104

Our charity knitting/crochet at work has been a success!
So far we have collected 104 afghan squares.
I am overwhelmed by everyone's hard work so far.
And we're not done yet.

Things I Give Up As I Get Older

So much for Diet Coke with caffeine.
I think I have to switch to decaf if I drink it at all.
Lately I have noticed that my heart has been racing, but my BP is normal.
On Wednesday I sat in a meeting and drank a Diet Coke. After a bit I noticed my heart was racing and I finally figured it out -- caffeine.
I'm a non-coffee drinker anyway (it makes me crazy), and it is mostly because of the caffeine.
But I'm a huge tea drinker!
My cupboard is now over-flowing, but the tea doesn't seem to bother me; perhaps I am immune to the caffeine in tea.
So I guess I'll be giving up soda, which in truth I should have given up a long time ago.
Oh well, it is just another product my body attrits from my diet, just like those who can't eat white sugar. You learn to live without it and it is not a big deal really.
I've been avoiding my Summer of Sock(s) projects and trying to get my mojo back by working on a simple garter stitch shawl with Lion Brand Homespun. If anything the boredom of garter stitch will drive me back to my socks, don't you think?
And to make this post more interesting, because lately my life has been uber-boring, here are some pictures I stole from DN1's facebook album. Here she is on her first night in Poland:




And this goes out to you, DN1. My very favorite song by Pink Floyd:

Thursday Quiz - Yet Another Glimpse Into Who I Am

So here's another quiz.
It is amazing that we can figure out our personality traits based upon 4-5 simple questions.
Even the Myers-Briggs test has more than 4 questions (I'm an ENFP, by the way and just in case you were wondering).
Here we go, you're walking through a city....

What Your City Walk Means

You are thoughtful and contemplative. You enjoy spending time alone with your thoughts. You are generally confident and friendly with strangers. You are well mannered and sociable. Money is fairly important to you. You aren't super greedy, but you enjoy spending money on yourself. You are curious about ideas. If you had the means, you'd like to explore the whole world.

The City Walk Personality Test

And while we are at it, big shout out to DN1 who is walking through a city of her own looking for gnomes!

This One Is For Jean and Sheri

Last night I went to dinner with my friends Jean and Sheri.
Sorry, no pictures.
We had pasta at the Brook House.
The meal was delicious, as always, and I was with some delicious company.
(And Red does actually greet you at the door; last night as DN2 and I walked in we got a "Hi girls!")
Neither Jean nor Sheri are knitters, but they just lurve to see pictures of knitting on my blog.
That's a joke.
Because they really don't.
But they are faithful readers who take my quiz every Thursday whenever I remember to post it and email me directly about whatever the current topic is.
And it keeps us connected (break out the violins here 'cause I think I'm gonna cry).
You can't beat that, right?
Being connected, not crying.
(And what is it about string music that prompts one to cry? Has anyone ever done a study as to why that happens? Or is it only me?)
Anyway, to please them both I am posting a picture of the project that actually took my knitting mojo:

(And on a side note, can women actually have mojo?
Oh, I guess you can.)
Sorry, it is not a sock, it is a cabled square for the afghans we're creating at work.
There you go, girls, enjoy the view because this one is for you!
(P.S. I actually went back and posted some pictures on this blog post.No it's not pictures of me in a bathing suit. I wouldn't inflect that punishment on you; it is bad enough you have to look at pictures of my sucky knitting skills. These are VBS pictures.)

