From the Inside Looking Out

I Do Love Me Some Farmers Market Finds

2011-06-13T15:39:00.000-04:00

I've officially visited 2 farmers markets so far this season. You would think that living in the Garden State, I would do a lot more of this, and I will my pretties, I will! Yesterday I took a little drive to the Springdale Farms Farmers Market in Cherry Hill to search for some Jersey Fresh tomatoes and corn to go with our BBQ Ribs for dinner. Here is my haul from yesterday. Why YES that is a strawberry rhubarb pie and it was indeed delicious!

15 & 16

2011-05-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

Apparently it's all Dean Koontz all the time around these parts. I have a habit of doing that, discovering a writer then reading all of their work in one long sitting, so this comes as no surprise :)

15: Watchers

16: Breathless

Since we're already 21 weeks into 2011, and I'm only just finishing book 16, I'd better double it up if I want to fit 52 in for the year!

Whoa! Catch up on the reading list 7 - 14

2011-04-21T10:50:00.000-04:00

7 - 12 all Dean Koontz

7. The Darkest Evening of the Year
8. By the Light of the Moon
9. Lightning
10. Darkfall
11. Ice Bound
12. Your Heart Belongs to Me

13. The Bucolic Plague
14. I Am Not Myself These Days, Both my my secret gay boyfriend Josh Kilmer-Purcell

5 & 6 of 52

2011-02-21T23:59:00.000-04:00

In other words, I'm slacking!

# 5: Committed: A skeptic makes peace with marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

#6: Forever Odd book 2 of the Odd Thomas Series.

4 of 52

2011-01-26T18:59:00.000-04:00

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. This is the first Koontz book that I've read & I can not wait to get through the others in the series. I'm loving the characters so far, and can't wait to see where the stories lead them.

Books 2 & 3 Down, 49 To Go

2011-01-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Helllloooooo! I've been involved as of late with a bunch of books, but the 2 that I just finished last night were.

Please note that in this 52 in 52 project, I am not planning on reviewing books or give away any real details, just notes on how I felt about them.

2 of 52: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. A lovely book that took (IMHO) a little while to ramp up into something to really keep my interest, but in the end I liked it very much. My only wish is that we could have explored a little more of the story leading up to the present day experience.

3 of 52: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. My first time reading this book was many years ago, way back in the 5th grade. Though I had always up until that point been a reader, this is THE book that made me truly fall in love with the written word and where it could take you. It was interesting to revisit this work again after so many years. I will probably go back to the Island of the Blue Dolphins a lot more in the future!

52 in 52 the 2011 Version

2011-01-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

I have a metric ton of other things to blog about, and will.. all in due time my precious! However for the moment I'll talk about my plan for 52 in 52 for 2011. In the last year I've lost a lot of my reading time to either knitting, watching TEE VEE, playing on teh intertubez or just plain being a lazy ass. So this year I've decided that I'll tackle 52 books in as many weeks. Now in the interest of full disclosure, all of these books may not actually be read, but listened to, as I can listen to books while knitting. And I'm planning on doing a lot more knitting this year as well. Soooooo...

Book 1: Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell

I have been a rabid Cornwell fan in the past, however, the last several books in the Scarpetta series have been a huge disappointment. At least this is one that I listened to, for free no less from my library and didn't have to spend my hard earned money on it. Dear Ms. Cornwell, whilst I have the utmost respect for you and your accomplishments, I have to say, I think that this horse is dead, please stop beating it.

Just Like The Jeffersons

2010-10-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

We're movin' on up! Maybe not to a deeeelux apartment in the sky, but to a deeelux 2 bedroom town house right down the street from work! I've spent the last 11 years schlepping aprox. 15 miles to work, this in NJ is major pain in the ass. There are perfect days, where it takes me just 25 or so minutes to complete this task. Then, there are days where, well, not so much. Should anything even drizzle fall from the sky, my commute is now up to at least 50 minutes, sometimes well over an hour. I'm looking forward to switching that up to a 1.4 mile one way commute! Rich will make out even better in this deal, as he currently has a 50 mile one way commute. Oh and YES we are going to be moving in together... this for me is HUGE people, HUGE! After the former jerk face boyfriend, I vowed that unless I could see myself with a person forever, I would be perfectly content to live by myself. We spent this past weekend shopping for new furnishings for our future abode, and after a long trip to Ikea, we found some things that Rich liked enough to want to call his own :) So the count down has begun, this is the very last week ever that I'll be making the commute from this place to work, and I can NOT wait!

Holy Guacamole!

2010-08-30T11:08:00.000-04:00

The days are slipping by so quickly this summer, I have no idea where the last few months have even gone! Mind you it's been so miserably hot and humid this summer, I won't at all mind the cool, crisp fall weather once it finally arrives, but wow, times does indeed fly. So much has been happening, work (as usual, a 4 letter word), working on my business, spending time with Rich, and family and friends, planning our vacation (my first in 9 years), planning our move, whew! I feel like I haven't had any time to just sit and be.

With all the said, this past weekend was wonderful. Rich's 40th Birthday was on Thursday 8/26. We had a lovely dinner out and just enjoyed spending time together. I made him a Fornicating Deer hat (that I have to re-work because the stranded knitting is a bit snug) and he was happy as a clam! Over the weekend, we celebrated with his family, spend the whole day together, playing with the kids, eating homemade baked ziti and sampling delicious cakes for dessert. One of these was a white cake with lemon mousse, then there was another that was red velvet cake and both a caramel and black sesame mousse. We took the younger boys fishing at a small pond near Rich's house. They did a great job and were so proud of all of the sun fish that they each caught. Rich is so wonderful with these kids, you can clearly see how much they both adore him as well, it's all terribly sweet to witness.

The next few weeks are going to be equally as hectic, if not more. The count down to vacation has begun. Four more days of work for me after today then I'm off from work for 9 glorious days! This will be a busy week however, as I have dyeing and tagging of yarn and fiber to get done to bring up to Jesh for NJS&W she's been kind enough to offer to be the pimp for Plays Well With Colors that weekend. We have a Labor Day weekend BBQ planned with Rich's family, then I'll be packing for our trip to Portland, OR (YAY!!!!!) Once we're back from Portland, the following weekend, we've got to find an apartment, and from there on out I'll be packing and planning and repainting my apartment. The good news is that Rich has decided that he's okay with living very close to work, so our commute times will be next to nothing, that will save us both a fair amount of money in gas each month. I have a few places close by in mind to check out. I'm SOOOO excited to get this move over with, and start the next chapter of our life together.

Pulling Up Roots

2010-07-27T18:18:00.000-04:00

There have been a lot of things on my mind as of late, of course one would think that I'd take a few moments here and there to write about them. Of course then, one would be wrong. As with many things in my life, these thoughts come and go, the ones that tend to stick around often get jotted down in my journal, or on a random scrap of paper here and there until something comes of it. The idea of pulling up my roots has been one of these ideas that has been in for forefront of my mind the last few weeks. I have lived most of my life in NJ, actually the majority of my life has been lived within 10 miles of where I grew up, though I've moved plenty of times. I've said for a very long time that I want out of NJ, for good, and while this hasn't changed, I'm almost feeling a little sad about the possibility of it. Rich and I are making the big move in the fall to moving in together! Yes this is huge news for me, after the 6 years with Craig debacle, and living alone for almost 8 years now, moving in with someone and sharing my space is pretty flippin' big. With that being said, we're moving out of the area that I've lived in for most of my life. We'll still be in NJ for the time being, but will be about an hour or so north of where I'm used to. For the first time, I'm beginning to feel like I won't have a "home" to go back to once I branch out into the rest of this big world. Since I've been back in NJ most of my best friends have moved out of the state, my family is either moved away or passed away, except for my mother, but I haven't had contact with her for close to 15 years, but that in itself is a story for another day. So I would aside from friends have no "people" to come back here to. Living in a new place, I will have to start fresh, in some ways this is a good thing, but in others, I'm going to have to find new places and things. I'll have to find where the nearest big box stores are, yarn shops, movie theaters, where I can get the best pizza in town. I'm sure you'll agree, all very important points to contemplate!

Feeling the Disconnect

2010-06-08T12:51:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling very disconnected from a lot these days, people, places, things. I'm hoping very much that this passes soon and that things can get back to normal, before they end up irreparably broken.

For Anyone Who Entered the Contest

2010-05-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

Please check your email, I've sent out discount codes for any orders from either of my etsy shops that is good to use for the next 12 months. Please contact me if you have not received yours.

And We Have a Winner!

2010-04-30T21:14:00.003-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that Plays Well With Colors is up and running and open for business. Please stop in and check out my grand opening month specials that will run the entire month of May.

My dear sweet and loyal companion Kinsey (isn't she CUTE!) Helped me to pick a winner from the Name That Colorway contest. I wrote out all of the entries on slips of paper, balled them up and tossed them on the floor in front of her and the first one she touched was declared the winner! Thanks to all of you who entered, I'll be contacting you shortly with the discount code that you will be able to use in either of my etsy shops for the next 12 months!

The winner of 4 luscious ounces (115 grams) of beautiful hand dyed Falkland roving isssssssss..

littlelib!!!!

Yay!! Ruth!! I'll be sending out your Sweetgrass Roving to you in a few days!

In the meantime, I've been working all day and need to get some housework done. So I'm off to tend to that. My next post will be from or just after Maryland Sheep and Wool! I'm so excited to be going this year!!

Holy FIBERISTA Batman!

2010-04-29T11:30:00.002-04:00

I am absolutely loving the video casts that Heather of Highland Handmades is doing on her blog The Fiberista Files. I am all for supporting other Indie dyers and artisans who are working daily to do the same things that I'm working on. Together we can make the world a soft, fluffy, more colorful place to be! Please take a few minutes to check her out!

CONTEST!!!

2010-04-28T22:19:00.008-04:00

So, I'm adding a second Etsy shop that will specialize in just yarn and fiber related goods. I have a bunch of goodies all ready to list on this Friday or Saturday for the Big Grand Opening of Plays Well With Colors. I need some assistance with naming some of my newly dyed roving. So here is what I propose for a little contest for my spinning friends. Let's play a game of Name That Colorway! All that you need to do to enter is leave me a comment with your contact info and let me know what picture you are naming, and give me your best name for that particular colorway. All of the entries will go into a hat, and the person I pick will win that braid of roving! Everyone who enters will receive a very special discount code that will be good for any purchase from either of my etsy shops for one whole year! So what do you have to lose?? I can't wait to see your colorway names! Be creative, and slightly off center (as I like those attributes in a person).

