Random Saturday...

Coffee. Coffee will save me. This week, under (potentially questionable) advice from my thin, very nice, and super-healthy friend Jackie I decided to try to cut down on the amount of diet soda I drink. Um, it didn't go so well. Thursday I drank iced tea and water and only one 16 oz. bottle of diet Dr. Pepper ALL DAY. Friday I started with iced tea and moved on to water and then I fell asleep in front of Bean's school (in my car, of course) and took a little nap while I waited for her to get out. I slept hard and woke up groggy.
Then I had a huge diet Coke at dinner and a huge(r) diet Dr.Pepper at the movie. (Bridge to Terebithia. Got see it, take Kleenex).
But I will press on! I will drink some coffee this morning and then switch to water and I will try to rid myself of the soda addiction. (I think I can, I think I can).
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Has anyone seen the new sandwich at McDonalds? It's a "double" fish sandwich. It sort of gives me the willies. Bleh. It would probably help if I liked the fish sandwich to begin with, but I don't. The thought of two rectangles of McFish makes me feel really oogy.
Moving right along...
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Last night on the front porch I killed TWO mosquitoes. Two. What the hell? It was less than zero degrees ten days ago. Now it's been in the 50's and 60's for a few days. In a few days it will be in the 20's again and there is a chance of show tonight even. And there were MOSQUITOES on my frickin' porch. I am a mosquito magnet. I could move to Alaska in the middle of winter and the one mosquito that survived the journey in a shipment of bananas would find me and bite me before he died a cold and lonely death. Stupid mosquitoes.
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Um... is next Friday really the first Friday of the month? Shit on toast. It's book club night. Remember last month how I was reading that Thomas Pynchon book and it was hard and stuff?? Remember how I almost didn't finish the 500 pages I was supposed to read? Guess how many of the second half I've read. That's right! None!!
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I got my Lucy sock yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts yesterday. That would be the last thing I ordered online before I started my self-imposed sanction on the use of the "clicky finger." It's harder than I thought it would be. Donna got some yarn from an Etsy shop called "Crash into Ewe." The yarn she got was "Proudest Monkey." Dave Matthews, anyone?? Could I LOVE some Dave-inspired yarn? Hell yes I could! So I went to the Etsy site and came SO close to clicking without thinking that I scared myself. When is Lent over, anyway?
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Today is K's Pink Party. I'm looking forward to some knitting and some talking and some pink-wearing. I did finish my pink socks. They're a little big, but I think I figured out the problem. When I make the big socks to fit my big feet I need to to the decreases more frequently than the pattern says I should.
Today I'll be working on Andie's second Crusoe sock and my Rowan Calmer hat.
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Did I mention that I love this yarn? I want to knit everything in the world out of Rowan Calmer. Though Lia says Cashsoft is softer. (~le sigh~). Andie and I are thinking of making a trip to a small town about three hours away that has a rockin' cool yarn shop (that carries all of the Rowan yarn) and also has a fantastic Greek restaurant. Let me know if you want to tag along!
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I have not colored my hair for a few months and (thanks to a slow fade) there is no tell-tale line, and it is as close to my natural color as it has been since I was twelve. There are quite a few white hairs - not gray, WHITE - peeking through and I can't decide what to do about that. Maybe it's time to go red again. Or Manic Panic purple. Maybe after my practicum I'll do something a little wacky. Maybe.
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Bean wants to change schools next year. She's had enough of the bitchy little girl who controls the tone and temperature of the room. It's more frequent now that she comes home sad and heartbroken. This little bitchy girl is manipulative and once Bean stopped reacting to her crap the little bitchy girl pulled other little stupid, easily swayed girls in and about half of Bean's friends are under the bitchy girl's influence. I told Bean that little bitchy girls are everywhere and it only gets worse as you go through middle and high school but she said moving to a new school for 5th grade would give her a fresh start. True. She would also be at our neighborhood school and would meet the kids she'll possibly go to middle and high school with before middle school. And she might meet kids from our neighborhood. On the other hand... running away doesn't solve the issue, which is that we all have to learn how to deal with the little bitchy girls of the world, don't we? Why can't I protect her forever?!? Why can't I go smack that little bitchy girl AND her presumably bitchy mother?!?
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I just got a call from the student who is supposed to come in at 1 so I can go home (and get ready for The Pink Party). He's sick. He's not coming in. Which means that I do NOT get to go to K's party and it means I will work eleven hours by the time I get to go home. He said, "Should I call someone else to see if I can get someone to cover for me?" I said,"There is no one else. I guess I'll take care of it and I'll see you tomorrow."
FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!
Target is actually hiring now...
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Now I'm too mad to think of anything else. I want to cry. And then take a nap. And then cry some more.
*****
At least I'll have time to read the book I hate.

