New Camera, New Yarn, New Projects...

Recently, Marissa made a Cute Little Felted Bag that I decided I had to have for myself. A trip to my favorite LYS was in order.

For my Cute Little Felted Bag I chose Cascade 220 in black and Crystal Palace Yarns Fizz Stardust in Rose Chiffon - a prety rose pink with flecks of gold. I was excited to make the first project that will actually be for ME and not as a gift... FINALLY, a little selfish knitting. This would also be my first felted item ever, a technique I've been looking forward to learning. The original pattern calls for knitted handles, but Marissas is lovely with lucite handles and a beautiful vintage style brooch. I'm not sure whether I'll go with the knitted handles, wood, or lucite (black lucite may work nicely...) but I do think I'll look around for a black and pink vintage style brooch or button regardless of what handles I decide to use.


However, my plans for selfish knitting have been derailed.
My friend D's birthday is coming up in in 25 days. This afternoon as I was giving her a ride home from work she was looking through my copy of Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, she noticed the "Letter Have It" hand bag. It is still felted, so I would get to experiment with felting anyways.
I may make it for D for her birthday. However, it calls for dpns. I've never used dpns. They scare me. I don't know how well I'd be able to knit it. So far, I've only knitted scarves. I've crocheted hats and bags before, but have never knitted them. Does anyone have any suggestions for knitting with dpns?
So, should the dpns ultimately intimidate me to the point that I decide NOT to make this bag I have chosen an alternate project.
Also from Stitch n' Bitch Nation, it is the "Saucy Tote". D liked this bag as well, and although she does not knit she saw that it looked like it would be easier to make than the Letter Have It bag.
I'll have to see how ambitious I'm feeling, decide whether or not I'm up to the dpns or not. I think I'll most likely go for the Saucy Tote and save the "Letter Have It" bag for a less time crucial gift. But, I'll include a little something extra with the Saucy Tote. D went to LYS with me tonight when I chose the yarn for my Cute Little Felted Bag and while we were there she asked me if I would teach her how to knit. I figure that I will chose some good practice yarn and some nice needles, and fill the Saucy Tote with those, and possibly a copy of Stitch n' Bitch. Knitting and Crochet for Dummies has also been of great help to me, maybe I'll go with thta one. I don't know how well I'll be able to teach her to knit considering I just started knitting a little over 2 months ago myself, but I do know the basics of casting on, knit and purl. I think I should be able to show her how to do that well enough. Hopefully she doesnt ask me to show her anything too advanced.
On another project in the works:

My mothers shawl. Her birthday is still over a month away so I have plenty of time to finish it. I'm not following a pattern. just put together a combination of stitches I learned while making some scarves from the Candi Jensen Knit Scarves! book. LOVE that book. I'm thinking I'll call it the "Seawrap Shawl". If I like the finished product well enough, I may attempt to write the pattern out and post it here.
All photos are courtesy of my new digital camera - the Kodak EasyShare C340. It has a glorious 5.0 mega pixels. So far, I love it much much more than my previous camera, a Canon PowerShot A60 which only had 2.0 mega pixels.
My new camera is courtesy of my 15 hours of overtime last week.

Beer, and hockey, and more beer.

Way too much beer was consumed in the making of these photos.

We gathered at the pub for a bbq before taking off for the game.
Joe, Megan and Barry booing... just because.

The game was fun, the Stockton Thunder lost to the Florida Everblades. I really don't understand the game though, but it was still fun to watch.


During half time the players all shrunk... either that or the adorable local youth teams came out to play.


Like I said, much much much beer was consumed and as a result, photo quality was absolute crap.

So I couldn’t wait until this Friday to make my final car payment.
Tuesday I went and emptied my checking account and made the final payment. Knowing that I was only five days away from having the thing paid off was just eating away at me.
It is so liberating to know that I have one less monthly bill and that I’m that much closer to having my debts completely paid off. At the same time, its WEIRD knowing that the car is completely paid off an I never have to make another payment on it again.

This week has been kicking my butt though. This is the busiest month of the year at my work - especially this week. Last Saturday I went in for 4 hours, and I’ve averaged 2 hours of overtime every night this week. We are treated well for all of our hard work this month. In addition to the overtime I’ve been earning, I’ve also been given an additional 2 hours off paid to use at my discretion in the future. YAY! I love the additional paid time off. In the department I used to work in, there was overtime at this time of year as well. However, it was expected that you had to work that overtime - and that was it, you got the overtime pay and a couple of times the management would buy pizza for the department, but other than that there was no perks to working the overtime. You most definitely did not get additional paid time off.
The weeks been so busy, I haven’t even been able to knit or crochet a single stitch. Not.A.Single.Stitch. And not for lack of desire, or lack of projects to do. I’ve just been so damn busy!
I am designing my own first knit project though. My mothers birthday is coming up, March 1st, and I’m making her a shawl. Nothing fancy, just a couple of stitches that I learned in all of the scarves that I made for Christmas. Really only two stitches. A seed stitch on the edges and an open work stitch inbetween. The yarn is a wool & acrylic blend by Plymouth Yarn Company and I think my mom will love the colors - blues, greens and purples. My original plan was to do a take on one of the scarves in the Knit Scarves book - its done entirely in seed stitch and has wired ribbon flowers on the ends. I was going to do a larger sized version in this blue/green/purple colorway and make the wired ribbon flowers in the shape of waterlilies - end effect being that it would bear some sort of a resemblance to Monet’s Waterlilies. Or, at least it would in my mind. Then after rows and rows and rows of the seed stitch, okay - only 30, I decided to encorporate an open stitch. I’m not sure if I like it so much now. I am fairly close to finishing though, so I’ll post pictures as soon as its completed. I’m just not sure when I’ll find the time to complete it because.....
I’m going to my first hockey game this Saturday night. A minor league ice rink of some sort has opened in Stockton and the pub I frequent has hired a charter bus to take us to game Saturday night. For $35 the pub is providing us with BBQ at the pub before hand, the bus ride, tickets to the game and ALL.THE.BEER.YOU.CAN.DRINK. At the bbq and on the bus, all the beer I want. There will be photos. I don’t know that I’ll be able to guarantee the quality of the photos after ALL.THE.BEER.I.CAN.DRINK.
Not being a hockey fan, initially I wasn’t going to join the group. However, a couple of my friends at the pub talked me into, saying that it would be worth it for the party on the bus alone. Plus, after the busy week at work, I think this will be a great stress reliever.
I have this itch to get out of town lately, and I know that a hockey game in Stockton it not going to satisfy it. I'm considering a weekend trip to L.A. next weekend. possibly get off work a couple of hours early Friday, drive down that night and enjoy the warmer weather for the weekend.
This is very sad to admit, but I have never spent much time in L.A. despite living in Northern CA for almost my entire life. When I was a child my grandparents went to southern CA at least once a year to visit family and they would take my cousin Erin and myself with them, but we spent most of the time in Oxnard and Ventura. We would always include a day trip to Disneyland, but that was it. When I lived in Boston I did go to LA to visit Erin while she was at UCLA. Both of us being broke college students, we didnt do too much other than hang out around the neighborhood she lived in, went to Santa Monica Pier one afternoon, and eat In-N-Out.
I've never been to the Farmers Market, The Getty Museum, Griffith Observatory. Considering I live less than 6 hours away from LA, I find this to be pretty sad.

