but he said the Club was too dark for him.
I'm not necessarily a chocolate snob, I just want to experience as much chocolate as I can!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Fly-by Post
Big huge SCA event yesterday, a few photos, a very nice story. Not right this minute, though.
Remember this? I found the pattern for it here. I don't live in Great Britain, but I'm going to knit one anyway!
The general website seems to be www.lcgb.org.
Remember this? I found the pattern for it here. I don't live in Great Britain, but I'm going to knit one anyway!
The general website seems to be www.lcgb.org.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Family Visit
So it's getting to be springtime in the mountains, which means it's time for my grandmother to spend the next few months in her own house. After my uncle died last February, it was decided that she should stay the autumn with my mother in Rexburg, and the winter with my other uncle in Salt Lake City. In the summer she goes home and does her own thing.
My parents went down to SLC this past weekend to fetch her. I met them in Riverside last Friday, for a little while. They brought me milk from my favourite dairy, and we had lunch and ice cream. My dad was in fine form and we proceeded to have a Clark Family Laughing Moment. You know those kind -- you laugh so hard over something so incredibly inane that your stomach hurts? Remind me to tell you sometime about the belt buckle that says "Maybe".
Monday they left SLC and stopped in Layton to visit their other daughter. Tuesday they came up to see us. I got off work a few minutes early and went home to make dessert. They had just barely hit town, and came over shortly thereafter. As soon as he walked in, my dad grabbed the remote and turned the TV to ch 529, which is the western channel. He watched Gene Autry and Bat Masterson and Big Valley. I showed off my spinning wheel, and some of the yarn I've already spun and plied. My dad likes to see how things work so he was hanging over my shoulder, poking this and yanking that. DD was an hour late getting home from school, which caused me some worry. I checked the bus schedules, and determined that if she wasn't on the 4:36 bus then I'd have to go out looking for her. Luckily for her, she turned up. So we all sat down and had supper. Then my grandmother decided she wanted to go and lay down, as she wasn't feeling well. But she wanted to watch American Idol, so I set up the DVR to record it so that she could watch it when she got up.
We sat around and watched other things I'd recorded that I thought they might like. They get three channels at home (when the wind blows the right way) and I really don't have much exciting going on around my house. Only one kid, and she's not a baby anymore. Boring job, although sometimes I do have a funny story to tell.
After awhile my grandmother got up and wanted to watch her program. She doesn't like the "screechy girls" so we were able to fast-forward through those parts. My grandmother is 94 years old, about 4 foot 11, and full of opinions! When it was all over, my dad took "the girls" back to the hotel, and he came back and slept on my couch. As my granny was going out the door, she gave me a hug and said, "Don't worry, it wasn't your cooking that made me sick. I was already sick from this morning!" She is so funny sometimes, but I can tell she just isn't herself since my uncle died.
On to a happier bit of news: I got a new washer tonight! I had mentioned to my old home-teacher's wife that mine had died. She mentioned it to him, he called me up last week. I confirmed I was still in need, so he went to work, trying to locate one. He called the High Priest Group Leader, who knew that a family had just moved out of their house into a new place that had a nicer washer/dryer and so their old one was available. He was about to go on vacation, but before he went, he fetched it over and left it in his driveway. So he called me tonight, and I rounded up my neighbour, and we got it installed! I also found three socks behind the old one, so that's a small mystery solved. I am really grateful for my Home Teacher. If anyone out there doubts the need to do your Home/Visiting Teaching, I just want to say that when you have few resources, having that contact is very important.
And I bought my plane tickets for Chicago. By very happy coincidence, I will be there the week of MCM's birthday. His headstone is up, and his condo is on the market. We have already planned lots of places to go and see, and things to do. Of course I have to hit at least one yarn shop. I don't think the socks I knit for him will ever be found, but at least I can buy some sock yarn from there. It's kinda the same. The Idaho state quarter *should* be out by then. He was buried with four quarters in his pocket, because he always carried them, but I want to leave an Idaho quarter with him too. I still miss him so much. Sometimes I dream that he is still here. I won't erase my answering machine because it's filled up with his messages. Some are from before I moved here, before he got sick, when his voice was still strong. I feel him watching over me. I'm still glad that the last thing he heard me say was "I love you".
My parents went down to SLC this past weekend to fetch her. I met them in Riverside last Friday, for a little while. They brought me milk from my favourite dairy, and we had lunch and ice cream. My dad was in fine form and we proceeded to have a Clark Family Laughing Moment. You know those kind -- you laugh so hard over something so incredibly inane that your stomach hurts? Remind me to tell you sometime about the belt buckle that says "Maybe".
Monday they left SLC and stopped in Layton to visit their other daughter. Tuesday they came up to see us. I got off work a few minutes early and went home to make dessert. They had just barely hit town, and came over shortly thereafter. As soon as he walked in, my dad grabbed the remote and turned the TV to ch 529, which is the western channel. He watched Gene Autry and Bat Masterson and Big Valley. I showed off my spinning wheel, and some of the yarn I've already spun and plied. My dad likes to see how things work so he was hanging over my shoulder, poking this and yanking that. DD was an hour late getting home from school, which caused me some worry. I checked the bus schedules, and determined that if she wasn't on the 4:36 bus then I'd have to go out looking for her. Luckily for her, she turned up. So we all sat down and had supper. Then my grandmother decided she wanted to go and lay down, as she wasn't feeling well. But she wanted to watch American Idol, so I set up the DVR to record it so that she could watch it when she got up.
We sat around and watched other things I'd recorded that I thought they might like. They get three channels at home (when the wind blows the right way) and I really don't have much exciting going on around my house. Only one kid, and she's not a baby anymore. Boring job, although sometimes I do have a funny story to tell.
After awhile my grandmother got up and wanted to watch her program. She doesn't like the "screechy girls" so we were able to fast-forward through those parts. My grandmother is 94 years old, about 4 foot 11, and full of opinions! When it was all over, my dad took "the girls" back to the hotel, and he came back and slept on my couch. As my granny was going out the door, she gave me a hug and said, "Don't worry, it wasn't your cooking that made me sick. I was already sick from this morning!" She is so funny sometimes, but I can tell she just isn't herself since my uncle died.
On to a happier bit of news: I got a new washer tonight! I had mentioned to my old home-teacher's wife that mine had died. She mentioned it to him, he called me up last week. I confirmed I was still in need, so he went to work, trying to locate one. He called the High Priest Group Leader, who knew that a family had just moved out of their house into a new place that had a nicer washer/dryer and so their old one was available. He was about to go on vacation, but before he went, he fetched it over and left it in his driveway. So he called me tonight, and I rounded up my neighbour, and we got it installed! I also found three socks behind the old one, so that's a small mystery solved. I am really grateful for my Home Teacher. If anyone out there doubts the need to do your Home/Visiting Teaching, I just want to say that when you have few resources, having that contact is very important.
And I bought my plane tickets for Chicago. By very happy coincidence, I will be there the week of MCM's birthday. His headstone is up, and his condo is on the market. We have already planned lots of places to go and see, and things to do. Of course I have to hit at least one yarn shop. I don't think the socks I knit for him will ever be found, but at least I can buy some sock yarn from there. It's kinda the same. The Idaho state quarter *should* be out by then. He was buried with four quarters in his pocket, because he always carried them, but I want to leave an Idaho quarter with him too. I still miss him so much. Sometimes I dream that he is still here. I won't erase my answering machine because it's filled up with his messages. Some are from before I moved here, before he got sick, when his voice was still strong. I feel him watching over me. I'm still glad that the last thing he heard me say was "I love you".
Monday, April 23, 2007
I Need a Nap
I seriously need a nap, for like about six months. I've had my med switched to Lexapro, and it's been seven weeks now. I had it switched because I was taking three-hour naps every day with the Celexa. I don't know about you, but I just don't have three extra hours per day to spend unconscious. I also switched the time of day I take it to afternoon, instead of morning. But it's very helpful if I can have a one-hour nap soon after I take it. I don't have to have the nap, but I find I can finish the day in a much more human manner than if I don't have the nap. However . . . . . .
The constant nightmares I can live without. I am setting multiple alarm clocks, and asking friends in different time zones to ring me when they are just up in the morning, or about to go to bed. They don't have to sit and have a conversation with me, I just need to Wake Up And End The Dream. They are getting horrendous. I am sleeping just fine. I can fall asleep easily, and I can go back to sleep easily if wakened. That in itself is a huge accomplishment, but I would really like to not be having the nightmares.
And we are currently living a waking nightmare as well. Friday there was no school. So the DD went to stay the weekend with some friends who are also in the SCA with us. She really likes hanging out with this particular family because they are a mixed-race family and she feels that since she looks like their children that she fits in. They all spent the day up on the campus of USU doing some SCA exhibition-type things. While I was out running errands and such, I got a phone call from the assistant principal at the school. Oh you're just going to love this: DD is being threatened with another day of suspension, because she handed in an assignment that is a "red-flag". I am going in tomorrow after work to sit down and have a talk with this woman and ask why exactly my child is to be punished for filling out a "What I Want To Be When I Grow Up" worksheet with a possible job of state executioner. My first response was to laugh, because I know my kid. She most likely was pressed for time and didn't have a fourth thing to put down. The first three things she chose were Coroner (she has talked about this one pretty much all school year, so no surprise), Movie Critic (my brother is an amateur director and has also done movie reviews for the local TV station), and Pediatrician. As far as I know at this time, this was a worksheet given at the beginning of class, to be turned in at the end of class. This was before the events at Virginia Tech.
