An eventful weekend

As I said in my previous post, I was rear ended again on Friday while on my lunch break. To make it even better, it appears as though the driver who hit me is uninsured, at the very least he didn't have proof of insurance on me at the time of the accident.
I left work a little early Friday afternoon so that I could go to my doctors because I think I hit my arm against the armrest because my right hand and forearm were numb and tingly all the way up to my elbow for most of the day Friday. I'll know more about my doctors diagnosis Monday afternoon when I go in for my follow up appointment. Also, ever since the accident I have been EXHAUSTED despite getting more than enough sleep.
Monday I also have to take my car in to the auto body shop and pick up my rental car. I'm thinking my car will be totaled out this time. After I got back to lunch Friday, a coworker went outside and looked at the underneath of my car. He said that it appears as though part of the frame is dented and with where stuff is crunched up theres a possibility that there could be a leak in my gas tank.
Heres some pics. I don't have a photoshop application to blur out my license plate. Please don't stalk me.


























Aside from my bad karma (haha!) I did have a great weekend.
My friends Shauna and Jesse were in town from Salt Lake City for the weekend. Shaunas birthday was last month, and I can now finally reveal the Top Secret Project. Because Shauna lives in a cold climate, and loves scarves, I made her the Short Row Rib scarf. I think she likes it:












Since Shauna and Jesse were in town only for the weekend we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. We had dinner Friday and on Saturday we went up to Placerville for lunch and walked around the downtown area for a while.
Saturday night I joined my mom and dad at my brothers football game.













and now, I'm just being lazy. Considering I have to take my car in to the body shop tomorrow afternoon, I SHOULD be cleaning it out. Especially since theres a very high probability that it will be totaled out and I won't be getting it back.

MOTHER EFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!

I was just rearended AGAIN!
The damage to my car is considerably worse this time.
I'm trying to get an appointment with my doctor for this afternoon and will need to figure out a time to get my car in to the shop to find out exactly how bad the damage is.

The Best Marketing Possible.

I've always been a "crafty" person.
In high school I would skip my science and gym classes to hang out in my ceramics classroom where I could sculpt a wall-hanging or throw a pot on the wheel. My ceramics teacher, bless her soul, didn't mind. Her theory was that if I was going to cut class I was going to do it regardless of where I went and she would rather see me making a pot than smoking it.
Since high school I haven't had access to a potters wheel or kiln, so my hobbies have changed.
Now, I occaisionally enjoy photography, once every few years I'll take a brush to canvas and attempt to paint something thats not hideous, I knit and crochet practically daily, and I do still make beaded jewelry from time to time.
Before I learned to knit last year, I would make beaded items regularyl. Most often, gifts for my cousin Erin. Being that she has extreme metal allergies and turns into a walking hive if anything is less than 24k gold, it would be of great cost to her to try to have any kind of jewelry collection. But, she still loves to wear necklaces. For several years now, its been standard for me to make her at least 2 or 3 beaded necklaces for her birthday gifts.
It pleases me to see that she wears these necklaces practically daily.
What pleases me even more is when she tells me that people compliment her on them frequently as well. Even when she was attending UC Hastings, which is primarily populated by trust fund kids who go to Greece on shopping trips. I wish I were kidding on that last bit. That statement is based upon an actual conversation I overheard in the elevator of the building she lived in in San Francisco.
Friday night Erin and her husband, Jeremy, joined me at the pub. She was wearing a necklace I had made her for her birthday this year - copper colored freshwater pearls with amber swarovski crystals. Once there, she received a compliment or two on the necklace, and in response she told everyone that I had made it for her.
Turns out that one of the other regular patrons has a daughter who will be going to Europe on an exchange program in January and it is customary for exchange students to trade gifts with their host friends and families. He commisioned me to make at least 10 necklaces for him to give to his daughter to take with her as exchange gifts.
Hearing that I was taking commisions, a couple of other patrons requested necklaces.
I believe that I will be busy with beads and wire for the next couple of weeks, thanks to Erin wearing my necklace. The best marketing possible.
All of this ties in with my recent decision to open a shop on Etsy.com .
i don't have any items listed yet, but as soon as I do I will be posting a link in the sidebar.