The New Year Is Off To A Good Start

DEBT
I have one only one car payment left.
In one week my car will be paid off. I am so looking forward to having it paid off and having one less bill each month.
However, I’m looking at new cars already. Pretty dumb, isn’t it? I’ve been paying on my car for three years, the last year I’ve been looking forward to the day it was paid off, and as soon as I’m on the verge of having it done and over with I begin thinking of getting a new one.
Something has lead up to this though. That would be my super sweet baby brother, Ryan. Last May he turned 16, legal driving age in the state of CA, but he still has not gotten his drivers license. About 2 weeks ago our grandma told me that she had asked him when he was planning on getting his license and what he was going to do for a car. He still needs to take drivers training, so I told grandma that if he needs practice behind the wheel I can take him out driving on weekends, thats when she told me that he had said he wants MY car. I asked “Oh, he wants a Ford Explorer?” she said “No. Not A Ford Explorer. YOUR Ford Explorer.” I said “HAH!”
Then, I gave it some thought.
Ryan will be graduating from high school next June. 16 months from now. My initial thought was that for the next 16 months I would put the equivalent of my car payment into a high interest savings account, and then next June I would have a FAT down payment on a new car for myself and I could give my current car to Ryan for his graduation. He’ll most likely be going to college outside of the area and will need a decent car to come home on weekends. He’s the star player on his high school football team and his coach has been approached by a number of scouts from colleges, but they can’t scout him until his senior year (Is there some law on this or something? I don’t really know too much about sports - especially college sports - but a friend of mine said that he “can’t” be scouted until his senior year). Anyways... his coach has been approached by CSU Sacramento, Santa Cruz, and a couple others that I don’t recall. I do know that one of his top choices would be Fresno. I guess thy have a good football program or something? Either way, if he’s outside of the Sacramento he’s going to need a decent car to be able to come home on the weekends. Or, at least I’ll want him to be able to come home on the weekends.
So, then I got the genius idea to start looking at cars online to get an idea of what I may want for myself, what price range I would be looking at, etc. Of course, the cars I like are at least TWICE what I paid for my current car (I got a SUPER SWEET deal on it 3 years ago). And, in the process of doing so it occured to me that he may very well get a car before graduation so perhaps I should give him my car sooner than next year. I talked to our dad about this idea and he said he may be willing to work something out with me - I interpret that as him possibly thinking of buying the car from me for my brother. BUT as great of a guy as our dad is, he’s also incredibly cheap. I know he’ll try to low ball me. I looked up the Kelly Blue Book on my car. Retail value on it is about $7,000, private party resale value is about $6,000 and trade in value is about $3,000. I know my dad would not be willing to fork over the bucks for the retail or private party value. MAYBE the trade in value, but thats a long shot. I do want to do this for Ryan, he’s a good kid and I am in the position to be able to do something like this for him. I would prefer to keep my money, maybe take a trip to Ireland, France or Italy (three of the places I most want to see) but I also want to help him.
So, I’m looking at used cars. So far my top 3 picks are a 2000 Infiniti QX4, a 2002 Ford Explorer, and a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer. Of course, I haven’t researched each of them yet. I’m just going by the different features available on each one. I’m really liking the Infiniti though. It’s cheaper than the other two by about $5,000. I haven’t gone to actually look at them yet, and definitely want to find out what the gas mileage on them is like.

Another good aspect of this week so far in addition to almost having my car paid off? Southwest Airlines is having a sale on airfare from Sacramento to Portland. ONLY THIRTY FOUR DOLLARS EACH WAY! WOOO HOOOO! I immediately purchased tickets for a trip in the end of February and another in the end of April, then called Grandma to let her know I’d be seeing her so much she’d get sick of me. My dads also going to try to get tickets on at least one of the same flights so we can go together.
And if thats not enough, my birth father will also be coming out to visit in June. He’s going to be in Las Vegas for business and figured since he’s so close he’d take some time off from work to come out this way.

Storming in the New Year

Wow, 2005 went by FAST.
i've been sick all weekend, so I spent New Years Eve sick in bed drugged up on theraflu.
I did venture out of the house today to stock up on some more theraflu and coffee creamer. By the way... Coffe Mates limited edition Creme Brulee flavor..... SO GOOD!

This picture really doesn't do justice to the storm currently blowing through Sacramento. We just had a weather alert that Sacramento County is under flash flood warnings for the next three hours and a levee in southwestern Sacramento County has broken and the area is being evacuated. The idea of driving to that area to take photos of the levee break did briefly cross my mind, but I have ultimately decided to stay indoors where I'm safe and dry. Just driving to the grocery store was nasty with how strong the wind gusts are and how wet the roads are.

This is the McDonalds across the street from the grocery store. The winds are strong enough that the cable on the flag pole snapped and the fllags are blowing the full length of the line. Trees are down all over the place, creeks are flooding, and while I havent gone and inspected the back yard, I know its a mess. But, my back yard is nothing compared to those who are having to be evacuated from their homes.
The I Street Bridge over the Sacramento River is one of our main gauges of flood conditions. As of Thursday night the water level was at about 26.5 feet with estimates that the storms coming through this weekend would take it up to at least 27.5 feet. I haven't been able to find out what the current level is, but wouldnt be suprised if it has passed 27.5 feet. Once the levels hit 31 feet, thats considered official flood conditions. Sacramento hasn't had flooding like this since 1997, and I was living in Boston at the time but it was on the Boston news channels. I'm glad that I'm home now and able to help my Grandma out if flood conditions do hit hard here.

Anywho...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I’ve never been one to make New Years Resolutions.
I’ve always been of the mindset that if theres something you want to do to improve yourself, or a goal you have in mind, that turning a page on your calendar shouldn’t be what motivates you to work towards those goals. Why not start them when you think of them?

However, I’ve decided to make some resolutions this year. I’m really not sure why, other than possibly because I’ll be turning 30 in only 238 days.GAH! THIRTY! I’m not looking forward to it. I’m certain that my thirties will be great, I’m just not looking forward to saying goodbye to my twenties. I’ve grown attached to them. I like them. Like my favorite pair of jeans, theyre COMFORTABLE.
Anyways.... there are things I’ve wanted to accomplish by the time I turned thirty. So, here goes.....

1. QUIT SMOKING.
Maybe not immediately, but soon. Watching my granmother go through chemotherapy to treat her inoperable lung cancer has had an effect on me. Theres a couple of reasons why I’m not quitting effective January 1st, one being that I’m switching insurance carriers and am thinking of going the welbutrin (or whatever its called) route. A few coworkers of mine quit this way and I’m hoping it will work for me. Second, I like smoking. I look forward to my smoke breaks, to sitting out on the smokers patio at my favorite pub, to my last cigarette before bed. What I don’t like is the smell, the sense of being held hostage to an addiction, the antsiness I feel when a meeting or phone call is cutting into my regularly scheduled break time. I also dont the cost. I’ve calculated that each week I spend about $35 on cigarettes. Thats $1,820 a year! HOLY CRAP! Thats a vacation! A downpayment on a new car! 438.55 triple venti toffee nut lattes! 364 pints of Newcastle Brown Ale (with tip)! A SHITLOAD of yarn! So, I need to quit. Question... .what should I do with the money I save? I’m thinking vacation.


2. LOSE WEIGHT.
I’m sick of being so damned fat. A friend thinks that I audition/apply for “The Biggest Loser”, and I’ve thought about it but I don’t think I would want to do this on national television. I’ve never watched an entire season, but have caught a few episodes here & there. I think my biggest reluctance with this is that I grew up the fat kid and was teased in school. I guess a part of me is nervous that I’d be the fat kid being teased again... but this time not just by the school yard bullies but by the entire nation.
The Weight Watchers that I started back in September or October? Didn’t really pan out. Between work, traveling, and social activities it was hard to make the Saturday morning meetings. I'm thinking of rejoining, but going to a weeknight meeting after work. Perhaps that will be easier to get to than one on the weekends.

