My Trip

I am in Washington DC along with half of the country who decided to bring their children here. My hotel is okay (even if it is in the middle of nowhere) it takes forever to get anywhere and the nearest Metro is as far away as work is. For as much as I hated the idea of taking this trip, it is turning out okay, and I am having a good time. I actually hailed a cab for the first time in my life the other day and thought I was way cool lolol. I am a grown woman and have never hailed a cab before, what is wrong with this picture? I am going home early tomorrow morning and then I get to pug in my laptop and start working or go into the office, hmmmmm, rough decision. . .
See you in the funny papers!

Fragments, Contest, and Friday Fill-ins

We are doing a fragmented Friday post, because nothing I have to say is cohesive, and it just seems like a good idea.

• 
  I just did my time card, I have worked 100 hours in the past 2 weeks, this from a freaking federal employee. Doesn’t seem right somehow. . . At least now, I know why I have been so tired, not sick or fluffiness, just too much work. lololol
• 
  Remember I told you about Di’s nose peeling away? We have been putting vitamin E on it morning and night since the last vet visit and it is looking better. It is not as crusty and scabby, but it stills seems to be bothering her.
• 
  I have to go to Washington DC next week to provide training on one of the applications I support. I hate traveling for work, it’s not fun and if I were going to chose somewhere to go, it certainly would not be there.
• 
  I have not had to travel anywhere since April of 08 and it has been great. I wish I were not going next week.
• 
  Because I put off making my reservations, I have to stay in Georgetown, though I will be working at 12th and Eye. Doesn’t the travel seem like punishment enough???
• 
  I finally got my diagnosis from my GP on the nerve test. Carpal tunnel, duhhh (yes, all the way up my arm). I knew that without having the expensive test.
• 
  I have been referred to a hand doctor, but I cannot get in to see her until July 1. Gee, I am glad it doesn’t hurt or anything.
• 
  I am still knitting, but normally just two or three rows at a time. Do you know how long it takes to knit a blanket or a scarf when you can only do a few rows at a time?

Contest
Darcy is a crazy woman, in a good way. She is having another contest! Can you believe that. She has gone contest happy! Go here to enter and please let her know I sent you.


1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting dangerous stunts from them.
2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a gracious winner.
3. Sex is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.
4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy doing good deeds and helping people.
5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine sex and knitting (sound dangerous:-) ).
6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without salt and/or pepper in it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Knitting and maybe a walk, tomorrow my plans include laundry, cleaning up, working in the garden, and a few rows of knitting every couple of hours and Sunday, I want to knit, but I will have to pack for the icky trip!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Weekend

Nerve Test

I had the nerve induction test yesterday, and it was very cool to watch. He stuck a needle into the muscles of my arm in one portion of the test and then had me move my arm so the machine could track the echo it made. Very cool! I had so many people telling me how horrible the test was, that I was a wee bit nervous, however it did not hurt, the Dr. was very gentle and warned me before he did anything. I have had acupuncture that hurt worse. The other part of the test had little electrodes attached to my arm in different spots, and then he would shoot shocks to my arm to test the response. That hurt worse than the needle, believe it or not. The worst part of the whole thing is he used a black marker on my arm and I cannot get it all off, grrr. :-)

Have you ever noticed how people like to scare you or tell you horror stories before you go for something like that? Or how women love to tell the most awful stories to a newly pregnant woman who is already nervous? Why is that? What makes us do that to other people? I don’t believe that people are mean on purpose, but what makes them tell those awful stories to others, don’t they realize that they make the person more nervous than they were to begin with. Human nature is funny (or is that odd) isn’t it?

Unfortunately, there was no knitting last night, by the time the Dr. was through testing my arm, it ached all over. I guess he woke up the nerves who thought they had died, lolol.

Have a productive day!

Rambling and the Weather

Have you noticed how the weather has been weird almost everywhere? It is raining and cooler than normal in places that do not normally get rain at this time of year. We have been under a tornado watch/warning 3 out of the last 5 days. We had hail on Sunday afternoon, and very scary weather, I did not think the tornado was going to miss us that time. Does it make you wonder about global warming or cycles of life? I personally think of the cycles of life when I see such weird weather, I mean the Earth has been through the Ice Age a couple of times right? It is just time for it to change again imho. When people yell global warming I always think of the movie “Ice Age” lol.