I've Been Sucked In

I held out for as long as I could, but I've been sucked into the abyss known as The Mitford Series.
I knew that people were overwhelmed and overly effusive about Jan Karon's storytelling about the exploits of a small North Carolina town and its Episcopal priest, but I had never picked up the books even though they were always prominently featured in Books-a-Million in Potomac Mills mall.
I had better things to read.
So I moved away from Virginia and our local bookstore doesn't really stock Jan Karon, but even still, three years later, I've been sucked in.
I'm now on Book 4, Out to Canaan.
It started because my friend Flower was talking about finding books for the book club she wants to start.
Flower kept saying, "Oh I just love Jan Karon's books."
I had to confess that I was a literary snob and hadn't read them.
So I jumped in and read book 1 and you know where I am now.
The books are really very pleasant and bucolic, pastoral if you will, and remind me of Miss Read's chronicles of Fairacre. No overt sex, everyone is nice, there is still some strife, but it is usually resolved, so a good read for the summer.
My problem is my self-diagnosed OCD. When I start a series I like to begin on book 1 and then see it through to the end.
I'll let you know when I've finished book 9.
Although I still have to get my hands on books 5-9 because I borrowed books 2-4 from Flower and I don't think she has any more either.
This is where the obsession comes in.
I HAVE TO READ THEM.
I should just see if the dang library has them.
Off to read some more, and maybe as soon as I am done with this series my knitting mojo will come back.
Pray for me, Father Tim.

My Bathing Suit Has Been Getting a Workout This Summer

Too bad that the body inside the suit isn't working out.
No pictures.
Please.
We have been super busy.
Well, I have.
My grammar class finished on 3 July (got an A - yea!) and then we had the 4th of July weekend.
We went to the beach, which DH constantly likes to remind me is not a real beach.
Hey, again, we're up north, if the beach abuts a large lake, then it is still a beach.
Then we spent time at Darien Lake and yesterday we went to Seabreeze.
And I was in a bathing suit each time.
No one's eyes were blinded either.
In between times I was helping out at Vacation Bible School the week of the 7th.
But I didn't wear my bathing suit, not even on water day.
I have a picture of the imps in my class but I'll have to post that later - so this is where I will insert a picture.
Here's the picture:

As well as one with DN2 looking like she's having good time:

(For the record, DH took this fuzzy picture. I'm just saying is all...)
It was a lot of fun, but then once VBS ended at noon I had to rush to get to work by 12:30.
So I took off on Friday the 11th and after VBS ended that day we went to the movies to see Journey to the Center of the Earth. I liked it, DN2 liked it, DH liked it, but the critics don't seem to care for it too much. (Let's be honest here; it had Brendan Fraser, how could it be a bad movie?)
Oh well, can't please everyone.
Of course I considered taking my knitting with me, because I have totally lost my mojo, but decided that since the movie is in 3D and I would be wearing those stupid glasses it would not make sense for me to bring it.
And speaking of 3D, I hate those movies.
Want to know why?
Have I already discussed this?
Well I will tell you again.
I can't see in 3D.
Well, that's not true, I can see 3D in real life, but at the movies I don't get the special effects.
Everyone else will be oohing, ahing, and gasping when the 3D part comes at them, and I'll be sitting there thinking, what? Did something just happen?
Kind of irritating and not scary at all.
I wear the glasses and don't get the extra cool stuff so not a lot of fun for me.
Now let me tell you about our Seabreeze experience.
The day was supposed to dawn sunny and hot.
It was sunny for a bit, but then it slowly became cloudy.
And the clouds continued to roll in. They weren't going back out over that big lake and towards Canada like they should have been.
No, they stayed right on top of us.
And then it started to rain.
You should have seen the people scattering and running for cover.
They were lined up under the overhang by the locker rooms, covering their heads with towels, and ducking into the shops.
Now let's consider this.
2,000 people in swimsuits in a water park and they are all afraid of getting rained on.
It was sublimely hilarious, to say the least.
Back to a regular work week now for the first time in 6 weeks.
I think I need a vacation.

Thursday Quiz - World Travel

Hi.
Remember me?
I'm the one who has not blogged in about 2 weeks.
I am still here just distracted and in a funk.
DN1 leaves for Poland today, so in honor of her trip I thought I would use a quiz to see if any of us are good citizens of the world.
I am.
Nanny nanny boo boo.