I asked the assistant principal to read me the entire assignment. As she was reading, her voice disappeared and I could totally hear my daughter as if she were reading it. This child is wicked-smart, and gets bored very easily. I can totally see her trying to make such a boring assignment a bit more intersting for herself, by doing at least part of it totally tongue-in-cheek. She said she didn't want to be a Pediatrician, because she doesn't like small children. I know for a fact that isn't true, because ever since she was a 2-year-old in daycare she has loved helping out with the smaller children and babies. She just volunteered to babysit for Homemaking Meeting, and she is very compassionate towards all little ones. If she doesn't want to be a Pediatrician, it's not because she doesn't like small children.
And as for the State Executioner job, blame it on NPR. My car radio is never tuned to anything except the local public radio station. When we are on the road, I know exactly where one station drops out and where the next one comes in, and what time All Things Considered comes on. So a few weeks ago we were driving around town. A story came on, saying that a prisoner on death row in California has had his execution delayed indefinitely because authorities are having trouble finding a medical professional willing to do the lethal injection. Go listen, I'll wait. See you in 5. I thought it was an interesting story, but didn't think much about it after we got home. But obviously it was on her mind for much longer.
Well, this assistant principal was telling me that DD's assignment was unacceptable, and she was to be suspended for another day because of it. And that's where Mama Bear got a bit agitated. I asked the woman to cite the rule that was broken. She stated it was in the Student Handbook. "Oh, you mean one of those stacks of papers and things that students receive the first day of school and promptly file either in the trashcan or the bottom of their locker? THAT school handbook?" Can I tell you, I searched the district website for an hour before I even found anything that could possiblly be called a Student Handbook. And it's written in extremely vague language. From what I can gather, "Zero Tolerance" also means "Zero Common-Sense". I can see that if a student were to write about any war in human history, they could be disciplined. No, it doesn't come right out and SAY that, but you could certainly twist the words into whatever meaning you wanted. And Heaven protect the kindergarten child who draws a family portrait and includes Daddy over in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Now before someone freaks out at me, let me state that I think weapons at school are not a good idea. But this whole Zero Tolerance thing has gotten to the point where it's an exercise in ridiculousness. Ridiculosity, even. I know we are all on edge because of what happened last week in Virginia. And by unhappy coincidence (or maybe not, I haven't heard) it's also the anniversary of Columbine, and of Waco and Oklahoma City. But for Pete's sake, let's not forget what the real goal is here. Some people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and I am afraid that a silly worksheet, filled out in a sarcastic manner is going to cause my extremely intelligent and very talented kid to hate school and decide she doesn't want to do what it takes to be a coroner. Or whatever she decides next week that she wants to be. It used to be Egyptologist, then it switched to NASA scientist.
So then I asked if the teacher had given any guidelines at all as to what would not be acceptable. Very long pause, then "Noooooooooooooooo . . . . . . " So if nobody was explicitly told what they could not write about, then it seems that perhaps this allegation is unfounded. And when I called up my Dear Daughter and told her what had happened, she began crying. She was mortified that her meaning had been taken so horribly the wrong way, she had totally not meant it to sound threatening or sociopathic in any way. In her mind, she was trying out what we know as sarcasm, and it was taken seriously. She is upset at herself, and at the teacher and assistant principal. Why is it that her rights seem to have been ignored in all this? Her words were not directed at anyone at all. It was definitely unwise to say "I'd like to be a State Executioner because I could legally kill somebody and not be punished for it." But be honest: haven't we all thought something along those lines once in our lives? It doesn't mean that we really meant it, or that we would ever take the steps to actually do it. And what twelve-year-old child knows as much as an adult?
*Sigh*
Sorry for venting at you all, but I had to say it before I go in tomorrow and see what we can do about this. If I have my say now, I'm much less likely to emote all over everyone at the school. My going in there and freaking out is not going to help my kid. Did I say I was tired? How about on-beyond-zebra exhausted!
~~ETA~~
I was informed this morning that my presence at the school today was not needed, and DD would not be suspended. I suppose I'll get more info in an hour when she comes home. I also called my doctor, but she is out for a week, so I spoke to one of the other doctors there, who wants me to go back on the Celexa, and then I have an appointment with my doctor on May 4. Since I have seizures, so many anti-depressants are contraindicated. Since I am kind of known for making things harder than they have to be, it may very well be decided that I'll do best on Prozac! I don't really care what it is that I'm taking, so long as it does what it needs to do, and doesn't do what it's not supposed to.
The constant nightmares I can live without. I am setting multiple alarm clocks, and asking friends in different time zones to ring me when they are just up in the morning, or about to go to bed. They don't have to sit and have a conversation with me, I just need to Wake Up And End The Dream. They are getting horrendous. I am sleeping just fine. I can fall asleep easily, and I can go back to sleep easily if wakened. That in itself is a huge accomplishment, but I would really like to not be having the nightmares.
And we are currently living a waking nightmare as well. Friday there was no school. So the DD went to stay the weekend with some friends who are also in the SCA with us. She really likes hanging out with this particular family because they are a mixed-race family and she feels that since she looks like their children that she fits in. They all spent the day up on the campus of USU doing some SCA exhibition-type things. While I was out running errands and such, I got a phone call from the assistant principal at the school. Oh you're just going to love this: DD is being threatened with another day of suspension, because she handed in an assignment that is a "red-flag". I am going in tomorrow after work to sit down and have a talk with this woman and ask why exactly my child is to be punished for filling out a "What I Want To Be When I Grow Up" worksheet with a possible job of state executioner. My first response was to laugh, because I know my kid. She most likely was pressed for time and didn't have a fourth thing to put down. The first three things she chose were Coroner (she has talked about this one pretty much all school year, so no surprise), Movie Critic (my brother is an amateur director and has also done movie reviews for the local TV station), and Pediatrician. As far as I know at this time, this was a worksheet given at the beginning of class, to be turned in at the end of class. This was before the events at Virginia Tech.
I asked the assistant principal to read me the entire assignment. As she was reading, her voice disappeared and I could totally hear my daughter as if she were reading it. This child is wicked-smart, and gets bored very easily. I can totally see her trying to make such a boring assignment a bit more intersting for herself, by doing at least part of it totally tongue-in-cheek. She said she didn't want to be a Pediatrician, because she doesn't like small children. I know for a fact that isn't true, because ever since she was a 2-year-old in daycare she has loved helping out with the smaller children and babies. She just volunteered to babysit for Homemaking Meeting, and she is very compassionate towards all little ones. If she doesn't want to be a Pediatrician, it's not because she doesn't like small children.
And as for the State Executioner job, blame it on NPR. My car radio is never tuned to anything except the local public radio station. When we are on the road, I know exactly where one station drops out and where the next one comes in, and what time All Things Considered comes on. So a few weeks ago we were driving around town. A story came on, saying that a prisoner on death row in California has had his execution delayed indefinitely because authorities are having trouble finding a medical professional willing to do the lethal injection. Go listen, I'll wait. See you in 5. I thought it was an interesting story, but didn't think much about it after we got home. But obviously it was on her mind for much longer.
Well, this assistant principal was telling me that DD's assignment was unacceptable, and she was to be suspended for another day because of it. And that's where Mama Bear got a bit agitated. I asked the woman to cite the rule that was broken. She stated it was in the Student Handbook. "Oh, you mean one of those stacks of papers and things that students receive the first day of school and promptly file either in the trashcan or the bottom of their locker? THAT school handbook?" Can I tell you, I searched the district website for an hour before I even found anything that could possiblly be called a Student Handbook. And it's written in extremely vague language. From what I can gather, "Zero Tolerance" also means "Zero Common-Sense". I can see that if a student were to write about any war in human history, they could be disciplined. No, it doesn't come right out and SAY that, but you could certainly twist the words into whatever meaning you wanted. And Heaven protect the kindergarten child who draws a family portrait and includes Daddy over in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Now before someone freaks out at me, let me state that I think weapons at school are not a good idea. But this whole Zero Tolerance thing has gotten to the point where it's an exercise in ridiculousness. Ridiculosity, even. I know we are all on edge because of what happened last week in Virginia. And by unhappy coincidence (or maybe not, I haven't heard) it's also the anniversary of Columbine, and of Waco and Oklahoma City. But for Pete's sake, let's not forget what the real goal is here. Some people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and I am afraid that a silly worksheet, filled out in a sarcastic manner is going to cause my extremely intelligent and very talented kid to hate school and decide she doesn't want to do what it takes to be a coroner. Or whatever she decides next week that she wants to be. It used to be Egyptologist, then it switched to NASA scientist.
So then I asked if the teacher had given any guidelines at all as to what would not be acceptable. Very long pause, then "Noooooooooooooooo . . . . . . " So if nobody was explicitly told what they could not write about, then it seems that perhaps this allegation is unfounded. And when I called up my Dear Daughter and told her what had happened, she began crying. She was mortified that her meaning had been taken so horribly the wrong way, she had totally not meant it to sound threatening or sociopathic in any way. In her mind, she was trying out what we know as sarcasm, and it was taken seriously. She is upset at herself, and at the teacher and assistant principal. Why is it that her rights seem to have been ignored in all this? Her words were not directed at anyone at all. It was definitely unwise to say "I'd like to be a State Executioner because I could legally kill somebody and not be punished for it." But be honest: haven't we all thought something along those lines once in our lives? It doesn't mean that we really meant it, or that we would ever take the steps to actually do it. And what twelve-year-old child knows as much as an adult?
*Sigh*
Sorry for venting at you all, but I had to say it before I go in tomorrow and see what we can do about this. If I have my say now, I'm much less likely to emote all over everyone at the school. My going in there and freaking out is not going to help my kid. Did I say I was tired? How about on-beyond-zebra exhausted!