3. COMPLETE THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION TOUR DE CURE BIKE RIDE.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now, but a couple of consecutive car accidents (none of which I was at fault for, by the way) left me unable to ride. After that, I gained back all of the weight that I had previously lost and then I gained about 40 lbs more, got lazy and didnt feel like training for the ride.
I’ve chosen this charity because my mom and sister are both Type 1 diabetics and I have spent many a night in the emergency room with them.

4. BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY.
At least twice a week.

5.TAKE A FABULOUS VACATION.
I’m not sure where yet. I’d like to go someplace that requires my passport though. Shamefully enough, I’ve never been outside of North America. I was about to say I’ve never been outside of the country, but I did spend a weekend in Quebec City once.
I was thinking of taking a vacation with my friend Kelly who turns 30 about 2 weeks before I do. We both wanted to go somewhere for our 30th, and have some mutual friends, so it would be a large group of us - about 10 total. Initially before Hurricane Katrina hit we were talking about New Orleans, then that got changed to possibly Boston, Chicago, or Austin. BUT, Kelly is afraid of flying and the more she thinks about it the more she wants to do a road trip to Portland and Seattle. Her thoughts are to rent a large van and load everyone up for the road trip. I've been to Portland countless times since I have family there, but theres a lot of stuff I haven't done there because I'm usually visiting with my family, so that could be fun. Also, I've never been to Seattle and have always wanted to go there.

6. START A ROTH IRA.
I have a pretty good 401k through work but my father (who is my financial advisor) recommends that I also have a ROTH. Better tax benefits in the long run or something like that. So, I'll be shopping around the local banks and credit unions to find which offers the best rates.

7. PAY OFF MY DEBT.
My student loan and Visa have been whittled down to practically nothing and my car will be paid off in 2 months so I should be able to finish paying off the Visa and student loans REAL quickly.

8. GET ORGANIZED.
I am such a mess. I have chronic clutter all around me. I never put things away where they belong. Combine this with number two and its no wonder I’m single.

9. BE MORE ACTIVE.
This should help with numbers two and three. Even if I’m just walking my dog, I need to move more. I’d like to go skiing this year. I love to ski, but havent been in about 10 years. Mainly because I have a knee tracking disorder and I’m pretty sure that a day of skiing will leave me in pain for about a week afterwards. Perhaps I should try snowboarding. Is that easier on the knees?

10. GO SOMEPLACE I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE.
Even if its just last minute airfare specials to Las Vegas for the weekend. I need to venture outside of my comfort zone.

11. WORK ON MY "100 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE" LIST.
I currently only have 17 things on there and have only done 3 of them.

12. KNIT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A SCARF.
Perhaps a hat, or dare I even try a sweater? A coworker has asked me to make her a sweater. She’s a midget (or is it dwarf? Whats the difference? Is there a difference? I don’t know....) and has a hard time finding sweaters that fit, she says that mainly the arms are way too long, and you really can’t hem the arms of a sweater like you can with other shirts.

13. DATE.

14. READ MORE.
I used to be a total book worm and read ALL the time. I haven't read as much the last couple of years, but I'd like to start again. Any recommendations for my first book choice?

It’s a Scarfapalooza!

Finally, the long promised pictures of my fantastic voyage into knitting.... rectangles. Although I am knitting now I haven’t the courage to venture beyond the basic rectangle... the scarf. All ends were woven in and all that were intended for Christmas gifts were completed.... by Christmas morning. Yes, after spending the mornning with mom, dad, brother & sister, I went home and finished knitting scarves.

First up, black and grey wool. This was intended to be a Christmas gift for my father until a coworker advised me that it was too skinny for a man, that I should make it thicker for it to be more masculine. So, this will be going to... someone else. I’m just not certain who or for what occaision yet. Perhaps I'll keep it for myself....















Second... based upon the “Classic Stripes” from “Knit Scarves!” by Candi Jensen. This is for my pseudo-brother-in-law, Jeremy (he’s married to my dear cousin Erin, who is like a sister to me). It’s Lion Brand Wool Ease, yes it is an acrylic blend, but I really liked the colors.















Here, we have a scarf for my cousin Holly. It’s Plymouth Yarn Company Baby Alpaca Grande, and I LOVE IT. It’s incredibly soft, plush and cuddly... and its super bulky which means it knits up REALLY quick. I love that in a yarn. I threw some cheap fun fur on the ends for cuteness.















Now, a scarf for Meghan, Hollys younger sister. It’s basically the same as Hollys, made with the same yarn just in pink instead of blue. I have some of the pink, blue and white yarn from these two scarves left over and I do believe that it is enough to make another scarf.... and I do have a friends birthday coming up in two weeks.... I’m just saying.





















This is the scarf that scared me. It’s “Mohair and Lace”, also from “Knit Scarves!” by Candi Jensen. This one is for Erin. Thanksgiving evening, after dinner, I had Erin & Jeremy look through the “Knit Scarves!” book and pick out scarves for themselves. Jeremy chose “Classic Stripes”.... no problem - its knit and purl - easy as pie! Erin, however, chose “Mohair and Lace”. I looked at the pattern and developed an ulcer. It has decreases, yarn overs, and this lacy pattern at the ends. I did not think I was going to be able to do this considering my remedial knitting skills. But, I wasn’t going to ask her to select a different pattern. I would just bitch about it to everyone who would listen. Even those who wouldnt understand what I was talking about.. “It has YARNOVERS!” “It has this WEIRD thing where you insert the needle into the next stitch, wrap the yarn around it FOUR times, bring all the wraps through and somehow SOMEHOW that magically turns into LACINESS”. Eyes glazed over in boredom.
So, I knit Erins scarf first to get the nastiness over with. Much to my suprise, it wasn’t that hard. The first row of magical laciness went a bit slowly while I caught onto its trickery, but after that it was much much easier (and A LOT quicker) than I thought it would be. For this I used Angel Hair from Jo-Ann’s, an acrylic, wool, nylon blend. Yes, its another cheap yarn BUT it knits up soooo soft and cuddly and cozy. The best part? She loves it, immediately put it on and wore it for the rest of the day.















Now, for a work in progress. I started this, intending for it to be a Christmas gift for my father. However, I’d purchased the yarn last Saturday afternoon but by the time I realized that I didnt have enough yarn to complete it on Sunday afternoon, my LYS was closed and I would have to ship his gift off Monday in order for it to reach Boston in time for Christmas. I ended up doing some shopping Sunday night.
Luckily, his birthday is in 3 weeks so he’ll still be able to enjoy it this winter. I don’t remember what brand it is, but its a bulky merino wool. I’ve considered felting it, but don’t think I will. First of all, don’t felted items reduce in size by something like 50%? Second, I’ve never felted before and don’t think I want to experiment with my fathers birthday gift.






















In addition to knitting, I’ve also been crocheting.

First up, an afghan for my friends Shauna and Jesse. Shauna and Jesse married last April and moved to Salt Lake City. I visited them there last month and helped them move into their new home. This is their belated house warming gift. I had meant to take it with me when i went to visit them, but forgot it at home and didn’t realize that until about Reno.
I met with Shauna and Jesse for lunch on Christmas Eve day, they were in town visiting her family, and was able to give them the afghan then. Shauna said it was very warm and snuggly and that she looked forward to using it on the couch in front of their fireplace. Its made with Lionbrand Homespun. Another cheap yarn, but when you're using 8 skeins....
