You are a Model Citizen of the World

You care deeply about the world, and you do everything you can to help. You feel like the injustices in the world are your injustices, and you fight to fix them. You have a deep appreciation for the differences that make up the world. You feel like you have something to gain from every culture and country.

Are You a Citizen of the World?

DN1 will be back at the beginning of August.
Too bad it's not a trip that is all fun and games because she is taking 2 classes while she is there.
But she will have fun, I'm sure.
And we will miss her.
I'm sure of that too.

Mythological Packages

I've been immersed in two things lately: Greek mythology and grammar.
Both through choice but one with a pressing deadline.
My Grammar class ends next Thursday. I just took an exam on Tuesday and I have the final exam next Thursday, and I have to turn in my final paper on that day as well.
I do love my class and the people in it are fantastic. We actually have fun analyzing sentences. Sick, right?
Essentially Grammar has taken over my life.
Ergo, this should explain my lack of posting.
I have been knitting on a sock since last Saturday began the Summer of Socks, but I know I do not knit as fast as everyone else so I'm not even in it for the contest. I'm just digging on the socks.
I should have a picture of that tomorrow.
Today, however, I have a picture of a mythological package that I received last week.
It should have never taken me this long to record officially its awesomeness.
Bad blogger.
This is what I got from Jen as part of the Libris Swap on Ravelry.


Sorry the picture is a little dark. I just put new batteries in my camera about a week ago and they are already dead.
How is that?
I can tell you what you would see in if the picture weren't so dark: some yummy chocolate truffles, Almondina biscuits (I love almonds, they go wonderfully with ambrosia), Jasmine Pearls tea bags (ambrosia), Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, Edith Hamilton's Mythology, a bottle of Nero d'Avola from Sicily (the real nectar of the gods), and knitting needles.
Now, for the piece de resistance: a pattern for the Icarus shawl (how appropriate!) and two skeins of to-die-for lace weight Spectrum yarn from Springwater Fiber Workshop.
I wish this blog allowed the readers to reach out and touch because if you could you would love this yarn.
And the colors...what can I say about the colors (look at that incorrect sentence structure - I used a phrase to begin a declarative sentence and turned it into an interrogative sentence - this grammar thing - I can't stop!).
The colors of this yarn are phenomenal!
Purple and red with light greys and pinks - perfect colors for fall knitting.
I'm so excited to use it and I think now that I've become familiar with socks (I won't say mastered) I'm ready to move on to lace.
Who knows, someday I may knit a sweater.
It does get cold up there on Mount Olympus.

Thursday Quiz - Pie in the Sky

I am feeling a little hungry right now.
For chocolate.
Anyone else?

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth. You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you. You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions. People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them. Those who like you give into their impulses. You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation. People get addicted to you rather easily. You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Sorry, no knitting pictures, but I have been working on my second sock and during intermittent periods working on my paper that is due in two weeks.
Two weeks!
Egads.
I guess I had better put that sock down and get to work.
And what is best when you're writing?
Food.
What kind of food?
Apparently Mud Pie.
Will a Moon Pie suffice?

Black Yarn Swap Package

Here's the package from yesterday:


And what was in it?
It was my black yarn swap package from my swap partnerDeborah!


There's some Plymouth yarn, enough to make the Little Silk Shrug by Pam Allen, the pattern for said project, a pattern for some LOVELY Floral Lace Anklets, some needles for the project (for the record I LOVE receiving needles with projects, don't you?) and some yummy Sipping Chocolate.
I've been waiting for it to be cold enough to drink it and it doesn't look as if our temps today will get about 60 degrees, so Deborah, I think I'm busting out some hot chocolate for breakfast!
Thank you Deborah for this great package and for recognizing that I love to knit socks and also need a little push into lace. Don't you love having swap partners who really pay attention?
I try, but I know how difficult it is, trust me.
And now I have more projects in my queue which seems to be stretching to about 3 typewritten pages (in Times New Roman 10)!
I think I need to get my queue loaded up onto Ravelry.
It's really the only way to manage it and keep track of the yarn I buy and then forget what it is supposed to be used for.