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Check Out Our Llama :)

2010-03-16T12:42:00.002-04:00

Hi All! I'm please to introduce you to Eboney. She is the Momma Llama that several of us on the suggestion of Dani of the DaniDo Crafty Empire donated to adopt and care for, for 6 months. Isn't she CUTE!!!

Well Cripes!

2010-02-18T11:36:00.002-04:00

I seriously need to stop neglecting my poor sad blog. With that being said, I'm a big ole Grumpasaurus this week. Maybe it's the winter finally getting to me, I don't know, but the numero uno phrase whirling about my head this week is "SUCK IT!". I'll go grumble some more and try to perk up before the weekend. More to come.

The Highs and Lows of Last Week

2010-01-12T16:05:00.003-04:00

Last week started with my still dealing with the plague or whatever sort of cold/respiratory bug I'd picked up over the holidays.

Last week brought me a wonderful mail week, my wheel, who is now named Evangeline and my Kindle who is named Rontu, as well as some fibery goodness.

Last week brought me much sadness, as on 1/7 I lost my dear, sweet, little Olive. I'm not quite ready to post about her passing just yet, but will when I can.

More to follow.. this is sort of drive by blogging.

Hello 2010

2010-01-02T19:29:00.003-04:00

Hi all! I'm a little late in catching up with my holiday postings (go figure). I had the most fantabulous Christmas in a long long time. I managed to get all of my Holiday knitting done in time.. wheeew, it was CLOSE. Actually that's a lie, I still have to finish the sleeves for Rich so that his arms will be warm when he goes ice fishing. But he knew that would be after X-mas. Rich and Santa (his mom) were very good to me. I was honestly stunned by all of the loot I hauled out of his house. I got the slippers that I showed him over the summer that I loved, a super soft cushy robe, sheets and a new blanket, towels, candles, an electric griddle, a very cool thing for cleaning my car windows, girlie under things..lol, turkey lifters, oh and wee little ice picks that you wear around your neck when ice fishing so that if you fall in you can pull yourself out :) I know I'm forgetting something, but that's the bulk if it. I also got a cool video camera from Dad that I have yet to play with and figure out. All of the kids at Rich's were sick and sure enough I managed to get a cold too, in addition to the sinus infection that I was already plagued with. So I've been ill the past few days and in a nyquil induced stupor. Rich has a bit of a cold too, he's heading out again to travel all week for work, so I do hope he's feeling much better soon.

In this new year, I wish to continue with plans to simplify.. This will be the year of SIMPLIFICATION! So rather than doing what I usually do, and load up on whatever "shiney" thing makes me happy for that moment, I'm going to continue plowing through what I've got and purging, a lot of purging. I'm not talking living a total minimalist lifestyle, but not feeling physically and mentally cluttered by all of my things. Two cases in point. #1. My metric butt ton of Scrapbooking supplies nad #2. my fabric stash. I haven't touched my scrapbook things in oh gawd, probably over a year, with the exception of making a few cards, and even after clearing through it a few times I probably still have enough stuff that I could do a page a day for the next 5 years and still have paper left. My fabric stash, well, I still love everything I have (for the most part) but just don't have the sewing mojo right now. One day I'll do something with both of these stashes. But I will be going through both and getting rid of anything that I don't really love.

With that being said, I am getting myself a Merry Christmas to me, Ashford Spinning wheel, so that I can use some of the fiber I've accumulated in my stash and I also ordered myself a Kindle. Because if I didn't I fear that I'll just continue to add to my yarn stash, and while that's not a bad thing, but since my tastes grow and change over time, I don't want my yarn to become like my scrapbook supplies and my fabrics. I honestly have enough yarn and enough WIP's to get me through the next year knitting. And lets face it, being able to have 15,000 books on one tiny device, will save space for sure. And the good news is that there are a TON of free books for the Kindle that I've been wanting to read or re-read, mostly classics, but now I have an excuse to get them all!

Ding! Hat is Done!

2009-12-10T11:33:00.002-04:00

The hat that I was making for Rich for x-mas is complete! Even if I had to stay up knitting like a fiend until 3am risking running out of yarn! Pics to follow!

The Need to Break the Ties That Bind

2009-12-09T12:49:00.002-04:00

Today I'm particularly antsy. I want OUT! Out of NJ, where the cost of living is sucking me dry. Out of my job (while I do like my job and mostly love the people I work with) that I'm terribly burnt out from. Ten years in one office doing the same thing, day in and day out has taken a toll on me. Mentally I'm drained, and that wears me down physically. I'm ready for something new and exciting, something that I once again feel passion for. I do not need, nor do I want outrageous fortune and fame. Though honestly a little fortune would be nice. I want to be happy with my life, to feel like I'm doing something important, even if I'm the only person this something is important to. The wanderlust is strong today, pulling me from what I need to be doing, and pushing me to focus on what I have to be doing to set the wheels of change in motion. I have to start thinking and planning seriously. Making decisions and bringing these plans and ideas to fruition. All of these things and more are steps in digging myself out of this pile o crap that is suffocating me.

Future Topics

2009-12-08T22:18:00.002-04:00

I have to put them somewhere so that I don't forget them..

1. Ideas on ideas.
2. What I am, what I want, and what I will never be.
3. Finishing, what's the deal?
4. How do you just NOT SEE that??

OK, I think that's it for now.. off to knit the never ending X-mas gifts!

Uhhg Forgot AGAIN!

2009-12-06T12:18:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's the pressure of trying to get all of my X-mas knitting done, but I forgot to share the second shipment I received from The Loopy Ewe .

One Down

2009-12-05T14:17:00.001-04:00

I have one completed holiday knitted gift ready for giving :) 3 and a half more to go, plus a quilt to finish..wheeeew. I'd rather be doing any of those things than sitting here at work on a rainy/slushy day!

Oh I Almost Forgot

2009-11-29T09:57:00.002-04:00

To share my newly acquired knitting booty! I've done a little (lot) too much shopping at The Loopy Ewe. I'm actually waiting on the second order I placed with them in ONE week! After the super duper customer service and awesomely fast shipping of the first order, oh and a sale, I couldn't resist adding to my stash!

Quick Catch Up

2009-11-29T09:35:00.003-04:00

The Boy and I had a most wonderful anniversary dinner at Inde Blue in Collingswood before Rich was whisked away on his vacation to go fishing in upstate NY for the week.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at his mom's house with his family. Sadly I wasn't thinking and didn't bring my camera to capture any of it.

I have been in full procrastination mode up until now with getting my holiday gifts done. Since the "OH no there are blank many days till X-Mas" fire has been lit under me. I've finished a pair and a half of socks, with one more pair to go, plus a hat and a pair of fingerless long mitts, oh and I have to finish quilting and binding the quilt for Dad. Thankfully I work well under pressure :)

Happy Halloween and A very Blessed Samhian to You

2009-10-31T10:14:00.002-04:00

What is this Samhain you ask? I've borrowed this from Witchway.net

Samhain is popularly known today as Halloween, a contraction of the words "Hallowed Evening", and it retains much of the original form and meaning it had long ago in Celtic lands, despite the efforts of the Church to turn it into an observance of feasting and prayer for their vast pantheon of saints. The Church began calling it Michaelmas, the feast day of St. Michael, but the old Samhain holiday proved to be too potent a drawing card for one lone saint to combat. So it was renamed the Eve of All Saints, or All Hallows Eve, which precedes All Saint's Day, and is still one of the holiest days in Catholicism.

The pagan Samhain is not, and never was, associated with evil or negativity. It has always been a time to reaffirm our belief in the oneness of all spirits, and in our firm resolution that physical death is not the final act of existence. Though death is very much a part of Samhain's symbolism, this Sabbat also celebrates the triumph of life over death.

While it is true that Samhain is no more evil than any other holiday, it is also a fact that evil does exist, and pagans have always been aware of this. Our ancestors sought to protect themselves on this night by carving faces in vegetables to place near windows or at the perimeters of their circle. These were the forerunners of our present day jack-o-lanterns. These carved pumpkin faces are probably relics of the even earlier custom of placing candles in windows to guide the earth-walking spirits along their way. Today it is still a custom in Ireland to place candles in the windows on Samhain night and to leave plates of food for the visiting spirits.

There are two possible sources for the origin of the Samhain Sabbat's name. One is from the Aryan God of Death, Samana, and the other is from the Irish Gaelic word "samhraidhreadh", which literally means "the summer's end". Samhain marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter for the Celts, with the day after Samhain being the official date of the Celtic New Year. The reason the Celts chose this point in time as their new year rather than Yule, when the rest of Western pagans celebrate it, was because the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon as measured by the ancient standing stones of Britain and Ireland.

This is also a time for harmless pranks, lavish feasting, circle games, and merrymaking which can be teasingly blamed on nearby spirits ;) (ala Loki, Abbot, Lord of Misrule etc.)

Samhain bonfires, called balefires in paganism, were once lighted on every hilltop in Britain and Ireland as soon as the sun set on October 30. The word "balefire" comes from the word "boon", which means "extra". The fires serve the purpose of containing the energy of the dead god, lighting the dark night, warding off evil, ushering in the light of the New Year, purifying the ritual space or home, and being the focus of ritual. In many parts of the British Isles these balefires are still lighted on Samhain to honor the old ways.

The idea that evil spirits walk the earth at Samhain is a misinterpretation of the pagan belief that the veil of consciousness which separates the land of the living from the land of the dead is at its thinnest on this night. This does not mean that hordes of evil entities cross this chasm. Some pagans believe this veil is made thin by the God's passing through it into the Land of the Dead, and that he will, for the sake of his people, attempt to hold back any spirits crossing into the physical plane whose intent it is to make trouble. In nearly all the Western pagan traditions, deceased ancestors and other friendly spirits are invited to join the Sabbat festivities, and be reunited with loved ones who are otherwise separated by time and dimensions of existence.

