It must have been Bad Larry's Pumpkin Blood Punch. Or maybe all of the chocolate... Or maybe I'm just tired and my inner joiner has taken over.

Whatever.

My friend Sally had a link to NaNoWriMo on her blog and I thought, "What the hell?" It's like, 6 pages a day (ack) starting at midnight tonight and ending November 30th. It's all about quantity and not so much about the quality. Cool, right?

And Bad Larry's Pumpkin Punch? Awesome. Seriously.
(Orange juice, pineapple juice, gin and triple sec. Uh huh. Yeah).

So what will my novel be about? I don't know. A large-ish woman with a sick husband who works too hard and eats too much crap? Now that's a compelling novel right there! Oh! And she sleeps a lot and complains about her life to anyone who doesn't run away! Now that's a likable character right there!

While we're on the subject of writing, the guy who wrote Little Children (Tom Perrotta) has a new novel out (The Abstinence Teacher). He was on some NPR program that I was listening to - probably Day to Day. Anyway, the interviewer brought up the fact that all of his books tend to focus on sex in the suburbs and asked if he believed in a happy marriage. He basically answered, sure but what's the story in that? The wedding is usually the end of the story and he said that his novel Little Children was sort of the "what comes next." Interesting. I liked the book and was surprised at how much I liked the movie... though the voice-over omniscient narrator was a little odd.

And while we're on the subject of good books... I'm reading The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. Wow. It's uncomfortable but really good. The first line of this novel is, "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." I'm only half-way through this book, but frankly, the main character killing her mother is not the most uncomfortable part. And the writing is so freaking good. (For those of you hooked up with Zooba, that's where I got this book).

Well, the husband is feeling a little bit better, thanks to his new medication. I hope to be at Twist tomorrow night for Stitch and Bitch and then Friday is my book club. Saturday is my cousin's wedding and then Sunday I'm going to a movie with Lara. According to her blog I'm one of her favorite people.

So there.

And also, like Lara I might have accidentally ordered a few things on Etsy today. I'm planning ahead for my Winter Wonderland Coffee/Yarn Swap. I got some more coffee bean stitch markers and some coffee soap and also some coffee-dyed yarn from Shelly Kang - also known as Shelly The Heathen Housewife Shelly - AKA, my second favorite Shelly.

So all over blogland there were adorable pictures of children in homemade costumes, beaming with pride at the accomplishments of their mothers, just waiting to quietly make their way to a lovely Halloween party and/or Trick-or-Treating. My kid? She took an orange t-shirt and wrote on it with permanent marker. It reads, "What? This IS my costume. I'm the scariest thing you've ever seen!" Then tonight she wore a black stretchy dress and black footless tights and black fairy wings. She was my "Scary Fairy." I wore my PJ's and went as a 2-year-old because right now that's the scariest thing I can imagine. And I'm good "in character." Whining for chocolate comes naturally to me.

OK, kids. It's almost midnight... I have six pages to write in the next 24 hours. And also? I have to sleep, work, knit, read and deal with my family. No wonder I haven't written anything longer than a blog entry in fifteen years!

The Least Scary Thing

Of course, on Halloween.

The husband has gout. Not a barrel of fun, but also treatable and controllable. It's not Lupis, rheumatoid arthritis, or some kind of cancer.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers...

Now, grant me patience and fortitude to clean the smoke smell out of my house.

Stillllll Waiting.

Still in pain, still grumpy, still smoking. You know, in my house.
I'm going to complain about him here... keep in mind that I do love him and I want him to feel better, but taking care of anyone who is in pain and grumpy and smoking in your house can get to you.
I stayed home with him again today - the people I work with are amazing. I did go in around 3 for an hour, but that was just to give myself a reason to shower. And I had to go to the grocery store.
It really is like having an infant again, he needs something about every two hours and I can't leave him alone.
And when I got to work it was so nice to see everyone... you know, everyone who did not need me to get them more water or empty their pee cup.
Too much?
Thought so.
Sorry.
It was nice to have grown-up conversations.
Better?

Anyway, he is now grumpier because the doctor's office did not call today. I am assuming that they did not get the labs back in as they hoped. He is assuming that he has cancer and she just didn't want to tell him. Those Cancer Treatment Center commercials? Also not helping.

I am clearly not designed for care taking.

In other news, my mother in law has clearly hit her head on something really hard. Yesterday she acknowledged that I have a second job and he has no job so therefore the fact that we are out of money has nothing at all to do with me and my spending habits.
Then she wrote us a big check. And also gave me cash to get dinner so that I wouldn't have to cook "after all I had been through." You know, taking him to the doctor and making sure they drew blood.