Summer Solstice is on the Horizon

This Saturday is the Summer Solstice.
Some people call it the longest day of the year because the sun is at its highest point. Others call it the saddest day of the year because after this the sun starts to get lower in the sky and winter is literally just over the horizon.
Well this Summer Solstice is going to be a great one for me.
I'll be knitting socks but I'll also be sipping iced tea in some wonderful flavors courtesy of Ravelry Member Liquid Lace.
This is what was in the box I received on Friday:



Would you look at that lovely sock yarn?
It is scrumptious and I can't wait to use it to make socks, but I'm waiting until the 21st, just to be symbolic and all that.
I have found a pattern that I think might work well, Sweet Socks.
What do you think?
I'm definitely open to suggestions because I love how the colors in the yarn blend together. Oh, I guess I should tell you that it is Aussi Sock Yarns in Faded Valentine. Even the color name is cool.
DN2 keeps trying to grab the cup with the cool straw and then the separate spoon straws.
I was so overwhelmed with this package it was wonderful!
Now I need to get my package off to my swap partner and then work on shopping for one more swap package.
And yesterday this package showed up on my doorstep:

Getting yarn in the mail is a great thing.
You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what is in this package.
And by the way, guess who received an A on their Grammar mid-term?
That deserves a yee haw, doesn't it.

Yarny Loveliness (or Yarnly Loviness)

Friday seemed as if it would turn out to be a bad day.
It wasn't the anticipation of being afraid of what Friday the 13th was going to bring, just that my stress quotient is rather high these days.
Some things calmed me down.
Come on along and let me show you.
Friday was our second meeting of the knitting/crochet group.
Our numbers were smaller this time:



That is okay, we anticipated this.
It is the summer and because of that many people are working shorter days so they all cannot get away for an hour at lunchtime.
This group is meant to be here, ready and available for whenever the people can come over.
No pressure, no stress.
What pleased me most was this:


Would you look at all the squares people turned in?!?!
In two weeks time we have received 33 squares, and 49 are required to make an afghan.
And this number is incomplete, because one woman is already on her second skein of yarn.
She asked for the second after going through the first but could not come on Friday, so she still has more squares out.
And I know there are more.
I am so pleased with everyone's efforts.
We can already tell that we have two distinct afghans right now based upon the colors that have been used and they look gorgeous already.
I'm psyched!
And because the Diversity Workshop was cancelled for the afternoon they brought us their cheese and crackers:

People are funny because they just don't realize that all they have to do is call me and I will get them more yarn.
I continue to tell them this and on Friday I actually dropped off some yarn and needles to a woman. I was on my way home, I just rode by her office, she was waiting outside, and we made our transaction.
So Friday the 13th (the work edition) was ending on a high note.
Then I came home to this.
A package from my Summer Solstice swap partner:

What's in the box?
You have to see it to believe it.
So tune in tomorrow and be prepared to be astounded, astonished, and overwhelmed.

What Would You do for WWKIP Day?

As a knitter, what would you do different for Worldwide Knit in Public Day that you wouldn't normally do on any other day?
I like to knit and I like to knit everyday, ergo, if I am in public it is likely that I am going to be knitting.
Since I was not able to join a group and knit together I took my sock on a trip.
We went to the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
First we watched DH and DN2 play with sand and make a dam:


It looked like so much fun that sock asked to be put back in my bag so I could play too.
It was fun.
Smelled heavily of chlorine but it was fun.
And of course the next people that came over after we left totally smashed our wonderful dam.
Damn them.
We went to see some robots and I watched a Donald Duck cartoon and knit on sock some more.
That was great fun, but mostly because I am a HUGE fan of Donald Duck.
He's the best.
Then we went to look at some stars in the planetarium:

Sock was so well-behaved at the show, unlike some young kids who wouldn't stop chatting and fortunately their grandmother took them out (thank goodness) that we decided to brave the rain and drive out for some outstanding bbq at Sticky Lips.
Sock watched me eat some nachos but then she asked to be put away once the ribs arrived:

So while I was not with a sanctioned group knitting in public on Saturday, I truly believe that I made the most of my KIP experience.
Again, and everyday.
Maybe next year.