Some modern scholars claim that Samhain's traditional 'trick or treat' custom was derived from a ploy to to scare away fairies and other mischievous spirits, but it has overtones of being a custom of a much later period, perhaps one which grew up around the Burning Times. During the Burning Times, masking and dark clothing hid the identities of witches going to their covens so that they might escape detection. The mask also had the added benefit of frightening away any inquisitor who might happen upon a lone figure in the woods.

Whhheeeeee!!

2009-10-19T10:56:00.003-04:00

It's cold! It's Fall! It's soooo exciting!

Hi Ya'll! A wee bit o catching up to do. Last weekend, Lala came up to visit for my late B-day weekend. We had a most delightful time, hitting the beach at night, sitting for an hour or so on the beach watching the moon rise, the planes fly over the bay, and the tide creep up on us. Talking, sharing, painting the same picture in our minds :) Sunday we somehow managed to dress in the same colors (go figure) and headed on over to SJPP Day at Cooper River Park. Hmmf, I don't know what exactly I was expecting. I mean it was better than 2 years ago when we went, but I was still sort of let down by the vendors offerings. I did manage to bring a tree of life pendant home with me though. On the way home to meet up with the Boy, we stopped at Woolplay where Lala pet all the purty yarns, and I picked up a ball of Skacel Zauberball Crazy in colorway 1699 . Oh teh pretty! I can't wait to knit something with this!

Once we got back, Lala had some time to taunt her feline nemesis Olive, then we had pizza with the Boy.

I've also made some serious progress (after having to re-knit the heel flap 3 times on the same sock) on my Noro socks. I don't know yet if I love the yarn, but I dooo lurve me the colors. I mean hello, it's Noro!

Work is still work...blahhhhhh I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the best. I'm off today, the Boy will be here later after work, so I have some cleaning to do and I'm feeling another big de-cluttering coming on. With any luck I'll have a whole complete sock to share later today!

Give Away Alert!

2009-10-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

Silver Sun Alpacas is having a give away! Check them out!

Sunday Avoidance

2009-10-04T13:03:00.003-04:00

It's Sunday afternoon, after 1 to be more precise. As of yet I have accomplished nothing, except for buying cat food, so that Olive doesn't gnaw my face off in my sleep. (This can be a real threat people!) I slept pretty well last night, and actually have been for a while, since I've started taking melatonin about an hour before I want to go to sleep. It's strange for me, to actually get sleep, when it's DARK out! But very welcome none the less.

Last night, I managed to finally finish my Halloween themed painting and get prints listed in ye old etsy shop I also got some fall cards listed
..

I'm working on a cotton crochet market bag that I hope to be able to post some time tonight or tomorrow. I'm not following any pattern for the bag, just sort of figuring it out as I go, making it into something that I would want to use, and find useful.

I think one of my big reasons for avoiding doing much of anything as of yet today is because, well it's Sunday, this means back to work for me tomorrow and this is going to be a CRAZY week. I hired a new person, and am hoping that I can get her all trained and ready so that next week I can go back to my old schedule of working Tue, Wed and Thurs from 9-8 and Sat's from 9-3. While it was nice having evening's off before the last replacement quit on me, I'm a creature of habit. I accomplished more in that extra day off, than I was getting done at night. I've worked all but Friday's the past 2 weeks, and have one more week of that ahead of me, and honestly I'm a bit burnt out and just tired. I love my job and the people I work with, but the extra long days get old, fast.

The Boy is traveling this week. He's headed to Mass. for a meeting. He'll be driving up, and hopefully getting to stop in and see some of his friends along the way. I'll be missing him terribly while he's gone. A week from today, he and I will have been together for 11 months. It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. I have learned and grown so much in these last 11 months. I have met a most incredible man, who believes in me, encourages me, and loves me as I am. I have honestly never been as happy in my life, felt so strong and comfortable in my own skin as I do now. I am blessed to have him in my life, and am thankful every single day. He makes me want to be a better person, and for that he has my love, admiration and gratitude :)

A Bit of Relaxation

2009-09-24T23:15:00.003-04:00

This has been just a horrid, horrid week. I'm utterly exhausted and stressed, because somehow, with the rate of unemployment in NJ, I can't seem to find any one to even apply for the job openings I have at work. No less anyone remotely qualified. I'm taking off tomorrow, then have off Sunday (our office is closed on Sundays) but aside from that I have no idea when my next day off will be.

Today's high point was receiving a BEAUTIFUL handmade spindle from zebisisdesigns there was a wonderful sample of silk included too! I have never spun silk, but Ohhhh is it good! Spinning was my relaxation tonight!

Tomorrow I have a million and 53 things to get done, but I'm going to make sure and take at least a little time to pamper myself. Maybe if I can get all of my cleaning done early I'll go and get at least a manicure. Wish me luck!

It Was Too Good To Be True!

2009-09-23T12:35:00.003-04:00

So yeah.. I had finally after 18 years of working a crappy ass long day retail hour schedule, had someone who could work for me in the evenings, so I was out of work at a normal hour. I had gotten myself on a way better sleep schedule for the first time in my life, and actually felt somewhat like a "normal" person. Well it seems "Normal" doesn't like me, as my fill in person quit on me with zip, zero, zilch notice and until I find someone remotely qualified, I'm stuck working all these crappy ass hours myself...arrrrg.

Wow, Where to Begin?

2009-09-21T14:56:00.002-04:00

Ok, let's just pick any starting off point and jump into my life as of late.

1. New Hair, new style, new me for a new year. (as my B-day was 9/7 and I got the most rockin french press any coffee junkie could ever ask for). I decided to go back to my natural hair color while I still can, before all of the grey alien hairs grow in. And go back to short, because I really, truly HATE the feeling of hair on my face.

2. Change in moving plans! I know, I know, enough with the Ohh I'm gonna move and not already. But my main motivation for needing to move this year was because of issues with my dog and my apartment complex. They seem to think my 50 lb lab o love, is too big for their newly imposed 25 lb pet weight limit. On this, I have a few things to say, first, my dog makes far less noise than some of the asshole kids in my complex. More specifically the asshole kids that hath spawned from the assholes who live upstairs from me.. ah hem.. and secondly (or A, B #1 if you will) little dogs are WAY yappier than my Kinsey cakes is, so they can suck it! With that being said, I've discussed said situation with the complex owner and I'm so grandfathered into my lease, my great grand kids (should I have had offspring of my own) dogs dog could live in my apartment. So no need to sacrafice anything in a move. I am however still up to my earlobes trying to reorganize and PURGE all of the crap out of my life.

3. Sadly on 9/9 The Boy's Dad lost his long battle with cancer. HIs presence will be greatly missed by all. The Boy and his family are all doing pretty well considering. His Dad was sick for a long time, and he is now at peace and no longer suffering.

4. I've at the prompting of Lala joined paperbackswap and have already revieved and read several great books. I would highly recomend the site for anyone who is a big reader. If you join, please let them know Andrea9772 sent you!

5. It's time, the countdown has begun.. holiday crafty time. I'm presently working on little knitted something or other (that I'm BURSTING at the seams to show off but can't because it's a gift) for Lala. Also working on Liesl for myself in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Hollyberry. This will be the first sweater I'm knitting, and so far so good. I've also decided on my other knitted holiday gift for the girls at work. It's going to be the same thing for each of them just in different colors. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, though by the end of it, I'll never ever want to knit that pattern again.. probably. Dad is getting his quilt (finally). I'm still undecided as to what the Boy his Mom and Pea Dub are getting.

6. I've mastered a recipie for Chicken Mahkani :) This is FABULOUS!

7. Oh yeah! Happy Mabon to ya! That's the autumnal equinox for all of ya non Pagan's out there!

Ok, so I suppose I've futzed around long enough today, I suppose I should get back to work!! Till next time!

The Time To Act is Now!

2009-08-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

Now that I've made up my mind with where I'll be living, I have to start the decluttering process. So far I have a huge box of items a giant bag of clothes to donate, along with shoes, an old CD rack thing a ma bob, and a fake christmas tree. I'm thinking I might also need to get some tubs to store my yarn/fiber and fabric in. Yes I realize I have 8 or 9 weeks to go, but I'm anxious to start this new chapter in my life, and well, I guess moving is one place my inner Virgo shines, as I MUST be prepared! Happy Friday Ya'll!

I've Made An Official Decision

2009-08-25T10:12:00.002-04:00

On my future residence! My new home will not exactly have all of the amenities that I'd like (no washer and dryer..boo hoo, but on the plus side, I can knit while I wait at the laundromat) and it is still a little far from work (though closer than I am right now). It is however going to let me save at least $120 a month from what I would be spending if I stayed where I am now. Decision made! One less thing to worry about! Happy Tuesday!

Oh Hello There

2009-08-18T22:36:00.002-04:00

Hello Blog! It's been too long, and I've missed you so. There is so much that's gone on since my last real update, so here's the scoop, for those who are playing along :)

Dad was having more complications from his bypass in early July. He ended up being rushed to Cleveland Clinic in Ohio where they were able to use stents to repair the collapsing arteries from the bypass. Things were looking pretty grim there for a while, but thankfully he's doing much better and is now home and back to his usual mischievous self. I went out to WV to visit with him for a few days in July. I had a great time visiting with him, I brought the Midget along with me and she was incredibly well behaved.

On another note, the Boy's dad sadly isn't doing well at all. He's been battling cancer for several years and is now at the point where there isn't anything more that can be done for him. I keep trying to encourage the Boy to be sure he spends as much time with him now as he can, while his dad is still coherent, before the hospice and morphine poisoning sets in. I don't know if he's fully grasping how this is going to affect him, as he and his dad have had their issues over the years, but I have assured him that I'll be there for him when or what ever he needs during this time.