And by big check I mean two house payments and some yarn... just kidding (not really, I'll probably buy yarn). Two house payments and utilities and groceries. And yarn.

Well, regardless of what I spend the money on I can't say anything mean about her for at least another month.

I am going to work tomorrow... and then tomorrow night is Halloween, which I traditionally spend at Andie's house. I'll be there for at least a little bit, but depending on how he does all day by himself I might have to cut the evening short.
Ditto with Thursday knitting.

I hate waiting.

We're waiting on some potentially serious test results for the husband. He's been in a lot of pain for about a week and has been more or less unable to walk since Friday.

Consequently, he has also been SMOKING in the DEN which is making my entire house smell like ASS.
I am trying to maintain perspective on this.
It's a short-term solution and the non-smoking ban will go back in place as soon as he can hobble his own ass outside. I'm trying to think of it as a long, drawn-out party in which everyone I know is chain-smoking.

I am also going to be in trouble if it ever comes out that Febreeze causes any kind of illness.

His knee is huge and he did not fall or overtly injure in in any way. His knee is apparently on strike. His father was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when he was this age so that is a scary possibility. There is also the possibility that he has some kind of immune deficiency. And that is sort of scary, too. He had x-rays and blood tests today. The x-rays were fine - she said there doesn't appear to be any fracture or breakdown in the structure of the bone. We should know more - if only about what it isn't tomorrow.

Neither of us slept much last night. It was so bad that every time he moved he would scream. We've been focusing on the immediate needs today - it took me an hour to get him out of the house. I was ready to call an ambulance and let the EMT's figure it out, but he was determined to get to the doctor's office on our own steam. Stubborn man.

My co-workers have been amazing. I didn't go in at all today and they really pulled together and made it work. I am so lucky in so many ways.

He's asleep now, and I'm going to Febreeze the living room once more and try to get some sleep, too.

Or I could spontaneously change my mind

I decided a few days ago that I was absolutely not going to join the Socks that Rock club again this year... and then on the way home I stopped and mailed in my registration form. Who knows why I do these things?

When I got home the October kit was here. Holy cats. I'm in love with the yarn and the pattern (and the shoes in the photograph). AND the yarn? It's called "Lenore" and is a preview of the Raven series that comes out on November 5th. (Side note: I had to memorize that poem in 7th grade and I remember most of it still. My favorite line, "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain / Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before").

There was also a flier for the next BMFA sock camp. Sigh. I know we went through all of my stomping around about wanting to go last year... but I really really really want to go this year. The Yarn Harlot is going to be there, for the love of all things soft and wooly!
Last year Lara pointed out how much sock yarn one could purchase with that kind of money... but I need a vacation! And wouldn't that be a fun one?!?
On the other hand... there is that one little fly in the honey (burr in the roaving?) - and not just that given our current financial situation spending that kind of money is stupid and irresponsible. My social anxiety levels are higher than usual right now. While the thought of a great, yarn-filled vacation makes me happy, there is also this sense of doom at the thought of spending 5 days in a strange state with 80 people I don't know. What if I freak out? Or fall down. Or get that nervous talking thing and can't stop myself. What if I sweat on someone or throw up? What if they don't like me?

The only thing that is getting me through the pledge drive is that I spend most of my time in the safe, darkened cave of the control room and I don't actually have to interact with the people much. Also, I'm too tired and grumpy to worry about anything embarrassing that I might say or do. That and all of the sugar.

Speaking of the pledge drive... when I'm pitching I often refer back to the last thing they talked about and bring up the fact that we all listen and then go right online to look up the book/cd/movie they mentioned. In Talk of the Nation today they were talking about porn. Online porn. Free. Online. Porn. Starting that break with "How many of you are online right now looking that up? While you're online, make a pledge to this station!" seemed... wrong somehow. Realistic, but wrong. Pretty much anything we usually say seems wrong when they're talking about free online porn.

"Think about what it means to you to have this kind of information..."
"What a great example of the quality programming and important information..."
"Finding human connections and learning more about people all over the world is just one reason public radio is so important..."

See what I mean?

Woo Hoo!

I had a package waiting for me this morning!!

Thank you Lisa for being so generous!! Do you see that pretty sock yarn?!? There are even a few little things in there for Bean. The Snickers quickly became breakfast... every day should begin with presents. Especially during Pledge Drive!!


