Twelve Hours Later and I'm Just Taking A Shower

Apparently the sound of my phone vibrating has a greater effect on my ability to wake up in the wee hours of the morning versus the piercing noise of my alarm.

The plan was to get up around 3:15/3:30AM and get to my first stop by 4:45AM at the latest. This allowed me ample time to sneak in a few extra minutes of post alarm sleep, get showered and all put together. However, in reality what woke me up was a phone call from my friend at 4:30AM asking where I was. OH SHIT!!! That's when I decided that no one at our intended destination would mind that I wasn't even showered. And if they did - well, that was their problem.

So what got me up at that crazy-ass hour? A sale that was taking place from 6 - 7AM. I insisted that we get there early because I wanted to get a good space in line. My friend thought I was silly to think there would be a line. Guess what . . . there was a line by the time we got there after 5AM. It wasn't a long one, but it started to grow not too long after we had acquired our respective caffeine beverages. Of course I had to take a picture of those that had come before us . . .



As the 6AM hour drew near, more came to join the fun. About 10 minutes to 6AM the owner of the shop came out and gave us shopping bags and a pink post-it note. The coveted pink post-it was our ticket to the greatest discount possible should we checkout past the 7AM hour. I was so loopy from my minimal sleep that I had one of my friends that joined us take this picture:



We were trying to decide how much said post-it would be worth if we tried selling on the second-hand market to those just joining the fun after 7AM, but finally agreed it wouldn't be a profitable venture.

As for the sale - It was MADNESS. It was the second time in my lifetime I've ever felt so claustrophobic I was ready to pass out. (The first time being the NYC subway on a Saturday evening.) Unfortunately, I had specific items to be purchased and I was sure the store owner would not be too keen on me leaving without paying for my items.

The rest of the day was spent taking care of some necessary business and having fun (you can't forget to do that).

So, here it is . . . twelve hours later and I am finally ready to face the world. Or, at least those other than my friends who accept me openly - shower or no shower.

Until later . . .

Perspective

This past weekend I did a major unpacking/clean-up in the new place. The result was amazing. It turned out exactly how I imagined it would once everything was in its place. It definitely changed my perspective on the place.

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When I'm evaluating a situation, I try to look at all perspectives of the those involved. Most people I know think this is an asset and a great thing to do. There have been situations when my friends have thought I was silly for considering the perspective of those involved - I just said that was their way of looking at it and not mine.

One of my friends recently pointed out when this approach can be considered a mark against me. I acknowledged their thoughts and agreed. However, from my perspective I could think of a lot worse things to be a mark against me then being able to see all sides of a given situation.

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I use to to complain - A LOT! I didn't really see how much I complained until I was handed a lofty dose of perspective. I'm thankful for this because now I see how I was letting the littlest things get to me when in the big picture they weren't so critical. It really changed my sense of what is and isn't worth getting upset about.

Don't get me wrong, I still complain, but not to the degree that I use too. Thank goodness for perspective.

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Quote This!

"Our most important thoughts are those which contradict our emotions." - Paul Valery

"The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men." - Blaise Pascal

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." - Bertrand Russell

"If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it." - Edgar Howe

"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." - Herman Hesse

(I don't know about the last quote as I was taught by my parents not to "hate." When I was younger, and would say I hated someone or something, my father would asked me how strongly I felt about that and told me not to use the word unless I felt THAT strongly about things.

Since then, even when I've had all the right in the world to use the word to describe my emotions towards someone or something I have refrained from using it as I know I didn't feel THAT strongly. However, I'm adding the quote into the list because I think it presents an interesting perspective.)

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If things in your life seem bad, just think, you could be this little guy. It's all about perspective!



Until later . . .

It's Tuesday; Not Monday

Short work weeks throw me off a bit. At some point during the week I will either be a day behind, or ahead, of myself (depending on when the given day off actually falls). I believe this to be a common problem for those who work typical Monday thru Friday jobs.

So, this is just a friendly reminder -

It's Tuesday; not Monday.

You're one day closer to the end of the week. Hope you have a wonderful work week!

Until later . . .

Memorial Day

I'm All Fraggled . . . And LOVING it!

Overall this past week was good. It did however provide two days that had their craptastic moments. Luckily, they were short-lived and as fate would have it the knitting G-ds provided a dose of yarn happiness at just the right time.