Knitting and weeping and knitting and cookies

Look! Andie's knitting a sock! After two restarts she completed one full row. She didn't even throw it across the room and yell "Fuck this fucking sock!" like I did with my first sock. I was knitting my cabled hat (two whole rows of easy cables... the hard stuff comes later) and she was knitting (and re-knitting) her sock and we were not watching TV. No worries, though, my DVR is my favorite thing in the world. I'm watching Gray's now and I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched yet, but there is this scene with Derek and Meredith's mom that made me cry. And it's still early in the show. I'm screwed here. I haven't even watched ER yet.
It's kind of an emotional night anyway... I've been trying to ignore it, but I'm tired and this show is making me weepy. I ran into a guy I went to high school with (his boys go to school with Bean). He and his wife just adopted a baby girl. She is beautiful and soft and so unbelievably small. This baby want will pass. We've been down this road many times before and it will pass. It's not practical, it's not workable and it is certainly not a realistic want.
Now I need cookies. And xanax.
Time to keep knitting and stop thinking so much.
Gray's is over... I'm going to watch My Name is Earl and The Office before I wade into ER.

***Update***

Of COURSE My Name is Earl is all about babies tonight.
Of course.
Vodka anyone?

My Pink Socks

Here are my pink socks. I love them. They need to be finished soon because my Socks That Rock should be here soon. Also, my friend K is having a Pink Party on Saturday and I would like to wear them. The pattern asked for size 2 needles... I'm knitting with 3's because I have big ol' feet. There are other reasons why I need to hurry and finish these socks.
My Rowan yarn came for my professor's hat. I cast on and am almost finished with the ribbing. I love (love love love) this yarn. It is incredibly soft and the color is so much prettier than the pictures show. Trust me, order some of this yarn and knit something for yourself. There are other reasons I need to finish my pink socks.
This is the sock yarn I ordered to teach Andie to knit socks. (Knitpicks Memories in Morning Glory and Geranium). Andie has a thing for red that is very similar to my thing for purple. I found my ball winder and my swift and before I go to bed these will be wound into nice little center-pull cakes. Yay me. But there are other reasons why I need to finish my pink socks...
These are just a few of the books I purchased recently. In true "Nap Lover" form, I was flipping through the You On a Diet book while eating half a box of Girl Scout Cookies (peanut butter sandwiches).

I'm off to knit... or read... or knit... or read...

Dude, Where's My Chi?

I rearranged my bedroom. My head now points west.
I am trying to increase the balance and flow of positive energy in my life...
Actually I was trying to increase the likelihood that I could get into and out of bed in the dark without tripping over something. And now my dresser isn't placed over the light switch, so we can turn on the light without scraping our knuckles.
But I did sleep really well last night.
A smart girl would have cleaned the crap off of the floor before she tried to move the heavy furniture... I, on the other hand, just shoved things around. It took more energy, all of the shoving, but it certainly took less time. I did, however, step on an ice pack that was no longer ice and it erupted clear gel all over the room. So that was fun. I thought I cleaned it all up but today I'm finding it in the strangest places.

Now I need to find storage options for my rapidly increasing yarn stash.
Hehehehehehe.