Now onto contemplations on future issues. I'm moving this fall, mostly because my apartment complex is giving me grief over Kinsey and her size, etc. They are also going to start charging (well not covering, is more accurate) for heat and hot water, that is now a covered part of my lease. Personally I've wanted to move for a while, but my life has been in limbo and it's been much easier for me to just stay here. I've been looking at apartments for a while now and am astounded by how much it costs to live in this over crowded, loud yet great garden state. Everything that is remotely close to what I have here is way more than I want to spend, so most of my options are smaller. Add in the places that will take a 40 plus pound dog and my selection is smaller as well. The place I went to look at today, is the smallest yet. In a highrise, a little more than half the size of my current apartment, no washer and dryer in the unit, but all the utilities are included, and it's much closer to work. I must admit I'm intrigued though. At first when I walked into the sample, I was a little stunned by how small it was, pretty much a small kitchen and bath, and a living room and bedroom. My first thoughts were that all of my crap will NOT fit in there. Then after thinking about it for a little while, my constant complaint with myself it that I have TOO much crap and that I really need to simplify my life, my things, my space. In a smaller apartment I would have no choice but to simplify and make the most of what I have. So I'm seriously considering the idea that sometimes less is more.

I'm going to grab a bowl of fruit loops, do a little reading and hit the hay! More to come soon! I promise!

Ohhhhhh

2009-08-09T00:10:00.001-04:00

Borrowed this genius idea and took it a step farther. I took the remnants from the sleeves and sewed them together to make a snazzy little headband!

I Wonder

2009-06-26T14:00:00.002-04:00

If I can possibly get all of my cleaning done today and bust out the quilt I started for my Dad several years ago, get it all quilted and bound to go out in the mail by Tuesday??

Crush Me, With the, Things You Do

2009-06-15T20:03:00.002-04:00

If no one else get's it, I know at least Lala will appreciate the title of this post. Today, I was made to feel my age. I had an appointment with a new downstairs Dr. and she wants me to go get a baseline mammogram done. I find myself these days often contemplating my age. 36 going on 37 (or 16 some might say) still young by most standards, though some days feeling every single moment of it, and then some. I suppose in some ways I feel very young, but other times, feel very inadequate. Meaning, I feel like I should have accomplished more by this time in my life. But over all (aside from feeling stuck in this rut called NJ) I'm happy, and I suppose that's really what matters most.

In the meantime, I'm working on spinning some yarn, knitting some socks, and living my life!

I Should Really Be In Work Right Now

2009-06-11T09:37:00.002-04:00

But I'm hanging home a little while due to a migraine, and waiting for the meds to kick in so that I can safely commute to work. That whole idea and another post I read this morning from the Lovely and Oh So Talented Miss V. has got me thinking a lot about my frustrations in life at the moment. The stagnation that I feel my life has become, the wanderlust that is poking it's head up almost constantly these days. The almost 7 years I've spent in this apartment and the almost 10 years I've spent at my current job is the longest I've been in one place since I've moved out of my parents house when I was 18. I've gotten to the point where I honestly just don't care about either. I need change, I crave change, I'm starving for change of some kind. I want OUT OF NJ big time. But I can stick with it for a while. I know the Boy wants out as well, once he's a little more establised in his current field of employment he'll be free to go wherever his whims take him, and with any luck those whims will be the same as mine and we can head off blissfully in any direction.

Nervous, Very Nervous

2009-06-09T18:33:00.002-04:00

After putting it off for months and months and oh ok, a year and a month. I finally went yesterday to have my blood work done to check the usual's, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, etc. I get a call from my Dr's office today leaving me a message that I need to schedule an appointment to see him as soon as I can to discuss my lab work...uhhhhhg, this does not bode well for me people!!! The last time I had my labs done, things were on the upswing and my Dr. actually called me personally to go over the results with me. Sooooo I'm nervous, oh so very nervous. I have a butt load of medical issues that run in my family, I'm a chubby girl, who obviously has no self control with a lot of things, I'm just fearing that this will not be good.

I seriously don't know what's wrong with me. I know to very minute details, what I must do to be healthy, what to change, what to do, and not do as the case may be, but I fall so lazily into patterns, patterns that come from a fresh out of bizzaro world family upbrining, patterns that come from depression, patterns that come from simply being a lazy ass on occasion. I do not want it to be this way, I do not feel that I am destined to self destruct, but I know that my patterns are leading me down that path, and that is not good. Yet, I don't make the long term changes I need to make. Perhaps my Dr can shock the stupid out of me and I can actually get (and keep, moreso keep) my shit together in this department.

Ohh oh Ohhhhhhh It's SOOOOO Goooood

2009-05-26T10:53:00.002-04:00

I've had a whirlwind of a week. Last week, I finally finished my second sock in my first ever pair of socks (pics of all my goodies to follow very, very soon) and immediatly cast on with my Schaefer Heather yarn for my second pair of socks. I started on the 20th, whatever day that was, I'm lost at this point and don't have a calender in front of me, and 6 days later I'm 3/4 of the way done the first sock in the pair. So I'm incerdibly excited about that! What I'm even more excited about was a package I recieved today from Jimmy Beans Wool NORO SOCK YARN!!!!!! Sooooo Pretty, it seriously Rocks yer moms face off!!!!! I ordered up colorway 95 and 185 they were on sale for $13.30 each skein. Not only am I crazy excited to have these, they got here SUPER QUCIK! As I'm in NJ, and they're in NV and I ordered on Friday afternoon, here it is Tuesday and they're in my hot little hands! I might just have to get more for some Holiday Knitting (or just to fondle and drool over).

Workin' For a Livin'

2009-05-16T10:27:00.002-04:00

It's 10:27am on a Saturday. I'm in my office, tired, feeling beat up by the world. I didn't fall asleep last night (this morning) until almost 5, because of the pain in my back and the fact that no matter what i did, or what pain meds i took, i couldn't get comfy. I've been up since 8.. you do the math. I'm fussy as can be, not in the mood to be here, not in the mood to do anything. If it wasn't for the promise of a massage for my aching back, I would tell the Boy to stay home today and come visit tomorrow.

It's been a while

2009-05-16T00:30:00.002-04:00

I'm beginning to think I might be the worst blogger ever. I've been a grumpy camper as of late, my back is out yet again and being even remotely comfortable seems like just a dream. The only place I'm actually feeling somewhat alright is when I'm stuck in bed on my back on a heating pad. Not very practical for getting anything done that I wish to get done. This most recent pain in the back started last Sunday, so it's been 6 long days of discomfort, at least I'm somewhat mobile this go around. The only good part of being bed bound for so much of the day (whenever I haven't been at work) is that I've gotten plenty of reading in and have almost completed my second sock of my first pair of knitted socks ever. I have to work tomorrow then hang with the Boy for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. I'm hoping he's up for a very low key weekend, oh and maybe a massage. I'm off to Lather, rinse and hopefully sleep.

Progress

2009-04-19T15:27:00.002-04:00

I'm on day 3 of my decluttering adventure. So far I'm 3 huge trash bags of junk out to the dumpster and probably close to 2 large boxes of household goods and another bag of clothes to donate. While it's very obvious that I'm making progress, it doesn't quite feel like I am. I've learned some things in this process. First, if it's sitting there untouched for more than say a month (anything I want to hold onto because I can make this, that, or the other out of) I'm probably not going to do it, BE GONE WITH IT. Secondly, though I love my home to feel cozy and comfortable, and I adore the colors that I've painted it (living room a warm dark tan and deep basil green). The depth of color adds visual weight to the room, and it feels, to me at least, just as full, even though I've gotten rid of so much stuff. I think in my next home, (I'm moving in 6 months, so no I'm not painting again before I move) we'll work with the deeper, bolder color on an accent wall and keep the rest a little lighter. The Boy will be here soon, so I need to get a move on, and try to get rid of this sinus headache too!

Welcome to My World, Where I Have Too Much Crap!

2009-04-17T12:05:00.002-04:00

I've been saying this for a long time now. I have too much crap laying around here, I want to simplify my life, cluttered house, cluttered mind, blah, blah, blah. What have I done about this until now, uhhhm yeah almost nothing. I did my yearly end of December trip to Goodwill with some donations, and cleared out a major lot of my old (very old) scrapbook supplies. These went to Rich's mom, so when the grandkids are over they can play with them. But other than that, not much has cleared out of here. I think there are several reasons for this. Number one, I didn't have (nor did I really want) a lot for a big part of my growing up years, so in some way, I've learned to hold on to things. This is fine, if these things are usefull, or sentimental, but if they're just crap, me no finkie I need them anymore. Number 2. I try very hard to be envirmentally friendly. I hate to think of all of the things that I really need to get rid of going into an already over stuffed landfill somewhere. And Number 3, I'm a crafty girl. I'm forever thinking oh no, save that ripped up shirt, or those bottle caps, I can make something with them. Well that's fine in theory, but if my home is cluttered so much that I can't even think no less create, really what good does that ripped up faux suede shirt from 1995 that's been sitting rumpled in my bottom dresser drawr for the last 10 years (yes seriously 10 years) do for me. NOTHING!!!!!

So with the urge to spring clean firmly inplanted in my head, I'm going to do a major purge/overhaul over the next couple of days. Some things I'll post on ebay or freecycle or craigslist, others I'll donate to Goodwill, but I can assure you I'm going to feel bad about this later, but there is going to be a ton of junk that I'm just going to have to trash. I'm apologizing in advance to Mother Earth, and promising her that I'll do better in the future.

An Abundance of Nothing

2009-04-14T13:20:00.002-04:00

Here I sit, at work, I should be doing something, however small it is, but no I'm blogging, because that is better than the nothing that I feel like doing. Yesterday, so many things to cross off my to do list, so many plans, and what did I do, what did I feel like doing, you got it, NOTHING. Well that last statement isn't entirely true, I did nap, a lot! Today is dull, gray and lifeless, it's rainy and chilly outside. The perfect day to do.. Nothing! But as I'm stuck here for another 6 and a half hours, I'd better find something to do to keep myself busy. I don't know what it is, the first few weeks of warm weather and I was excited, with a million and one things on my mind to keep me happy and busy, and now it seems I've fallen deeply back into my winter rut. I either need some serious vacation time, a serious dose of sunshine and beautiful days, or that elusive winning lottery ticket. I have a whole lotta nothing to do, so it's back to work for me.

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-12T22:37:00.003-04:00

I had a wonderful day, spent with the Boy at his parents house in central NJ. My sweet and most wonderful boyfriend set up a special little Easter Egg hunt in his living room just for me. I had 10 eggs to find, some stuffed with my very favorite Easter candies (mostly Zitner's Double Coconut eggs..yummm) and some other little goodies he knew I wanted! He is most awesome and I just adore him!