We have been in Colorado for a year now, and last year it was so hot I hated it, dry yes, but hot. This year, it is raining almost every day, but fortunately, we still get sun too, so it is not as depressing as it could be. When I leave for work in the morning the sun is out, the day is bright, and the birds are singing, almost like a fairy tale. Gorgeous mornings, this is okay during the week but not so good on the weekends if I do not remember to shut the bedroom doors (skylights in the bathroom). Do you know the freaking sun is out at what I used to call O dark thirty (5am)?!! The day should not start that early, anywhere; unless of course you are a morning person, which I am not. Even on days I decide that I should be late for work, the sun will get me up if I do not shut the darn door, so I try to make sure I do.

I think I have rambled enough and I need to leave for my test soon. Have a great day!

Blather

How silly can one person be? I forgot my blogoversary, which was last Friday, in fact, if Teena in Toronto hadn’t pointed it out, I probably still would not remember. Thank you Teena! It was my second blogoversary and I probably should have had a contest or something, but. . .

We went to the Renaissance Festival on Sunday and ate our way around the whole thing. We kind of agree that the Renaissance Festival is for trying new and different food and we wanted to compare what the Colorado Festival has that the Georgia festival doesn’t have (and vice versa). We were very disappointed not to find our favorite treat, a deep fried candy bar. They put a stick lengthwise into a regular old candy bar (Snickers, Milky, etc) and then freeze it solid. It is then dipped into a batter and dropped into a deep fryer. When it comes out, the powder it with sugar and it is wonderful, not healthy but wonderful. We used to get one when we went to the festival in GA but, we always shared them and it was the only time we ate them. We missed them but we ate plenty of everything else. :-)

I love this festival, the people are normally happy and silly and everyone has a great time. Except for the glass blower! I always go to the glass blowing demonstrations because I love to watch the hot glass being worked into something beautiful; and normally the person doing the demonstration is wonderful and explains the whole process as concisely as possible so that the audience gets a rough feel for what is happening. Yesterday, the glass blower was a crank or was unhappy or not feeling well; but I think he said 10 words. I am glad I have seen the demo so many times in GA, because I would have been upset otherwise.

I took my knitting with me, because I normally get tired and want to sit while everyone else goes on their way, but my poor knitting was not pulled out of the bag one time all the time we were there.

I hope you had a great weekend!


What is the last song that was stuck in your head and how did you get rid of it?
Flightless Bird, American Mouth, (it is from the prom scene of Twilight) I woke up Friday morning humming this song and since I like it so much I didn’t worry about it. Then work was so hectic (and evil) that it eventually got pushed away.If you had to say what one thing in your life best represents your freedom, what would it be?
I don’t know, I am not even sure I fully understand the question. Any suggestions???If you were invited to the White House for dinner tonight, what would you wear from your current wardrobe?
I would have to regretfully decline, as my yoga pants are probably not appropriate. lololol

Whining, and Friday Fill Ins

Warning! This post contains whining. . .
I am knitting, slowly, but I am knitting :-) it doesn’t hurt so much while I am knitting, but after I am done it is painful. Waaaah. Someone should send me some cheese to go with that whine lolol. I go for a nerve induction test next week, which sucks, but I am fortunate that I have insurance that will pay for me to go to the doctor. It seems that in a country as well off as ours is, (even after the events of the last year we are better off than most) there should be some form of insurance available to everyone. However, I do not think socialized medicine is the answer, but what is??

1. I grew up thinking that all the people in the world were kind and that I was invincible.
2. KnitPicks was the last website I was at before coming here.
3. Why don't you sit and enjoy the sun?
4. Knitting and the sun helps me relax.
5. Thanks for the memories.
6. Some stuffy LYS’s can be very off-putting.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading and knitting, tomorrow my plans include cleaning up, movies and knitting and Sunday, I want to cook and knit!