I am in a socky mode - which is good because my Socks That Rock should be here very soon. I am a little intimidated by the whole thing because I am not the most accomplished knitter and I worry that the patterns might be too difficult. Anyway, I'm almost done with the pink socks... and in true *ME* form I have misplaced the pattern. Of course. I did find Andie's pledge drive socks.. well, sock and yarn for second sock. As soon as I finish the pink socks I'm going to cast on for her second sock and then with any luck my hat yarn and my Lucy sock yarn and my Socks that Rock kit will be here. Oooh, and the piggy pattern book.

Shit. I must stop shopping online. Especially if we're going to go on this Chicago trip. And we are.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BRIAN'S HAIR?!?
Who decided that sexy Brian should now have short hair? Fucking idiots.
(Sorry, I'm watching What About Brian).
He's still cute but it's not the same.

Apparently I need to give up online shopping for lent. Kerri's giving up fast food... surely online shopping is easier to stop than fast food.
Right? I mean, it's not like I'll die if I don't order something.
I guess I'll let you know. Of course ordering Cubs tickets and plane tickets doesn't count. And neither does anything trip-related. Or Avon.

Time to knit... and then time to sleep.

Vacation... Maybe?!? Please?????

In answer to the comments:

Donna- our bedroom is very cold and we're not entirely sure why. It's not "see your breath" cold, but it is colder than the rest of the house. We have theories... the heater vent is not well placed - and there is only one. Also, the windows and siding on our house are old and need to be replaced and our room has three windows. My friend Andie's husband said that the warm air was hitting the windows and cooling rapidly causing what feels like a breeze in the room. I am inclined to agree with him, as the thermal curtains have made a HUGE difference. New siding and windows are on my list of house priorities.

Lara- I hadn't thought about it that way... going to sock camp DOES mean less money for yarn.
I feel totally better about not going... and also entitled to spend more money on yarn. Score!

Not going also means a less pouty husband. He feels like I "get to go everywhere" and he has to stay home. True, in the four years we've been together I've been to Chicago, New Orleans, Disney World, Austin, St. Louis, upstate New York and L.A. All without him. On the other hand; four of those trips were for work, one was for a wedding and the Chicago trip was an over-nighter. AND I haven't been anywhere in the last eighteen months or so! So we have decided to plan a trip together and include yarn shopping for me and a baseball game for him.
We're thinking late May - his birthday is at the end of May and mine is in the middle of June - and The Cubs just happen to be playing a home game on his birthday. There's other stuff to do in Chicago, right?!?

I'm getting excited just thinking about it. We didn't even go on a honeymoon because we were both working for the station and couldn't get away at the same time, so this is our belated honeymoon. Cool.

But someone has to help me figure out the "rules for flying with knitting needles" as I haven't flown since I picked up the habit again and while I don't remember what I did on the plane before I was carrying needles full-time (I have a vague memory of carrying six or seven books in my carry-on bag) I do know that I MUST have a sock with me on the plane, if only to photograph in progress a la The Yarn Harlot. I can see that my Knitpicks sharp-as-hell metal needles might be problematic... but what about bamboo? And is there a length issue? I have a set of the stubby needles but I've never used them...

I have time to obsess about this. It's February, after all. Our alleged vacation is MONTHS away.

I am so tired. I couldn't sleep last night and while flipping though the movie channels last night (after SNL, by the way) I saw that Saw II was on. Rather than thinking, "Hmmm, I ought to record that because right now the responsible thing to do is sleep since I have to get up at 5," I thought, "Cool, I haven't seen that yet!" Then I ate half a box of Girl Scout Cookies (peanut butter sandwiches, dipped in milk) and googled yarn shops in Chicago. At 3 I thought, "Girl, you are not twenty. Sleep you idiot, sleep!" So I slept for a few hours and now I'm drinking coffee (with vanilla soy milk in it) and waiting for it to be time to go. There is a big sale at my favorite bookstore so my friend S and I are meeting for lunch and then we're going to buy books. And then I am going home to my dark room and flannel sheets.