Last, we have some bootie slippers. My little cousin Janae saw me crocheting some Ugg-style booties from another Candi Jensen publication, “Candy Babies”, and immediately started in “I want some boots. make me some boots too. PUHHHLEEEAAAAASSSEEEEE!”. Considering the pattern calls for Berrocco Suede, which is ribbon like in its thickness, I had no clue how I would make booties for a 5 year old from a pattern thats written for a 3 month old. I can adapt patterns, but not THAT well. Then I realized.... CHEAP YARN! I picked up some Lion Suede and traced Janaes feet. By using the bulkier Lion Brand yarn and 1 size larger hook than the label recommended (K instead of J) and adding 1 round to the soles, they should be a perfect fit. I know that a lot of knitters and crocheters scorn the cheaper acrylics and acrylic blends, but they can be great. Since Janae can be a bit of a diva, I went with hot pink. However, its taken on a reddish look. Are they too much like Santa boots?
She likes them, but I need to make her another pair - theyre a little too big around the ankle, so they slip off her feet rather easily. I have some purple Lion Suede so I think I'll make another pair and just add a row or two of decrease to the top of the foot before beginning the ankle. They work up very quickly. I was able to complete both of the original booties while watching Mr & Mrs Smith.


















One thing I've noticed loading up these photos.... my digital camera sucks. Now, I have something to shop for with all of the overtime money I'll be making this next month. January is a crazy month at work, with new accounts starting and I'm sure I'll be working at least one Saturday, if not more.

QUICK! Someone issue an Amber Alert....

my Christmas Cheer is missing.
I USED to be one of those annoying people.
The day after Thanksgiving I didnt take the day off to go shopping... I would go to work and spend the day decorating my cubicle for Christmas. I participated in the office cookie exchanges, the Secret Santas, all of that stuff. However, I never went as far as to wear the tacky Christmas sweaters and jingle bells. I’d have my holiday shopping done early and would spend the extra time making personalized gifts for my favorite neighbors and coworkers: ornaments, scented bath salts, cookies, fudge... whatever.
The last few years though, I can’t get into my holiday groove.
The first year that it happened, I understand why. My grandfather had died a couple of months before hand and I did not handle that loss very well. He had, and still does, meant so much to me that I was afraid that if I started crying over his death I wouldn’t be able to stop. As a result, I jsut kinda went numb. For a LONG time. I went through the motions of that holiday season, minus some of my usual traditions. I didn’t decorate, I didn’t make personalized gifts for everyone. I did make some special items for my neighbors who had helped us so much after my grandfather had his first stroke and after he died but other than that I was numb.
I did eventually come to terms with my grandpas death, but since then I still can’t seem to get into the holiday spirit. I’m enjoying the holiday season, especially watching my little 5 year old cousin, Janae, get excited about Santa coming. Other than that, I’m not feeling it.
I’m trying to force myself into the holiday spirit. I’ve decorated my cubicle, I’ve made a good portion of my gifts, joined some of my coworkers in adopting a needy family and am participating in the office Secret Santa. With all of this, I’m doing a little better than the past couple of years but I’m still not back to my usual seasonal self.
I wonder if this is something that will pass. If I will regain my Christmas Cheer. I miss feeling the magic of Christmas, the giving spirit and the kindness that so many people seem to acquire this time of year.
I can only hope so.

Procrastination Central...

So, I've been a little lax on the blogging lately.
I have been busy trying to prepare for the holidays. Note that I said
trying.
Since Christmas I have completed 2.5 scarves. The first one that I
completed needs to be shipped to my father in Boston before it gets so late that
I have to spend 3 times as much FedExing it to him. But, before I send
that off, I need to find something else for him. Problem? I have no clue
what to get him. He has everything he wants, and on top of that he lives on his
sailboat so space is limited. Any suggestions?
I was going to go to my first SNB this past Sunday morning. I was
invited to join the group last Friday night, and I got up Sunday morning, was running a little late to begin with, then traffic downtown was insane because of
the California Marathon. By the time I got to the part of town where the
SNB was being held, it was only about 20 minutes before it would be over and I
would have still had to look for parking. I'll drag my butt out of bed
earlier next Sunday and make it there on time.
Since I was unable to make the SNB Sunday I tried to do a little
Christmas shopping. I went into the stores and walked around but just could not
find anything I want to get for anyone. I have hardly any of my holiday
shopping done.
I have gotten my christmas cards and they are all addressed and just
waiting for personal notes in each one before they can be sent off. Theyve been
sitting on my dresser like this for a week and a half now.
Work - hasnt been too bad actually. I'm in the calm before the storm
though - January will be absolute madness. Tonight is our office holiday
party though, and tomorrow morning I've agreed to help do the year end
preparation training for the department I used to work for. The morning
after our office party I have to be here at 7 am and I have classes all
the way up to 2 pm. I havent prepared all of my handouts and exercises for
the class yet and I'm leaving work in 2.5 hours.

A MeMe!!

I promise, photos of my recent knitting and crochet projects are on their way.
In the meantimes, a meme!

TEN random things you might not know about me.
1: I completed the March of Dimes walk-a-thon when I was 10 years old. It was 20 miles long. I was the only person in the group I was with to finish it.
2: I was a complete drama nerd in high school and still listen to show tunes all the time while in my car and sing along at the top of my lungs.
3: My great grandmother taught me how to crochet (basic chain and single crochet only) when I was about 6. I didnt crochet for YEARS until she passed away. About a month after she died, 10 years ago, I started crocheting again and taught myself all the rest.
4: When I was a little girl I want to be an Olympic figure skater when I grew up.
5: I studied fashion design at FIDM in San Francisco for a semester. I dropped out because I couldnt afford to live in the city so I was commuting from Sacramento twice a week while also working full time in Sacramento. The stress got to me and I just couldnt handle it all any more.
6: I worked as a commercial portrait studio photgrapher while in college
7: When I was 10 years old, a painting I did won 2nd place at the California State Fair, Junior Exhibits.
8: Despite all of these creative tendencies and abilities, I now work in payroll. How the hell did this happen?
9: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is one of my all time favorite books. It STILL makes me cry.
10: I have an unnatural fondness for leopard faux fur. It's tacky as hell, but I love it.

NINE places I’ve visited.
1: Portland, OR
2: Salt Lake City, UT
3: Scottsbluff, NE
4: New York, NY
5: Washington, DC
6: Orlando, FL
7: Quebec City, Canada (SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL)
8: Montreal, Canada
9: East Hampton, NY

EIGHT ways to win my heart
1: bring me flowers
2: hold on for that extra 3 seconds when you hug me
3: bring me coffee just because
4: be kind to senior citizens.
5: Get me useless trinkets with my name on them. When I was a kid and everyone else had the little license plates with their names on them on the back of their bicycles I could never find anything with my name on it. Vanessa was not a very common name in the early 80's. It left some kind of an impression on me.
6: humor my irrational fears and idiosyncracies
7: kiss me on the cheek
8: compassion

SEVEN things I want to do before I die
1: Fall head over heels in love
2: Kiss The Blarney Stone
3: re-learn French and put it to use on the streets of Paris
4: Quit smoking
5: Lose the weight
6: learn to snowboard
7: ride a gondola through the canals of Venice. The city, not the Hotel-Casino.