Inspiration...

I went to IKEA with Erin and Jeremy this evening. They have a beautiful new duvet cover with matching pillow shams that I think would be perfect to into an afghan or throw. What do you think?



It should also be fairly simple. I'm thinking it would just be single and double crochet. There would just be quite a few ends to weave in.
Its hard to tell from the phot, but it was a nice chocolatey brown, gold, green, tuquoise, a deep plum, tan, etc.


What do you think?

YIPPEEEE!!!

A short while ago I was contemplating over which sweater from the new issue of Knitty.com to make.
I'll have you know that I reached my decision and am making...

Viveka

last week I purchased the yarn and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I'll post pictures of the yarn later, when I've had the chance to photograph it in natural light.
Also, the Top Secret Project.... just a little longer for photos of that. I still haven't sent it off to the intended recipient because I keep forgetting to take it in to work with me so that I can mail it off.

The sock is coming along well, I'm almost done with the foot and then will begin the decreases. I'm hoping to have it done by Saturday afternoon so that my cousin Erin can try it on before I start the second one. I'm hoping to start the second one by Sunday afternoon, when I will be sitting in my favorite knitting spot, the pub, enjoying a pint and fingering weight superwash wool sock yarn.

I want to get these socks done, for two reasons.
First, so that Erin can have some supercool hand knit socks.
Second, so that I can start on Viveka. In all of the years that I've been crocheting, and more recently, knitting, I have only made two items for myself. About 8 years ago I crocheted a queen size bedspread out of kitchen cotton. This may sound like an odd fiber choice for a bedspread, but I'd made a dishcloth with it and the texture vaguely reminded me of the cotton chenile bedspreads by great-grandmother used to have when I was a kid. I immediately had to have a throw or afghan made out of it, and of course I went over the top and made a queen sized bedspread. It took FOREVER, and MANY full sized cones of white kitchen cotton.
The second item I made was the very first felted hand bag that I made bacck in January.
Everything else I've ever made has always been for someone else - either as a gift, or for commission, or for charity. I don't regret making the majority for everyone else, but it is most definitely time that I make a pretty wool sweater for myself.

Screensaver

Theres a woman at my work who has the "Scrolling Marquee" as the screensaver on her computer. Any time shes away from her desk, on break, at lunch, etc., it comes rolling across her screen....

"MY SONS CUTTER THAN YOURS"

I haven't bothered to tell her that it's misspelled. Its been this way for MONTHS.

Suggestions???

It's been a fun weekend....
Started early Friday by leaving work at 11 am for a farewell lunch for my boss. After working with her for the past year, it was sad to see her go but I do wish her well in her new position within the company.
Afterwards I went home, it was nice to be sitting in a bubble bath at 3 pm thinking "I'm still getting paid for another 2 hours".
Friday evening was Rhythm & Ribs with friends. We met up at the pub first then migrated over to Raley Field. There was a decent cover band playing, but not noteworthy enough for me to remember the name of the group. I sampled some ribs from a bbq company from Portland, OR. The sauce was great, but the meat quality was only so-so. After R&R, it was back to the pub.
Saturday, it was a friends 30th birthday and to celebrate her Scottish Heritage we made way to Dixon for the Scottish Games. Its always a good day when you're surrounded by men in kilts throwing heavy objects. After the games was a bbq at a friends back here in town.
Sunday, I got up early and took care of some chores around the house and spent the rest of the day knitting at the pub. It was a great day.

Now, the part where I'm looking for some suggestions...
My Scottish friend mentioned above will be entering the holy bonds of matrimony next month and the celebratory bachelorette party will be a weekend in Tahoe for the girls. We'll all be responsible for a meal and I have Saturday morning breakfast.
I've been looking at Epicurious and have found some recipes that sound great! Such as:
French Toast Santa Fe
Banana Stuffed French Toast with Streusel Topping
Creme Brulee French Toast
Blueberry Croissant French Toast

Theres also a few omelette/scrambled egg/baked egg dishes I've found that sound good, but I'm fairly good at making those type of dishes already and looking through those recipes was really just to give me ideas for different ingredients to toss in there.