I Have A Secret

2009-04-03T11:05:00.002-04:00

Well, not so much a secret really, because other people know about it. But it's something that I can't really tell someone and it would impact their life in a huge negative way. It's very hard to have this information and not really be able to do anything about it, yet I feel that even though ultimately the decision that will be made based on this "secret" will not be mine, that I will have to be the bearer of bad news.

It's no wonder I either can't sleep, or all I want to do is sleep. And also no wonder why I caved and stocked up on nicotine lozenges before I ripped someone's arm off and smacked em over the head with it.

On another note (here is where things get random), it's a drizzly, cool, humid, Friday. Right now I'm home. Rich is back from Chicago, and is leaving again on Sunday for Miami. He is doing good things, I'm happy for him and proud of him.

Today is my wedding anniversary. 12 years ago today, I made the biggest mistake of my life. If I knew then what I know now, or for that matter, learned shortly thereafter the big day... shhessh, they weren't kidding when they said hind sight is 20/20. Thankfully that fiasco was short lived.

Sunday is my Daddy-O's 70th Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Bubba, I love you!

I have much to do today! So I'm off like a prom dress.

April Fools!!!

2009-04-01T17:35:00.002-04:00

Arrrrrgh! Today has been quite trying for me, as have the last few weeks really. Today I'm supah dupah fussy, and cranky and tired and unmotivated. Earlier in the week I decided that while the Boy was away in Chicago and then Wisconsen, I was going to break my addiction to nicotine lozenges that I developed when I quit smoking. I'm in one of those moods where I'd chew off my own (or someone elses arm) for a nice hefty dose of nicotine... But I'm gonna go in my office listen to the rain fall, and read a book whilst waiting on patients to come out and buy glasses.

On a quick side note. After 17 years and a lotta wondering I spent 2 hours talking to Lumpy last night!!! That was nice to catch up and reminice.

Love Thy Self 2

2009-03-23T20:45:00.003-04:00

Second in this series, my tribute to female masturbation. Available Here.

Love Thy Self

2009-03-22T13:19:00.004-04:00

Love Thy Self

New!!

2009-03-22T01:38:00.003-04:00

Clicky Here to buy!

Excitment!

2009-03-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

YAY!!! I made an Etsy Treasury!! clicky

Crazy Happy Spring!!

2009-03-20T23:50:00.002-04:00

So today is the first day of spring!! Despite waking up to it snowing, and later sleeting, I'm terribly, terribly excited. Let's step back 2 days in time to when I wasn't so excited (was rather pissed to be exact) and then catch up to today. Wednesday night, all is well, work is boring as hell this week, but the Boy is coming to stay the night after meeting up with his friend after work for drinks. So I'm a bit rushed as I'm on my way home thinking of all of the little things I need to do before he gets home. I walk in the door, pick up my mail and notice something that looks odd from my apartment complex.. AGAIN they're (the new management) are giving me grief about having Kinsey.. she's over the weight limit (she has been over the new managements weight limit since the day I brought her home almost 6 years ago) she barks at people in the back yard..hello she's a dog, that's her job. She's not an excessive barker, but if someone is in her yard, she'll let me know. I'm only guessing that this latter complaint comes from last week when she went ape shit when the maintenance people were on my patio inspecting my outside smoke detectors (in my storage closet). Or one of my new neighbors complained, either way.. Sooo the letter says that I have to remove Kins from the complex..yeah, hello, NO! If she goes I go and that's all there is to it. So next day I called the complex and told them that I've been round and round with them about this, the property owner himself gave me permission to have her there, over the new weight limit or not, blah blah.. well now I'm waiting to get official word back from them as to what comes next. I told the girl I spoke to that there is no way that I will give her up and if that is the only option then I'll terminate my lease now, (I'd rather not do this, because it could get costly to break a lease) and either way, I'll not renew and find somewhere else to live at the end of it in October. Now this is the abbridged version, but it brings us to today.

Today I went and checked out the cutest (and one of the most affordable, yet in a good neighborhood) apartments I've ever seen. It's not anything to write home about from the outside, but the layouts of the apartments are sooooo cute and perfect. It has an old almost city meets suburbs sort of feel to it, and the best part is that I can get a 2 bedroom for the same price that I'm paying now. And BONUS no weight restrictions on dogs!! So, now I'm almost wishing I have to move ASAP! Either way I'm 99.9% sure that is where I'll be moving once I get out of here.

New! New!! New!!!

2009-03-16T19:38:00.002-04:00

Please go check them all out here :o)

Have You Ever?

2009-02-28T09:31:00.002-04:00

Had one singular defining moment that changed your views and attitude and feelings about a person forever? I had that moment come yesterday. I found out that the 6 years I spent with Craig was essentially a big lie. Don't really want to get into it now, because everything is still so raw. I haven't had time to really think about it, just react, and lash out like an angry teenager. And I did just that, letting go of 6 years of handling him with kid gloves and letting everything out, saying things to him I never thought I would. But what's done is done, and now I can move on without wondering, or caring for that mater, about his future welfare. I might revisit this post at some time in the future, when I've had sometime to think about everything, then again I might not. I can say this much though, every single miserable day I spent with him, has made me appreciate Rich soooo much more. Even though there are some things Rich and I agree to disagree on, he really is wonderful, and I'm so thankful to have him in my life.

So Very Much Going On

2009-02-21T22:14:00.003-04:00

I have much blogging to catch up with! Last weekend was Valentine's Day, My first V-day with the Boy :o) And it was in one word SPECTACULAR! He came here Friday after work and spent the weekend. Saturday morning I got up early and made him breakfast for a change, including heart shaped toast :o) I had started to feel a bit unwell, so I napped a bit in the early afternoon, while I was asleep, I had the most beautiful bouquet of roses delivered.

And a surprise, The Boy wrote me a lovely poem about our 3 months together, and wanted to put it inside a chocolate heart, except they didn't have a mold for that at work, so I got a Valentine's Egg with my poem tucked inside.

We went to see Coraline in 3-D and it was just fabulous! Then went to dinner at The Pufferbelly. As we walked out of the theater it had started to snow, big lofty, beautiful, fat, glistening snowflakes. It felt almost magical.

Unfortunately I ended up coming down with some sort of horrid cold that sidetracked me for the rest of the week, but I'm finally feeling better now. I'm crediting Rich with my feeling better, he surprised me again last night. He came by after work and brought me a get well package with soup and lots of other goodies. He might be the best boyfriend ever :o) Sometimes I feel like I missed out on so much when I was in my last relationship, but, then I think that it makes me appreciate Rich all that much more.

Lastly, I have some new goodies in the shop. Please take a look. I'm hoping to have more ideas to work on this week! Oh also my work schedule should be getting back to normal soon, so I'll have more time to work on items for the shop. I can't wait!

Sort of Dissapointed With Myself

2009-02-12T12:49:00.002-04:00

Earlier in the month, ok last month, I had these grandiose plans for things that i wanted to accomplish. Make some winter things, and some Valentine goodies for the shop, finish de-cluttering and reorganizing my apartment, finish fixing things up the way that I want them to be, etc. Now some of this takes extra money that i don't happen to have at the moment, and that's ok, those go on the long term goal list. But the other things are what's really getting to me.. I have had no energy or focus to concentrate on the things I really need/want to do, and have been wasting a ton of time getting lost in either trying to catch up on sleep, watching endless hours of dribble on TV, etc. My sleep schedule is and always has been horrible, I'm a night owl by nature and I feel like between that and my work schedule, something is catching up with me. I can't seem to make it on 5 hours of sleep anymore the way I used to. So I've started working on getting my sleep paterns back to normal, so that I'm getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, Valerian root, as stinky as you are, you're my friend. I'm hoping that between regulating my sleeping, and things getting sorted out and back to normal at work, I'll soon be able to really be back on track with everything that I'm wanting to do!

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-02-02T12:12:00.002-04:00

Another weekend that is, flew by without my managing to get done what I'd set out to. I had big plans for these last few days off, was going to get things tidied up and work on some projects for the shop. Well 2 migraines later, and the Boy showing up a day before I expected him, sort of threw a kink in my plans. I don't know why, but i was very fussy this weekend, and everything was getting on my last mother lovin' nerve. So now that it's Monday, and things are somewhat back in order I'm hoping that feeling goes away, and that I can actually get some things done tonight when I get home.

Well Helllllo Tuesday

2009-01-28T00:21:00.003-04:00

Ok, so maybe it's Tuesday night, but Hello!! I've been a bit out of sorts as of late. I don't know what it is, maybe the change in my schedule at work, maybe the short days of winter are getting to me, but I'm TIRED! Rich is in Vegas this week for work, so I'm missing him. It's snowing here, but just a little bit.. what I wouldn't give for a blizzard, so that I could be snowed in and spend time crossing things off my to do list. Right now my never ending list consists mainly of more decluttering, organizing, knitting, crocheting (for myself and the shop), reading, cooking up some goodies and catching up on my back log of Netflix movies.

The good news is that Dad is doing well, he's getting fussy with not being able to really do anything, but he's feeling better! I'm terribly happy about that. Also in good news, we have 2 new hires at work, so I'm hoping that they both work out and things can get back to normal around there.. (that means I'll have my old schedule back..Schweet).

Well I'm off to get the coffee ready for morning and hit the hay.. another night without following through on my other plans...blarg...

I'm Sick and Tired...

2009-01-19T10:59:00.002-04:00

No really, I am, sick and because of that very tired. I didn't get a chance to partake in any fishing adventures yesterday because I have some kind of stomach virus... bleeeeech. Between the Pepto swilling and Gatorade drinking, and asprin for the fever. I'm feeling a bit better this morning, well enough to have come to work. Thankfully I'm only working 9-5 today.

In Other News

2009-01-17T23:00:00.003-04:00

I'm astounded by how quickly this month (and new year) is flying by. I truly can't believe that January is more than halfway through. I've been quite busy at work, I'm in the process of interviewing potential new staff, and I'm really not enjoying the process. I just don't like interviewing people. I suppose it goes back to remembering how it feels to be the interviewee (though it's been a very long time since I've been in that position).