SIX things I’m afraid of
1: having my heart broken
2: dieing alone
3: walking through parking lots alone at night. When I worked in the mall during college one of the girls from the shop next door was attacked walking to her car alone at night - it's freaked me out ever since.
4: Dealing with the whole dad v. step-dad thing and who walks me down the aisle, first dance, toast, etc. if I ever get married.
5: spiders
6: needles - I HATE having my blood drawn but I still donate blood every 8 weeks because I'm O- and am a perfect match for pediatric blood donations so I get guilt trip voicemails from the blood bank when I miss an appointment so I donate anyways.

FIVE things I don't like
1: Bloody Marys. Tomato juice, blech!
2: cleaning out the cats litter box. My LEAST favorite household chore.
3: turtlenecks. I feel like I'm being strangled.
4: narcisism.
5: driving the speed limit. I have a lead foot - I got my 1st speeding ticket 2 days after I got my license. I got my most recent one 3 months ago. I don't want to add up how many I've gotten inbetween

FOUR ways to turn me off
1: be rude
2: have those weird lobe stretching ear piercings, whatever theyre called. I think thats so freaky
3: be condescending to women
4: have not patience with kids

THREE Things I do everyday
1: drink coffee
2: tell grandma I love her
3: email my cousin Erin

TWO things that make me happy
1: baby animals of any kind
2: cozying with hot chocolate by a fire. I know, how very Danielle Steel of me.

ONE thing on my mind right now
1: I'm thinking about going into SF this weekend to see Erin and Jeremy (if she's not too busy with her upcoming law school finals) and do a little bit of my holiday shopping

I’ve become obsessed. Not that OCD tendencies are new to me or anything.
So, I’ve whined before about not being able to figure out knitting. I’ve crocheted for years, so its not like yarn baffles me or anything. Many times over the years I had picked up yarn and needles and tried to crochet a scarf or something. I could get by if it was a simple garter stitch, but it still didn't look right. Purling? Don’t get me started.
Anyways, I recently got four of the Candi Jensen crochet books: “Candi Babies”, “Candi Tots”, “Candi Blankets” and “Crochet Scarves”. This led to me purchasing another one of her books, “Knit Scarves!”
Why would I purchase a knitting book when I can’t knit?
Glutton for punishment? Maybe.
But I decided that I would knit a scarf. I went to my LYS, got some nice yarn (a 50/50 angora wool blend), some nice needle (Takumi bamboo - NOT metal like I’d always used before), and somehow I managed to knit a scarf. A very basic garter stitch, but still, I KNIT A SCARF! So, I knit another scarf using a very basic rib stitch pattern. Now I’ve knit another scarf from the same rib stitch pattern to send to my father for Christmas. I decided that I was on a roll and would make some more scarves for Christmas gifts. I had my cousin Erin pick out a pattern from the “Knit Scarves!” book and she picked out a bit more of a difficult one than the rib stitch that I’d become accustom to. She chose one called “Mohair and Lace”. It has a pretty lace pattern on the ends, decreases, yarn overs, I had no clue what some of these terms meant and silently I was cursing her for choosing what I read to be a difficult pattern. But I decided to challenge myself and along with the pattern book I’ve kept “Knitting for Dummies” open. Somehow, I’ve managed my way through the first part of “Mohair and Lace”. I’ve made the lace edge and made it through decreasing and yarn overs and... and... and... its actually coming along just fine! I haven't exploded with frustration. I haven’t thrown a tangled mass of mohair blend into the far corner of my closet. I actually have approximately 9 inches worth of scarf. I may have quite a bit more to go before its finished but it’s actually turning out okay.
Anyways, this luck I’ve had with the knitting and stuff has led me to purchase enough yarn to keep me busy for a freaking year! Seriously, my stash is out of control. I have to stop - or find a 12 step program or something. I’ve got yarn scattered all over the place. I don’t discriminate either. I have acrylic, wool, wool blends, cotton, boucle, mohair, thin, bulky.. every kind imaginable. Its a serious problem, but I think I’ll enjoy thinning the stash down.

Also, I hurt myself today. It was raining, not too badly, there was no thunder or anything like that, but my Grandma’s poodle got underneath the back porch and was too scared of the rain to come out. So, I got to crawl under the porch to get him. I emerged, absolutely covered in mud, cobwebs and who knows what else, and somewhere in the process I think I pulled a tendon in the back of my leg. On the backside of my knee it hurts like you can’t believe if I try to straighten my leg. I know Its not my hamstring because the pain doesn’t extend along the length of the hamstring - its just isolated to that one area behind my knee. I’m okay if I keep my knee bent, but straightening it to any degree - even walking - is so painful! At what point do I give up on self medicating with Salon Pas, Ben Gay and the like, and actually go to a doctor? Theres not much that a doctor can do for something like that, is there?

I'm Clueless...

As to how I'm going to get everything done...


Christmas is only 29 days away. TWENTY NINE days!
How the hell has Christmas creeped up on me so quickly?
Now, if I was SMART I would have started making all of my Christmas gifts back in September. However, I'm a dumbass who thought "Oh, I've got three months until Christmas to get this all done."
Lets see what I have to do...
1 afghan - this is about 95% done so it shouldnt be a problem.
1 afghan - this is about 20% done, but its worked on a Q hook with 2 strands at a time - I think this one will go quickly.
3 knit scarves, one of which is about 50% completed, I'm hoping to complete this one tomorrow. The second one should be a quick knit - a few color changes but I think I'll be able to get it done quickly. The third scarf is the one that has me worried. My knitting skills are remedial at best. I can knit & purl, but thats about it. The scarf I have to do has a lace pattern to it and I'm not sure how well I'll be able to get it done or how long it will take me. The second and third scarves have yet to be started - I've bought the yarn but havent cast on a single stitch yet.
1 pair of baby booties - I have one bootie 95% done and the second bootie about 50% done. The first bootie was 100% completed but its trimmed in a super plush white yarn and got fondled so much the white trim has gotten fairly dirty so I need to rip that part out and redo it before I give it to the expectant mother.
1 pair of slippers. My 5 year old cousin, Janae, saw the booties I'm making and wants a pair. Everytime she comes over and sees that I have yarn out she asks me where her boots are. I can be rather indulgent with her so I am going to try to make them - I'm just nor sure how I'll adapt the pattern for booties made to fit a 6 month old large enough for a kindergartener. I've gone with larger yarn - instead of Berrocco suede, which is ribbon like in its thickness, I've purchased Lion Brand Suede. Its much thicker and the colors are brighter, which Janae will like. I'm hoping that the thicker yarn used with a much larger hook will make adapting the pattern easier.
1 poncho - again, I've purchased the yarn but haven't started a single stitch. This is crochet though, so it should go much more quickly for me. I am much quicker and more adept at crochet than knitting.
Baking for a bake sale fundraiser. I've promised at least one cake and 1 batch of cookies. This needs to be done by December 6th.
General crafts.
I like to give small token gifts to a few of my coworkers. One thing I've done in the past that went over well was hot chocolate jar gifts. I just go to the local dollar store and get a few jars and coffee mugs. Then I'll make some chocolate covered spoons (incredibly quick, but it looks really nice and decadent) then I'll make some hot cocoa mix by mixing powdered cocoa, powdered creamer, some sugar and a little bit of cinnamon. Fill the jar with the mix and put it in a gift bag along with the coffee mug and a couple of the chocolate covered spoons.
Another successful gift I've made in the past for my female friends and family members have been sugar scrubs. Again, just go to the dollar store and get some jars or pretty containers of some sort. Then mix together sugar and almond oil, then stir in essential oils in various scents.
This year I'm thinking of also making herbal soaps. I found a recipe on ehow.com that looks REALLY easy. It may be cheating a little, but instead of making the soap from scratch, you just melt down some plain unscented glycerin soap and mix in dried herbs then pour the mixture into soap molds and let it set. It sounds quick and easy so I think I'll try this for the women in my extended family and my female friends.
So, I'm wondering how I'll manage to get this all done. In addition to working full time Monday through Friday, I have at least one Saturday work dat in December. I've agreed to come in on a Saturday and do some training for another department. The night before said Friday I also have a holiday party to go to.
AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH>
All of this is why coffee is my friend.

