Wednesday, October 31, 2007

happy halloween!

unless you're in iowa.

now THAT'S a trick.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

thank you, US government

NOT!

we've been planning to go to visit my brother and his wife in southern Georgia, since the wedding last year. so i called my SIL to find out where they wanted my mom to fly in to, because i'm not going to force her to ride for 2400 miles (we're driving). She told me that, as an army retiree, they just ACTIVATED HER.

she's 49, overweight by 70#, has to have neck surgery, and wrist surgery, not to mention the fact that she has a bad heart valve, which also needs to be replaced. They won't ship her out of the country because of all of this, but they still insist that they are going to activate her. the town they live in has an army base. where are they sending her? laredo, texas. for 18 months.

when does she go? DECEMBER 18. my mom is flying in december 19. she MIGHT be back the day before we leave to come home. she might not.

she's contacted her local congressman, and i may just contact mine as well!

needless to say, i'm not happy.

Whoda Thunk

Bob Dylan/ Elvis Costello Tickets: $119.90

Parking: $6

Obligatory Concert T-shirt: $35

Food & Beer: $39.50

Cracking up every time the guy in front of us accidentally grabs mark's knee instead of his girlfriend's shoulder, prompting the remark "my knee does not have a nipple" :

PRICELESS!

Friday, October 26, 2007

oh dear

liam is developing an interesting sense of humor (imagine that!)

we were just watching the traffic report on the news, and they said there was a 3rd deer accident this morning.

liam's response?

"what is this world coming to? deer driving? i can just see it! some deer driving a pick up with a gun rack, giving everybody the hoof!"

gotta love it.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

quote for the day

oveheard phone conversation in the cafe at borders:

"Sure! I can do you in a chair! Not a problem."

ahem. i turned red trying not to laugh very hard. later parts of the overheard conversation revealed that she's a massage therapist. she has a table in the back of her car.

sometimes i wonder if having cellphones in this day and age have made us less sensitive to those around us? conversations like this make me wonder.

the big redeemer in t his situation? she was wearing a handmade scarf. her mom made it for her.

tears

spoiler alert for grey's anatomy:

Tonight's episode made me think on a number of levels. when george said what he did to that man whose daughter was brain dead, i cried. because i feel the same way. even after 6 1/2 years, i cry because i miss my dad. i wish my dad could see how much liam is like he was. i wish my dad could see how smart sean is, and how strong, and how he got himself through such tough times, just like my dad did. i wish he could see how his granddaughters have grown up to be beautiful young women. (ok, that was weird. i talk about steph, and she calls!)

and the little boy trick or treating for ears. i think meredith is finally growing up. i'm sure having such an emotionally sterile mother had to be emotionally draining. never trick or treating? i know there are some religious sects that don't allow it, as well, but still. doing SOMETHING for halloween was always a childhood rite here in the states. and she didn't push her sister away when they talked. that's huge.

but the best part? washing her mother's ashes down the drain of the scrub sink for OR. perfect.

as for karev, and ava, and george and izzy? god, people, get a room and get a life.

ok, spoiler over!

now, for some knitwear.


these are 3 of the 5 marine scarves i made for liam's bandmate's brother's marine battalion. (enough possessives for ya?) all were made with bernat camoflauge desert sand doublestranded with another yarn. these 3 were double stranded with caron one pound, colorway lace, knit in seed stitch. one other were the same yarns, crocheted with double crochets. the fifth was desert sand double stranded with lion brand homespun, colorway rococo. these are all thick and cushy, and should hopefully keep 5 marines warm this winter.

i tried to get into the army twice, in my life. the first time was when i was 17. they turned me down because my eyes were too bad. the second time? i was 29. now, remember, i had 4 kids. and, in those days, you had to get a waiver for more than 2 kids. i got that waiver. however, they still wouldn't waiver my eyes. sooooooooo, i serve where i can.

i've also finished the ships' socks. i have a pic on the camera, but i need to get it downloaded before i can show you. they fit liam a l ittle loosely, so i'm thinking they're actually more like a men's size 11. however, one thing i didn't notice until i had them together. they don't match at all. same dyelot. 2 different skeins. one is lighter than the other, sigh. oh well, they're still pretty dark. the colorway was inky.


this hat was originally going to go to A4a, but it took too long, so its going for caps for kids, which is the charity for this month at Ac4c. it's made from my own handspun, from the spunky eclectic fiber club, july's selection being celebration, in shetland wool. it's navajo plied, and i thought it was pretty badly overspun, but it knitted up quite nicely. this was done top down, with an icord tied in a knot. hence my name of top knot hat, lol.

ok, i have been a bad girl. when the doctor took me off the pill, i stopped taking all my vitamins, and i'm feeling the lack. i take glucosamine/chondroitin for my arthritis, and my hands hurt.

so i'll end this post with what i'm reading.