~~ETA~~
I was informed this morning that my presence at the school today was not needed, and DD would not be suspended. I suppose I'll get more info in an hour when she comes home. I also called my doctor, but she is out for a week, so I spoke to one of the other doctors there, who wants me to go back on the Celexa, and then I have an appointment with my doctor on May 4. Since I have seizures, so many anti-depressants are contraindicated. Since I am kind of known for making things harder than they have to be, it may very well be decided that I'll do best on Prozac! I don't really care what it is that I'm taking, so long as it does what it needs to do, and doesn't do what it's not supposed to.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
My New Toy
What's in the box? Newspapers in Polish? Parts and pieces? Pink paint?
It's my new wheel! Look how pretty, look how pink. Am I excited? Oh yeah!
So for those who would like to know the specs, it's a Kromski Prelude. I had thought long and hard about what wheel I wanted to get. For a long time I thought the Kromski Minstrel was it. But here are the reasons I chose the Prelude: it weighs nine pounds, it was the least expensive wooden wheel I could find, it has single-treadle, and like all Kromski wheels I could get it unfinished and do the finish myself. I'd have preferred to find a double-drive/single-treadle castle wheel under $500. Schacht makes one, but it's too much money and too heavy for now. But I love my wheel. I took it to SCA the other night where it was quite the attraction.
I took a long time to choose the paint colour, too. I have always loved pink in all shades, but as I've grown older I find I am more attracted to the salmon-y shades rather than the purply shades. Of course, any pink is better than no pink.
Tonight is the quarterly Gallery Walk in town. We shall be at our usual place in the foyer of the Emporium. And next week of course is our bi-monthly Spinner's/Knitter's Night at the same location. I cannot wait to see what people say about my beautiful pink wheel. I am having so much fun with it, mostly because it is MINE! I can fiddle with all the knobs without worrying that I'm going to break something or goof up somebody else's settings. I can learn exactly what happens when I tighten this or loosen that. I am practicing getting it right with a huge lot of black lambswool that I bought quite some time ago. I love spinning lambswool because it loves to be spun fine, but it can also take being spun thick. When I am all done, I'll have two pounds, plied. That's enough for a sweater. It's not actually black black, but very very dark chocolate brown. Think of the darkest chocolate you've ever seen. I might see if I can overdye it with some hot pink to see if it will pick up any colour. It might turn into a warm black.
Oh, and to the wonderful reader who sent me three skeins of STR in various shades of pinks: I've finally decided on a project. I am going to make a circular shawl. So far the plan is to start with one skein and just go go go until I run out, then go to the next skein and repeat. I've got over 1000 yards and I do believe that is enough. I cannot bear to waste any of this beautiful yarn!
~~Confidential to RP~~
Regarding your post labelled "Reunited", I am so happy for you both! I think it will be a good thing.
Love you all!!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Easter
I wish I could acually have a relaxing vacation, but I never do. I always wind up trying to do a ton of stuff with never enough time, and plans going awry at all possible times. But this time, it was actually pretty good. We had a great time, not too much stress or freaking-out. Except for the fact that I was pulled over by ISP a bit north of Blackfoot. Have I mentioned how much cops scare me? Well they do. In Logan, you can (and do) get pulled over for a burned-out license-plate light. You can also get arrested for same. One of my absolute biggest fears is to literally rot in the county jail because nobody knows I'm there and I'm too bloody poor to make bail. But the ISP officer merely wanted to know why my license plate wasn't bolted to the front of my car. I pointed out my plate hanging out on my dashboard, in full view of anyone, had he cared to make a cursory examination, and informed him that the holes in the license plate do not match the mounting holes on my car. My prior license plate (same number, but to get more money out of Idaho drivers, they make you replace your plates every seven years whether you need to or not) did have matching holes because I had asked one of the guys I worked with at the cabinet shop to drill me some extra holes. I never bothered to actually attach the plate, but I conveniently left out that part of the story. I'm not stupid! He let me go, told me to get it attached ASAP. I've owned this car 3 years and this is the first time I've been stopped for not having my front plate actually attached to the car. Hmmmm. So we arrived in Rexburg about 45 minutes later and continued with our evening.As soon as we walked in the house, my mom shoved an envelope at me. Inside was the new tags for my license plate. That was one of the things I needed to get done this weekend, and she had already done it. I love presents, but simple acts of service mean so much to me. I'm really grateful for her doing that, because that was one less thing I had to get done on Friday. The second thing I did when I got home was call my friend JN. She was one of my walking buddies when I lived in Rexburg. I called her up and asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She very cautiously asked me, "Where are you?" I said, "Down the road a piece." She laughed and we went walking at 7:30. We used to do three miles around the park, but it had been a very long time since I had walked, plus it was getting dark and cold, so we only went 1.5 miles.
Friday, DD and I both had dental appointments. We have to go back in May. I need a filling, they are watching a possibly nerve-damaged tooth of hers. A funny coincidence: while in the waiting room, I saw my friend KM's daughter. I asked if her mom was in the back, she said yes. So when KM was done and came out, we had a quick chat and she went on with the rest of her day. As she is another of my walking buddies, we made a date to go walking about 5pm. As it happened, her day went to hell so we didn't go. Her life is always full of family-induced Drama, none of which she brings upon herself. Went to the bank to talk to them, went and got my driver's license renewed. The DMV does not take credit/debit cards, only cash/check. Bizarre.
After that, I took DD out to MB's for another haircut. As it was sunny and breezy, we went outside so nobody would have to sweep the kitchen floor. Since everything was already out, I asked for a trim too. Just tiny bits were removed, but it vastly improved what my hair does, so I am happy! Came back to town and ran more errands, then waited for my brother and his entourage to show up for dinner. My nephew will be 5 in July, and he is so incredibly cute and funny. I had found him a Squidward over-the-door hook at the dollar store, and I took a chance that he would like it. He loves "PongeBob ParePants" but there was only Squidward. I needn't have worried; he loved it. He carried it around with him all evening. I took my Lexapro at 6pm, and promptly at 9 I went to bed. I just disappeared and nobody knew where I had gone. The meds do that to me. I just have this overwhelming urge to sleep and it's no good to try to fight it. I woke at 1am, used the "little room" and went back to bed. I slept until 8am, but woke with a horrible shooting pain in my back. I tried all sorts of things to make it feel better: ibuprofen, hot shower, a Nikken magnet (courtesy of my mom), BioFreeze. Nothing worked. I was in huge amounts of pain the whole entire day. But I went about my business anyway. I went to the library and got some knitting books, and a few others. Ran a few more errands. Another walking buddy BF called and said she would come by the house about 3pm. I had planned my day so that I would be home at 3pm, but she called me at 2:40 and said she was at the house already. I finished picking up milk and getting gas, and arrived home at 3 on the dot! We had a good visit, as we always do. Then it was egg-dyeing time! Three dozen eggs later, we cleaned up and finished fixing dinner. My mom had made my favourite thing: beef roast with smashed potatoes and gravy, and baby carrots. Actually, I was the one who made the potatoes. In my best Richard Nixon voice: "I'm not a cook." But I can make really really good smashed potatoes. As you can see, I don't allow pain to intrude on my daily routine, but I actually cried a couple of times. I am quite accustomed to fairly severe daily pain, but I don't do so well with spasms. I actually had to ask my mom to help me get my pajamas on so I could go to bed. She found a Nikken mattress pad and put it on the bed. I also took 4 ibuprofen right before I went to bed. I slept better, and woke up this morning a bit stiff in that area, but with much less pain. Not sure if it was the mattress pad, the ibuprofen, the rest, the BioFreeze, or a combination.
This morning we went to church. 1st Ward was split about six months ago, and I had forgotten that they had changed meeting times with the new year. So we went at 8:45am to go to church. I walked in and didn't recognize anybody in Relief Society, except the lady playing the piano. I sat down anyway, and saw three other ladies I knew. Apparently we attended 8th Ward on accident! But it was okay anyway. Next month I want to go to 1st Ward though. I know more people there. Got on the road at 4pm, but stopped to take a few photos.
Stopped twice on the road, and made a detour in town to drop off library books. Arrived home at 7:15 pm. Whew!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Some More FO's
Wow it's been awhile. Sorry about that, but I've been busy with work and other extra-curricular activities. Want a run-down? Well, there's been a few FOs. 
A second Moebius, made with vintage pink Phildar's Oxygene with purple Phildar kid mohair border. Short socks made from Universal's Ditto in purple stripe (love this yarn!) First Cousin socks (so-named because they aren't exactly fraternal twins) made from Opal Rodeo scraps. Close-up of toes, which I tried to use the reinforcing slip-stitch usually used on heel flaps. It's hard to see in the photo, but I'll let you know how they wear. Finally, a pair of short socks in Ditto's green stripes, for my boss. She likes green and purple, so I used the scraps from my own socks to do her toes. She loves them! Not pictured is another pair of short shocks, in Brown Sheep's WildFoote in the Elderberry colour-way. I am still using the Magic Loop method for socks, but I've modified it a bit by using DPNs while I'm decreasing on the heel gusset. It seems to eliminate stitch markers and missed decreases.
But lest you think that all I've been doing is knitting, let me set you straight. On Friday, my friend MiWi came by and we took down and put away my Christmas tree. She was absolutely horrified when she walked in and saw it still up on March 30. Well, I have a beautiful tree. It's white, with gold-painted seashells all over it. Unfortunately, no photos. But I do the same tree every year so I'll try to remember to take a photo next year. After we took the tree down, we needed some place to put the boxes, so we cleaned out my Harry Potter cupboard. MiWi is an organizer extraordinaire, and she was able to consolidate a lot of my *stuff* so that I had fewer boxes to deal with. She also helped me decide where to put my new bookshelf, and I've been filling it up with magazines that out-grew their other bookshelf.