Black Friday

Well, unfortunately theres no photos of the crazy relatives for you today. We had a bit of excitement at my aunt and uncles house last night. My younger aunt had some sort of allergic reaction to something (we have no clue what) and it caused her to have great difficulty in breathing. Paramedics were called, and she was taken to the emergency room. All is well, they took great care of her and had her discharged and on her way home within about 2 & 1/2 hours. The bright side? Hot firemen and paramedics at Thanksgiving dinner. Damn I wish I had taken photos.
I'm back at work today. I don't get to sleep in, I'm not going shopping today, I just get to play catch up at work today since it's so slow. Oh well - I need the slower pace of today.
I do need to start thinking about what I will do for Christmas gifts this year.
I have yet to purchase or finish making a single gift.
I didn't say I haven't started a few - I have - I just haven't FINISHED any and I have no clue how I'll get them all done in time. ARGH!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm home from my trip to Salt Lake City.
Last spring a dear friend of mine, Shauna, moved there with her husband, Jesse, and Friday I drove out to visit and to help them move into their new home. We were so busy moving that we didnt do too much in the ways of fun stuff, but we did go to The Bakery for dinner when I got there Friday night. I had the best canoli there that I've ever had outside of Boston.
Also, since we were moving the entire time I didnt get the chance to take many pictures but we did get one of me with their new Beagle, Chloe.

She's such a cute sweet puppy. I MIGHT have taken about a half a roll of photos of just her. I'll see how those come out when I get the film developed.
The 10.5 hour drive back to California is long. And boring. Dear God is it ever boring.
As boring as the drive was, I made it home safe and sound. Obviously. Now I'm at my aunts house in Fairfield for Thanksgiving dinner. This is the 2nd year that my aunt and uncle have hosted Thanksgiving. My Uncle Mike loves to cook and he always tries something new for Thanksgiving dinner, whether its a new side dish or a new way of fixing the turkey. From what I can see so far, we're having mashed potatoes, yams, Turkey, my aunt made some deviled eggs and a cranberry rum bundt cake that looks wonderful - I might have snagged a wee bit of the icing and it might have tasted heavenly.
The rest of the family hasnt arrived yet. So far its just my Aunt Marla, Uncle Mike, cousin Erin, her husband Jeremy, and myself. We have a little bit of quiet time left before the rest of the family arrives and the chaos begins. Today, I think I'll be taking some pictures of the crazy people that are my family...

Images of Forest Grove..

As promised, a happier post than Mondays. A little later than intended, but I went out tonight and talked with my chaplain. Thats right, I have my very own personal chaplain. Not a priest, minister, rabbi or pastor, a chaplain. Technically, he’s a fellow patron at my favorite watering hole, but we toss back a few and get philosophical.
Anywho....
The trip, very nice. Except....
IT STORMED DAMN NEAR EVERY FREAKING DAY I WAS THERE!!!!!!
It finally cleared up the day I was leaving. Figures.
Also, I didnt have my camera with me at the most picturesque moments. Like when I woke up to find 5 deers making breakfast of the front lawn.
But, here is the view from the patio.....




















And the bird feeder I helped Grandpa build when I was about 11. Actually, it was more like “Hey Ness, hand me that piece of wood.” and “Hey Ness, hand me that nail.”









Also, Grandpa has a new weather vane that is so cute I just had to take a picture of it. A deer kissing a kitty, awww....









Heres the view from the top of the driveway...











Saturday night we had a BAD storm with 40 mph winds. Sunday morning my uncle woke me up so that I could help clear out two 100 foot trees that had been knocked over in the storm. Heres some of the aftermath of the storm -my uncle was monitoring a controlled burn of some of the debris. You can BARELY make him out to the right of the tree without trees. At this point we’d already cleared out the trunk of the tree and were burning the branches that wouldnt be suitable for indoor firewood. In the foreground to the left is my grandpas dog, Daisy Mae.









The house...









And, where would we be without some gratuitous kitty pictures?
This is Bitsy, my grandmas kitty. She’s so cute, she doesnt meow. She squeaks.










And this is Bucky. Grandpas kitty. Bucky thinks he’s a dog in that he likes to follow Grandpa through the woods while he goes out and works.










No worries, both cats are kept indoors at night so that they are kept safe from coyotes and other wildlife.
I did get to do some shopping while I was there....
There was a great sale at the local Craft Warehouse so I picked up 4 skeins of Cascade Yarns Peruvian Highland Wool - 1 charcoal grey, 1 light grey and 2 black. A new set of jewelers pliers. 6 skeins of Indulge Yarns wool.













A sweater with matching scarf from Ross, 3 new DVDs - Guess Who, Crash, and Hotel Rwanda (they were 3 for $25 at Hollywood Video), and a Starbucks coffee mug.













A messenger bag (its the perfect size to hold my laptop) and silver photo frame from a local thrift shop. Some beads (red and clear) and Takumi bamboo knitting needles from Craft Warehouse.













This is my Uncle Ron. He rents the downstairs portion of the house from my grandparents and helps them out around the place. He likes to claim that I was a complete hellian as a small child and says that he’s suprised I’ve “turned out okay and am not the dicator of a communist country by now.”













And my grandparents. I adore them. Technically they are my mothers exhusbands parents. My mom and step dad married when I was 3 years old and divorced 10 years ago, but theyve never referred to me as anything other than their oldest granddaughter. Grandmas hair has grown back in some. Whats weird is that her hair has always been straight and although you can’t tell in the photo, it’s growing back CURLY. I’ve heard that this is common after chemotherapy though. I crocheted a “chemo cap” for her out of Classic Elite Yarns Lush Angora Wool blend that is SO soft and cuddly, but... i forgot to take a picture of it. I’m about 1/2 way through a scarf I’m knitting for her. This is my very first knitting project ever and my tension is a little wonky, but its coming along okay. I’ll post pictures of that when I’m done.