Here is a better picture of the washcloth... The colors are beautiful and the soap is lavender. Loooooooove it!! She did such a nice job and it really did make my day! Thanks again Lisa!!







While we're on the topic of swaps... here's the Monkey Swap package just before I sent it. It was been received and she reports that the socks fit!!


I love these swaps!! I have as much fun getting the package together to send as I do opening the packages I receive!!

One Good Hour

I am exhausted... trying not to be whiny or anything.
My sinus infection turned cold exacerbated by allergies is kicking my ass. Completely.

Last night I couldn't sleep so I watched (what I thought was) the rest of Lost Season 3... apparently the last four or five episodes are not online yet. Damn it. I went to sleep around 5, slept for a few hours and then the husband woke me up. For sex. Riiiiiiight. He said, "I thought you were getting up at 8." I rolled over and said, "Well, that didn't happen." Then I moved his hand, tucked my blankets more fully around me and said, "And this? Not happening either." Poor guy.
Whatever.

Then work. Pledge drive. Day five. Everyone exhausted and on high alert and full of carbs and coffee. We have about $5o thousand to raise in the next four days. That is not as insurmountable as it sounds.

My one good hour started just before 4... Shelly came in and pitched with me. What a blast! I learned that what is keeping me from marrying her and living in the back of her yarn store is not the fact that we are both married. It is not the fact that marriage between two women is not legal in this state. It is not even the fact that I am pretty certain that Shelly is, you know, straight and all. It's that we were separated at birth and are, in fact, twins.

The rest is downhill and way too boring to type. Though I did make a kick-ass macaroni and cheese.

I should be baking now... those cakes are not going to bake themselves after all. But I think I'll wait and bake my boobies tomorrow.
Right now I'm going to take some NyQuil and sleepsleepsleep.

To join or not to join...

The deadline is approaching... I have to decide if I want to be part of the Blue Moon Socks that Rock club again this year.

It seems like a no-brainer. I love (love love love) BMFA. I love the squishiness of the yarn. My Clapotis is around my shoulders right now. I love the colors and the exclusivity... and you all know how much I love joining things.

But... of the four patterns that have been sent so far I have started one and completed zero. And they're not increasing the size of the club this year, so the only way for new people to get a chance to join is for people like me to drop out.

Wouldn't it make more sense to use that money to:
A) buy BMFA yarn of my own choosing and use one of the many (many) pattern books full of socks and/or free sock patterns on the Internet

B) find another sock club and see if I like those patterns better. Like this one from Yarn Pirate.

or (and this is my favorite)

C) Spend that money at Twist instead. I have lots of sock yarn... I'm not saying I have enough sock yarn. Heavens no. That's like saying I have enough oxygen or Oreos. But maybe I should use the sock yarn that I already have (which, by the way, includes at least 10 skeins of BMFA already) and buy yarn from Shelly for other projects. And also sock yarn. There's going to be a sock club at Twist in January anyway.

So, decision made. No Socks that Rock for me. Good times.
Hi, Shelly? There will be large purchases at the beginning of the year... be prepared. (Heh heh heh).

Seriously Stupid

So I'm watching The Bachelor. (I know).
Sheena, the twinkie of the evening was talking about her date (with the dumbest bachelor in the history of the show... and that's just flat out tragic dumb). She was describing her delight when they were walking down and there was a "small orchestra" playing.

A small orchestra.

Um, Sheena? There is no such thing as a small orchestra.
It's possible that you meant a string quartet... I mean, considering there were, you know, four of them and they were all playing stringed instruments and stuff.
I could be wrong about this. (I'm not).

Look, it's not that I expect really smart people to go seek their fame and fortune on reality television. Especially not dating reality television. But this season they all seem aggressively stupid.
And the girls all say "di-nint" instead of "didn't." I hate that. It's like the person who came on during the pledge drive a few years ago and kept saying "impornant" instead of "important."

Bleh.

I need to knit something. Maybe that will stop the smart from exiting my brain since I can't seem to stop watching this train wreck of a show.

My Favorite Things

Just a random list of my favorite things.
This week anyway.

Color: Pink (quelle suprise, right)

Candy: Snickers (though the new whipped Reese's candy bar is a close second)

TV Show: Lost (I am so in love with Sawyer - understandable if unoriginal)

Movie: Micheal Clayton (seriously, go see it right now)

Yarn: Nashua Creative Focus Worsted

Dub-over for bad words on TV: "genius" for "Jesus" on The Wedding Date on TNT

Fear: MRSA

Clothing: pajama pants, purple with cows

Knitting pattern: Dream Swatch Head Wrap (despite the fact that it reveals my true nature as a trend-follower)

Person: my husband - what a difference a little chemical alteration can make!!

