Blog Intrepid

I love my husband because he always makes me smile.
I love my knitting because it helps me relax AND never feels like wasted time – even if I rip more than I knit.
I love online communities because they make me feel less like a freak.
I love hot tea because it keeps me warm in my freezing cold office.

So… Americans, didja vote? I did – I got there before the polls opened (yawn) because I was convinced there would be a huge line. Yeah… not so much. I got out of there 15 minutes after the polls opened, and that included time to deal with technical difficulties with two voting machines.

I dreamt about Dad over the weekend. We talked about how he had a big meeting to go to but he didn’t want to go without Mom. So now I’m feeling like I’m not taking good enough care of Mom, and somehow I need to support Dad, too.

Had a meeting today that I’d've really liked to talk to him about first – I really think there’s someone here at work who is trying to make me not like her (I’m a tougher nut than THAT, dearie) – so we sat down with her boss and my boss to try and figure out what her expectations of me are. She’d like me to be doing the things she told me not to do a few months ago. Of course. Ah well, good faith and all. My boss made the point that she has to understand that it is a learning process and I won’t be perfect right off the bat (I paraphrase!).

Tomorrow: BlogStalking. Theoretically. And of course, VOTE! If you don’t vote, you don’t get to gripe.

The candy, the dress-up, the parties, spooky decorations…
This year, I can’t seem to get past the Dia de los Muertos element. Which means ancestral altars, and dad. I feel like I should create an altar, but I just can’t bring myself to group dad in with the dead yet. Seems absurd, after everything else this month, the big thing that’s bringing me down is putting the word “dad� together with anything that indicates death. One of Miss C’s teachers is doing an altar and asked the students if there was anyone they wanted included and what food to put out for an offrenda. Dad will be included, with some chocolate covered grapefruit for the offrenda. Not quite sure how C got to that – he liked chocolate, and grapefruit juice, but… chocolate covered grapefruit?
The altar would have:
Grandpa H., who’d have peanut butter on saltines and scotch and water. He worked so hard for his family.
Uncle T., who’d have cigarettes and cheap beer. He scared the heck out of me when I was a kid, but when I got older I learned it was all just bluster.
My other Uncle T., who taught me the joy of pecan stuffed dates dusted with sugar and cinnamon. He sacrificed so much to Do The Right Thing, and kept such a sense of humor about it.
Grandpa C., who’d have… I don’t know. Probably something very traditional German, cooked with a lot of fat and butter and stuff we aren’t supposed to have now LOL. Maybe a glass of schnapps as well. He started a heck of a legacy.
Grandma G., who’d have something baked. German chocolate cake? And coffee, of course. She gave up on an architecture degree back when women didn’t get technical degrees so she could start a family.
Dad. He’d need a plate of peanut brittle and some good beer. Maybe some of mom’s brownies, with walnuts. He got such joy from his family.

I had fantasies of writing actually poetry for this, but see, the thing I forgot is this: I’m a lousy poet. I mean, really, you don’t even want to know.

What can I tell you about my knitting?

Warm, cushy wool. I thank the sheepies for their gift
Sweaters, socks, things to be comforting and warm.
I’m in a simple, meditative sort of pattern rut right now, and I like that. My last three major projects (well, two finished and one still in progress) are top-down raglan sweaters. This means, try it on as I go, no seams, no finishing to speak of, and, of course, comforting and warm.
This is not to say I don’t love to knit cables and lace. Oh, and color work. Not intarsia though, too many ends…

Is that three chins I see in that pic from last post? So very much time to lose weight. I’m sure all the booze I drank around the funeral didn’t help but wow… I rather enjoy not looking like the mother of two teenagers!

Didn’t I try this whole dieting thing a little while ago? Ugh. Well, no harm in trying again…

Haven’t had time to get back into sewing the ‘Bethans, but Hubby’s sweater is coming along nicely. Finally tried it on him, it’s time to do the ribbing on the body and then the sleeves & neckline. Getting closer…

My father died on September 28. I’m finding myself still reeling, wondering how this happened and why (Oh, I understand, he had a heart attack, etc., but… what the hell? I’m not ready for him to be gone).