I've also been a little nutso worrying about my Dad. The great news is that after what was in fact a quintuple bypass, he's back at home and feeling better than he had been in a long time. Of course he's a bit sore and feeling beat up, but all in all he's doing exceptionally well.

When not working, I've been knitting and crocheting a little bit.

Here's a little rolled brim hat that's in the works. A happy and sooo simple it's genius little pattern from this girl :o)

I also made the leap to participate in Project 365 on Flickr. This project doesn't solely focus on self portraits so I think it's going to be a bit easier to capture a year in the life of little ole me.

I did a little shopping and bought myself one of these snazzy numbers Epson Workforce 600 I'm hoping it will be a wise business investment.

Otherwise I'm still working on the reorganizing, simplifying, decluttering of my life and home. I'm really feeling blocked by all the crap I just have laying about that I really have no need or want for anymore. One thing and one day at a time.

Ohhh I almost forgot. Tomorrow, I'm heading up to Central NJ to hang with The Boy and go ICE FISHING!!! I'm actually pretty excited about trying it for the first time. After a day of fishing, I'm going to be trying something else for the first time. Turducken prepared by my Sweetheart. I'm funny with eating meat, so I think I'm more worried about that than I am about the fishing.

Shop Update

2009-01-17T22:25:00.003-04:00

The latest addition to my etsy shop. Please come take a peek.

8x10 Fine Art Photography Print
Nautilus

On Becoming Proactive

2009-01-11T11:19:00.002-04:00

This has been a very trying week. I found out at the end of the prior week, my dear old Dad had to have another heart cath done and they were going to try and place the stents and see how much improvement there was, if that wasn't successful, they were going to go ahead with bypass surgery. Wednesday he went in for his work up, Thursday they did the procedure, Friday they told him his heart was a lot worse than anticipated, and they would have to go ahead with the bypass, he's also got a faulty heart valve. According to him, the good news was that the Dr's could "fix it", and the bad news was the amount of time he'll be down for recovery and cardiac rehab. I spoke with him on Friday, and he said that he was scheduled for the bypass on Monday. He was in very good spirits all things considered. I can't say the same for myself, as I'm 7 hours away from him and feel like there's nothing I can do from here to be helpful. Saturday morning I get a call from Clytie, they moved the surgery up, and he was going to have the bypass done that afternoon (yesterday). Everything went well, and last night he was in recovery, doing as well as can be expected. I was relieved (and could finally unclench my whole body, and relax a little). I've been so stressed over this, that I must have just been clenching everything, so now, my entire body hurts from my head to my toes.

On to becoming proactive.. Friday I had to bring my car in to have the CV joints replaced. The repair shop is just over a mile from my apartment, so I figured I'd drop it off, and walk home. It was really quite cold, so that morning, I was told by Rich (the Boy) to bundle up, and I did, layer upon layer, I would be warm. I drop the car off and start on my walk home, I'm about a half mile into it, and I'm sweating profusely (I'm partly blaming it on all the layers) and thinking dear god, I'm horrifically out of shape, as I crossed the street, hoping that I wouldn't get plowed down by traffic before I could make it across. In light of all that's going on with my Dad, and the horrible shape that I'm in at this point in my life, I've really decided it's time to start doing something about it. Sooo cardio work outs here I come. I've gotta start slow, but I've gotta do it. Wish me luck!

But I'm Conserving Water

2009-01-03T13:12:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was getting ready to hop in the shower, I turned the faucet on, and pop goes my shower head.. off to the store for a new one. The Boy decided that this was fix it weekend, and tended to some other projects as well. Back to the shower head. I love, I mean really, truly LOOOOVE my showers, hot and steamy, with enough water pressure to blast off anything that might be lingering. My new shower head, though it's pretty groovy, a hand held model, with a few bells and whistles (bathtime for Kinsey just got easier with the handled option) is a water conserving model. While I'm thrilled to bits about that, I'm feeling like I have to dance around in the shower to get wet and washed.. It still does a through job, just not the sort of pressure washing that I'm accustomed to.. Oh well, I just keep telling myself as I do a jig around my tub.. I'm condserving water.

The First Thing I Learned in 2009

2009-01-01T09:55:00.002-04:00

Don't accidentally cough, while blowing your nose.. Your uvula doesn't like it much, it can actually be a bit painful... More (okay, a real post) later.. Happy New Year!

Ding Gifts Are Done

2008-12-19T15:15:00.002-04:00

So my goal this year was to hand make all of my holiday gifts. I think I did pretty well, I only purchased 2, count em 2 gifts. One was to go along with another handmade quilt for my Daddy-O and Clytie (I'll be sending them the store bought gift, and following up after the holidays with the quilt) and the other store bought number was for P-Dub, for the simple fact that I thought it would be more practical for him. I'll be picking up some bottles of wine for the Dr's I work with, then calling it a day. We are having our office party tonight, the Boy is coming, then we'll be spending the weekend together, probably taking care of most of his holiday shopping. I'm off to get my cleaning and laundry done, so that I can enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I've Been Bad

2008-12-14T11:22:00.002-04:00

A bad, bad, very bad blogger that is. This time of year has become very busy for me, with laughing in the face of commercialism and handmaking all my holiday gifts. Add that to spending time with my new boy :o) working, holiday parties and just trying to keep on top of everything. Whhhhew I'm wiped out. This weekend the boy is at home, working on some things around the house, so I'm devoting today and tomorrow to getting gifts made and done!! I've got the next 2 days and another week and everything has to be ready to roll.... Nothing like a little pressure to get me motivated!

Who Knew?

2008-12-08T16:11:00.001-04:00

You Are a Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin

You are smart, sophisticated, and savvy.

You love taking risks, and you are the first to know about new trends.

You are curious about the world and tend to have many interests.

You also are very talented. It sometimes seems like you are good at everything.

You are very social and inclusive. You'll be friends with anyone.

Even though you're very cultured, you're not a snob.

What Kind of Muffin Are You?

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:16:00.002-04:00

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I suppose that's because when I was growing up on Thanksgiving things would usually be peaceful, and everyone in my family would get along. I remember as I got older my dad would start to have friends over who didn't have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving, and it was always wonderful and fun. As I got older, I took on this attitude myself and would have Thanksgiving dinners for whom ever wanted to come and share the day. It's always been a time of reflection for me, time to think of what I am truly thankful for. This year, I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for my dear friends and family (some of these friends are the family I've created for myself). Thankful that my Dad is healthy, that I've for the first time in my life, started to develop an actual friendship with my brother. I'm thankful for the fact that I finally was able to end something that was sucking the life and happiness from me, and begin something new that has brought me nothing but happiness and comfort, and the feeling for the first time in a long time of really being ALIVE! I'm thankful for having a job that I'm mostly happy with, most of the time :o) And I'm especially thankful that I'll be spending my day with my very best friend/soul sister and her extended family. Now I'm off to make a card for the boy, who is still sound asleep, to let him know that I'm thankful for him this year! Best wishes to all for a very happy, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving.

Scrapple Fest 2008 (The Great Scrapple Experiment)

2008-11-24T09:43:00.001-04:00

So the Boy decided this weekend he wanted to find out what all the local hub bub is about in this area about scrapple (He's not from these thar parts of town). I have personally tried scrapple (ewww) once and well that was enough for this lifetime for me. Being Mr. Food science guy, while I was working Saturday he treked over to the store and picked up not one but 3 varieties of this (nasty in a package) local favorite breakfast meat and decided he would do a little experiment. Fast forward to Sunday morning. The start of Scrapple Fest 2008. He followed all directions on the package, sliced up the nasty, fried it up in a pan, and taste tested, comparing texture, the way they looked while they cooked up, flavor and well, just about anything else you can compare when it comes to scrapple. After much taste testing on his part, and face making, nose crinkling on my part, I think it's safe to say we've both decided that it would probably be better to build a house with these bricks-o-nasty than it is to actually consume.

Simply Amazing

2008-11-17T00:39:00.002-04:00

I have had the most incredible weekend! I've met a man who takes my breath away, makes me smile, laugh and feel better about myself and life in general. I seriously haven't been this happy in years! More to follow tomorrow :)

For The First Time

2008-11-09T11:53:00.001-04:00

In a very long time, I'm happy and excited about what the future might hold ;)

Wow, it's COLD!

2008-10-28T07:59:00.002-04:00

I wasn't expecting the swing in the weather, especially since the rain and dark, dreary day make it seem even more nasty and cold outside than it is.

I worked an extra 11 hour shift yesterday, and I'm already pooped. 3 more days to go...uhhhhg!

It's Official

2008-10-20T11:41:00.003-04:00

Fall is here! Not based on what the calender tells me, but based on the weather as of late. It's been PERFECT! We had what I consider to be the perfect evening this past Saturday. The air was crisp, the sky was clear, the moon and stars shone brilliantly in the cloudless sky. The leaves and pine needles under my feet were just slightly crunchy and their sweet yet somewhat earthy aroma permeated the air, off somewhere in the distance I could smell the first fires of the season burning in fireplaces. The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been to have someone to snuggle on a blanket with while gazing up at the stars. Oh well :o) I guess I just have to enjoy the perfection of the season by myself.

On the knitting front, yep finger is still numb, though I figured out how it's happening, and plan to see if i can come up with a way to prevent it. Apparently the way I hold my needles in my right hand, it rests on either a vein or nerve that causes the numbness, so I'm thinking if I can make some kind of cushion that I can put over that finger I should be good. We shall see. After starting and frogging and starting and frogging again, I decided that my beautious Schaefer Heather yarn was not the right choice for Branching Out, so I switched it up and decided to use a ball of Koigu that's been sitting in my stash for a while. It's coming out much better, and really shows the stitch pattern quite nicely. I think the Schaefer will make some fabulous socks!

As you can see Oli is quite curious about all this knitting going on.

Catching Up From The Weekend

2008-10-14T21:59:00.002-04:00

And since my weekends are Sunday and Monday, today is the perfect day to catch up. I did a bit o knitting and movie watching this weekend, I'm quite pleased with what I watched first up was Ghost World I absolutely loved this movie! Next up was Year of the Dog again, highly recommended. Last but not least Amelie this I was up until 2am watching and reading subtitles. It was truly magical! A fantabulous weekend of viewing all around!