Sound: rain on the metal cover of our back porch

Baking project: boobie cupcakes for the breast-cancer bake sale at Twist on Friday. (Stay tuned, there will be pictures. I'm thinking gumdrop nipples...)

Place I want to retire: Maine (I have this fantasy about getting snowed in for a week with a well stocked pantry, wood pile, bookshelf and knitting basket)

Yarn enabler: Shelly at Twist (love ya Shelly!!)

Drink: Diet Cranberry Sierra Mist (Holy cats y'all, all it needs is a little vodka! And it's a pretty
color)

Anticipation: Monkey sock swap package AND the Fall into Autumn swap package.

There is an Alpaca in my Eye!

I started the Totally Autumn blanket in Nashua Creative Focus - 75% wool, 25% alpaca. There is pink fuzz all over me and I think that I got some alpaca fuzz in my eye.
Not good.
The yarn though? Gooooooood.
I hate that I love this yarn. It's so soft and so nice to knit with that I want to knit my entire life out of it. Also, it comes in many fine colors and is not that expensive and I can get it at Twist. But it's wool and alpaca. Wool + alpaca = no washey. Wool and alpaca require care and attention.
Sigh.
The person I am knitting it for has no children (to spill things or, you know, pee on it). She is careful with fabrics and she also crochets so she will understand the time/energy commitment and will therefore be careful so I am comfortable knitting this lovely blankie for her.
I love this yarn so much that I didn't mind casting on - my least favorite part of knitting. And the pattern calls for 9 rows of garter stitch before you get to the pattern and even that was more fun than garter stitch ought to be.



I realized that i never posted a finished picture of Kerri's garter so here it is!



I got to pretend to be a yarn shop girl last night! It was fun!! Shelly was teaching a class so she showed Becca and Angelique and I how to run the register. Between the three of us we managed not to lose customers or money... so success! I forgot how exhausting it is to work in retail!! Even when it's something that you love. I don't know how Shelly does it, but I'm glad she does.

On another topic entirely...

So all of the news about MRSA and the yucky transmittable stuff that apparently doesn't have a real cure is FREAKING ME OUT!
I want to live in a bubble.


Or maybe just start wearing latex gloves all the time.

Ick.

If I see you and don't hug you or something please don't be offended... It's not you, it's mrsa.

So what's with the PINK?

I know, right?
I changed from green to pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it's cheering me up a little, so it might just stay.
I had some friends over last night to knit and eat bad food so I (gasp) cleaned my house... well, parts of my house. The parts people were likely to see. I did neglect to close the bedroom door in time and I think my friend D saw the inside of my bedroom. With the light on. I am sufficiently embarrassed.
Here's how bad my bedroom is: you know how open and honest I am on this blog about pretty much everything that is going on in my life? I would never ever post a picture of my bedroom in it's current state. Never. I would rather reveal my actual weight. I would rather wear a bright yellow t-shirt with my weight printed in big letters on the front than post a picture of my bedroom in it's current state.
Seriously.
Anyway, the things that don't belong in the living room were removed and I swept and mopped the wood floors. The bathroom was fairly clean to begin with, but all of the underpants and socks were moved to a laundry basket and covered discretely with a towel.
When I am sick or really busy at work our house and everyone in it tends to go feral. I was sick for a few weeks and now I'm getting ready for Pledge Drive. My house was starting to revert back to jungle and we were starting to lose the opposable feature of our thumbs so last night I cleaned and tonight we're cooking and eating as a family. At the table. With forks and real plates.
And then I'm going to take a nap instead of cleaning my room.
So there.

Coffee Swap Questions...

Coffee

What are your favorite kinds of coffee? (Brands, Roasts, anything at all you'd like to share!)
I am a Starbucks Junkie... but I also like coffee at home. I tend toward lighter coffee, and while I don't know a lot about coffee I know that if "Sumatra" is in the name I'll like it (sort of like I know nothing about wine, but if it's from Australia I know I won't be disappointed). I also like flavored coffees - nothing too crazy, but vanilla, hazelnut, basic flavors like that are good.

Do you prefer whole bean or ground coffee?
Unless my package is going to include a coffee grinder I need ground coffee!

This time of year, there are often Holiday Blends available, and many flavored coffees - do you drink flavored coffee? Do you enjoy special blends?
I stay away from the "pumpkin spice " and "holiday" blends... but I do like peppermint!