It all started Wednesday when I received an e-mail letting me know that my May sock club shipment had been sent and the tracking information was in the body of the message. Yay! Perfect timing, the first craptastic event of the week had just taken place and I was not digging what was going on. However, receiving the e-mail put me in better spirits.

Then, fast forward to Friday morning. More craptaism and I was once again not digging things. Seeing that I had received the e-mail on Wednesday about the May shipment and knowing they send the package priority mail I checked the USPS site to see if I could expect delivery this weekend. Much to my surprise (and delight), the package had been delivered. WOOHOO! I wasn't planning on going back to my place right after work, but knowing that I had a package waiting for me I made a quick trip home to pick it up. (You never leave yarn waiting, especially when part of your day was craptastic.)

No sooner did I have the package in my hand did I rip it open. What I found was beyond what I thought I would find. Not only did the knitting G-ds provide me yarn on a day that would have otherwise been remembered for its crappiness, they provided me with yarn that had me thinking, "You had me at hello." It was as if the dyer made this colorway JUST for me.

This is what I found when I opened my package:

Pepe La Plume

That was just the start of the goodness. . .

After gushing over the colorway I opened the pattern information:






SQUEAL!!!!!!

It was Fraggle-freaking-Rock themed! I HEART Fraggle Rock so much. Oh, and did you notice the Disney font used? (Another favorite of mine.) This was PERFECTION! Any money I had spent on this club just paid for itself 1000 times over.

All the craptastic events of the past week had been brushed away. The week had officially ended on a fantastic note. It was time to go out and have fun! (And that's just what I did.)

Until later . . .

Thursday Morning Thoughts

From my favorite Post-It Note Poet.

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"You haven't lived until you've been stuck in quicksand."

"Internal Optimist - it sounds like a medical condition."

- My friend Harold


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It's All About Knitting

I never thought the day would come, but I have officially broke my monogamy when it comes to knitting. I am no longer a one project at a time knitter. Now, I realize this isn't the end of the world and it's not like I'm cheating on a spouse or significant other, but still I feel wrong for being unfaithful. Hell, even flirting with the idea made me uncomfortable; however, as I was working on my January sock club shipment I felt the need to start my Banana Hannah socks. So I wound the Opal yarn with my wannabe shift (aka - my rocking chair) and ball winder.

Oh, and if anyone reading this happens to know German please contact me. Opal apparently assumed only Germans buy their yarns because that is where it's manufactured. All the care instruction, etc. are in German. I figure it will be status quo care - hand wash - but it would still nice to be able to read the inside label.


As mentioned a day or two ago, I cast on my January socks a few days ago. Woo-freakin-Hoo! The pattern is the "Queen of Beads" written by Sivia Harding and in the colorway of My Blue Heaven - which might I say is a amazingly beautiful color. It's a mix of dark blue, green, teal and black. Each Notorious Knitter was given different color beads and mine were of a greenish-blue cast. I love 'em!

First things first, threading the beads. As I posted a few days ago, threading beads onto yarn is an interesting experience. Especially when the weight of the yarn is thicker than it was intended to be. I choose to use a dental floss threader. From what I've heard you can also purchase a special bead threader as well, but they aren't readily available at your local drug store. Once all the beads were on, 150 in my case, the next thing to tackle was the cast on. This pattern uses a tubular cast-on, something I had never done before. A tubular cast-on gives a more polished edge your project. I would have to agree that it does make a nicer looking edge, but it seemed to take up a lot of time that could be spent actually knitting the sock. After fumbling through my first tubular cast-on, I finally got rockin' and cracked through that part of the sock.





However, the elasticity of the cuff seems a lot looser than other socks I've knit. I'm thinking the cast on has something to do with it. However, it may also be the brand of yarn it is. I've never used Socks That Rock before so I don't know for sure how it knits up.

So, I got past the cuff and actually started to knit the leg repetition. Once I got the hang of left and right twist stitches I began to crank through the series. This picture was taken before I even began the leg repetition:



All I know is that now that I have gotten over my initial intimidation of knitting socks with beads and an intricate pattern. Overall, I can't put it down. They are turning out so nice and I've only worked the leg!

Well, that's all for now. Until later . . .