So, any opinions on the linked recipes above?
Any suggestions on any other recipes that are quick and easy to make but yummy and decadent and seem like they took a lot of effort and time but really don't because chances are that I will be hung over and barely able to drag my ass out of bed.

The Top Secret Project is finished. One or two of you have seen it in progress, but the rest of you will have to wait a week or so for pics of the finished item. Personally, I'm pleased with the outcome. It's blocking as we speak.

The purple & charcoal felted bag? That hasn't gone anywhere. It's still sitting in my knitting bag.
Instead of finishing that project I've started my next one. Socks. I've started the first sock and so far, it's fairly tedious. Teeny tiny yarn, teeny tiny needles, teeny tiny stitches. I'm hoping that as I become more adept at it, I enjoy the socks more. There certainly is one thing to say about sock knitting - it's very compact and portable. It's also going to give me arthritic hands.

I like the sock yarn I'm using. I ended up not going with either of the ones I showed the other day. I just wasn't 100% happy with them, so over the weekend I found a pretty pink, blue and purple yarn. So far, I'm liking how its working up BUT I am only about a 1/2" into the ribbed cuff.

Completely unrelated, I'm in the mood for a pedicure. I'm also in desperate need of one.

Here Knitty, Knitty, Knitty....

The new season of Knitty is up, and can I just say how much I love it???
I LOVE the Viveka and Lucie sweaters and really want to make both. For myself, of course.
I hardly ever knit anything for myself. I am one of those knitters who always make things for others, and I don't mind. I like giving my family and friends hand knit items. Especially when they appreciate the time and love that went in to it, and most of them do. But, I think I am going to have to take a break from knitting for others and work on one of these for myself. Any suggestions on which one I should do first? Either way, I'm sure I'll be seen working on these at the pub this fall.

The Ivy wrap sweater is pretty cool too.

I'm tempted to make Avast for my father for his birthday in January... well, considering my "to knit" list, Fathers Day 2018 would be more realistic.

I'm sure my little cousin would love to have an Ayla bag. Again, with my to knit list, I'm sure I could have it completed in time for her first borns 1st day of kindergarten.

I don't know about this one, Intolerable Cruelty. I do love the design, it's just the style that I like... romantic, and curvy. But, I think my "curves" are a bit much for a KNIT skirt. My ass would look infinitely larger than it actually is.

Now, the pattern I take issue with....
I think Lizard Ridge is one of the coolest afghans I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. HOWEVER... 21 skeins of Noro Kureyon??? Thats about $180! For an afghan! Who on earth has $180 to knit an afghan?? Seriously, it is beautiful. I love the color changes of Noro Kureyon. I also like how that multicolored afghan is so brilliantly colored. BUT, if I had an extra $180 lying around, I seriously doubt that I would use it to knit an afghan. I'd probably go to Sephora or L'Occitane
I can only assume that its one of those project that you spend a year or more making, buying a skein and knitting up a square here and there as a diversion from other projects, put the squares away in your closet and one day you realize that you have all 24 blocks knit up and eventually seam them together.

Before I can make anything for myself though, I have a couple of projects to work on. First, an update on my recent projects.

The crocheted crib blanket for a friends pending niece? Finished! See....

Friend was pleased. I like how it turned out also. I love this pattern... its one of the free patterns available on the Project Linus website. Its called the Sideways Shell Baby Afghan. It works up fairly quickly, the pattern is an easy repeat - not so much so that its boring and overly repetitive though. Many times I've thought of making this with a bulkier yarn in more of an afghan size.

I also finished the Super Skinny Sari Silk Scarf. Its entirely possible that I may have gotten carried away, not paid attention to how long it was getting, and ended up with a scarf thats approximately 9 feet long. Keep in mind that its only 3 inches wide.


The felted messenger bag experiment that I've been working on intermitently since April? Lets not talk about that. All I'm going to say is that I see a lot of ripping out in my future.

The purple and grey round bag that will ultimately be felted?? Very close to being done. I'm working on the last i-cord handle, then it will go in the washer.

New projects?