How do you take your coffee? Cream and Sugar? Straight up? Decaf?
Yes. Seriously, I'm a cream, no sugar girl... but Splenda has come out with little coffee flavor packets that I'd like to try.

Do you prefer drinking from a nice thick mug, or a matched cup and saucer?
Ohhhhhh... thick mug. Big enough to put your fist in. I actually shop for mugs like that - if my fist doesn't fit inside I don't buy it!

Winter and Holidays - PLEASE be descriptive! Your pal will need this information to be sure to put together a package you will enjoy!

What is your favorite part of Winter?
I love snow days - when I get to stay home, that is!! I like to make a big pot of soup and wear pj's all day and bake something so that the house stays warm and cozy.

Do you celebrate a holiday in December, and if so, which holiday?
I celebrate Christmas

If you celebrate Christmas, do you put up a tree?
Yes

Would you enjoy items related to the holiday, or would you prefer a Winter themed package?
Either is fine

Do you collect anything? Are there any holiday or winter-themed items (Snowmen, Angels, Snoflakes, Santas, etc) that you collect?
I didn't think I collected anything, but when I pulled all of the Christmas stuff out last year my husband said, "Wow, you really like snowmen."

Do you wear scarves? Mittens? Hats?
I wear scarves and I would love a pair of wrist warmers or fingerless gloves and I just haven't managed to make myself any yet!

What is your favorite holiday or winter treat?
Peppermint ice cream... but that is not very helpful is it? I like peppermint and chocolate and nuts... those are all things that my mom has out during the holidays so I associate those things with holiday treats... I also loooooooove hot chocolate and marshmallows. I have been known to mix my hot chocolate with coffee instead of hot water or milk.

Please share a favorite Winter or Holiday memory.
Every year on Christmas Eve we have a late lunch at my Grandmother's house - nothing fancy, just soup and sandwiches and presents. Last year she moved into an assisted living facility and there just wasn't enough room for all of us to go at the same time. My husband and I had just moved in to our first house so we hosted the Christmas Eve lunch. I felt like a grown up, and I was finally able to use some of the serving dishes we got as wedding gifts!!

Yarn and Crafting

Do you Knit or Crochet? For how long?
I knit - I learned several years ago and in the last two years it has become an obsession.

Do you like wooden, metal, or plastic needles\hooks? Circular or straight?
I like wooden... but my tension tends to snap them in half... metal or plastic is better. I don't have a circular or straight preference over all... it depends on the project.

What sort of projects do you enjoy making?
I mostly knit socks... but I'm moving on to bigger projects!

What are your favorite types of yarn to work with?
Washable! I am not a big fan of novelty yarn, but I love soft and squishy yarns.

Do you spin or dye?
Nope

Do you do other crafts such as scrapbooking or needlepoint or anything else?
No, but I am interested in learning to quilt.

General

When is your birthday?
June 18

Do you have any children? (Furry kind count!)
One daughter (11), two cats and a husband

What are your favorite colors?
Purples, greens and blues... and pink.

Do you have any allergies?
Nope!

Underachiever

I thought I had a large stash.

I was wrong.

I am now speechless.

The World's Biggest Stash

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

My grandmother was a beautiful woman. She was creative and funny and generous. She was the most centered and loving person in my world. She read to me from the second I was born. She could look at you and sew a dress that would fit perfectly. She sang to me for hours when I was sick or couldn't sleep. She could make breakfast on a Saturday morning an event - "good" dishes and presents. She always knew how to make bad days good and good days better.
She died when I was twelve after a 4-year fight with breast cancer.
I miss her every single day.

Every one of us has a story like that, or knows someone with a story like that.
This month I encourage you all to give what you can to your local Breast Cancer research fund.
Every month I encourage you to self-check and remind the women in your life to self-check.
Schedule your mammograms, take vitamins with antioxidants.
Exercise.

I found a pattern for Breast Cancer Awareness Socks... knit them in memory of someone you love, knit them to remind yourself to take care of yourself, knit them to remind others that this is a disease that needs a cure.

Crazy Tiger Fortune Cookie Monkey Socks

(Great title, right? I suck at thinking up clever titles but this one just sort of came out. I know it makes no sense, but that just works right along with the crazy aspect).