For All You Cat Lovers

A little midday entertainment.

Thanks to CT Jen for blogging about these guys. These are hilarious! (At least I think so.)

Enjoy!

Candy, Candy and More Freaking Candy

Another weekend has come to an end. . .

I made three big decisions that will definitely have an impact on my life. And, have already started to take action on two of the three.

One will pose more of a challenge for me than anything else, but I'm totally up for it. The other two will take me down the road less traveled. It should be an adventure. At this time I'm not going to get into details, but I will say that I'm excited and looking forward to where this takes me.

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Quote of the Weekend:

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." (I'm not sure where that one originated as one of my friends told me it was on a bumper sticker they once saw, but the quote kept coming up all weekend. And it is oh so true!)

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This weekend I had one of those "ah ha" moment . . . I have some truly wonderful people in my life. I'm feeling very fortunate.

Now it's not like I didn't know this before my "ah ha" moment. It's just that it's not something I think about ALL the time. This weekend, a few conversations I had really brought to the forefront what great people I know and have in my life.

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My place is coming together. I'm very proud of the progress I've made in terms of getting through the remaining junk boxes and organizing everything. Though I've done a good job at hanging things most of my walls are still bare. I went to the crafts store to start looking for fabric for the infamous panels I mentioned awhile back. I think I found one of the two things of fabric I'm going to use. I'm also debating about buying the mirror and lamp I want. The irresponsible side of me is itching to purchase both items right away because I believe them to be exactly what I envisioned for this place. The thrifty, always looking for a good deal, side of me believes I should wait to see if they get discounted soon or if I can find something similar and just as fabulous at a less expensive cost. In the meantime, I will concentrate on other areas of the place to decorate.

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Knitting was on the brain a lot this weekend. I'm still in the process of making my sock blanket (scarf maybe) squares. Some of my knitting peeps are amazed that I can knit some projects without looking at what I'm doing . . . as if I'm on knitting autopilot. This only happens when I'm working on a project that is either garter stitch or has a easy repeat. It's nice to have this ability as it allows me to really be able to watch movies and tv show while I knit - and look others in the eyes while I'm talking t them.

This weekend I also beaded and casted on my January sock club shipment (only 5 months and two other shipments later). Now that I've had the experience of beading yarn I can say it is an interesting process. First off, never in my life did I think I'd be buying floss threaders to bead yarn. I didn't know what a floss threader was until this project. Secondly, threading beads onto medium weight yarn is challenging. Lastly, I can't tell you how many times I counted those beads to make sure I had the exact amount on the yarn. All that said, I've seen what the end product will look like. It is absolutely worth the trouble!

I bought yarn this weekend. Yes, I feel like I need to confess this as if I did something horribly wrong. I was actually good as I could have gotten a lot more than I did. I already know what I'm going to make with the yarn I bought.

The first pair of socks I'm going to call my Banana Hannah Socks because, well, the yarn reminds me of bananas.

It's Opal Universal Sock and Sweater yarn. The pattern I'm going to use is the one I created on my own. I have the perfect outfit to wear them with as well which make the purchase even that much better.

The second thing of sock yarn I purchased was Ditto, Orange Hotsprings. Or, as I already refer to them as my future Pumpkin Patch socks.

They will be perfect for the Fall! I have a few patterns in mind, but nothing for sure yet.

I counted yesterday the number of socks I have waiting in my stash. The final total is around 15. It seems like a lot, but one of my knitting peeps said they have around 100. Ummm, yeah, they win. Oh, they also make me feel a lot better about my stash.

Well, that's all for now. Until later. . .

Running In Flip-Flops

I use to hate lightening storms . . . I would jump every time I heard thunder crash. Now, that isn't the case. I actually find myself watching them periodically. The other night, was one of those nights. I'm starting to understand why some people say it's kind of peaceful and beautiful to watch them. I could never understand it and I now that I do I can't really explain why - it's just one of those things that just is what it is.

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My latest and greatest photo project took on a whole new life last weekend. I guess you can say I looked beyond the obvious and started capturing more than I had before. Also, I started using my good camera which made a world of difference in what I could capture. I'll be interested how this all turns out in the end.