What Kind of Ewe are You

I'm Finn, a medium wool.
Their larger fiber diameter makes these wools slightly stronger than finewools yet still comfortably wearable. They like to be used in durable everyday sweaters as well as mittens, mitts, hats, socks and the like
---Clara Parkes, for The Knitters Book of Wool

Contests

I found a contest (well I didn't find it, but I did link to it):-o Knitting Garden is having a blogoversary and she is giving away . . . .


You guessed it, Yarn! Just go here to enter.

Another contest is at Knitting Knoobie is also having a contest, just tell her a joke, doesn't have to be elaborate, it just needs to tickle her funny bone. Go here to enter.

Have a great day!

Blather and Manic Monday

I read the Maggie Sefton book, Dropped Dead Stitch, this weekend and I wasn’t very impressed. It seemed like she was working too hard to make it a mystery and to tie the knitting into the story, which seems funny, as most of the people in the story were knitters. I don't know why, but I liked her first two novels better. I think I am done buying her hardback books; the last two just weren’t as good.

I fixed all of my mistakes on the on the one row pattern scarf and am back to where I started, grrr. I really hate it when I do something stupid like that. Maybe that is God’s way of telling me to slow down and smell the chocolate and that I am human.

We went to see Angels and Demons this weekend and it was great. I don’t go to the movies very often because I get so bored sitting still. This time I came prepared with a baby blanket and a sock; I knit exactly ¾ of a row. I was so enthralled with the movie that it did not bother me to sit still and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Have a wonderful and knitterly day!


If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?
I wouldn’t perform, I would take care of the elephants.
Would you generally be overdressed or underdressed at a party?
Underdressed, I hate it when I am the most dressed up person in the room.
Do you feel that children should be sheltered from unhappiness?
Yes I do, to a certain degree. Children do not need to be aware of the hate and discontent in the world; they do not need to know of their parents problems (work, alcohol, or marriage). Children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood and then be gently brought into the real world as they grow up.

Frogging*&^%

As you know I am working on a simple one row pattern scarf, nothing hard or advanced, all I had to was make sure I counted once in a while to make sure I wasn't adding or dropping stitches. This is stuff that a prudent knitter does so they do not have to frog a zillion rows of work. And I made it harder on myself by thinking I did not need any stitch markers, even though one of the first things I learned was to use them. Well, on this easy, one row lace scarf, I just had to frog 5 rows because I was neither paying attention, nor was I prudent (you can read that as I was not counting and did not use stitch markers). How silly is that? I can’t believe I did that and frogging back when you have yarnovers and stitches knitted together is not a quick process. I guess we all need a reminder once in a while, maybe???

Here is the picture of the Lettuce Malabrigo I won, Isn’t it a great color? It is on the swift right now, waiting for me. . .

I hope you had a great weekend!

Yarn is a Wonderful Thing!

Yeah, I got new yarn last night, despite the title of yesterday’s post. I won the Sandra Singh 4 year Anniversary contest from Darcy, so when I got home last night there was the wonderful Malabrigo sock yarn in the lettuce colorway. It is wonderful to touch and I cannot wait to use it. Thank you Darcy and Sandra!
I also received the first shipment from the Mean Girls Sock Club and it is great (and already paid for lolol). I will take pictures when I get home and post them later.

Tonight I am going to knit, knit and knit :-)


1. No matter where I go, the place I like best is home.
2. My favorite thing for dinner lately has been grilled hamburgers.
3. Lola always likes to bark! bark! bark!
4. A nice long walk makes me sleepy.
5. I could really use some good news.
6. When all is said and done, life goes on.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting and reading, tomorrow my plans include chores, movies and knitting and Sunday, I want to play in the garden, read and knit!

No More Yarn for Me. .