I was on my way in to work tonight and I saw a tiger riding a bicycle.
That is, I saw a person in a tiger suit riding a bicycle.
Somehow that little distinction doesn't make me feel any less crazy. I wish someone else had been in the car with me just so I could have said, "Hey look at that tiger riding a bicycle!" And the other person would have said either, "Weird!" or "What tiger?" Then at least I'd know.
I know that I have been working a lot lately and I am just recovering from a sinus infection, but surely that was not a hallucination. Right?
Speaking of crazy, we had dinner with my mother in law last night. It was more or less ok... she started going on and on about the husband and his health issues and I tried my super secret social worker tricks to get her to talk about other stuff, but she could only be so distracted for so long. I finally said, "Look, he's fine. He saw the doctor, she was really happy with his weight and blood pressure, we have everything else under control." What I didn't say was, "So back off you crazy, suffocating black hole of negativity!"
I should win some kind of self-editing award.
It's like reading a fortune cookie anymore... you know how everyone adds "in bed" to the fortune and when you're eating Chinese food with your kid or your grandmother you don't actually say "in bed" but everyone is thinking it... when I say pretty much anything to my mother in law I'm thinking "So back off you crazy, suffocation black hole of negativity" at the end of it.
I am two repeats and a toe away from completing my monkey socks. I had a serious yarn malfunction and had to cut a large-ish tangle of yarn out of the middle of the skein so I bought another skein of yarn just in case. I really thought there was no way I could finish without it but it looks like I might just have enough after all. I think I'll make some ankle socks for myself with whatever is left over. Now I just need to (patiently) wait for the few monkey things I ordered to get here! I plan to mail my Monkey socks and my wash cloth on Friday. Yay!

Coffee and Yarn

A Winter Swap!!

I know that I am a little swap happy these days... but this one is coffee and yarn!! Registration opens on the 24th so hop on over and get swap happy with me.

Thanks, K for finding this one... I'll be mailing out my 2 current swap packages on Friday and now I have a new swap to look forward to.

The Shelly Fan Club

First, this anecdote.

This is how we roll at my house:
Last night the husband came into the bedroom, looked at me and asked, "What are you eating?"
"Frosting."
"Why are you eating frosting?"
"I'm sublimating my need for sex."
"You want to have sex?"
"Not anymore, I'm kind of sick from all the frosting."

My real post is about how everyone should be just like Shelly.
I love Shelly.
She came in this morning to talk about how much she loves public radio and how everyone should contribute. Normally we then take the 20-minute interview, pull out the one or two halfway intelligent things the person said and make a 30-second testimonial out of it. Shelly was fabulous. I could slap some music under it, edit myself out and roll with it! She's articulate and funny and interesting.
And she is a serious public radio listener.
And she owns a yarn shop.
And she underwrites.

If we weren't both married and it weren't illegal in this state I would so marry her and cook for her and run around all day trying to think up ways to make her happy.

And I mean that in the least stalker-ish way possible.

I showed her where my work yarn stash lives and I showed her my picture of Ira Glass and me... and we scheduled some time for her to come in during the pledge drive and say charming and intelligent things effortlessly on the air.

Sigh.

In (other) knitting news... I'm on the heel of the second monkey sock, waiting for the monkey stuff I ordered to get here so I can mail it. I'll be mailing my Dishcloth Exchange package next Friday. I have put the Queen of Cups sock to the side until I finish the second monkey... and I should probably decide on how much holiday knitting I'm going to attempt!

Maybe everyone on my list would like some nice wristbands. Matching ones.

Curses

The Pledge Drive Curse
Remember how I said I made it through that sinus infection? Well I did, but apparently on the other end of that infection was a cold. It's the pledge drive curse. Every six months we have this really stressful 8 days at work and every six months I get a bad cold/flu the week or so before the drive that makes it impossible for me to get anything done.

The 80's Movie Montage Curse
Also? If your husband wants a snack after midnight and it involves any food that comes in a package that includes any combination of the words "olé," "spicy coating" or "hot," JUST SAY NO!! I, of course, said "Wow, those are good. Are there any more?"
I'm not smart. I also should not be exposed to bright light or water.
Then I had a dream about Andrew McCarthy. He's dreamy. (I've also heard that he's gay - not that there's anything wrong with that, other than the fact that it ruins the "someday he'll show up at my door and declare his love for me and only me" fantasy I've had since I was thirteen).
The good news is that I seriously doubt that anything that is wrong with me is contagious.
The bad news is that I feel a lot like Bill Paxton's character at the end of Weird Science.
Only without the cigar. Yuck.