Back In The Saddle Again

2008-10-12T11:21:00.003-04:00

As far as knitting goes anyway :o) My finger is still numb, so I've had to set my socks aside for a while, but I find I'm able to work just fine with larger needles... YAY!!! I've been itching to make this pretty number since I first laid eyes on it. I had some free time after work yesterday and was going to stop by my regular LYS, but didn't feel like dealing with the parking and traffic, so I decided I'd go explore another LYS
and am I ever glad I did!! Everyone in the shop was soo nice and very helpful. I was specifically looking for the Noro sock yarn, they didn't have that, so I was directed to the sock yarn they had in stock, there I found absolutely drool worthy Indira Gandhi colorway from Schaefer Yarns.
It was a wee bit pricey (by my standards) but so
beautiful, I just kept going back to it, so after tinkering about the store a bit longer, she came home with me! It looks so different wound, but I love, love, love it so much. I decided I'd use it for Branching Out from knitty.com. Later last night, I cast on and am just pleased as punch. This is my first time using a "real pattern" aside from my poor little sock, but this pattern involves more than just knitting and purling :o) So I officially feel like a real knitter now. I have a day of knitting, reading and movie watching planned! A perfect day as far as I'm concerned! Here's my progress so far, and a peek at my poor little sock.

Knitting Related Injury

2008-10-06T17:16:00.002-04:00

During my weekend of feeling o so crappy, I decided last night, that I would knit the time away and work on my lone sock. I am obviously a painfully slow knitter, and a really tight knitter it seems when I'm working with tiny little DPN's. So about 3 hours into my knit fest, I stopped for a break and noticed my ring finger on my right hand was numb. I put everything aside thinking that by morning it would be better. Noooooope It's after 5pm and I'm still numb. Hmmmmpf! Now that I'm through the biggest part of the sock (the leg and heel) I'm really anxious to get this thing done and start on the second one. Looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer.

Feeling Fussy

2008-10-05T15:23:00.002-04:00

I don't know what my deal is as of late, but I'm feeling very unmotivated and just plain old fussy. I'm quite serious when I say I don't feel like doing anything. Like really nothing! The fact that my allergies are acting up like crazy and I've had a bit of a stomach bug this past weekend don't help my cause any. I'm wondering how much of this might be the change of seasons, it's finally feeling all warm and snuggly and that makes me want to hibernate (rather than be outdoors like usual). I'm also wondering if it's just a case of I've got too much crap around me, weighing me down and I need to PURGE big time. Sort of like the less crap I have, the less I have to worry about keeping clean, dusting around, etc. For instance, I have clothes out the wazzoo, most of them I don't wear, but have hung on to for who knows what reason (perhaps my hopes of being able to fit in them again) same with shoes, a ton of them littering my closet floor, but I only ever really wear a few pair of them. Cabinets full of dishes, serving pieces, storage containers, mugs o plenty, when it's only me. Sort of ridiculous really. I suppose the only good things to come of this slump in life is that I'm getting time to read and knit :o) I'm halfway done my first sock!

New New New!!!

2008-09-21T18:49:00.001-04:00

New Facial Scrubbies listed in the shop!

LittleBrownDogStudio.etsy.com

New Pretties!

2008-09-16T01:11:00.000-04:00

New pretties are listed in the shop! Grand opening sale $1 shipping on all orders for the month of September! LittleBrownDogStudio.etsy.com

Messy House = Messy Life

2008-09-14T10:54:00.002-04:00

After many months of feeling stalled and stifled in my life, I've decided that the biggest contributer to all of this must be my messy surroundings. Mind you I do clean like a good girl, and keep the clutter to a minimum, but it seems that during the work week, all of my best intentions are placed on hold, then I'm left on my days off with piles of junk mail, laundry, cleaning, dusting, and oh yeah, plies of cat hair to contend with. Being the procrastinator that I am, I tend to let these things go, then end up spending the time I should be relaxing, working on crafty goods, or just being with friends, frantically cleaning my ever so humble abode. My mission today is to start decluttering, and work out a system so that all I've got to do on my Fridays off are sweep, mop, vacuum and dust, and maybe a lil laundry. Junk mail and miscellaneous crap that's junking up my life BE GONE!

New Etsy Shop Coming Soon!!!

2008-08-10T20:18:00.002-04:00

I've made the leap into the wonderful world of etsy. I'm working on getting my shop together and will be having a grand opening soon. Please add LittleBrownDogStudio.etsy.com
to your list of favorites. Updates can be found Here and Here.

Thanks to everyone who has helped kick my hiney in gear to move on with this decision!!! You RAWK!!!!!

Damaged Beauty

2008-07-31T21:05:00.003-04:00

I went to let Kinsey out this morning and found this poor thing on my patio, It was about 4" wide and simply beautiful.

Things Are Getting Dusty Around Here

2008-07-28T07:29:00.000-04:00

Must fix that ASAP!

My Favorite Kind of Morning

2008-04-25T06:12:00.002-04:00

Prompted by Kinsey's need to go out, I rolled out of bed at 5:15 this morning. Normally if this were a work day, I would be hemming and hawing about getting up so very early when it was probably after 1 am when I finally fell asleep last night. But this morning, I find myself very excited about the prospects of the day. It isn't that I have anything terribly exciting on my list of things to do today, it's more what's on my list of what not to do today that has me delighted. Aside from a little bit of cleaning, running errands and class on Monday morning, oh and working for a few hours tomorrow, I am pretty much FREE until Tuesday morning. It's so nice to be able to wake up whenever on my day off, with almost nothing on the to do list. Honestly today for the first time in almost a year, since this whole idea of going back to school popped into my head, I feel relaxed (because except for 2 quizzes and a quick oral presentation, my school work is done for the semester) and re-energized. There is a lot that I want to get done, but today, I will take great pleasure in knowing that I can do it, or none of it for that matter, at my own pace.

Procrastinating Yet Again

2008-04-18T23:22:00.002-04:00

I don't know why I continually do this to myself, but it seems to be the way I work best. Putting absolutely everything off until the very last minute. Right now it's Friday night, almost 11:30 pm, I have 2 pretty hefty papers due by Monday and other than some light reading on the subjects of said papers, I haven't done a blasted thing. It's not like I've been so incredibly busy with other work, it's just that I'm a last minute burn the candle at both ends procrastinator extrordionare. This is actually a true story.. many years ago, before the internet was at my disposal, I called to order a tape from an infomercial to help me stop smoking, at the end of the call, the woman on the phone continues on with her sales pitch and says "Would you like to add the Stop Procrastination Now tape to your order?" My reply, I swear to god, "No, not right now!" Nuff said. So now I know that tomorrow when I get home from Sarah's B-day bash and all day Sunday I'll be cursing myself for putting all this off till the last minute, but dag nabit, those papers will be done and turned in on time. I suppose the only good point to all of this is once these are done, I've just got to show up for class 2 more times for some quizzes, then this semester is over :o) I'm really looking forward to having the summer off. And hoping that I can get some of my creative/crafty mojo back. I'd really love to create something, anything, soon.

I Feel Like a Dwarf

2008-04-07T07:02:00.002-04:00

Stuffy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Grumpy, that's how I find myself this morning. While I LOVE LOVE LOVE springtime, as soon as the first buds appear on the trees, my allergies kick in and keep on kicking in till the winter comes. It's not the most enjoyable thing in the world, but armed with antihistamines, decongestants and allergy drops for my eyes, I'll survive. I've got school this morning which is only half bad since I withdrew from my algebra class last week. It's really a shame that one terrible professor would cause me to withdraw from the class and alter my path of study, but YES he's that bad! So I'm changing things up and will be following the apprentice track to get my optician's license. If I decide at any other point oh I must have that degree, I can always go back and make up the rest of the classes. On a happy note, I have just 2 more papers that I have to write for English, one a research paper and one for my final exam. Then I'm done writing papers for school probably forever. It's funny really, I can write all day until the cows come home about something of interest to me, but make me write about a topic I have no interest in and I'll avoid it like the plague. Once I've completed these last 2 papers I'm sure I'll want to celebrate :o)

On some other notes, my burn is healing up quite nicely. I don't think I'll have much of a scar after all. Craig and I had another of our talks this past Saturday, after another big blow out the weekend before. I really hope he follows through with what he claims he will, this is the very very last chance he's got to get things right with me. The whole situation at this point is just very aggravating. Something or someone's gotta give, and it won't be me anymore. Well I suppose it's time to get in the shower and get ready for the rest of the day.

Burned by My Beloved

2008-03-30T11:16:00.002-04:00

Monday morning, not only did I wake up sick with the flu, I also woke up to my coffee pot leaking all over my kitchen counter. This is totally my fault, because when I set the pot up the night before I had forgotten to put the top onto the carafe. Unfortunately I didn't notice that it had leaked until the entire brew cycle had completed. So I clean up the mess all over the counter top, grab the coffee pot and went to dump the basket (still filled with supa dupa hot coffee) into the sink so that I could make more of my beloved coffee, and in the process, spilled said supa dupa hot coffee all over my right hand and wrist. Despite my attempt to cool the burn and head off any serious damage, I'm thinking I've got at least a second degree burn here. Things seemed to be healing up pretty well, until last night when I was doing some cleaning and had an itch on my hand, I rubbed it on something because I didn't want to scratch it while it was healing and a large patch of (ewwwwwwwwwww) dead skin came off, leaving me with a slightly more painful, shiny, angry red looking patch of fresh skin exposed. I'd share pictures, but they'd be yucky and no one wants to see that...lol. The worst part of all of this is that I really didn't have much in the work department going on this weekend and since I'm now feeling mostly recuperated from the flu bug, I wanted to do some knitting, but I've got pretty limited mobility with this crispy fried hand of mine. Oh well, maybe I'll still tinker around and see what I can do.

Bitten Hard by the Flu Bug

2008-03-26T09:24:00.002-04:00

Seems I've been bitten rather hard by the nasty nasty flu bug! Fever, chills, then the sweats, dizziness, feeling queezy, everything on my body just hurts. I've been sick since Monday, spent the entire day pretty much sleeping and feeling rather miserable. Yesterday, I spent the morning and most of the day home sick, then eventually went into work for a few hours, and I'll be doing the same today. I really wish I could take a whole day off from work to get all the rest I need and feel better, but the current staffing situation doesn't seem to allow that. So unless I can beg and plead with someone to work for me, I'll be heading in at 3:30... Off to my regularly scheduled get well sleep time.