A Top Secret Project is in the works, I'm a little over half way done and have a deadline looming so I'd better get cracking. I'll be able to show a picture around the first of next month. All I will say is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the yarn I'm using.

After T.S.P. is completed and the purple & charcoal bag has been felted, I'm going to try my first pair of socks. These will be a gift for my lovely cousin Erin. I've bought 2 different yarns, the first was a very cheerful looking pink orange and yellow. Then I found a very pretty blue colorway that I think she'll like a lot. I'm just not certain which color I'll use first.


Once the socks are completed I'll be working on.... Viveka? Lucie? Bueller? Anyone?

Nuisances...

last week I had the pleasure of losing my wallet.
It had to have been some time Wednesday night. I remember having it that afternoon and I went straight home from work, then it was Thursday morning that I noticed it wasn't in my purse.
I figure it must have fallen out of my purse somewhere between lunchtime Wednesday night and after I got to work Thursday morning. I have a horrible habit of trying to cram too much stuff in too small of a purse. I've searched my car, the office I work in, my house. It is nowhere to be found.
I had about $40 cash, a token for a free beer at the pub, credit card, debit card, kaiser card, etc. I've canceled them all and requested replacements, so no worries there.
What I'm really frustrated about losing is all of my "frequent shopper" cards. My favorite LYS has a card where once you spend $200, you get $20 off your next purchase. I had about $150 on my card, thats gone. I talked to the owner and she was able to mark off the purchases I've made since they upgraded their computers about a month ago though, so that helps some.
There was also the card for the local drive through coffee shop, my next latte was going to be free =(
Then there was all of the gift cards I still had from my birthday - $25 for JoAnns, $40 for ULTA, $15 for Blockbuster and :::sniff::: $25 for Sephora. I think that one may hurt the worst.
But the most painful of this experience, my drivers license. So that I don't have to use any more of my personal time at work I'll be spending a good chunk of this coming Saturday morning at the DMV.

Ugh, I've been putting this off....

I've been having some problems with my car for a couple of months now.
Initially I'd put off taking it in to the shop because I was busy dealing with my moms angioplasty and then traveling up to Portland when my grandmother died.
Putting it off hasn't been too much of a hassle because my car still runs, its just that accelerating to above 50 mph can be tricky, the "overdrive off" light is constantly flashing and the "check engine" light comes on sporadically.
I'd been putting it off because when I initially called my car guy and talked to a couple of coworkers who are more mechanically adept than I am they all said it could be one of two things...

1 - The O2 sensor (whatever that is. its been explained to me but it left my brain as immediately as it was told to me) needs to be replaced - a quick, easy, and cheap fix. I like cheap. My mechanic estimates it could be as cheap as $50. I really like that initial price estimate.
2 - The whole transmission could need to be replaced. Again, my mechanic called around and the best price he could find on a rebuilt transmission for my car is $1,600. I do not like this initial price estimate. What makes it worse is that he said a rebuilt transmission comes with no guarantee. It could last for 5 years or 5 weeks. No guarantee. His suggestion in the event that I need a new transmission is to take that $1,500 and use it as the downpayment on a new car.

So, I've been putting it off and putting it off. Then I got my paperwork to renew my car this month. I have to smog my car this year and since my "check engine" light comes on, thats an automatic fail.
I'll be taking it in to the shop next week and as nice as a new(er) car would be, I'd like to put off buying one for a while longer. Ideally, I'd like to have a huge downpayment - about 1/2 of the sale price - and it will take a while longer for me to save that up. So (I use "So..." too much), please, everyone keep their fingers crossed that its just that pesky O2 sensor.

On a sidenote, I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm stuffy, sore throat, tired, etc. I'd just like to crawl into bed and stay there for a couple of days. I have my dads birthday party this Saturday. Its his 50th, I'd like to be feeling like my normal self by then. I've told his girlfriend that I'll bring my Asian Noodle Salad, recipe below....