Triskadecaphobia anyone?

Can you believe it is the middle of June already?
And Friday the 13th at that.
Time is flying and I have barely made a dent in my summer reading.
I think that is due in part to my Grammar class.
(My exam went okay yesterday, in case anyone is wondering, although I won't find out until Monday if my confidence in having done well is based in fact or not.)
Once that is finished on 3 July I will read like a fiend.
DN2 wants to go to Darien Lake and my thought is, gee, if we go, can I just sit in a chair by the wave pool and read or knit?
Speaking of knitting, I finished a sock last night.
Check it out:

Now I just have to knit the other one.
Can I say that I am slightly tired of this pattern.
Of course I make these socks a bit bigger so they'll fit more people than just me, so they are a bit baggy around the ankle. I do realize they are not slim-fitting summer socks and they will be used primarily when that cold winter wind blasts us once again.
I'm just anxious to get this pair done and move on to some other sock patterns.
I have been buying more sock yarn so I have two choices: either move my sock yarn to a larger container or knit socks faster.
In the meantime the recent rainfall has helped our grass to grow.
Perhaps I should get some sheep and take care of that problem:

I'll leave you with a picture of my new Lantern Moon knitting bag (40% off!):

Enjoy your weekend - and don't forget that tomorrow is the official Worldwide Knit in Public day!

Thursday Quiz - Bad Grammar? Moi?

This quiz makes me laugh.
I wish that I could just take this and pass but I can't.
Today is my mid-term exam.
Yes, it is the middle of the term.
When the class is only five weeks the middle comes along rather quickly.
Am I nervous about the exam?
Hell yes.
According to this quiz I should ace it.

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Unfortunately my test covers more parts of speech than simply identifying it's, its, they're, their, and there.
Well, at least I've got that part covered.
Wish me luck!

Swap Shopping

It's hard to shop for swap packages.
Well, it's difficult for me, because I want to send just the right thing.
And then I second guess myself and think, No, this is not right, and then I head out and buy something different.
You'd think I have money, right?
Wrong.
Over the past few days we've been to two different LYS' that, with today's gas prices, traveling 25 miles to an LYS hardly makes either of these a "local" yarn shop. (I saw $4.25 gas yesterday - YIKES!)
One LYS is Knit 'N Purl in Brighton and unfortunately they are closing their doors on June 20th. Good sales, but sad they're closing.
Then last night DN2 and I headed to A Knitter's Corner in Medina.
Nice place and their store is very organized because it really is not that big, it is a true "corner."
So now I have completed the shopping for two Ravelry swaps - The Black Yarn Swap and the Cuppa Tea Summer Solstice Swap. One more swap to go.
Now all I have to do is get these packaged and in the mail.
The Black Yarn Swap package is going to Beate in Norway and the Summer Solstice Swap is a surprise!
Swaps are fun!

A Successful Walk

Well we did it.
Yes, all of us.
You, me, the family.