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman (book tape in the house)
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (book tape in the car)
Three Bags Full : A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann (this was due tuesday, and i can't renew it, so i'm trying to get through it as fast as i can before i end up with a fine)
Nicolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett (i think i've figured out the Claes situation!)
The Lamp of the Wicked by Philip Rickman (this book was going amazingly fast before it got derailed by 3 bags full).

oh, btw, since i started typing this, i've already finished the Golden Compass, and started The Subtle Knife. same author. it was due last tuesday, too, so i'm trying to finish it before saturday, hence why i listened to the golden compass first, lol (i hate reading books out of order)

A$$HATTERY

what is it with people?

i'm not going into all of it, but one incident yesterday in the knitting world really pisses me off. i'm taking steps. we'll see what happens.

the other thing this morning? i live on a relatively busy street, and, as such, has clearly marked no passing zone lines. my son rides the bus, which does not pull into my driveway, but does stop directly in front of my house. this bus is owned by the school district. the majority of the busses that transport school kids, however, is contracted out to another firm. as i was watching my son run out to the bus (which has been showing up earlier and earlier, after being later for 3 days last week, which is frustrating because now i NEVER know when she's gonna show up!), i saw one of the contracted bus pass the bus waiting for my son. at speed. the speed limit is 30 mph. which means that driver never had any intentions of stopping for sean's bus. ASSHATS! i called the transportation department, and they gave me the phone # for the contractor. i have that other bus's #. literally.

GIRL TALK ALERT

a few weeks ago i said something about some medical stuff that was vaguely unsettling, but i wasn't ready to talk. here's the skinny. my period has been hit or miss since the wedding last year. last "real" period i'd had this year had been july. august was spotting, and september was non-existent. and when the doctor was poking around in the usual fashion on my s tomach, it hurt. so he decided i needed to go for a pelvic ultrasound, to rule out fibroids. lemme tell ya, i've never had an ultrasound before (the kids were all born before that was a normality for treating pregnancy). my bladder still cringes at the thought!

long and short? benign cysts on the ovaries (which is why it hurt when he poked my tummy), and nothing else. they wanted me to watch for the next two months, off the pill (i've been off for 4 weeks now), and monitor my periods. 3 days after they told me that? guess who showed up. in spades. i haven't been that miserable in a long time. damn. there goes my idea of early menopause.

and the really frustrating part? i'm allergic to latex. take that as you wish. i gotta talk to the doctor about other alternatives (other than surgical, if anybody goes under the knife, it's gonna be him!). sigh.

i'll post knitting stuff later, liam JUST informed me he wants to go to school early.

well, looky here!

it's finished!

remember the squares i was making for the flag afghan that was supposed to be on display at the Balboa Naval hospital in San Diego (if it hasn't burned down!)?

linda finished it. you can even see the nebraska square i did in one pic!

i am truly in awe.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

smugness stinks

I'm sorry, but it's beyond irritating when something like this happens:


I had checked on lights out for the boys at 9:15. The lights were out. Liam just came down for a drink, at 9:45. Right after that, Mark got up to go to the bathroom, and asked me to check to see if the lights were out. Normally, Liam goes back upstairs, leaving the lights out (how he does it without killing himself on all the stuff on the floor, i don't know (as far as that goes, i don't know how i did it at his age, either, lol)), and goes back to sleep. Tonight, the little shit had turned the light on, when i went to check. Here's the part that pissed me off. Mark heard me chewing on Liam for having the light on (this is a TINY house), and when he went back to bed he said "I love it when they prove my point." GROWL. i just might stay up late to prove MY point.


But you're not here to hear me bitch (unless you like that, lol).


how about a few pics?