The Second Sock Curse
I cast on that stupid monkey five times. Yup. Five. Then I finally made it through the (oh so tricky k1tbl, p1) ribbing and then had to rip back the sock part three times before I finally got that right. Seriously. I spent most of the evening knitting last night and I have about an inch and a half of sock.
Apparently if you let yourself fall victim to the second sock syndrome, even for a week (or three) the second sock gets pissed.

The Educational Irony Curse
I am firmly at the halfway point in my social work degree and I am realizing that the thing that really is interesting to me is the chemical makeup and reactions of the brain. That really isn't so much a social worker thing as a psychiatrist thing. The irony? When I was in 7th grade I wanted to be a psychiatrist.
That lasted until I got a D in chemistry as a sophomore. Then I wanted to be a psychologist. That lasted until I woke up one morning early in my last year of high school when I decided that what I really wanted to do was teach. That lasted until the third week of college English when we had to exchange papers with our group and critique each other's papers and I realized that you really could graduate from high school and get into college without the ability to put two sentences together.
Now? I want to take classes about psychopharmachology and the chemistry and anatomy of the brain. These classes exist. For graduate students in biology and chemistry.

Anniversary greetings

It's our anniversary today. Three years of wedded... reality. Nothing at all blissful about reality is there?
I looked through my posts from this time last year - we were closing on the house and the husband's dad was getting worse and worse. I was settling into my stressful routines at Hospice and school and work. I remember feeling like I was so tired and stressed out that there was no way that things could get more tiring or stressful. Silly me.
I don't know that things are more tiring and stressful than last year... but it's certainly not less.

So here's where we are: we are no longer talking about divorce. Is is still an option? Maybe. I think that is ultimately true of every married couple regardless of what they may think. You never know when someone you think you know better than you know yourself is going to flip you on your ass. But we're working on it.

He has a doctor's appointment on Thursday to talk about anti-anxiety medicine.
I will continue to work on thinking of him as a husband rather than as a case study or a client.
He is more actively looking for a job.
I am trying to become more organized and less cluttered.
He is drinking less.
I am working on my spending habits - which includes making a real effort to eat at (or from) home significantly more. (More on that later...)
We are parenting together - and in conjunction with the ex and the idiot stepmother - more effectively.
We are working on making our relationship more "people who love each other" and less "people who happen to live in the same house but rarely interact."
Sometimes in marriage I think that's a pretty lofty goal!!

I'm Alive!!

I survived the worst sinus infection I have had in a looooong time. Seriously. I was pleased to discover that it was not strep throat. Really surprised considering how bad my throat felt, but pleased. My doctor advised me to talk as little as possible because my throat was so raw.
Right. I'll just sign my air shift. That will probably work. Non-verbal cues are really effective on the radio.

I stayed in bed all weekend, with the exception of a few hours on Saturday when I went to the grocery store and bought the ingredients for real macaroni and cheese and then I made it and then I went back to bed with a big ol' bowl of it. Yum-o.
I'm still not 100% but I am feeling much more human today.

I (accidentally, I swear) left my monkey socks at work this weekend so was therefore FORCED to cast on for the Queen of Cups socks. In Knitpicks Risatta. Let me just say that the only thing I don't like about this yarn is that it doesn't come in pink or purple. It's squishy and stretchy and there is no splitting. None. It's twisty. Oh... that's the only other thing I don't like about this yarn - it's not at Twist and I have to order it online rather than supporting my LYS.

So poor Bean!! She also has a sinus infection and the Dr. said that we needed to look at her tonsils again in a month. Apparently every time she goes in her tonsils are swollen and it's better to remove them as a child than in adulthood. She said, "I'm going to stop going places because every time I have an appointment someone wants me to have surgery!" She's actually pretty good-natured about it and I think that while she is afraid of surgery in general she's not overly upset about all of this.

I love that kid.

Start thinking up some good meal-in-a-blender recipes for me... we're looking at a very liquid Christmas. And I don't mean that in the financially liquid or the alcohol-ly liquid way.

Well, maybe a little alcohol. You know, for mommy's nerves.

Second Sock Syndrome

My poor Monkey socks. Sock.
It's been a week since I finished the first one.
I cast on for the second one last night and then dropped a stitch in the second round and stuffed it back in my knitting bag. I can't want to start. It's not that I don't love the pattern. I totally do. It's not that I don't love the yarn... it's Panda Cotton for crying out loud. In purples and blues. My favorites!!

Instead of starting it now I'm blogging and not ten minutes ago I was on Knitty printing out the pattern for Queen of Cups. (I know, right?!? I have Knitpicks Risatta in a pretty dark green. It's squishy and soft and... a-hem). Hi.