Arrrrg

2008-03-22T01:02:00.002-04:00

No I'm not feeling like a pirate this fine evening, I'm actually a bit frustrated by how quickly this past week has gone by. It should have been my "spring break" but I ended up working some OT this week because one of the girlies at work is away. Now I'm facing the fact that I have a ton of school work to catch up on, and an essay due Monday morning before 11 am. I really don't know where the time goes. I do know that it's going to be a very busy weekend for me. I am counting the weeks until this semester is over. I NEED a break!

Hope Springs Eternal

2008-03-02T11:59:00.002-04:00

Just when I was feeling scattered and lost in the cold gray starkness of winter, a little birdie (literally) told me that spring is right around the corner. Friday morning, I was at the computer, Kinsey was outside and it was a decent morning weather wise, so I had the back door opened, nothing else was on to distract me, and chirp chirp, the birds were out in full force singing their happy little tunes that tell me that spring is almost here. Even last night, I noted that the days are growing longer, the sun seems to be shining brighter, and I'm feeling more focused and at peace.

Drowning in a Sea of Equations

2008-02-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

I don't know how, but I am utterly, completely lost in my Algebra class. Well actually I do know part of the reason, my professor is horrible, I touched on this in my last post. I'm so lost in fact that at this point, I don't even know, what I don't know. I am also in a serious state of free time fun withdraw. I haven't had a chance to just relax and read or knit in weeks, and I'm quite bummed about that, but I've promised myself that once I am able to understand what the hell my professor is doing, then and only then will I be able to bask in the glory of free time R&R. I woke up way to early this morning, after not getting much sleep last night (because I'm worried about all this crap) so I think I might try and catch a little nap, then hit the books. Wish me luck!

Screen Suck

2008-02-05T07:55:00.000-04:00

I'm a victim of Screen Suck. On a very regular basis, and it actually bugs me a bit. I'm trying to understand how it is that the work day, and time spent in class or doing homework can pass so slowly, yet I pop online to check email, and hit my usual sites, blogs, etc. and in the blink of an eye, an hour or more has passed. I've really got to work on getting this under control and finding a way to really focus on other things throughout the day. Wish me luck :o)

Ack, I'm Sick, and Other Rantings

2008-01-31T06:35:00.000-04:00

So I was minding my own business and out of nowhere, blammo, I'm SICK!!!! Not even a good sick, but a yucky stuffy, all I want to do is sleep sick. Bahhh! I tried my best to get by on just nyquil and sudafed, but that didn't work (though thank you for your suggestion sexy Dr. man). So at 3:30 am I got out of bed after tossing and turning, because each and every time I would get settled in one place, my entire head would stuff up and I was left laying there like a 4 year old mouth breather. So I got my sad sorry ass out of bed and went in search of a 24 hour pharmacy. Let me 'splain a little to you about living in South Jersey. This used to be the land of every and anything you might need open 24 hours is/was within spitting distance. Well now so much anymore. I got out of bed, threw on some clothes (yeah now I look like a hobo chicken lady) and hopped in the car. Hmmm gas tank's on E, better stop for gas. First I'm outraged at the fact that $20 just gets me a little over a quarter tank of gas, and secondly, I'm peeved that in this state I can't pump my own gas. I mean come on people, just because I'm from Jersey and a girl, doesn't mean I can't be trusted to fuel up the road pig. I actually can work one of those new fangled gas pump thing-a-majigs. I feel as though I should at least be given the option, rather than be forced to sit and wait... and wait some more for the gas person to come and service me. These are valuable moments of my life that I will never ever get back! I suppose I was really more irate because I was just unable to breathe through my nose. Hmmmpf, ok, so I've got gas in the car, off to the 24 hour Walgreens to raid their OTC cold and flu section. WTF??? They're closed!!! Hellooooooo when did this happen. I had to toodle along for another 5 miles to find an open CVS. Now I'm looking like a flustered, mouth breathing homeless person. I raid the cold and flu isle like a swashbuckling pirate, and leave the store with my bag of loot. Which includes the forbidden by my Dr. (Love you Dr. K, but I gotta do what I gotta do, and I promise I won't make it a habit) Vicks Ultra Fine Mist, nasal spray. I scurry to my car, bust out the nasal spray and ahhhhh 2 minutes later and I can breathe again.
Now moving on to the back to school ranting. English, no problem, not worried one single bit about that, my Algebra class however... That's another story. To me MATH is a 4 letter word, and I like to avoid it at all costs. I'm not stupid by any means, but me and numbers or formulas or equations, well we just don't get along. My synapses in that part of my brain just don't fire as rapidly as they should. I walk into class on my first day, and shortly thereafter walks in my professor, well, there was a switch up in the teaching department, the professor I was supposed to have is no longer teaching this class. Satan incarnate is. The very first thing he said was that if we have any questions about the material, not to ask, because all that means is we shouldn't be in his class.. JACKASS. This is NOT going to be enjoyable. And it's the only time I can actually take the class. Uhhhg. Who knew Satan was a short, fat, bald, Jewish guy from NY, with a voice like Joe Pesci on helium in any of the Lethal Weapon movies, and a problem with nose blowing, making some god awful clucking throat noise, and uhmm spittle. Please remind me to sit far, far away from the front of the class. Now I'm going to try and sleep for an hour before I get to go back to work!

I've Been Punctured

2008-01-19T23:52:00.001-04:00

So.. a few weeks ago I got this idea in my head that I HAD to get my nose pierced. Usually when my inner voice tells me I should do something (and is persistent, no I'm not crazy, and don't actually hear voices..lol) I do what I'm told. I took some time and put it off for a while, since this is the first thing I've had done that is not by invitation only, my tattoo's and other piercing is hidden from the world for the most part, unless I want someone to see them. Since I work in a somewhat conservative field, I really wanted to give it some thought. I ran the idea by one of my boss's a few weeks ago, and he insisted if I was going to do it, I get a proper bone in my nose (jackass), I didn't even mention it to the other Dr, because I'm sure he'd have something to say about it, so honestly I'm hoping to slip it by him when he's having a moment of cerebral flatulence. So today was the big day!!! Craig and I went over to the studio after a late lunch, I am stunned he actually came with me, he only hemmed and hawed about the people at the studio little bit while we were waiting, though we both agreed the piercer was cool. Craig is rather conservative, and quite opinionated, so I made him promise before we got there not to utter the word freak until after we were out of the building and back in my car. Knowing this, I'm actually quite shocked that he was cool about my getting this done. I got the whole happy nervous adrenaline rush of butterflies while waiting (I so love that feeling before any piercing or tattoo's, ok so maybe I am a little off). We made our way back to the piercing room, went over the whole procedure, aftercare, etc. and not but 2 minutes later I was walking out the door the proud owner of a new nose piercing. Now here are my thoughts on why I NEEDED to get this done. Even though I'm working my way through school to get my opticians license, I've always had the desire to do something independent and creative for a living, but lets face it, I've got bills to pay, and I'm not in love with the idea of being a starving/hobo artist. So for me this piercing is my way of keeping what I truly want in perspective. Finding a way to combine my 2 loves, my career in the optical world, and my creativity. I have been newly inspired by some ideas for my future. And this is my everyday, visual reminder, to keep my eye on the prize and work towards making my dreams come true. Oh I also got to see Nicole today :o) I've missed her so, since she's moved to South Carolina. And got my fan-freakin'-tabulous new glasses today. They scream dork, but I love them so!!! It's been a good day all around. Now if only I could get used to blowing my nose with this little bugger (I said bugger not Booger), I'd be set.

Knitty Knitty Bang Bang

2008-01-15T08:37:00.000-04:00

First off, thanks to all of you who commented on my not smoking stats. I'm pleased to say that with time the edge is slightly more off than it was a week ago. I'm feeling slightly better (I'm no longer climbing the walls) but I know that it's still a long haul. One day at a time is the only way to think of it.

I had a lovely day yesterday. I got to sleep in, took my time getting dressed and ready in the morning, there were no errands to be done, so it was quite leisurely. I took a trip to one of my favorite places on Earth, the library! I love library's, book stores, etc. I have a thing for any place where there's a lot of any one thing, craft stores, heck, even Home Depot. But I especially love library's. Books make me so very happy, and if I had my way, I would have them stacked to the rafters. However, in my attempt to green up, the library has replaced my book buying for a while. (Unless there is something that I MUST have that a 3 week loan will not take care of). I picked up 2 knitting books with some great ideas for patterns that I'm interested in trying. A few Janet Evanovich books, Middlesex, The Mermaid Chair and Rise and Shine. So between reading and knitting, my free time for the next few weeks is pretty well filled with happiness.

I'm in utter disbelief that school starts up again in a week. This past month has gone by so quickly, my head is still spinning. I'm using this week to get myself used to waking up super early (for me) to deal with Algebra at 8 am twice a week. I'm not at all looking forward to it, but it's only 15 weeks out of my life. Craig has agreed to come over on Wednesdays (my long school + work day) and let Kinsey out to take care of her doggy business. So that's a relief. I have serious Mommy guilt when I leave her alone for too long.

On the knitting side, I've got to get myself together this week. I want to get as much done as possible before school starts, so that means finishing up Craig's scarf, and getting at least half way through my first sock. The momentum from that should keep my procrastinating self going. So I'll be toting my knitting along to work, and any spare time I have over the next week, I'll be knitting my fingers to the bone. Pictures of FO's (Finished objects) to come. Happy Tuesday!

If It Were Thursday

2008-01-11T06:48:00.000-04:00

Or any other work day really. I'd still be sleeping. I can't be the only one with this affliction. Waking up WAY too early on my days off, but having to be drug out of bed kicking and screaming on work days. I just can't figure why I have to wake up at 4:30 am.

Monday Afternoon Stats

2008-01-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

Andrea - Smoke free for Five Days, 15 Hours and 48 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 11 Hours, by not smoking 141 cigarettes that would have cost me $44.92.
My skin is still crawling, I want to do nothing more than sleep, but I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the first week tunnel.