Thursday, DD had a band concert. She did very very well, and she got TWO bouquets of flowers for her excellent performance. You may notice that she has gotten a haircut. She went up to Rexburg last weekend and MB cut her bangs. Also, she got a new hairwrap a few weeks at Nana's. Nana is teaching Panda how to do hairwraps, and so this was Panda's first real subject. And her court date for her school fight is this Tuesday. I cannot wait to blow this town.
And Messiah is over for 2007. Saturday's Logan performace was the best. We were spot-on, the audience was receptive, and we did the Hallelujah Chorus as an encore. The final performance in Ogden was filmed, and the DVDs will be available soon. You can go to the website linked two posts ago and order a DVD if you are so inclined.
Well, today is General Conference (or TV Church, as Mark always called it) and so I am going to make the bed and put on some pajama pants (I have a song about pajama pants) and hang out on the couch and knit during Conference. DD stayed the night at Tamar and Jamukha's place, so I'll have to go fetch her at lunchtime in between sessions. She needs to come home and sort her laundry so we can go to the laundromat tomorrow for Family Home Evening. Anybody need a Home Teaching project? I desperately need my washer to work. Love you all!
A second Moebius, made with vintage pink Phildar's Oxygene with purple Phildar kid mohair border. Short socks made from Universal's Ditto in purple stripe (love this yarn!) First Cousin socks (so-named because they aren't exactly fraternal twins) made from Opal Rodeo scraps. Close-up of toes, which I tried to use the reinforcing slip-stitch usually used on heel flaps. It's hard to see in the photo, but I'll let you know how they wear. Finally, a pair of short socks in Ditto's green stripes, for my boss. She likes green and purple, so I used the scraps from my own socks to do her toes. She loves them! Not pictured is another pair of short shocks, in Brown Sheep's WildFoote in the Elderberry colour-way. I am still using the Magic Loop method for socks, but I've modified it a bit by using DPNs while I'm decreasing on the heel gusset. It seems to eliminate stitch markers and missed decreases.But lest you think that all I've been doing is knitting, let me set you straight. On Friday, my friend MiWi came by and we took down and put away my Christmas tree. She was absolutely horrified when she walked in and saw it still up on March 30. Well, I have a beautiful tree. It's white, with gold-painted seashells all over it. Unfortunately, no photos. But I do the same tree every year so I'll try to remember to take a photo next year. After we took the tree down, we needed some place to put the boxes, so we cleaned out my Harry Potter cupboard. MiWi is an organizer extraordinaire, and she was able to consolidate a lot of my *stuff* so that I had fewer boxes to deal with. She also helped me decide where to put my new bookshelf, and I've been filling it up with magazines that out-grew their other bookshelf.
Thursday, DD had a band concert. She did very very well, and she got TWO bouquets of flowers for her excellent performance. You may notice that she has gotten a haircut. She went up to Rexburg last weekend and MB cut her bangs. Also, she got a new hairwrap a few weeks at Nana's. Nana is teaching Panda how to do hairwraps, and so this was Panda's first real subject. And her court date for her school fight is this Tuesday. I cannot wait to blow this town.And Messiah is over for 2007. Saturday's Logan performace was the best. We were spot-on, the audience was receptive, and we did the Hallelujah Chorus as an encore. The final performance in Ogden was filmed, and the DVDs will be available soon. You can go to the website linked two posts ago and order a DVD if you are so inclined.
Well, today is General Conference (or TV Church, as Mark always called it) and so I am going to make the bed and put on some pajama pants (I have a song about pajama pants) and hang out on the couch and knit during Conference. DD stayed the night at Tamar and Jamukha's place, so I'll have to go fetch her at lunchtime in between sessions. She needs to come home and sort her laundry so we can go to the laundromat tomorrow for Family Home Evening. Anybody need a Home Teaching project? I desperately need my washer to work. Love you all!
Monday, March 12, 2007
School Fight
I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong, but DD got into a fistfight at school today. Each child says the other threw the first punch. I guess it's a good thing I was too sick to go to work today, because I got a call from the school at 1:30pm, asking if I would come and fetch her. I dragged my sorry self off the couch, where I had been parked since 7am, and drove to the school. LilOne was waiting for me in the office, and we wended our way down into the bowels of the school (this school is FAR too large in my opinion) to the office of one of the Assistant Principals. Also in there was the school Resource Officer (read cop) and we sat down and had a discussion about what happened and what was going to happen. To her credit, DD said that she and the other girl were now friends which is better than beginning a huge feud that could last through the rest of the school year or longer. We were told that she was suspended for an entire school day. I made the comment that I didn't believe suspension was a punishment, but rather a reward. I said that our discipline at home was going to definitely be more meaningful, starting with zeros on all assignments for the term of the suspension. The assistant principal said that she could be allowed to make up the work, but I preferred that the zeros stand. I think it really lets the student know the seriousness of the infraction. I did give her the choice though, of taking zeros, or skipping the next SCA event. She can choose. Another punishment that will not be commuted is that she will lose all her recordings on the DVR. She watches far too much television as it is. She agreed that this was fair. But when I told her that she had to tell Nana, she began to cry. She doesn't have to tell Grandpa, but she does have to tell Nana. When we were walking out, she thanked me for not making her tell Grandpa.
So what do you all think? Was I too harsh? Not harsh enough? Fair? Unfair? She still has to go to court over this, which I think is making way too big a deal about it. The resource officer said that he would try to make it a peer court rather than before a judge, but he couldn't promise. I think we need to move to a smaller place, with a smaller school.
ETA
I am really upset that the first comment I got on this post seems to be spam, and I am unable to delete it for some unknown reason. Therefore, I've had to implement the goofy letters to make sure I don't get any more spammers. *sigh*
ETA
If I log in on another computer, I can delete the spam comments. Shall I keep the goofy letters?
Monday, March 05, 2007
Messiah
I am singing in this. If you live in Northern Utah, please come. It's a benefit concert, with funds going to an orphanage in Mexico. The orchestra is amazingly talented, the interpreters are full of emotion, and the chorus isn't too bad either.
www.usu.edu/nafda/
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Doing Good Deeds
I surely don't know much in this life, but I do know this: when you are depressed and self-absorbed, the best antidote is to go out and do something for someone else. I truly believe that the benefits of doing good deeds far outweighs the "inconvenience" of doing it. Take my brother, for instance. He is making hats for Humanitarian Services with acrylic yarn on the knitting loom. Not exactly a "manly" activity, but doing so is benefitting him immensely. It keeps his hands busy so he isn't snacking or smoking, and he gets satisfaction out of creating a piece of artwork that is also utilitarian and will bless somebody else's life.
Thursday night was a quilting activity at church. It had been announced two weeks prior, and I definitely didn't want to forget to go. Because of the injuries to my hands, I cannot quilt anymore (yet I can knit) but I can keep needles threaded, and I can come behind and snip the ties and make sure they all have knots in them. I had lost the piece of paper with the details on it, so I called the RS president to make sure of the venue and time. I dragged DD along, because she was in a rotten mood and she needed to do some service to feel better. We got there, and nobody else was there, except the lady in charge. It didn't look like anybody else was going to show up, so we dug in. She had already set up three quilts on frames, with a fourth ready to switch out. I threaded many needles, and she and DD sat down and began to quilt.
It's not an entirely *beautiful* quilt, but it is sturdy and will keep someone warm just the same. All part of the culture of thrift that abounds in this part of the country. Awhile later, two more ladies showed up. We got three quilts finished, and the fourth one started. But because this was a school night, I needed to get DD home so she could get to bed. I felt bad about not staying, but I felt good about doing the little that I had done. It's true that doing service makes you feel better!
And while we're on the subject, I finished Mimi's socks. She is a tie-dye artist, so I wanted to find yarn that looked like it had been tie-dyed. I'm not entirely sure I succeeded, but this is what I found:
She did say that her feet were so cold that she would wear anything I made, but I did make an attempt to find yarn that I thought matched her personality. It reminds me a bit of a desert sunrise or sunset and since she is thinking of possibly moving from Rhode Island to Arizona, maybe this well help her decide! Look at how matchy-matchy they turned out! I couldn't do *that* again if I tried.
And next is an example of how I received someone else's good deed:
A reader (I'll identify her if she says I can) emailed me and asked if I wanted some sock yarn that she had bought but didn't like the colourways of. I said I wanted to pay her for it, but she insisted it should be a gift. I am not one to deny someone else a blessing, so I gratefully accepted. This week the package came and it was three skeins of Socks That Rock, a skein of Cherry Tree Hill, and a skein of Ruby Sapphire handpainted by Lauri! Can you see how beautiful these yarns are? Oh my heavens I am utterly gobsmacked! Since I like to use 75%/25% wool/nylon for socks, I wound up the Ruby Sapphire right away. The others are going to be used for Moebius scarves/shawls.
A friend gave me this yarn, she hand-dyed it but didn't like how it turned out. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but Monday Cat Bordhi was on Knitty Gritty and luckily I TiVo'd it. I went straight out and got the recommended needle, and cast it on Tuesday. I finished it up Thursday and wore it to Spinners' Night on Friday. I love it! It is not only my first Moebius, but it is also my first lace and although I know there are mistakes in it, I still love it and I am going to make more of them. I blocked this one a bit too vigourously, so I do need to re-block it.
Still experimenting with the dosage on my Celexa. Alternating 10 mg with 20 mg and taking it a couple of hours before bedtime instead of in the mornings.