Did you hear the door slamming shut the Tuesday night with a huge bang; that was the door that controls my yarn budget, slamming shut. I took Di to the vet Tuesday evening and we were there for a couple of hours. The result is that there is nothing else he can do for her, he has tapped out on the meds and surgery is not a possibility so he suggested a cardiologist. A doggy cardiologist is just as much as a human cardiologist, only I do not have insurance and a co-pay to cover the visits. lolol Her heart is pressing against her trachea and she eventually just will not be able to breath, but what can I do? We have increased everything to the max dosage, so he is hoping that the cardi will know something better that will relieve the pressure. He also things she has some strain of lupus that is causing her nose to crack and peel, so she has to have sunscreen on her snout when she goes out (and do you know how many times a day a dox on Lasix goes out?); in addition, she is starting to show signs of doggy senility. This whole thing is like a tumbleweed, rolling out of control. Aging is a nasty process isn’t it, for people and for pets.

The whole thing makes me very sad, but I am not depressed, where I plan on slitting my wrists. It is just sad to watch someone I love decline.

Now that we are all nice and sad, I have to tell you I did buy the Maggie Sefton book the other night, but when Di and I got in bed, we decided that we wanted the comfort of the familiar and went for an oooold Nora Roberts, Born in Ice. Maggie Sefton will be for tonight or over the weekend.

I am working away on the one row scarf, it isn’t hurting my arm or wrist, but I am only doing a few rows at a time. I am still working on the baby blanket for the woman at work, but I can only do a couple of rows a night on that one, but at least I am knitting!

Have a great day!

Bloggers Past

Don’t you hate it when a blog you love just disappears? You get to know the blogger by reading their blog and commenting, and you read it every day. Then all of a sudden you go to the blog and it either isn't there any longer or the site has become a private site with a password required. You know the person is having issues or something happened that caused them to go away so suddenly, but you still think about them and wonder if they are okay. I think that in the past couple of months I have been missing three blogs that just went away or that a password is needed to see the blog. I hope the past bloggers are okay and know that I miss them.

Blather

It is raining today and it is only 53, which is pretty freaking cold for June. I think it has rained almost constantly for 24 hours now, oh well, good for the plants. I am taking Di to the vet this afternoon for her peeling/cracked nose and heart issues (and I think she is way too skinny, we will see what the vet says). After that, I am going to buy Maggie Sefton’s new book, Drop Dead Stitch, get my knitting, and get in bed with Di to hide from the gloomies.

Happy knitting and reading to everyone!

Gardening , Reading, and Knitting, WAHOOOO

Above are the gardening pictures I was able to take this weekend. I had a blast in the garden, (it is very small) but, it is growing and looks like it is ready to produce soon. Notice how I repurposed the old laundry drying rack and chair in the garden ? lololol I am still having trouble adding pictures to blogger, I don't know what changed, but I cannot manipulate them like I could when they were added by code instead of the picture as they are now.

I did exactly what I wanted to do this weekend, I played in the garden, I read and I knitted. I just finished reading Patterns in the Sand by Sally Goldenbaum and it was very good. I like it when I do not guess the murder one third of the way through the book, there were twists and turns that made it interesting and I was satisfied when I was done reading, which is always a good thing.

I started a new project too, (yes, I still have startitis). I am having so much trouble with my right arm (the whole thing now, not just the wrist) I have discovered that smaller projects work better for me now. This means that all of my big projects are on hold for a while. Therefore, I started this and it is gorgeous. I am using Knitpicks Essential Kettle dyed sock yarn and # 10.5 (US) needles and I am loving it. I think I am going to use the same pattern for the alpaca for a scarf for me, it will be collapsible (I have no neck) so I won’t feel like I am suffocating in it. We’ll see if I am still loving it when I am done with 60" of it though. :-)



Imagine you're packing a picnic lunch. What would be in your basket?
The fun basket would be fried chicken, potato salad, cookies, pickles, and watermelon, with beer and soda for everyone. The adult or responsible basket would be chicken or turkey breast slices, tomatoes and cukes wrapped in leafy green lettuce, watermelon, carrot and celery sticks, and water or green tea for everyone.

If your life were a weather vane, which direction would it be pointing right now?
South

What's something that people do in traffic that really annoys you?
Talk on the cell phone and forget that they are driving. It is weird that some people are perfectly capable of driving and talking, but others slow down so much that they are a hazard to themselves and others, plus they cannot stay in the lane, they weave all over. It’s a mess.