If you are a coffee drinker and you like cream in your coffee and you haven't tried soy milk this is the way to go. I am drinking more coffee now, because it tastes so good, but that means I am ALSO getting more soy. Win/win! I tried to get my family to switch to soy milk full-time but it was a no-go. I know, the time to convince your kids that soy milk and soy hot dogs are good is when they're babies and don't know any better. Oh, and it also helps if your husband doesn't wrinkle his nose and say, in a loud and fairly petulant tone, "I am not eating that. Gross!" when you add soy milk to macaroni and cheese.

Mmmm. Macaroni and cheese.

Cozy, Warm and Impossible to Resist

I can not even begin to explain to you how much I did not want to get out of bed this morning.
Our bedroom has been all "winter on Little House on the Prairie." Seriously. We had three comforters on the bed and the husband has been sleeping in a knitted hat. It could take up to twenty minutes to get warm and then you didn't want to move for fear that cold air would make it into the warm-ish pocket you created. I thought there was a leak in the window somewhere, but Andie's husband assured me that it was merely that warm air was being cooled at the window and circulating toward the bed.

Well, I knew how to fix that!! A few weeks ago I went online and placed an order at Domestications.

My thermal curtains and flannel sheets have finally arrived! The husband washed the sheets in Tide and Downy and I slept so well! The curtains kept it warm enough in the room that my nose was not cold all night and the new sheets were so soft and smelled so good... I can't wait until it's time to go home so that I can get back into bed and nap in the sweet softness. (~le sigh~).

My favorite bookstore is having an inventory reduction sale tomorrow. They are switching to a new inventory control system and have to re-enter everything. I plan to do my part to help them in their efforts by spending as much money as I can! Bean and I went in for lunch yesterday and she picked out a few books for me to go back for and I have at least two or three books I want.

Guess what time it is! TIME TO BUY MORE BOOKSHELVES!!!
I'm thinking of rearranging my bedroom to make space for them. Also, there are some bare walls in the den.

I'm still waiting on my Rowan yarn and my Knitpicks order. I'm growing impatient. My teacher is going to be in class through the 28th and that gives me a little over a week if they come on Monday. Ack!! If I don't finish on time I can have the hat sent to her, but I really want to be done with it by her last class. While I'm waiting I have some socks to finish - a pair for me and also I found Andie's pledge drive Crusoe sock that has been waiting for me to start it's mate. It was in my truck. In the back. I KNOW, right?!?! I am a gifted archaeologist. Like a female Indiana Jones. And it was scary, too. Big boulders rolling toward me and snakes all over the place. Ok, no snakes, but it was scary back there.

Knit on, knitters!

Wanna go wanna go WANNA GO!!!!

So there's this little knitting thing I want to attend. Well, it's a big little knitting thing. It is Camp Cockamamie sponsored by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The Yarn Harlot will be there and there is a full day devoted to a whale watching cruise along with the days of knitting workshops. With the registration fee, hotel room and travel it will cost almost a thousand dollars and

I WANT TO GO I WANT TO GO I WANT TO GO.

Can I go?

Nope. Even if I had the thousand dollars. Even if I had the thousand dollars and the extra cash just for spending on food and yarn. Even if I had the thousand dollars plus spending money and a husband who would say, "Sure, sweetie, I've got the house covered. You go on and knit for four days, spend however much you want. Bean and I will just clean the house and do all of the laundry so that everything is perfect when you get home."

I still couldn't go. Between work and school and practicum there just isn't any way for me to swing it, money or not.

But next year? Next year I might be able to pull it off. And next year Andie and Kerri and maybe even Michelle will be sock knitters, too. And we could all go and have a grand old time (and share a hotel room, of course).

I will be in mourning from April 10th through the 14th. I will knit sad girl socks and drink lots of wine and I will sigh a lot. A lot.
But I want to go next year. Really really really.
And somehow I will make it happen.

Anyone else with me?!?

The Socks that Rock should be in the mail in a few weeks and I am so excited. My needles and yarn for the cabled hat should be in very soon, and I also have a book on the way from Knitpicks - I must have that piggy pattern. Bean wants a purple piggy. There is also a pattern in that book for penguins and for a bunny in overalls. Perhaps that will help me get through my "no knit camp for you" funk. (Sigh).