Thursday night was a quilting activity at church. It had been announced two weeks prior, and I definitely didn't want to forget to go. Because of the injuries to my hands, I cannot quilt anymore (yet I can knit) but I can keep needles threaded, and I can come behind and snip the ties and make sure they all have knots in them. I had lost the piece of paper with the details on it, so I called the RS president to make sure of the venue and time. I dragged DD along, because she was in a rotten mood and she needed to do some service to feel better. We got there, and nobody else was there, except the lady in charge. It didn't look like anybody else was going to show up, so we dug in. She had already set up three quilts on frames, with a fourth ready to switch out. I threaded many needles, and she and DD sat down and began to quilt.
It's not an entirely *beautiful* quilt, but it is sturdy and will keep someone warm just the same. All part of the culture of thrift that abounds in this part of the country. Awhile later, two more ladies showed up. We got three quilts finished, and the fourth one started. But because this was a school night, I needed to get DD home so she could get to bed. I felt bad about not staying, but I felt good about doing the little that I had done. It's true that doing service makes you feel better!And while we're on the subject, I finished Mimi's socks. She is a tie-dye artist, so I wanted to find yarn that looked like it had been tie-dyed. I'm not entirely sure I succeeded, but this is what I found:
She did say that her feet were so cold that she would wear anything I made, but I did make an attempt to find yarn that I thought matched her personality. It reminds me a bit of a desert sunrise or sunset and since she is thinking of possibly moving from Rhode Island to Arizona, maybe this well help her decide! Look at how matchy-matchy they turned out! I couldn't do *that* again if I tried.And next is an example of how I received someone else's good deed:
A reader (I'll identify her if she says I can) emailed me and asked if I wanted some sock yarn that she had bought but didn't like the colourways of. I said I wanted to pay her for it, but she insisted it should be a gift. I am not one to deny someone else a blessing, so I gratefully accepted. This week the package came and it was three skeins of Socks That Rock, a skein of Cherry Tree Hill, and a skein of Ruby Sapphire handpainted by Lauri! Can you see how beautiful these yarns are? Oh my heavens I am utterly gobsmacked! Since I like to use 75%/25% wool/nylon for socks, I wound up the Ruby Sapphire right away. The others are going to be used for Moebius scarves/shawls. 
A friend gave me this yarn, she hand-dyed it but didn't like how it turned out. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but Monday Cat Bordhi was on Knitty Gritty and luckily I TiVo'd it. I went straight out and got the recommended needle, and cast it on Tuesday. I finished it up Thursday and wore it to Spinners' Night on Friday. I love it! It is not only my first Moebius, but it is also my first lace and although I know there are mistakes in it, I still love it and I am going to make more of them. I blocked this one a bit too vigourously, so I do need to re-block it.Still experimenting with the dosage on my Celexa. Alternating 10 mg with 20 mg and taking it a couple of hours before bedtime instead of in the mornings.
Friday, February 16, 2007
I Survived
I'm sure you're all wondering how last weekend went. Well, it was passable. I begged a good friend to come with me, and we had a much nicer time than I thought was going to happen. I got the afore-mentioned hug when I came in the door, and then I was ignored the remainder of the evening. Works for me! I got lots of snuggles from my favorite nephew. Poor little guy, he broke his arm a couple of months ago, and then he had a tooth abcess that had wrapped itself completely around his eye socket. He had been hospitalized for a few days but handled it with aplomb. He had all those nurses wrapped right around his little finger. He is such an adoring and adorable child, I wish he were mine!
I've been on the Celexa about 10 days now. I'm still doing just 10 mg, and trying to resist taking afternoon naps. Some days I win, some days I give in gracefully! I am noticing my attitude and emotions are much more positive, and if I can just get a handle on the sleepiness, I think this will do well for me.
So here are some finished dishcloths, made from scrap yarn. What do you think? Yes, I can make dishcloths all one color, and I do! But I hate to waste anything so I make these with the scraps. I think they are actually much prettier, much more artistic, and not to mention thrifty. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I hate to do without, so I scrimp in some areas so I can splurge in other areas. What about you? What do you do to get what you want?
And here are the sister-in-law socks. The toes match nearly perfectly but you know I don't freak about about matchy-matchy socks. Back to the not-wasting-anything thing. If I pull off too much yarn on my cast-on, I frog the cast-on and do it again so that I waste less yarn! ::shrug:: It's a Tola thing.
If you take a look at the Daily Addictions list over yonder, you may have noticed I added some more links. I'm so bad at updating that, but I try to do it at least every few weeks. If you've commented and I haven't added your link, it's not because I don't like you!!
~~ETA~~
I added Bella Pink Cafe for two reasons: First, pink is my very most favouritest colour in the whole entire world. And second, I have someone very dear to me who calls me Bella. It's a play on the name my parents gave me (no I'm not going to tell you what it is).
I've been on the Celexa about 10 days now. I'm still doing just 10 mg, and trying to resist taking afternoon naps. Some days I win, some days I give in gracefully! I am noticing my attitude and emotions are much more positive, and if I can just get a handle on the sleepiness, I think this will do well for me.
So here are some finished dishcloths, made from scrap yarn. What do you think? Yes, I can make dishcloths all one color, and I do! But I hate to waste anything so I make these with the scraps. I think they are actually much prettier, much more artistic, and not to mention thrifty. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I hate to do without, so I scrimp in some areas so I can splurge in other areas. What about you? What do you do to get what you want?
And here are the sister-in-law socks. The toes match nearly perfectly but you know I don't freak about about matchy-matchy socks. Back to the not-wasting-anything thing. If I pull off too much yarn on my cast-on, I frog the cast-on and do it again so that I waste less yarn! ::shrug:: It's a Tola thing.
If you take a look at the Daily Addictions list over yonder, you may have noticed I added some more links. I'm so bad at updating that, but I try to do it at least every few weeks. If you've commented and I haven't added your link, it's not because I don't like you!!
~~ETA~~
I added Bella Pink Cafe for two reasons: First, pink is my very most favouritest colour in the whole entire world. And second, I have someone very dear to me who calls me Bella. It's a play on the name my parents gave me (no I'm not going to tell you what it is).
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Updates
Nana found my missing dishcloth that was half-done. She will save it for when we are there next. One less thing for me to wonder about! I really could not figure out what had happened to it.
My doctor has put me on Celexa. 10 mg/daily for the first week, 20 mg after that. She wants to see me in a month. I took it this morning; so far i am really loopy and tired. I don't think I should have come to work! But my mood seems to be fine, im not melancholy or pissed-off. I came home last night and slept for almost 3 hours, woke up at 9pm. I was up for a couple of hours and then went back to bed and slept fine. But I sure could go back to bed right now! I hope this fades. I will try taking it tomorrow with food, instead of on an empty stomach. It might have an effect.
Still working on Mimi's socks. The first one is done, but I poked a big hole in my finger with those size 1 needles, so I've been not working exclusively on the second sock. I made a dishcloth on Monday. Not really bright colors, but still pretty. KnittyOtter said she liked my photo of my box full of dishcloths. When we get another bright day I'd like to spread them all out and take a group shot, because they have a lot of impact that way I think.
I've also been trying to finish up some WIPs. I have some wristwarmers that I started before Thanksgiving that I want to get out of my stash. I also have a Paris Loop poncho that just needs about 8 more inches of purling to finish it. It's really heavy novelty yarn, and I am really not sure if I am going to like the whole thing. Maybe I'll put a lifeline on it and actually try it on and see. I hate having wasted all that time working on it, but if I'm not going to finish it then I may as well frog it and use the yarn for something else. It's pretty yarn, bright magenta. I love my other two Paris Loops that I've made.
On to family news now:
My baby brother has gotten a job back east. I guess it's in New Jersey. I don't know exactly what it is or the firm it is with, but I know he is happy to be going back there. He served his mission there 1999-2001 in Connecticut and he really enjoyed it. He leaves next Monday, so there is a farewell/open house being held at my mother's other daughter's house in Layton. I am waffling over whether or not I want to go. I want to see my folks, and my brother, and my favourite nephew. But everyone else: not so much. It's this Sunday, so I have a few more days to decide. I am probably going, but maybe I'll take my own food. I don't want to eat anything she has made. Yes, I am probably being petty. But she really acted horribly towards me and she isn't sorry. She told my mother she'd "give me a hug" if I showed up. Well I don't want a hug. I want an apology. A real one, not a fakey-fake one.
My other brother (not named Daryl) has been using the knitting loom and making hats for the Humanitarian Services. I've been trying to supply him with all manner of acrylic yarn (his favorite) but he done wiped me out! I asked our RS president last week if there was a bag of yarn in the cupboard that he could have, as he is making hats for Humanitarian. She gave me a whole big bag, and he came and got it and was very happy with the selection. Calling all de-stashers: if you have some unused acrylic yarn marinating in your stash, I'll supply you with an address to send it to. Or if you live between Preston and Ogden, I'll come pick it up. If you live between Malad and Rexburg, I'll pick it up the next time I go to see my folks. Thanks!
And I also would like to thank Kim for the beautiful little care package I received a couple of days ago. She sent me a lovely card, with an ATC tucked inside, as well as two lovely Kirks Folly pieces. Just knowing she was thinking about me made me feel so warm and fuzzy. Thank you Kim!
~ETA~
My ex-pat Brit friend found this on The Beeb website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6338819.stm
My doctor has put me on Celexa. 10 mg/daily for the first week, 20 mg after that. She wants to see me in a month. I took it this morning; so far i am really loopy and tired. I don't think I should have come to work! But my mood seems to be fine, im not melancholy or pissed-off. I came home last night and slept for almost 3 hours, woke up at 9pm. I was up for a couple of hours and then went back to bed and slept fine. But I sure could go back to bed right now! I hope this fades. I will try taking it tomorrow with food, instead of on an empty stomach. It might have an effect.