I’m on my way home, sitting at the Portland airport and enjoying a chai latte while I wait for my flight.
All in all it was a good trip, I got to visit my grandparents and relax. Those are always good things. It stormed every day I was here, so we stayed in for the most part. Saturday night the storm was so bad that it knocked down two 100 foot trees on the road so I did get to participate in some heavy duty clean up on Sunday.
Although it was a good trip, it was also a hard one that has taken an emotional toll on me. My grandma has inoperable cancer and has been on chemotherapy for 14 months now. I last saw her eight months ago and she had lost a little bit of weight at that point, maybe 10 lbs., and would get tired after being up & doing stuff around the house after about 30 minutes or so and she’d lost her hair, but overall she was doing alright and looked okay. I was not prepared for how she’s doing now. Shes down to 100 lbs, is tired after walking to the bathroom, sleeps 12 or more hours a day and spends most of the rest of the day lying on the couch. I wasnt ready to see her this weak and fatigued. She’s always been so energetic and gregarious. Every time I’ve come up here to visit her before we’ve always done at least one day of “marathon shopping”. We went shopping Saturday, but after walking into the store and looking through two clothing racks, she was spent.
Her spirits are still up, but her body is slowing down.
The slower pace of this trip allowed me to really see in depth the tenderness between my grandparents that I’ve only caught little glimpses of before.
Both were raised on farms in south western Nebraska, and my Grandpa was raised with the belief that you show your love of your family by providing for them. Giving them a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food on the table. Although he’s retired from GTE (now Verizon) he’s returned to his farming roots and raises trees here outside of Portland so every time I’ve been up here to visit he’s still outside working to be sure to provide for his wife although their retirement savings are sufficient. This trip, I can see that he has slowed down his own pace to match that of grandma. In the mornings, he gets up and makes his pot of coffee and does some of the household chores and drives down to the mailboxes to pick up the newspaper. After he’s back, once he hears Grandma start to wake up he makes her a pot of tea and toast for breakfast. Throughout the day he also makes her lunch, dinner, and snacks since the Dr. would like to see her put some weight back on before she starts her next round of chemotherapy. He calls her “Beautiful”, “Gorgeous”, and my favorite, “Lovey”.
In addition to the cancer, Grandma also has Macular Degeneration. She can still see well enough to read large signs, but can no longer read the books that she has always loved - even in large print. Every night, Grandpa will read to her so that she can still enjoy the stories that she has always loved.
Its good to know that after 50-some-odd years of marriage they still share this tenderness and affection for one another. But at the same time I’m heartbroken. I know that the love they have for one another is infinite, but these moments of tenderness and caring are finite. Thats been the hardest part about this trip. This weekend I saw my grandfather cry for the first time that I can ever remember. He said that he’s not ready to say goodbye to his wife. Thats been the hardest part of this trip. Seeing how much of a toll this illness has taken on both my grandma and my grandpa.

My "Charlies Angels" Lunch Hour

I had an interesting lunch hour this past Monday.
On my lunch hour I went to the bank to make my car payment. The bank is on a corner and has a little alley-like driveway that runs behind the bank and is a driveway to the parking lot from the side street as well as bank employee parking. On my walking into the bank I saw a man walking out of the alley way towards the front of the bank, and he was acting a little crazy mumbling to himself and as I got closer it looked like he was carrying a knife but I wasnt really sure. I just kept an eye on him, not sure if he was crazy or planning on robbing someone at the ATM, and intended to tell the security guard inside the bank.
I get inside the bank, and the security guard thats normally inside the entrance isn't there so I thought I would tell the teller. There was no one in line so I was able to go straight to the teller, when I got up there EVERYONE was at the window facing the alley and one woman was CRYING "he's beating up my car!" and someone else was on the phone calling 911 and was telling them that he had a knife, so I took care of my car payment and the teller told me that he was back there just beating on one of the employees car. As I left another customer was walking out at the same time I was, so I felt a bit more comfortable leaving just in case the crazy guy was no longer in the alley and was now in the parking lot.
But, this was no ordinary customer I was walking out with. This was an absolute idiot. He goes over to the alley way and yells at the guy "Hey, theyre calling the cops on you in there" because the last thing we want to do is get a violent crazy person off the streets. We want to give them warning so that they can get away. I get in my car and leave and as Im pulling out of the parking lot I see crazy guy cross the street and run down another side stret. For some reason I decide that I CAN NOT let this guy get away and that I should follow him so I turn around so I can go down the side street that he's now running down. After I turn around I see one of the tellers from the bank crossing the street to run after him. She was a small woman and he could run fast and I just didnt think that it was a good idea for her to be following him on foot in case he decided to turn around and come after her, so I rolled down my window and told her where he was and to meet me on the corner and we'd follow him. Once she got in the car she used my cell phone to call back to the bank and tell them that we were following the crazy guy and where we were so that they could tell the police once they showed up. We stayed within eyesight of crazy guy, but not sol close that we couldnt get away quickly if he decided to come towards us. He was in a small shopping center, opening the door to a bar and then kicking it over and over again. As soon as he heard the police siren he took off running. As he started to take off, I was able to grab a pic with my camera phone....

Yes, he is shirtless in red track pants with a backwards ball cap.
There were 2 police cars as well as 2 officers onn foot who chased him down the street about a block, under the overpass for a major street, Howe Avenue, up the embankment and when the bank teller and I drove down the street and turned around we saw that the police had stopped traffic on Howe Avenue and were arresting him in the middle of the street. As I took the teller back to the bank she told me that the womans car he was beating on was a good friend of hers who was also one of the branch managers and that shed just gone through a bad divorce and as a gift to herself once the divorce was finalized she bought a brand new Mercedes just a couple of weeks prior and now it had been vandalized by a crazy shirtless man. I gave the teller all of my contact info in the event that the police needed to talk to me for any reason. I havent heard anything yet from the police or from the woman who's car was vandalized, but will update you if I do.
I got back to work a little late and when I told my boss why she said, "Nessa, you're like Charlies Angels, chasing down bad guys on your lunch break!" She said that in her version of the story, I'm tossing my hair like Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith.

In other news - one week from today I will be in Oregon visiting the grandparents. I am looking forward to this trip like you wouldnt believe. Five days to relax on my grandparents property. Their house sits on top of a small mountain (technically, I think its just a really big hill, but my ears pop going up the driveway, so I call it a mountain), 50 acres of which is theirs. The nearest town is about 10 miles away and I think its population is about 2,500. While there, I'm hoping grandma will help me perfect my ability to make butterballs. Butterball soup is a recipe that my great grandmother, and probably her mother before her, used to make. As the name suggests, it definitely is not the healthiest of soups, but it is so yummy. I'll post the recipe after I get it from her. I don't know the exact quantities, but you mix together bread crumbs, melted butter, egg, salt, and I believe either a tad of cinnamon or clove and make little walnut sized dumplings out of them, then cook them in chicken broth. The original recipe had them in a chicken noodle soup and included the recipe for home made egg noodles, but grandma generally leaves out the noodles. Somewhere between now and next Wednesday night I have to find the time to do laundry for the trip as well as decide which crochet projects I'll be taking with me. I have quite a few going right now - some Ugg-like baby booties from Candy Babies by Candi Jensen and a baby afghan for an expectant friend, an afghan for my friend in Salt Lake City (I don't think I'll be taking that with me - theres 6 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun), the Crazy Aunt Purl Poncho (it's the pink and black one) by The Crochet Dude as well as another Crochet Dude design... Do Your Vest, just to name a few. Seriously, The Crochet Dude, his designs are amazing. I strongly recommend them. I'm thinking that to save on space in the suitcase I'll just take the booties or the baby ghan, or something small like that, and if I finish them while I'm there I guess I'll just have to explore the greater Portland area's LYS's. Although granny isn't into the fiber arts I know that she does like craft stores and she told me that she plans on resting up the days prior to my visit so that she feels well enough to do some serious shopping. Now that I think about it, since she's lost her hair from the chemotherapy, I may need to make a hat and matching scarf to take to her as a gift. I saw, and fondled, some GORGEOUS baby alpaca yarn the other day.....

So much to look forward to in November.....

As I mentioned a week or two ago, I LOVE MY NEW JOB!!!
The department I work in now? So wonderful
My new boss? LOVE HER!
My new coworkers? So welcoming!

Overall my week has SUCKED because Ive been sick all week. My daily routine has been this:
1. Wake up & go to work
2. Come home & take Nyquil
3. pass out
repeat 5 times

Monday morning I went into the office and as soon as my boss saw me she said "Nessa, you don't look like you're feeling very well today" then she felt my forehead and cheeks and then said "oh honey, you're a smidge warm. I think you should go home" I finished a few things up and left by lunchtime, went home and began the Nyquil/pass out process.