1 lb spaghetti (I've also used angel hair or vermicelli)
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (1 tsp if you don't want it as spicy)
1/4 cup corn oil (I've also used vegetable or canola)
1/2 cup sesame oil (be sure to use the dark sesame oil - it makes all the difference)
6 tbsp honey
5 tbsp soy sauce (if you're concerned about sodium, opt for the low sodium soy sauce from Trader Joes)
1 tsp salt (again, you can skip this if you're concerned about sodium)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I love cilantro so I always put extra in)
3/4 cup chopped peanuts, unsalted (I generally use cashews instead of peanuts, but only because of personal preference)
1/2 cup chopped green onion (again I put in extra because I like it)
2 tbsp sesame seeds (again, I put in extra because I like it)

Cook spaghetti al dente and drain.

In a saucepan stir in red pepper flakes and oils for 2 minutes. Add honey, soy sauce, salt and garlic powder.

Stir and mix well with cooked spaghetti. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I try to mix the pasta and sauce together the night before because the longer it sits the better).

When ready to serve, add cilantro, green onion and nuts to pasta, toss.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Also, when making for a party or pot luck of any type I'll double the recipe because it goes fast and if I'm taking it to a party the host usually doesn't allow me to take home any leftovers, ITS THAT GOOD.

On the quitting smoking... I've had a few hiccups. I went to a party Saturday night and smoked there and have had a few cigarettes each day since. Nowhere near the pack a day I was smoking before, but not smoke free like I'd like to be. I'm starting to wonder if I need to try that Welbutrin or whatever its called to help me wean myself off of smoking.

The Ultimate DIY

A while back I was taking a friend to IKEA to pick up a new futon. At the time I didnt know whether or not the futon would fit inside my SUV or if it would need to be put on the roof.
At this time I hadn’t washed my car in a while so on the way to my friends I decided to go through the self serve car wash to take off at least one layer of the grime.
As I pulled in to the bay a man came around telling me where the change machines were located, how much the wash cost and how much time you got. Initially I thought it was odd that there was a guy working at the self serve car wash, then he followed up by saying “I’ll wash it for you, for a small fee”. At that point I realized that he was a homeless person looking to pick up some cash.
I opted to wash my car myself since I wanted to put a little extra focus on the roof in the event that I would be putting a new futon on top, and generally with an SUV the roof is the least focused on part of the car when washing it since its never seen.
He was nice enough to chit chat with me as I was washing my car, asking if I liked to go camping a lot and if that was why I had an SUV.
Then he started with the personal questions.
Random Homeless Guy - So, do you have a boyfriend?
Me - No
RHG - Do you want one?

uhh... I think I see where this is going so I answer very matter of factly

Me - Nope.
RHG - really?
Me - really.
RHG - see, I graduated high school and I’ve got 8 years military and a couple years college under my belt...
Me - thats great!
RHG - I've been on the streest for 12 years now and I just need a good woman to take me in and clean me up, put my resume together, get me a nice suit and find me a job.
Me - uhhh, thats really one of those things you have to do for yourself and not have others do FOR you.
RHG - well, I’ve been praying on it here but nothings happening yet

at this point he pulls a bible out of his bag, one that looks brand new and the spine hasn’t even been broken yet.

Me - well, it won’t happen overnight. You can’t pray for it and have it fall in your lap, you have to put some effort in to it.

At this point I was done with washing the exterior of my car and decided to clean out all of the empty water bottles and soda cans that had accumulated in my back seat. Since RHG had been cordial enough, chit chatting with me while I washed my car I offered him 2 plastic grocery bags full of recycleables.

Me - here, you can have these. you can take them up and turn them in for cash
RHG - nah. but leave them there, theres guys that come around collecting cans.


I had so many mixed thoughts after this encounter.

First of all, I was incredibly dismayed that someone who served 8 years in the military is in the position to where they are homeless and have been living on the streets for 12 years. I notice that a lot of the people you see on street corners holding up signs are vets.
When you see the commercials for our armed forces they all say that they will help you to prepare for a career. Granted, the person has to be willing to put the effort in to continuing their career after their discharge. I just can’t help but notice how many homeless people are ex-military.

Second - I think this guy was in the position he was in because he was unwilling to put in any effort to be more.
While I wouldn’t give him cash, I did offer him recyleable cans and bottles that he could have taken in for cash and gotten something to eat from it. He just wasnt willing to take the bags of cans and bottles up to the store 2 blocks away where there was a recycling station.