Still working on Mimi's socks. The first one is done, but I poked a big hole in my finger with those size 1 needles, so I've been not working exclusively on the second sock. I made a dishcloth on Monday. Not really bright colors, but still pretty. KnittyOtter said she liked my photo of my box full of dishcloths. When we get another bright day I'd like to spread them all out and take a group shot, because they have a lot of impact that way I think.
I've also been trying to finish up some WIPs. I have some wristwarmers that I started before Thanksgiving that I want to get out of my stash. I also have a Paris Loop poncho that just needs about 8 more inches of purling to finish it. It's really heavy novelty yarn, and I am really not sure if I am going to like the whole thing. Maybe I'll put a lifeline on it and actually try it on and see. I hate having wasted all that time working on it, but if I'm not going to finish it then I may as well frog it and use the yarn for something else. It's pretty yarn, bright magenta. I love my other two Paris Loops that I've made.
On to family news now:
My baby brother has gotten a job back east. I guess it's in New Jersey. I don't know exactly what it is or the firm it is with, but I know he is happy to be going back there. He served his mission there 1999-2001 in Connecticut and he really enjoyed it. He leaves next Monday, so there is a farewell/open house being held at my mother's other daughter's house in Layton. I am waffling over whether or not I want to go. I want to see my folks, and my brother, and my favourite nephew. But everyone else: not so much. It's this Sunday, so I have a few more days to decide. I am probably going, but maybe I'll take my own food. I don't want to eat anything she has made. Yes, I am probably being petty. But she really acted horribly towards me and she isn't sorry. She told my mother she'd "give me a hug" if I showed up. Well I don't want a hug. I want an apology. A real one, not a fakey-fake one.
My other brother (not named Daryl) has been using the knitting loom and making hats for the Humanitarian Services. I've been trying to supply him with all manner of acrylic yarn (his favorite) but he done wiped me out! I asked our RS president last week if there was a bag of yarn in the cupboard that he could have, as he is making hats for Humanitarian. She gave me a whole big bag, and he came and got it and was very happy with the selection. Calling all de-stashers: if you have some unused acrylic yarn marinating in your stash, I'll supply you with an address to send it to. Or if you live between Preston and Ogden, I'll come pick it up. If you live between Malad and Rexburg, I'll pick it up the next time I go to see my folks. Thanks!
And I also would like to thank Kim for the beautiful little care package I received a couple of days ago. She sent me a lovely card, with an ATC tucked inside, as well as two lovely Kirks Folly pieces. Just knowing she was thinking about me made me feel so warm and fuzzy. Thank you Kim!
~ETA~
My ex-pat Brit friend found this on The Beeb website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6338819.stm
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
News
My doctor called on Friday. My PAP was normal, my cholesterol is 167, no infections, no STDs (wasn't worried about that one, actually) and the ultrasound didn't show anything cyst-like. What now? She thinks the pain is actually from IBS. I've had stomach problems all my life, so I'm not entirely surprised. But her recommendation did surprise me. Instead of treating the IBS, she wants to treat my anxiety/depression. New research apparently is linking the two. Guess I'll do it, there seems to be no reason not to.
So I switched to the new Blogger. It didn't give me a choice, actually. I went to write this post and it insisted I switch. So far it has not let me add photos to any exisiting post, so we shall see if it will let me put them in here.
Well what do you know! Actually, the photos are now out-dated, so I'll explain them. If you clickety-biggety, they look much nicer. Top left is a box full of cotton dishcloths. These are all made out of scrap yarn, as seen on the top right. The one shown there as almost complete is now complete. the other has disappeared. The last time I saw it was at Nana's house last weekend. She hasn't seen it, but I do hope it shows up. And to the left is the socks made with yarn given to me at Christmas by my sister-in-law. The second one is completed, and I wear them. As usual, I have enough yarn left over to make a third sock. I will count the yardage and wind it up and save it to make Frankensocks. I still want to make knee-high socks, so I will be experimenting with that soon. Mimi begged me for socks, so I found some interesting yarn for hers. She is a tie-dye artist, so I wanted something that would reflect that. I think I found it, but we shall know for sure when she gets them. The first one is done, the second is as far as the ribbing. When they are done and received, I'll post the photo.
Almost time for choir practice. I love to sing . . . . . . . .
So I switched to the new Blogger. It didn't give me a choice, actually. I went to write this post and it insisted I switch. So far it has not let me add photos to any exisiting post, so we shall see if it will let me put them in here.
Well what do you know! Actually, the photos are now out-dated, so I'll explain them. If you clickety-biggety, they look much nicer. Top left is a box full of cotton dishcloths. These are all made out of scrap yarn, as seen on the top right. The one shown there as almost complete is now complete. the other has disappeared. The last time I saw it was at Nana's house last weekend. She hasn't seen it, but I do hope it shows up. And to the left is the socks made with yarn given to me at Christmas by my sister-in-law. The second one is completed, and I wear them. As usual, I have enough yarn left over to make a third sock. I will count the yardage and wind it up and save it to make Frankensocks. I still want to make knee-high socks, so I will be experimenting with that soon. Mimi begged me for socks, so I found some interesting yarn for hers. She is a tie-dye artist, so I wanted something that would reflect that. I think I found it, but we shall know for sure when she gets them. The first one is done, the second is as far as the ribbing. When they are done and received, I'll post the photo.Almost time for choir practice. I love to sing . . . . . . . .
~ETA~
Bears lost. *sniff*
~Another ETA~
I hope they fix the bugs in this new Blogger version soon. The link to my photo is broken, and I cannot sign in on my home computer to try to fix it. Mleah.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Three vs Four
With three Advil, I can actually get out of bed and not cry too much.
With four Advil, I am knocked flat on my @$$ and am not good for a bloody thing.
Obviously, I don't do drugs.
Ultrasound yesterday was "inconclusive." Why not just say "we don't know whatthehell is wrong with you"?
Have I mentioned I do not like visiting the doctor?
Are you sick of the whining yet?
To quote Ron Weasley: "Bloody hell."
With four Advil, I am knocked flat on my @$$ and am not good for a bloody thing.
Obviously, I don't do drugs.
Ultrasound yesterday was "inconclusive." Why not just say "we don't know whatthehell is wrong with you"?
Have I mentioned I do not like visiting the doctor?
Are you sick of the whining yet?
To quote Ron Weasley: "Bloody hell."
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Glitter Snow
I don't much like snow and ice, but if I *must* have snow, then I want glitter snow. That's the fine, tiny stuff that just floats down, it has very low moisture, and it looks like superfine glitter just sprinkling out over the world. If it happens at night, it's even more magical.
So I went to the doctor Friday. It was horrible. All kinds of tests for all kinds of things, and the fake icing on the sawdust cake is I had to have blood drawn. I hate having blood drawn, it is very traumatic for me (as if a full pelvic exam isn't?) I was shaking and crying and hyper-ventilating and sqeezing the hand of a poor CNA who was brought in for that purpose. (I heard later I'd left marks. I felt bad, but they went away.) During the wait between the doctor asking me for blood, and the vampire - I mean phlebotomist - coming in, I talked to MCM. I told him he had to come be with me and help me get through it. Since he's basically the one who got mad at me and told me I had to go in the first place, I reckoned it was his duty to at least show up during. I was probably calmer than if I hadn't talked to him. And guess what? I get to go back tomorrow for an invasive ultra-sound. I wish I could find my second-favourite sarong. It's blue with big hibiscus flowers and I am missing it!
After the ordeal (channelling Arlo Guthrie here, well I would be if he were dead, but he isn't, so . . .) I walked out to my car. The last few days we have had a lovely weather inversion casting gloom, doom and asthma attacks all over the state. Clear blue skies, but very hazy. I looked up into the blue sky, and all around me was glitter snow. It was falling out of a clear sky. It wasn't blowing in from off the fields, there was no wind, and it wasn't going sideways. It was definitely falling, from a high altitude. Think what you want to think. I am going to think MCM sent it to me, because he knows how much I love it.
Tonight I went to my first rehearsal for the annual production of Handel's Messiah. I did it last year, so while I haven't sung it all year, the music is coming back quickly. It had better, as the performances are in 2 months! If you are in northern Utah and you'd like to come see an incredible and amazing performance, comment or email me and I'll give the details. It is sung mostly in English, with one selection done in Spanish. And every piece is translated/ interpreted for the deaf in American Sign Language. Even if you dont understand sign language, it is still beautiful to watch. The final piece is "Worthy Is The Lamb", and the director of the group doing the signing does this one. He signs the whole entire life of Christ during this piece and he is so very expressive. You don't have to be deaf to appreciate it at all. I do hope somebody who reads this will come and see it.
I have some FO's to show off, but Blogger is being persnickety and refusing to upload. I don't really want to resort to PhotoBucket, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I haven't updated to the new Blogger, is this my punishment?
So I went to the doctor Friday. It was horrible. All kinds of tests for all kinds of things, and the fake icing on the sawdust cake is I had to have blood drawn. I hate having blood drawn, it is very traumatic for me (as if a full pelvic exam isn't?) I was shaking and crying and hyper-ventilating and sqeezing the hand of a poor CNA who was brought in for that purpose. (I heard later I'd left marks. I felt bad, but they went away.) During the wait between the doctor asking me for blood, and the vampire - I mean phlebotomist - coming in, I talked to MCM. I told him he had to come be with me and help me get through it. Since he's basically the one who got mad at me and told me I had to go in the first place, I reckoned it was his duty to at least show up during. I was probably calmer than if I hadn't talked to him. And guess what? I get to go back tomorrow for an invasive ultra-sound. I wish I could find my second-favourite sarong. It's blue with big hibiscus flowers and I am missing it!