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About seven years ago I was an avid runner. This was the case for a good two years. During the summer I would run at a near by man made lake and in the winter I'd run at a gym about 30 minutes from me (Yes, I drove 30 minutes just to run). Then I moved, and there were no desirable trails or gyms with tracks near by.

About two years ago, I was part of a member focus group at the gym I belonged too. They wanted our feedback on our experience at the club and why we stayed members. After the session I was talking with one of the regional managers who was taking notes on our feedback (I'll call them Big-wig). Though they did provide treadmills for running that just doesn't work well for me. I have to be running along some sort of path - even if it's a path that goes in circles. I explained this all to Big-wig and asked why they don't provide tracks in any of the clubs. Big-wig's answer to my question was, "running is bad for your knees." Now, I realized this as I have a family member who's had two knee replace surgeries. However, I still wasn't sold on Big-wig's answer. So, I explained all this to Big-wig and then asked, "Shouldn't I be the one deciding whether or not to ruin my knees? Also, if running is bad for your knees what makes running on a treadmill any better? Wouldn't it be just as bad, if not worse because the surface is harder than a track?" (Yes, I know! I was being a smart ass at that point. However, I think it got my point across.) Big-wig didn't have an answer for me.

Now, fast forward to current. . . I still don't have a desirable indoor track to use, but I have discovered a path to run. However, what keeps me from starting again is that extra push to actually try to build up my endurance again. One of my goals in the next couple of weeks it start running again.

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Quote of the Day comes from Crazy Aunt Purl's Blog. Amen!

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More Small Objects



This is the Wee Tiny Sock I received in the swap. It's from Coffee Yarn. The sock yarn is hand dyed with coffee. (I chuckle given my newly acquired taste for coffee.)

On that note . . . Until later . . .

Dancing With The Stars

I called it!

At the beginning of the season I wrote about my favorite, and not so favorite, performers on Dancing With The Stars. In that post I mentioned that Shawn Johnson was one star that made a huge impression on me and that Gilles Marini and Melissa Rycroft were two of my picks for the semi-final. Last nights results just confirmed my comments.

Yep! You guessed it... The stars that will be dancing in the the semi-finals are Shawn Johnson, Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini. I was very happy to see this. As much as Ty Murray was a good performer I didn't think he was THAT good and think he probably should been voted off a earlier than last night.

As for the who I think will win the whole competition... I'm not 100% decided yet. My gut feeling it will either be Melissa or Gilles as I originally mentioned, but I can't decided which one for sure. I guess I'll just have to wait and see like the rest of us.

Until later . . .

Fun With Rhymes

More fun from my new favorite Flickr user. . .

Where Has the Sun Gone

Cute Photo

I found photo on Flickr that I thought was cute and wanted to share it on my blog. Unfortunately, there was no code available to embed it into this entry and I didn't want to upload it in since it isn't my work... So, if you're looking for something that will put a smile on your face (it put one on mine) I suggest you click on the link below.

A Little Man

Small Objects

I've been doing more knitting than I have blogging, and even that isn't as much as I usually do.

I've become a bit of a follower. . . I've decided to make the Sock Yarn Blanket. Since knitting is a creative adventure (thank KP for the saying), maybe I'll make it a scarf instead - I haven't decided yet. All I know is that I have knit three squares so far and I have a bunch of leftover yarn that will be used for more squares.



As much as I like the idea of the Sock Yarn Blanket what has kept me from doing it is taking the time to decipher the pattern for the mitered square from the blog it comes from. No offense to the designer, but it would have been nice if it was a little more straight forward. It was actually a friend of mine who told me what the pattern was for the square and will be showing me how to put it all together. The original Sock Yarn Blanket is 716 squares. Obviously, it would take a long time for one to make that many pairs of socks AND squares so if you plan to attempt this project yarn donations are a must!

Next on the list of things that are small . . .

This is the Wee Tiny Sock that got sent to my swap partner. It's made of the Lorna's Laces DK Swirl in the colorway of Circus.


Then there is. . .




This was my first attempt at i-cords. I believe it went ok, but some of the yarn got frayed a bit and I wasn't 100% pleased with the results. Not to fear, I'm sure there are a lot more i-cords in my future. :D

Clearly, knitting two wee tiny socks wasn't enough because there is also. . .




I obviously had knee high socks on my mind when I made the last two. Both had intended recipients and they both LOVED their tiny sock.