So I will cast on for these Monkeys and I will send them off on time. (I will).

Maybe this funk has something to do with the fact that I finished my Clapotis last night. I LOVE it. But that is the second thing in less than a month that I finished (other than socks). I am usually more of a starter than a finisher... so I'm sort of at a loss. Lara has inspired me to become more of a finisher so (for my next trick...) I'm going to start knitting on Bean's log-cabin blanket again. It will be a nice bit of mindlessness when my Queen of Cups socks get to be too difficult. Monkey. I meant when my Monkey socks get too, um, difficult. Or something.

Too Much?

I got my replacement Lantern Moon Sock Stix today! They sent 2 teeny little needles in a big box with lots of paper. They apparently wanted to make sure there was no breakage on the way. I still haven't decided if I'm going to try to use them again and risk another break or if I'm going to just resign myself to metal dpn's forever.

Oh. Except for the new Knitpicks wooden pretty ones I accidentally ordered. Hee hee.

So it's just after 3:30 and I'm off the air and all of my work is done... I'm thinking about sneaking out the back to go knit at Twist. It's SnB night... and also the KIP group is going to Cabaret Old Town for a show. So I'll be leaving Twist an hour early to go to that. SnB usually runs from 6-8, but if I leave right now I'll get there by 4. That's three hours at Twist before I have to leave for the show. Is that too much?!?
I'm almost finished with the Clapotis and I will have enough yarn left (I think) for some footie socks to match. Neat-o! I also have my second Monkey sock to knit and I was thinking about knitting a Mr. Dangly. (Stop that, it's a stuffed monkey. Stop That!!)
Surely nobody would miss me... it's not like I'd be doing anything here except surfing on the Internet anyway...

Doomed to Repeat History...

I'm sitting in bed watching Top Chef eating tangerine Altoids. I put one in my mouth and it's sooooo sour that I chew it and it's more sour. Then a few minutes later I put another one in my mouth and it's sooooo sour that I chew it....
Sigh.
So Bean has been grounded since her birthday because she is having some, um, memory issues with her homework. She either forgets it entirely or she does it and then forgets to hand it in. It's not that I have never had this happen to me. It's not like her dad was any better! But she is WAY too smart to get bad grades because she can't remember her homework. I got a call earlier this week from school - she forget her homework again. I don't know what's left. We had a parental pow wow and we're adjusting the punishment... and she also has to write down every single assignment she has all day and then she has to bring that list home with her along with the books for everything she hasn't finished. I hope this will help her get organized. I showed her the lists I make at work and I showed her my planner that lists really stupid "no duh" stuff that I'm not going to forget... most of the time. Stuff like my air shift and class schedule. Stuff like what to take with me to the S-n-B at Twist. Notations to make appointments a few weeks before I actually need them. A weekly countdown to important assignments and projects.
She's feeling a little resentful - I think she likes our laissez-faire parenting style much better. I know I do. I hate having to be all, you know, in charge and stuff. I wold much rather be able to trust her to get her shit together on her own.
So we're all grumpy.
Until today.
Today she had an orthodontist appointment. They pulled two teeth and did an x-ray. She apparently needs an oral surgeon. Her wisdom teeth are already there and causing significant problems. She also has about 8 baby teeth (all back teeth) that are not loose but are hindering the adult teeth that are so ready to emerge. I know that as far as surgeries go this is pretty minor and I know that there are lots of people who are going through far worse problems with their kids, but she is nervous and I wish she didn't have to do it.

I also warned her not to listen to her dad. His wisdom tooth horror story needs not to be told.

The only scary thing about my wisdom tooth surgery was that while I was recovering from the initial anesthetic I hallucinated that my boyfriend was a giant hedgehog. I knew it was him, but he looked like a hedgehog. I was terrified that he would try to kiss me.

Our consultation with the oral surgeon is about a month away so I have a little time... I think I'm going to try to finish her log cabin blanket before she has to go in. That way she can recover under it.

Fall into Autumn Exchange

Week #4
Are there any recipes you especially enjoy having in the Fall? Any foods that are seasonal that you especially enjoy?

I love Crock Pot cooking - coming home out of the cool air and smelling wonderful warm food in the kitchen! I have a few favorites... but here's what is in my crock pot right now:

Chicken breasts
Enchilada sauce
Corn (drained)
Black beans (drained)
Cook on low at least 8 hours. Shred chicken, stir and serve on tortillas with cheddar cheese and sour cream.
The chicken is also good on salad with light ranch dressing.