After the ordeal (channelling Arlo Guthrie here, well I would be if he were dead, but he isn't, so . . .) I walked out to my car. The last few days we have had a lovely weather inversion casting gloom, doom and asthma attacks all over the state. Clear blue skies, but very hazy. I looked up into the blue sky, and all around me was glitter snow. It was falling out of a clear sky. It wasn't blowing in from off the fields, there was no wind, and it wasn't going sideways. It was definitely falling, from a high altitude. Think what you want to think. I am going to think MCM sent it to me, because he knows how much I love it.
Tonight I went to my first rehearsal for the annual production of Handel's Messiah. I did it last year, so while I haven't sung it all year, the music is coming back quickly. It had better, as the performances are in 2 months! If you are in northern Utah and you'd like to come see an incredible and amazing performance, comment or email me and I'll give the details. It is sung mostly in English, with one selection done in Spanish. And every piece is translated/ interpreted for the deaf in American Sign Language. Even if you dont understand sign language, it is still beautiful to watch. The final piece is "Worthy Is The Lamb", and the director of the group doing the signing does this one. He signs the whole entire life of Christ during this piece and he is so very expressive. You don't have to be deaf to appreciate it at all. I do hope somebody who reads this will come and see it.
I have some FO's to show off, but Blogger is being persnickety and refusing to upload. I don't really want to resort to PhotoBucket, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I haven't updated to the new Blogger, is this my punishment?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Cold and Snow
I think the average high temperature here the past two weeks have been about 20*. I could be wrong, but I don't think so this time. We *have* had a couple of sunny days, which has facilitated melting of ice and snow, but as soon as the sun goes down everything freezes up again. I have had a terrible time keeping my house warm, too. I rent this beautiful townhouse and the heat is included with the rent. Since I like my house warm, this was a big selling point for me. It uses steam heat, with baseboard radiators that don't get too hot to touch, but they do send wonderful heat all throughout the house. I have two thermostats, one on each level of the house. Of course, heat rises so the upstairs is usually quite a bit warmer than the downstairs. However, it is been so cold recently that even though both thermostats are at 85 or 90 degrees, the air temperature sits at 65*. It is cold!! So I have been trying to seal all the cracks in the sliding windows with rags, and I've been praying for warmer weather.
I've been knitting more socks, long ones this time, because my ankles and legs are cold too. It's slow going, because I realized that I am making too many counting errors while knitting at work. So I am switching my work knitting to plain cotton dishcloths. I've got about a dozen done, and I want to do a lovely photo shoot to show them off. However, I'd also like to show off my finished socks and I've still got halfway to go on my second sock so I may wait, or you may get a photo of a half-finished sock! I know other blogs show off half-finished work, but I don't really like to do that. Just a Weird Thing about me!
I've been teaching a friend LB how to knit, and she has graduated from dishcloths to a hat for her son, to the Booga Bag! She does lovely work, and her son absolutely LOVES his hat. She told me he slept in it! I love sharing my knitty-love with other people and watching them grow to enjoy it as much as I do.
Here Commences the Whine:
I hate going to the doctor. And not just the OB-GYN. I hate going to the GP, to the DC, to the DDS, to any doctor. I totally relate to Warren Zevon on this regard, not like MCM or RP. I have more to do with my time than call eight thousand doctors about each little ache and pain and weird growth. I have a high pain threshold (well maybe "theshold" isn't the right word, maybe "tolerance" is a better word) so I have a high pain tolerance simply because I HATE going to the doctor. But if you will remember a couple/three posts ago I mentioned I was having some funky ovarial pain . . . . . well it hasn't gone away. It hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't lessened, either. I spoke with my friend who is a midwife, and she said it sounded like ovarian cysts. The treatment for that is kick-@$$ anti-inflammatories, and birth-control hormones. Oh yay, I cannot contain my excitement. Whatever.
So . . . . . at the insistence of RP a few months ago, I signed up for insurance through work. Not the most expensive plan, but actually more than I can really afford. I didn't receive any info in the mail about it, but finally a couple of weeks ago at work my boss handed me an envelope that had been supposedly mailed to me, but returned for insufficient address. I promise, HR has my apartment number! Anyway, inside were my insurance cards and info on finding a doctor who will take my insurance. There was a phone number to call if you have questions. Well, I have tons of questions, so I called it. Can I tell you the guy was Extremely Unhelpful?! All he would do is refer me to the website. I have been on the website, it is un-navigable. You get absolutely nowhere. So I hung up on him, crying because I was so upset. I am fairly certain all I have is ovarian cysts and not something more serious. But now that I've made the decision to actually be seen by a doctor, I just want to get it over with. I hate waiting for bureaucracy.
Here Ends the Whine (got some cheese and crackers?)
~~Later that same day~~
So after work (and a seventy-minute call) I went to an OB-GYN office, to see if they would take my insurance. They do not. They referred me to another office. I went there, the girl at the desk was very efficient at doing her job, but I asked her to please slow down and just give me some compassion because I don't want to be there in the first place and I am thisclose to just running out the door and PLEASE will you find out if your office takes my insurance before I make an appointment? Yes, they do take it, but as for how much we do not yet know. My appointment is at 9:45 am tomorrow. And then since I'll already be up, I guess I'll go to work for a few hours. It's Knitters/Spinners Night at the LYS and I need to go.
The DD will be going to Nana's for part of the weekend. I will go down Saturday after work to fetch her and to take part in a birthday party for a couple of Nana's grrls.
(I am freaked out about this whole doctor visit thing. And I really miss MCM right now. A lot.)
I've been knitting more socks, long ones this time, because my ankles and legs are cold too. It's slow going, because I realized that I am making too many counting errors while knitting at work. So I am switching my work knitting to plain cotton dishcloths. I've got about a dozen done, and I want to do a lovely photo shoot to show them off. However, I'd also like to show off my finished socks and I've still got halfway to go on my second sock so I may wait, or you may get a photo of a half-finished sock! I know other blogs show off half-finished work, but I don't really like to do that. Just a Weird Thing about me!
I've been teaching a friend LB how to knit, and she has graduated from dishcloths to a hat for her son, to the Booga Bag! She does lovely work, and her son absolutely LOVES his hat. She told me he slept in it! I love sharing my knitty-love with other people and watching them grow to enjoy it as much as I do.
Here Commences the Whine:
I hate going to the doctor. And not just the OB-GYN. I hate going to the GP, to the DC, to the DDS, to any doctor. I totally relate to Warren Zevon on this regard, not like MCM or RP. I have more to do with my time than call eight thousand doctors about each little ache and pain and weird growth. I have a high pain threshold (well maybe "theshold" isn't the right word, maybe "tolerance" is a better word) so I have a high pain tolerance simply because I HATE going to the doctor. But if you will remember a couple/three posts ago I mentioned I was having some funky ovarial pain . . . . . well it hasn't gone away. It hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't lessened, either. I spoke with my friend who is a midwife, and she said it sounded like ovarian cysts. The treatment for that is kick-@$$ anti-inflammatories, and birth-control hormones. Oh yay, I cannot contain my excitement. Whatever.
So . . . . . at the insistence of RP a few months ago, I signed up for insurance through work. Not the most expensive plan, but actually more than I can really afford. I didn't receive any info in the mail about it, but finally a couple of weeks ago at work my boss handed me an envelope that had been supposedly mailed to me, but returned for insufficient address. I promise, HR has my apartment number! Anyway, inside were my insurance cards and info on finding a doctor who will take my insurance. There was a phone number to call if you have questions. Well, I have tons of questions, so I called it. Can I tell you the guy was Extremely Unhelpful?! All he would do is refer me to the website. I have been on the website, it is un-navigable. You get absolutely nowhere. So I hung up on him, crying because I was so upset. I am fairly certain all I have is ovarian cysts and not something more serious. But now that I've made the decision to actually be seen by a doctor, I just want to get it over with. I hate waiting for bureaucracy.
Here Ends the Whine (got some cheese and crackers?)
~~Later that same day~~
So after work (and a seventy-minute call) I went to an OB-GYN office, to see if they would take my insurance. They do not. They referred me to another office. I went there, the girl at the desk was very efficient at doing her job, but I asked her to please slow down and just give me some compassion because I don't want to be there in the first place and I am thisclose to just running out the door and PLEASE will you find out if your office takes my insurance before I make an appointment? Yes, they do take it, but as for how much we do not yet know. My appointment is at 9:45 am tomorrow. And then since I'll already be up, I guess I'll go to work for a few hours. It's Knitters/Spinners Night at the LYS and I need to go.
The DD will be going to Nana's for part of the weekend. I will go down Saturday after work to fetch her and to take part in a birthday party for a couple of Nana's grrls.
(I am freaked out about this whole doctor visit thing. And I really miss MCM right now. A lot.)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Rest of the Meme
Yeah, it's been awhile. It has been hella cold here the past week and I don't want to do anything but wrap up in wool blankets and warm socks and sleep. Well, there's another reason all I want to do is sleep, but I don't want to go there. Not yet, anyway.
So the rest of the meme:
Weird Thing #4
I sleep in the exact middle of my bed, in between two pillows. I started doing this when I was pregnant with the DD. I had just come home from the island and even though it was summer, I was cold. The pillows there help seal out the cold air that wafts in under the sheets, and back then when I had a baby in the belly, it was so difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Now there's no baby, but I have constant pain in my arm and the pillows help alleviate that. So I am a bed hog! And I *have to* make the bed the instant I get up in the morning, even if I am planning on a nap later. I hate the way an unmade bed looks.