I'm knitting small objects now for various reasons. One thing I attribute this to is the other things I have going on in my life that prevent me from knitting larger projects. Smaller objects are completed in a shorter amount of time which means a sense of some sort of accomplishment. Also, I still have M's socks to redo and I can't move forward with those until I see M and actually give them to her to try on so she can tell me which one fits best. Though I know I can easily start something new and put it aside to work on M's socks again, my knitting monogamy prevents me from doing that. Also, getting my place in order has taken top priority. My goal to have everything unpack and decorated in just a matter of weeks is seems doable at the moment. I can't imagine not meeting the deadline. I even put a new twist on some old furniture which I thought was cool -- I guess decorating is a creative adventure as well! Oh, and as far as my hammer is concern - I found it! Now I just need to get a drill. :P


Well, it's time to run for now. I'll leave with a quote I liked from Grey's Anatomy this past week:

"When you love someone – love is love. Doesn’t matter that you’re not suppose to be together.”

Until later . . .

Mother's Day

To all the Mothers out there. . .

Spring Has Arrived!

Sunshine was not something we were suppose to see today . . .

. . . I guess the weather man can't be right all of the time.

The Bridge Is Gettin' Closer

Normally, I wouldn't post about this, but this was such a unique occasion I feel compelled to share...

I made a dinner the other night that was one of the best meals I've ever made. I mean it was OMG good. The best part: 1) It was something different than the three dishes I'm known best for; and 2) I didn't set off the smoke detector in the process. (Yes, I'm that person who specifically cooks as part of the monthly smoke detector test you are suppose to do.)

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Now that I got that out of the way. . .

This weekend was GORGEOUS! I spent a lot of time outside appreciating the nice weather. Actually, all you have to do is look at my face and you can tell right away I was outdoors. I have that oh so awesome "I forgot to use sunscreen and now I have a farmers tan" look goin' on. It's all good as in a day or two this will turn into a tan and my days of being a pale ghost will be gone - at least for the summer time.

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More Things That Baffle My Mind

This weekend I encountered a few actions by others that just flat out amazed me (and not in a good way). It really made me question how people reason through things, or in some cases do not reason through things. I'm not going to get into specifics in an effort to protect said individuals from embarrassment, but it's on my mind and I just thought I'd put it out there.

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Moving, Moving and more Moving Action

I finally have a hammer - it's on loan. (Mine is still M.I.A.) This allowed me to get started on hanging things. My goal is to have my life unpacked and the place all together within a three week period. I feel now that I have publicly set the gauntlet I have more incentive to get going - or that is at least my hope. I'm trying to minimize my trips to Home Depot and any other home goods related shopping. I may have found someone to look at my old lamp and even possibly fix it. I'm not sure why, but I am sadly attached to this lamp. I may still buy the other one I was looking at from Overstock.com and use the one I currently have in another room. There is also a mirror I'm considering getting. Decorating - the fun part of moving.

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... And Speaking of things that are M.I.A.

The first wee tiny sock is still M.I.A. I made another one and it's even cuter than the first (or at least I think so). I've decided the nice thing about wee tiny socks is that you can complete them within an hour or two and feel as though you've accomplished something. I fear that my sock addiction may be replaced with a mini-sock addiction. After finishing the one for my swap partner I started one just for the heck of making another. Go figure!

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The Bridge Is Gettin' Closer

This is what my friend and I kept telling our other friend's little ones as we got closer and closer to the end of the MS walk the other day. "The Bridge" was the best land marker we could use to give the kids an idea of how much longer we had to go. As we kept saying "the bridge is getting closer," I started to think about how in my life "the bridge" is getting closer. Actually, I don't know how it got here so fast. All I know is that the finish line is almost upon us and though I don't anticipate any difference in life it's hard to believe that it has come so quickly. I guess what I'm saying is that time passes quicker than you think it does.

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A Question

When people use the phrase "Waiting for the other shoe to drop," are they at least talking about a cute/fun pair of shoes so that way it makes the problem at hand at least a bit more tolerable? : P

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The Short Version of Star Wars

I got this from CT Jen's blog - Knitting Interrupted. Hope you enjoy it! (I did.)




Until later . . .

Happy Cinco de Mayo