A4A hat #1. this was done with noro kureyon #102. After this hat, i will NEVER work with kureyon again. well, i won't say never, but it's gonna have to be really good. this hat took less than 1 ball, and i found SIX breaks, FOUR thin spots that i let pass (this is supposed to be aran weight yarn), and THREE spots so thick that i literally drafted them to make them thin enough to knit at the same gauge. this hat took one day.


this is A4a hat #2. also of kureyon. this ball was better (only 2 breaks, 3 thin spots, and 3 thick spots), but i'm still dead set against kureyon. my handspun looks better, and feels better, too. this hat was cast on immediately after hat #1. also done in one day.




this was with the remains of the kureyon, and was done top down because i wanted the bright on top, and wanted to use up all of this demon yarn (i had 2 balls) and get it the hell out of my house. (gee, for those of you who believe that part of your thinking goes into everything you make, i'm sorry. at least this hat will keep a child warm in afghanistan, ya know?) the black is the same warps i used for the soaker, only double stranded to be the same gauge (approximately, it's a wee bit thicker) as the kureyon. this hat, too was done in one day. in fact, the black bit was done completely at a parent-teacher meeting (it was almost 2 freaking hours!). the funny part was watching the lady sitting next to me. i had two balls wound, and while one was completely spliced, the other wasn't. the first time i put the ends of yarn in my mouth for a spit splice, i thought she was going to puke in her gucci bag (i think i was one of 3 women who were wearing comfy clothes and flip flops). she calmed down after that, lol. now, the reason why i was knitting like a madwoman, inviting carpal tunnel? the deadline for 80 containers was october 12, and i finished hat #3 on october 8. they went out on oct 9 priority mail. apparently, these containers were donated by some christian organization, and at the beginning of the month, they only had 50 filled. while there were no human models for these hats, i guarantee that they all fit me, which means they would work for older teens.


just doin' my part.


now my part is marine scarves. one of liam's bandmates has a brother in the marine corps whose battalion deployed to iraq today. his mother decided it would be cool to send each kid in the battalion a scarf for this winter. after some consultation with the marines, she got approved yarns and patterns, and started handing stuff out. she gave me 1 skein of caron one pound, one skein of homespun rococo, and 4 skeins of bernat desert sand. last tuesday. they're supposed to be 6-8" wide, and 42" long. i just finished #3. the first was the rococo double stranded with the desert sand, and knit in seed stitch. the second was caron & desert sand double stranded, knit in seed stitch. #3 was caron & desert sand double stranded, crocheted in double crochet. i think i may have enough yarn for 2 more scarves. they need to be done before the end of the month.

this on top of my other charity knitting, lol! this month is caps for kids, and i've gotten 2 hats done, so far. no pics, but i'll get them soon. one thing about ravelry, i'm more willing to take pics and get them up, lol! i'm thinking about casting on mittens, but we'll see.


What I'm reading:
The Living Blood by Tananarive Due (book tape in the house). this book is wild. it's about the Life Brothers, who are immortal. they get their immortality from Jesus Christ. Their blood is healing to mortals. And one of them has given birth to a goddess.


Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (book tape in the car). i tried to read this series years ago, and puttered out about book 3. this is book 6 or 7, but i've been using book tapes where i can. that helps, because when i listen int he car, i'm kind of a captive audience.


Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett. This is about the Medici era in italy. this is my bathroom book, which is just as well, because it's a bit ponderous, and it's easier to take it in small bites (one page at a time). I do like the descriptiveness, though.


The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God by Timothy Schaffert. this was recommended to me by the librarian, as it is written by a local author, and is based here in nebraska (i get the impression it's out by grand island). not a holy roller book at all. the main protagonists have a son who has run away to play guitar for this band, who plays punk-christian music. it's a roller coaster ride of a book, but very interesting. i likee lots!


now, how's that for diversity?


i'm off to cast on scarf #4! (pray my fingers hold out!)

ETA: why is it blogger puts spaces in where i don't want them, and takes out the ones i want?

Saturday, October 13, 2007

they all grow up

liam has always been a little boy. he still plays with legos. his favorite video games are cartoon characters. he watches spongebob squarepants, and still laughs every time, no matter how many times he's watched it.


tonight? i saw my little boy become a young man.