Third - This guy is the ultimate DIY project. Take a man and try to mold him in to what you want. Not my idea of good boyfriend material. Also, this is a good example of why I’m single. I have no delusional idea that I’ll meet some guy and be able to mold him in to what I want. Men, and women, pretty much come “as is” and I’ve yet to meet anyone who I’d be willing to accept “as is”.
Some may say I’m picky, I think I’m just aware of what I’m willing to compromise on and what I’m not.

Day One

on the Nicorette.

Today wasn't too bad. I had one brief moment of anxiety this morning as I got in my car for my commute in to work and realized that I wouldn't be smoking in the car on my way to work this morning. I popped a piece of Nicorette in and worked my way through it.
After that, the day wasn't too hard. I made it through work okay, on my breaks rather than go outside with the other smokers, I sat at my desk and knit or surfed the internet.
I'm not using the Nicorette as much as I am other gums and mints. I've stocked my purse with the following:
Nicorette
Trident White Cinnamon Tingle Gum
Clorets Gum
Trident White Wintergreen Gum
Life Savers Orange Mints
Life Savers Sweet Mints
Ice Breakers dual pack Tangerine mints & gum (left at my desk)

I'm using the cinnamon gum more than anything else. The Nicorette bothers my stomach a little, so I've only had 4 pieces today even though the instructions say that for the first 6 weeks I should have a piece every 1-2 hours.

So for my commute home I was fine. No anxiety about not smoking during my commute, I did fine until I got home.

Having a cigarette and a cup of coffee with my grandma is something we do when I get home from work every day. This evening I did falter and had 2 cigarettes. I'm not going to let that be a sign of failure and lapse back in to my pack a day habit. 2 cigarettes in one day is much much better than 20.

Correction & a Birthday Resolution

I misspoke the other day when I said that my birthday started when my coworkers decorated my cubicle and brought in cake & ice cream. My birthday ACTUALLY started when our receptionist called my extension saying that there was something at the front desk for me... a bouquet of gerbera daisies from my friend Shauna.
I've known Shauna for a little over 6 years now, we met at work and between escaping the stress of the job by adjourning to various happy hour locales, and a shared love of beading and cosmetics, we formed a friendship. About a year and a half ago I was incredibly happy for her that she had found her love when she married Jesse. I was not so happy when she and jesse moved to Salt Lake City shortly thereafter.
Although we email frequently and phone occaisionally, I miss her dearly.

Amongst other things, for my birthday I received a gift card to Target.
One of the items I purchased with the gift card was this..

Thursday, August 31st will be my last day smoking. To get through the withdrawals i've got the Nicorette and have stocked up on some Life Savers mints and other gums.

THREE-OH

Saturday I turned 30.

All in all, it was a great birthday. Probably my best birthday yet.
The festivities began Friday when my coworkers decorated my cubicle and brought in cake and ice cream.

I decided to celebrate my thirtieth birthday by doing one of the most juvenille things I could think of. Scandia.
Scandia is a "family fun center" with miniature golf, bumper boats, indy race track, batting cages and an arcade.
Friday night I met about 14 friends there and we did a half assed attempt at a round of mini golf, followed by bumper boats. we had wanted to do at least one trip on the indy race cars but evidently Scandia does not prepare well for Friday night crowds by having only 3 cars running at a time and then shutting them down for 30+ minutes to refuel. We missed out on the bumper boats but spent some time in the arcade playing skeeball and shooting hoops. Afterwards, we adjourned to the pub.


I crawled into bed much much too late and was woken up much much too early by my adorable 6 year old cousin who wanted to bring me coffee in bed. After spending the early part of the morning visiting with her and my aunt, I took a yarn dyeing class at my favorite LYS, Babetta's Yarn and Gifts in Fair Oaks.
the blue and green yarns on the right are my creations.
The class was taught by Babetta's eldest daughter, Maya and she was a great instructor. It was Kool-Aid dyed and I made one full skein using Black Cherry (not pictured), a half skein using Limeade and Blue Raspberry Lemonade (pictured), and a hand painted skein using Cherry, Strawberry Kiwi, Lemonade and Blastin' Berry Cherry (not pictured). It was a great class, VERY interesting watch the yarns absorb the color from the Kool-Aid mixture, but leave the water behind. I can't wait to experiment with mixing different flavors to acheive different colors and different handpainted looks.
An interesting fact... after using Kool-Aid dye, even after rinsing the yarn, it smells GREAT. It smells like the flavor its been dyed.