Weird Thing #5
I learned to drive by watching The Dukes of Hazzard. Okay that's not entirely true, but it's mostly true. When I was about 12 or so, I hung around a lot with a family friend CS. She is an amazing lady, funny and kind and so incredibly smart! We delivered newspapers at 3am, ran errands, went garage-saling, all sorts of things. She always drove a VW Rabbit with a standard transmission. She taught me to listen to the engine for when it was time to shift to the next gear. I would listen, and then I would tell her when to shift. After a few weeks of this, she let me do the actual shifting while she did the clutch. Quite interesting to learn how to shift with the wrong hand! CS is the Queen of Multi-tasking. She has always got so much going on that she does as much as possible all the time. It got to the point where I was actually steering and shifting (from the passenger side). The next summer my uncle let me drive his big ol' Ford F-150 pickup out in a sagebrush field. The rest I learned from watching Bo and Luke!
Weird Thing #6
I currently can't think of another weird thing. I know I have hundreds of them, and I'll probably think of something later. When I get home tonight I am going to post some photos so if I've thought of it then I'll ETA.
*ETA*
Okay I thought of a sixth Weird Thing
Weird Thing #6
I shove stuff down my brassiere. Cash, credit card, keys, cell phone . . . . . all have spent time in the Booby Trap. Sometimes a girl just doesn't have pockets handy!
*ETA*
A shout-out to my new friend Mimi!! Girlfriend, I am SO glad I met you!
So the rest of the meme:
Weird Thing #4
I sleep in the exact middle of my bed, in between two pillows. I started doing this when I was pregnant with the DD. I had just come home from the island and even though it was summer, I was cold. The pillows there help seal out the cold air that wafts in under the sheets, and back then when I had a baby in the belly, it was so difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Now there's no baby, but I have constant pain in my arm and the pillows help alleviate that. So I am a bed hog! And I *have to* make the bed the instant I get up in the morning, even if I am planning on a nap later. I hate the way an unmade bed looks.
Weird Thing #5
I learned to drive by watching The Dukes of Hazzard. Okay that's not entirely true, but it's mostly true. When I was about 12 or so, I hung around a lot with a family friend CS. She is an amazing lady, funny and kind and so incredibly smart! We delivered newspapers at 3am, ran errands, went garage-saling, all sorts of things. She always drove a VW Rabbit with a standard transmission. She taught me to listen to the engine for when it was time to shift to the next gear. I would listen, and then I would tell her when to shift. After a few weeks of this, she let me do the actual shifting while she did the clutch. Quite interesting to learn how to shift with the wrong hand! CS is the Queen of Multi-tasking. She has always got so much going on that she does as much as possible all the time. It got to the point where I was actually steering and shifting (from the passenger side). The next summer my uncle let me drive his big ol' Ford F-150 pickup out in a sagebrush field. The rest I learned from watching Bo and Luke!
Weird Thing #6
I currently can't think of another weird thing. I know I have hundreds of them, and I'll probably think of something later. When I get home tonight I am going to post some photos so if I've thought of it then I'll ETA.
*ETA*
Okay I thought of a sixth Weird Thing
Weird Thing #6
I shove stuff down my brassiere. Cash, credit card, keys, cell phone . . . . . all have spent time in the Booby Trap. Sometimes a girl just doesn't have pockets handy!
*ETA*
A shout-out to my new friend Mimi!! Girlfriend, I am SO glad I met you!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Another Meme
But not the whole thing. There's a new-ish meme going around the knitting blogs (maybe other blogs too, but I usually only read knitting or crafting blogs) and it's called "6 Weird Things About Me". Well, I sure-as-heck am not going to tell you the *really* weird things, and I'm not going to tell you all six of them at once. I think I have three people who read this thing anyway so who is going to know the difference?
Weird Thing #1
I have a decent-sized collection (okay about 12) of beautiful batiked sarongs from Indonesia. I bought my first one when I lived in Hawaii, and whenever I see them for sale in a town I am visiting, I buy one. They are all folded up nicely on a shelf in my closet, except the one currently in use. That one is in my bed. I sleep with it. It's an extra layer on my legs when they are cold, or it is all balled up and shaped like a little hill to block out the light that my electric-blanket controller throws out, or I wrap it around my head to keep it warm when I'm trying to go to sleep. And I wrap it around me when I get out of bed in the morning. Oftentimes I will stash one in my handbag when going out on a date in the late spring or the early fall. In a pinch I can tie the corners together and have a light jacket that is quite dressy. When taking a road trip in the summer, I lay it across my lap to have a layer of fabric so that sweaty skin isn't sticking to itself. It's a great cover-up for water activities, and if I'm having a *really* bad hair day, I can go around looking like Erykah Badu. Except it looks way better on her than it ever will on me.
Weird Thing #2
I'm obsessive about being able to breathe, and consequently there are tissue boxes stashed all throughout my house, car, workstation, parents' house, pockets, handbags, etc. Whenever I visit a more humid climate, I don't have quite the same problem. Maybe I should move to the east or the south.
Weird Thing #3
I am always cold. It is very rare for me to be comfortable, or too warm. I have always kept my house thermostat at 80* in the winter, and I still walk around in wool sweaters, wool snocks, and even felted wool slippers. I have also been known to wear a knit or fleece hat indoors. When I went to college in Hawaii, I thought I would finally be warm. But I was there a month and I called my mother and asked her to send me my electric blanket. She did, and I used it for the next 3 1/2 years until I graduated. On my bed winter and summer is the electric blanket, 2 patchwork fleece blankets, and a comforter. And right now on top of the comforter is a patchwork wool blanket. But if you thought that I wore several layers of clothing to sleep in, you'd be wrong. Tank-top and matching panties is it. Sometimes socks. I hate to be constricted when I am sleeping.
Okay that's enough. I need awhile to think of three more weird things. Back to hella overtime tomorrow. I just hope I don't get too many stupid people. "Yes sir, you do need to have the receiver plugged in and turned on to watch DirecTV." Sometime I'll tell you my very favourite stupid customer story. Have a great week!
Weird Thing #1I have a decent-sized collection (okay about 12) of beautiful batiked sarongs from Indonesia. I bought my first one when I lived in Hawaii, and whenever I see them for sale in a town I am visiting, I buy one. They are all folded up nicely on a shelf in my closet, except the one currently in use. That one is in my bed. I sleep with it. It's an extra layer on my legs when they are cold, or it is all balled up and shaped like a little hill to block out the light that my electric-blanket controller throws out, or I wrap it around my head to keep it warm when I'm trying to go to sleep. And I wrap it around me when I get out of bed in the morning. Oftentimes I will stash one in my handbag when going out on a date in the late spring or the early fall. In a pinch I can tie the corners together and have a light jacket that is quite dressy. When taking a road trip in the summer, I lay it across my lap to have a layer of fabric so that sweaty skin isn't sticking to itself. It's a great cover-up for water activities, and if I'm having a *really* bad hair day, I can go around looking like Erykah Badu. Except it looks way better on her than it ever will on me.
Weird Thing #2
I'm obsessive about being able to breathe, and consequently there are tissue boxes stashed all throughout my house, car, workstation, parents' house, pockets, handbags, etc. Whenever I visit a more humid climate, I don't have quite the same problem. Maybe I should move to the east or the south.
Weird Thing #3
I am always cold. It is very rare for me to be comfortable, or too warm. I have always kept my house thermostat at 80* in the winter, and I still walk around in wool sweaters, wool snocks, and even felted wool slippers. I have also been known to wear a knit or fleece hat indoors. When I went to college in Hawaii, I thought I would finally be warm. But I was there a month and I called my mother and asked her to send me my electric blanket. She did, and I used it for the next 3 1/2 years until I graduated. On my bed winter and summer is the electric blanket, 2 patchwork fleece blankets, and a comforter. And right now on top of the comforter is a patchwork wool blanket. But if you thought that I wore several layers of clothing to sleep in, you'd be wrong. Tank-top and matching panties is it. Sometimes socks. I hate to be constricted when I am sleeping.
Okay that's enough. I need awhile to think of three more weird things. Back to hella overtime tomorrow. I just hope I don't get too many stupid people. "Yes sir, you do need to have the receiver plugged in and turned on to watch DirecTV." Sometime I'll tell you my very favourite stupid customer story. Have a great week!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
First FO's of the new year!
Made via the Magic Loop method, took me one week. I am so impressed with this method, I cannot believe people still use DPNs! And before you say anything, yes they do match! I saved all the leftovers from all the snocks I've made for family and friends this year and used them up on snocks for me. I love them and that's that! And I have enough yarn to make at least 2 more snocks like this too.
The top two are mine. On the left we have some Opal Dreamcatcher. On the right we have some Lana Grossa MegaBoots that my Faery Swap Sister sent me in October. On the bottom we have Christmas gift snocks for the DD, and for Baby Brother (age 26). Those are both Lion Brand Magic Stripes.
And then we have the knitted pears for my dad, and the felted slippers I made for RP, his DD, my DD, my mom, and me. Mine is shown in the pre-felted stage for comparison. The pears were done in Lion Brand Wool, except the little apple in the middle which was Plymouth Boku. The slippers were Mauch Chunky, Lamb's Pride Bulky, and LP Worsted, double-stranded.
Tonight I learned how to post photos through Blogger instead of through PhotoBucket. I've updated a couple of archived posts this way, and I'll be slowly changing over all the photos. I like how you can "clickety biggety" to quote the KnittyOtter (But don't read her today, she is seriously pissed-off.)
What's my New Year's Resolution? Don't know yet. Part of it is to knit from stash, like Wendy, and I'm already learning new stuff, like MagicLoop. I'm a lilbit superstitious in that if I tell you what my resolution is, then I won't actually do it. I know others say they have to tell, so they'll be held accountable. But I've never been known to do things the conventional way.
One last plea and then I'm going: Please keep RP in your prayers, as he is in mine. And maybe if you've got time, say one for me too. I've got a lovely shooting pain in my ovarial area and life is getting interesting just trying to deal with it.
XOXO
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