He is out on his first date tonight. Admittedly, it's chaperoned to a fair-thee-well, but still. Homecoming.
I am acknowledging the fact that that fuzzy upper lip is a good way towards shouting young man, but he still doesn't shave, lol.
i actually haven't seen him or his date yet. i was a good band mommy and volunteered to work at the Omaha Marching Invitational. Liam's school's volunteer time was 3:50 to 6:30, and the coronation was at 7:30. so mark got to play chauffer to him, his date, and his date's friend, and a friend of all of them. god, can you imagine the raging hormones in that van? three teenage girls and one teenage boy. OY!
and i get to go pick them up and take them all home.
THUD

Thursday, October 04, 2007

stop it

i know many of you follow the news. i'm sure you've seen stories about buddhist monks who are being beaten and killed while they peacefully demonstrate for a democratic government in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

what can we do to help?

sign this petition:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/w.php?cl=27553129

it's easy to do. let the world know how you feel about this.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

well



I'm feeling odd today. Needy. I got some news from the doctor yesterday when i went in for my annual exam, and i'm not sure how to take it. NO I'M NOT PREGNANT. I'm not ready to talk about it right now. Only mark knows what's going on.




I watched the season premier for Grey's Anatomy today, and i'm sure that's part of it. That show always makes me feel odd. The ending? OH MY GOD! George, George, George. All i'm saying, so i don't spoil it for anyone else who hasn't watched yet.




I did get my package from my spoiler last week, and i love everything with it! It was a definite spoiling package. Hard peach candy. Needle felting stuff. Bath Confetti! (i'd never heard of it before, but it comes in a really cool test-tube thingie that someone told me is an embryonic 2-liter bottle, lol!) a manicure set with lotion, hand scrub, and gloves in a tasty vanilla-rose scent. I can't remember what else right off hand, but i will give y'all a pic as soon as i get off my ass and take a pic.




i've been spinning, and knitting like mad. I am presently knitting socks for ships' support. Men's socks. With fingering yarn. I'm doing pretty well with them, too! I knit on them everytime i sit down at the puter, so that's 3-4 hours of knitting anight! They're a men's size 10 1/2 (iknow, cuz they fit liam).


I think they're turning out pretty well, considering i started these on sept 22, and i'm on the foot of sock #2.


Other knitting? Well, i did finally finish a pair of mittens for the cheyenne river reservation that i'd commited to anne to make. of course, i'd actually promised to make 7, but remind me next time i want to do a 2-color project like this, to NOT make it my car knitting. oy!


These were made with yarn given to me from the estate of a lady who was a member of the local Spinner's & Weaver's Guild. I know for sure that the red is lamb's pride superwash, and i THOUGHT the brown was as well, but when i started getting to the middle of the ball (i ran out JUST as i was finishing off the binding for the second mitten. oy, talk about close!), it was sticking together like it was almost felting. i'm just going to mark these as wool. They're done top down, with a provisional cast on, and the cap worked short rows, then pick up the stitches from the cast on and worked down. the thumbs are only red because i ran out of the brown, lol. they're big on me, but that's ok because i have hands smaller than most 10-year-olds. seriously. i measured against ALL my kids for years, and every single one of them had hands bigger than mine by the time they were 10. even the daughter who is only 5'1" and weighs about 115.
ok, i gotta do something, even if it's wrong, so i'm gonna scoot for now.
What I'm Reading:
Yes! Your Teen IS Crazy by Michael Bradley(and i'm happy to report that most of what i'm doing is right! yippee!)
Rose Daughter by Robyn McKinley (a revisitation to the beauty and the beast tale, for the second time. i like this version too, although it's much more adult sounding than the first one she did)
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (book tape in the car, i had to turn it back inbefore it was done last time, and it took a month for it to come back in!)
amazingly enough, that's all i've got on the books at this time. i've got a whole stack waiting for me, and even 2 book tapes, but i just haven't tapped into them yet. the idiot box has my attention, if only cuz i'm trying to get all my DVRed shows watched, so i can keep up with silly things like Dancing with the Stars.
Speaking of which, how many of you were absolutely shocked that Albert got booted off? I wanted to see more gyrating, pulsating, stripper style dancing! I mean, i like that Wayne Newton is on there, but he got a FIFTEEN! oh well, there's a reason why billy ray ended up on there for over half the season. FANBASE!
now i'm really going, i need lunch