A big thanks to those who donated - I cannot begin to tell you how appreciative I am of your support.
There were over 300 people (and quite a few dogs) who walked yesterday to help raise money for AIDS research.
And was it ever hot.
I thought some people were going to be ill and drop from heat exhaustion.
I started feeling a bit of cramp myself, and I've had heat cramps once and I never want to have them again.
The walk was 3.2 miles long and started at 11:00. The first leg was all downhill so that wasn't so bad, but then we had to go up some on Elmwood Ave and then up some more on Mt. Hope Ave. It was lovely walking around Highland Park, past Mt. Hope Cemetery (and some of its famous residents, such as Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass and Messrs Bausch and Lomb to name a few) and past some lovely houses.
But man, was it hot.
Have I said that already?
Because DN2 was dying.
And I was dying but guess what.
I kept on knitting.
I had several people comment on my knitting while walking.
Well gosh, what else am I supposed to do with my hands?
Swing them?
Of course I was knitting.
I have a sock to finish and another to start.
Time management, my friends.
Some people ended up on the local news - here is a link to the website and you can watch a video. None of us are in there but we did see almost all of the people in the newscast. DN1 told us that the Mayor said over $111,000 was raised for AIDS research.
Wow.
I'm so pleased we accomplished our goal, and DN1 was even there working with her radio station.
DN2 won a DVD - no, it wasn't fixed, she actually won the movie - National Treasure: Book of Secrets. We got home and I had such a headache from the heat that I sat on the couch for the rest of the evening and watched One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest with DH.
We'll have to start training for next year and if I know New York weather it will probably be 50 degrees and raining.
That's how things go around here.

Are The Ting Tings the Next Big Thing (Thing)?

Has anyone heard of The Ting Tings? I first did about a month ago.
And then I sought out some of their other music and realized that I had heard one of their songs on an iPod commercial ("Shut Up and Let Me Go.")
I think they're great.
The beat on their songs is always catchy, it makes you want to dance (although you don't want to see me dance), and the the tunes just won't leave your head.
("It's got a catchy beat and you can dance to it so I'd give it a 92, Dick.")
I have them on Francesca (my iPod) and I will be listening to her tomorrow during my AIDS Walk in Highland Park.
Here is one of The Ting Tings songs from their CD that was just released in the States:



You can check out more of their videos on YouTube or songs on MySpace.
Fame is a fickle thing so I'm not sure if they will last much longer than a year or two.
Who knows.
But I do believe they will define the sound for the summer of 2008.
And we've certainly left winter behind now, thank goodness.

Thursday Quiz - Things I Need to Do

Remember in my last post where I said my grammar class was fun?
Yeah.
Not so much.
Memorization!
That's what I'm doing.
Trying to remember things I haven't thought about in years other than through using them.
Memorizing the definitions of phrase, clause, prepositional phrase, noun, noun determiner, noun inflection, noun functions, nominative pronouns, objective pronouns, possessive pronouns, relative pronouns, interrogative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, reciprocal prounouns....and the list goes on.
It is a good class, I won't deny that.
But I sit there for two hours thinking I'm grasping it and really all I'm doing is catching flies because my mouth is hanging open as I look dumbfounded at the professor as the streaming thought, "I hope I can pass" runs through my brain. (And that, my friends, is a run on sentence. And the inclusion of "my friends" in the previous sentence is an appositive. Help me! I can't stop!)
This morning I woke up defining some of the aforementioned parts of speech.
I'm getting desperate.
And I do study every night.
I have no choice!
Good thing I'm anal at times.
How do I know that I am anal retentive?
I took a quiz, of course.
And you can too.
Here you go!

You Are in the Anal Stage of Development

According to Dr. Freud, you are stuck in the anal stage of development. If your parents didn't discipline you enough as a young child, you may be messy, reckless, and defiant. If your parents disciplined you too severely as a young child, you may be uptight, stingy, and passive aggressive. No matter where you fall, you are likely to have a few problems with authority.

What Freudian Stage Are You In?

My mother was all about me joining the Marine Corps, but of course the curse she placed on me has stayed with me throughout my life. She told me once, "You have problems with authority."
Yes I do, Mom, and Dr. Freud says it is all your fault.

Parsing

Yesterday was my first Grammar class.
It was actually fun!
I'm weird that way, though, because I like knowing the rules.
I don't always pay attention to them, but knowing them is POWER.
Since this is a 5 week class I have homework EVERY NIGHT.
I feel like I'm back in high school.
Except for when I look at my hips, gut and grey hair that a highlighting job couldn't cover, then I know I'm not.
Now my knitting is curtailed a bit although I still carry my current sock around as if it is my security blanket.
Hey, wherever I go I always have at least one book, a knitting project, and gum.
Those are MY rules.