One of the best features of the department I work in now? They actually let me take vacation days! I am so excited.
In the department I worked in previoiusly I could never take any time off because there was always someone else who had child care issues, or a kids field trip that day and since I am without child I could never get time off. Not for lack of trying though, this is an actual conversation I had with my previous boss and another manager one time:

Me: I'd like to schedule a vacation day next friday
Boss Lady 1: I'm sorry, coworker 1 has that day off for their kids field trip
Me: what about the next friday
Boss lady 2: cant do that either, coworker 2 has child care issues
Me: but I have childcare issues too
BL 2: um, Vanessa, you don't have children.
Me: my inner child. she's not being taken care of. she wants a day off.
BL 1 & 2: hahahahahahahahahahahaha. answer the phone.

Scheduling vacation days in my new position? EASY AS PIE!

Me: Hi Boss Lady! Can I schedule November 3, 4, and 7 off for a 5 day weekend?
Nice Boss Lady: No problem Nessa!
Me: YIPEEE!

later that night calling my Grandma in Portland:
Me:Guess what Grams, Nice Boss Lady gave me 3 days off so I can come visit you for a F-I-V-E day weekend!
Grams: KISS HER FOR ME!
sidenote: Grams is so happy because she has inoperable lung cancer & has been going through chemo for over a year now and isnt feeling well enough to travel all the way to Sacramento.

And for ONCE, my great skills in procrastination have actually worked in my favor.
Before I requested the time off to go to Portland I looked at Southwests website & flights from Sacramento to Portland were $50 each way but I didnt purchase them right away in case I wasnt able to schedule the time off. Once the time off was approved, i kept forgetting to purchase my tickets. UNTIL I got an email from Southwest saying that they had gone on sale for $34 each way. I AM NEVER THIS LUCKY!

Right at the same time that I was able to schedule the time off to go visit my grandparents in Portland I was emailing back and forth with my friend Shauna who moved to Salt Lake City 6 months ago. She was telling me about the house that her and her husband were looking at buying and saying how much she wants me to come out to visit and I was saying how much it sucks that we can't go Halloween costume shopping together anymore (we've been costume shopping buddies for the past 5 years in addition to working with each other every day for the same length of time), then she was mentioning how her cousin is trying to move to SLC also but doesnt have a car and would I be willing to drive her to SLC for $200 in gas money? I SO WOULD! But, cousin was wanting to move to SLC the weekend that I'm going to be in Portland.
This past Wednesday Shauna tells me that their offer on the house was approved, and escrow should close on November 14 so they should be able to start moving in shortly afterwards. I told her that if her cousin still needed a ride out there and was still willing to pitch in for the gas that I would drive out there that weekend and bring along some of the stuff that Shauna had to leave in storage at her parents out here when she moved while I'm at it. Sure enough, cousin still needs to get out to SLC. Now all I had to do was get the time off.

Me: Hi Boss Lady! I was talking to Shauna this week...
Nice Boss Lady: Oh! How is she doing?
Me: Great, her & her husband are buying a house and should be moving in next month.
NBL: That fabulous, tell her I said Hi and Congratulations.
Me: Will do, in fact, I was wanting to know if I could 2 days off to drive her stuff out to her.
NBL: Sure!

HOT DAMN! I am getting TWO mini-vacations in November! A five day weekend to fly up to Portland to visit the grandparents and a 4 day weekend to hitch a trailer to my truck and drive out to SLC. On top of all this, Shauna asked if I would teach her how to crochet while I'm in SLC. Not only do I get to visit a close friend but I ALSO get to crochet... YAY! Shauna said that since she's married now, is buying a house, and will most likely will start trying for kids next spring or summer, she needs me to teach her how to be domestic. I've never taught anyone to crochet before and certainly hope that I do as well as my great-grandma did when she taught me. Shauna was asking me what she should start with as her first crochet project

Me: Hmm, I'd say something basic and easy like a scarf
Shauna: Wooo Hooo!!! Everyones getting scarves for Christmas this year!

So tonight I went to Barnes and Noble to look at crochet pattern books for some simple scarf patterns and ended up getting THREE Candi Jensen books. Candy Tots, Candy Blankies and Crochet Scarves! I already had the Candy Babies book so there was no need to buy that one, but I think I also want to get her Crochet Bags! book and as soon as I can knit quasi-decently I think I'll get her Knit Scarves! book.
But I digress.

My new job... I'm so much happier. Within a week of starting all of my friends and family were saying how much my demeanor has changed. How I'm so much happier and upbeat now. I feel the difference to. I no longer dread going in to work every morning, and that is such a wonderful feeling.

My weekend, part 1

It was a great weekend. But, then again, what weekend isn't a great one?
My friend Phyllis' birthday BBQ was Saturday evening, and I kicked off my weekend by trying to bake the birthday cake. However, I am not the best baker in the world, and it ended up going to cake heaven. Thankfully, theres always Costco with their yummy cheesecake mousse filling

Our hostess, Jeanette. Also known as "Virgo 1". She and I share the same birthday, August 26, born just a year apart AND at the exact same hospital. Since I'm a year younger, she calls me "Virgo 2".

The guest of honor, Phyllis, and her beau Charlie.

Erin & Jeremy came up for the weekend and joined me at the pub after the BBQ.


It was great to see them again. I haven't been able to get down to San Francisco to see them as much as I would like, and Erins course load at UC Hastings doesn't let her make it up to Sacramento very often. But, we did have a great time Saturday night consuming massive quantities of beer with a couple of our favorite bartenders..
Joe...

and John...

and getting into arguments with a pompous windbag over whether or not a man deserves to be hit for grabbing a strange womans chest.
Meet Pompous Windbag.

Sunday, we enjoyed an early lunch at Paesanos and then visited a mutual friend in their new home before Erin & Jeremy had to leave to head back to San Francisco. Me? I spent the rest of the day recovering from Saturday nights festivities.

More photos coming, just as soon as Virgo 1 emails them to me.

Halloween's a coming.

I just realized how close Halloween is after reading Glitters blog. I still have no idea what I'll do for Halloween, I do know what my costume will be for work - my manager will be dressing as Snow White and my associates and I will be various dwarfs - not the standard Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, et al. We'll be dwarfs that are suited to each of us individually - because I am a coffee addict, I will be Jittery. Cute, but not what I want to dress as for any parties or other social functions outside of work.
To make picking my costume THAT much harder, I've lost my Halloween shopping buddy. Last April my dear friend Shauna got married and moved to Utah. For the past 5 years she and I have always gone costume shopping together. This year, I'm on my own. It's so sad. So, I was just looking online to get ideas of what I'll dress as for Halloween this year and these are what I have in mind so far.
I don't know which one I'll go with, I'll have to see what there is at the local costume shop. I was just looking for some ideas and suggestions.





Also, I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone here who has been so encouraging and supportive the last couple of weeks. It's been great to read everyones comments.

A Long Week....

I've started my new job. Well, technically it's not a new job, I'm with the same company just a new position in a different department. I've completed the training and amm starting to get clients. So far, I like it. My new supervisor is awesome and the people I work with are all great - they have all made me feel very welcome in my new position. As much as I enjoy the position, it's a bit of an adjustment -- I've taken a few steps down the learning curve, but I think I'm doing alright.

Yesterday morning was Weight Watchers. I've lost another 2.8 lbs for a total of 11 lbs now. WOOOO HOOOOOO!