Bah. I can’t even talk about it. It just seems… wrong.

So, I’ve finished knitting a Licorice Whip sweater.

I’m currently working on a black top-down Raglan for Hubby. I’m a few inches into the body, gotta get him to try it on.

I was trying to get some Elizabethan’s done for Ren Faire last weekend, but… well, I got derailed. DD has the better part of a reversable doublet though – purple on one side, skull and crossbones on the other

Speaking of DD, I had a rather horrifying realization the other day. We’ve talked a fair bit about sex ed, and contraception, STDs, the like. It never occurred to me to talk to her about *intentional* teen pregnancy. Mom Before Prom Ugh. Who’d'a thunk?

Also in the political sphere, I heard what may be the best line regarding the current situation yet. “We will eventually come out of this economic crisis”. Sure, eventually. Last time it took 10 years.

July was a month of chaos. Largely because I was working towards (and achieved) my Project Management Professional certification. The “disturbing” side effect is watching how the project management training is affecting other elements of my life. I’m fighting the urge to create a WBS for my home remodel and project plans for the garb I want to do for Ren Faire in October.

I did manage to get two pairs of socks knit – finally knocking down two items from the list I posted at the beginning of the year. Well, sorta. The socks I knit for myself got claimed by my sister, but I imagine I’ll still be knitting socks, there will be another chance to knit myself socks.

I’m currently working on a sweater for myself, Blue Alvarez Designs’ “Licorice Whip” in almost the required yarn (that’s a first for me!) – Blue Sky Alpaca’s Organic Cotton. I’m using a color grown in “Pebble” – a tan & cream tweed. In a coincidental aside, it’s almost identical in color to the gifted fabric I’m using for a Viking Hanging Skirt for Faire.

Of course, the sweater is on hold. I’m hand sewing trim onto the hanging skirt, and I have Elizabethan garb in line next. I have plenty of time, as soon as I figure out how to give up that whole “sleep” thing. I’ve been threatening to bring the hand sewing bits to work…

Work, of course, is interesting. Market pressures are creating internal changes and communication issues are compounding the chaos. All kinds of fun! Well, maybe not all kinds…

I do need to work to reduce my stress more efficiently. Beer, while fun, causes weight gain and is really more of a delaying tactic than a mitigating tactic, and the yoga program at work has gone to “Hot Yoga” and I’ve no interest in stinking my way through the afternoon…

I finally finished my Mesilla – a few changes were made, mainly in color/yarn (of course) and the neckline – I opted for leaving the picot hem unfolded & used an I-Cord bind off. It gives a nice eyelet effect and the illusion of another purl stripe.

In other news…Dammit. George Carlin died.

Because I am that bored, and this blog is that neglected…

SCATTERGORIES…It’s harder than it looks! Erase my answers, enter yours, send it on to 10 people including the one that sent this to you. *Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following…*They have to be real places, names, things…nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Jayde
4 LETTER WORD: Jump
VEHICLE: Jeep
TV SHOW: Jerry Springer
CITY: Jersey City
BOY NAME: Jacob
GIRL NAME: Jessica
OCCUPATION: Jester
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Jumper
FOOD: Jelly
MALE DOGS NAME: Jack
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Jewelry cleaner
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Jump-started the car

A year ago today I married my best friend. We’re still just goofy in love, I’m trying to figure out why so many people have bad things to say about marriage: I’m just not seeing it

The kids are off to Florida for the summer… I miss them terribly, but it’s kinda fun having a summer where I don’t have to worry about them.

I’ve got to get a photo up of my latest project. I had a top-down sweater (Mesilla, from Knitty) barely started before I attended my World Wide Knit In Public day event, after spending pretty much all of this past Saturday & Sunday knitting, I’m almost done: one sleeve and the neckline to go! The best part is that this is being knit from yarn that has been kicking around my stash for… oh, gosh, ages. Bought it to make a summer tank top probably 4 years ago, and I’m finally doing it.