That afternoon after the class, I joined some friends at the pub for lunch and cake then made a run to find an outfit to wear to a wedding on Sunday.

After shopping, I went to my lovely cousin Erins where the two of us got ready to go back to the pub. Once there, we were aboard a party bus as a going away party for a friend who is moving to Southern California. We bar hopped throughout the greater Sacramento area with plenty of carousing on the bus between different bars.
I made it back to Erins afterwards to grab not quite enough sleep before having to get up for a wedding in Isleton the next morning. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was a lot more fun once I'd had a couple glasses of wine to combat the hangover from the previous night.

2 weeks...

since I last posted.

Have I been up to some time consuming adventures? No. Its been the same day to day routine: work, commute, knit, socializing with friends, etc.
Has my life been so incredibly boring that theres been absolutely nothing to write about? No. I've got a few things to write about:
- the ultimate DIY project
- current roommates
- pending roommates
- upcoming fiber workshops
- new hair color
- completed knit items (or nearly completed)
- new position at work, and new coworkers
- birthday plans
- sewer problems, and my grandmother
- from the mouths of babes
- doctors appointments (nothing serious)


There will be plenty to read about over the next week or two. To begin with, the doctors appointment.
When I was about 11 or 12 years old I started complaining to my doctors that my knees hurt all the time. They all brushed me off saying that it was just growing pains. While I was a chubby child, I was still fairly active with soccer, swim team, dive team, gymnastics, and I rode my bike EVERYWHERE.
As I got older, and got my drivers license, I got lazier. And fatter.
I no longer rode my bike everywhere, I drove, and by the time I tried to pick back up some of the activities I used to enjoy, they would make my knees ache incredibly.
For a few years now I've known that I have patellofemoral syndrome in both of my knees.
About 5 years ago, the pain started getting really bad, I couldn't drive my stick shift car through rush hour traffic without crying from the pain. That was when I was finally diagnosed with the tracking disorder and I initally went through some physical therapy to try to strengthen the muscles around the knee cap. At that time, my orthopedist told me that I would most likely have arthritis by the time I turned 30. That orthopedist knew what he was talking about, even if he did have the WORST bedside manner I've ever encountered.
i went to my doctor about 3 weeks ago and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I was basically told that the only thing I can do is to take tylenol or ibuprofen, and to lose weight. So, i may give Weight Watchers another try, possibly South beach, or that Mediterranean Diet that WebMD keeps emailing me about. I'm not sure, but I need to do something.

Hi, I'm Crazy...

I finished the crib blanket that I was crocheting for a friend, In general, I think it turned out well. However, there is one error, I think I crocheted the base chain a little too tightly. The end result is slightly trapezoidal. I'm hoping that some serious blocking will correct this but I fear that it may be beyond that.

The one finished item doesnt mean that I don't have a project to work on. Thats the beauty of having craft ADD. I always have a minimum of two, if not three, items on the needles. Current projects are:

1. FELTED MESSENGER BAG - knit - I'd started this one back in April thinking that I would take it to Ireland with me. Obviously, that didnt happen. I've completed the body and the strap, all thats left to do now is knit up some little pockets for it, assemble all of the pieces and then throw it in the washer. I'd guess it to be about 85% complete
2. SUPER SKINNY SARI SILK SCARF - knit - say that three times fast. I started this one today and its coming along very quickly. I'd estimate that its about 1/2 way completed.
3. GRANNY SQUARE AFGHAN - crochet - my little 6 year old cousin has been asking me to make her a blanket recently so I picked up some Bernat Softee Chunky in very bright colors and am crocheting an afghan thats one ginormous granny square. Its maybe 1/3 of the way done. This one will be put away for a Christmas gift. Oh yes, it will. I will not cave sometime around mid October and say "oh honey, you look cold. here, take this blankie I made for you".
4. FELTED PURSE - knit - yet another felted bag, but this ones worked in the round and I'm designing it myself. We'll see how it comes out. Its only about 1/4 of the way done.
5. PONCHO - knit - again, for the younger cousin. I have no idea why I'm making her yet another poncho. I've already made 4 for her, this one is with a yarn I picked up last year that was super cheap because it was being discontinued and some scrap eyelash novelty yarn. Its a lot lighter weight so I'm thinking it will be good for when she goes back to school in the fall. I'm only about 25% through this one.
6. AFGHAN - crochet - I started this one this evening. Why? I have no clue. Maybe because 5 projects in the works was not enough, or maybe because of the failure of the crib blanket I did. I'm using the same pattern, just making it large enough for a throw. This time, I did make the base chain looser.

These are just the projects that are currently "in progress". These do not include the projects I have lined up in my head, and there are many of those. There are projects from recent issues of both Interweave Knits and Interweave Crochet that I want to make for gifts and for myself, projects from Knit and Tonic, and design ideas of my own that have been floating around in my mind and sketched out in my notebook.

Photos...

Just a bunch of randon photos that blogger wouldn't allow me to upload the past few days:
The Forum section of last Sundays Sacramento Bee that mine and Mayas blogs were included in.
Yes, my forehead really is as large as the paper.



















The idea of going to Chicago for BlogHer '07 next year had me thinking of traveling again, so here are some photos from my trip to Ireland in May that I hadn't posted.

The Guinness Brewery in Dublin - one of many cool parts of my trip.



















The "washing hole" in Adaire Village - originally this was where the women of the village would gather to do laundry, now its a beautiful little part of the park in the center of the village.

























Taken from the top of Blarney Castle



















Looking down into the center of Blarney Castle

























Me, in front of Blarney Castle.



















I think I took this one in Kilarney Village for my cousin Erin

Bloggedy Blog Blog Blog

I'm thinking of going to BlogHer '07 next year. It's in Chicago, a city I've always wanted to visit.
I'd considered going this year, but couldnt take Friday off from work and had plans for Saturday, but am thinking of going along with Maya next year.
I have a photo I'd like to upload, but Blogger STILL isnt letting me upload photos.
I must look into moving over to Wordpress or Moveable Type...

Surfing USA

Grrrrrrr.... Bloggers not letting me upload photos. Anyways....
Earlier today Tanya pointed out to me that a portion of my blog entry from last Monday was published in Sundays edition of The Sacramento Bee. The column I was included in isn't online, I guess its only in the print version.
The column, "Surfing USA, A selection from the week's blogosphere - Compiled by John Hughes", included my little blurb in which I whined about the heat last week. Nothing major, definitely not my best writing sample, but I may pay a bit more attention to my grammar from now on.
Now, if Mr. Hughes did a feature on knitting blogs......

Lamb Town, U.S.A.

Friends and I went to Lamb Town Saturday. Fun was had, garlic fries were consumed, and yarn was purchased. I'll have photos of the yarn up as soon as I have better lighting.
I don't know what kind of sheep this is, but he was so cute, and kept posing for me so I had to take a pic.

random thoughts

Its nearly 1 am and still 86 degrees outside, but with the 46% humidity it feels more like 90. We aren't supposed to get this kind of humidity in Sacramento. We're supposed to have that infamous "dry heat" and the humidity is worse. it makes the air weigh heavy upon you, coating your entire body with a layer of perspiration simply from stepping outside.
I'm in my bedroom and can hear the dogs getting in and out of their wading pool outside my window. I wish we still had a pool. I'd be floating in it right now if we did.
Mental note: next year, take an Alaskan cruise in July.

I'm thinking of going blonde. I'm not sure why. Maybe not completely blonde, just lots of highlights woven in.

I'm getting a toothache.
Must go to the dentist soon.

Lambtown is in Dixon next weekend and it's also one of my friends birthdays. She also happens to knit. We're looking forward to going and perusing the handspun yarns available.

I'm STILL considering getting a new, used, car. However, fuel efficiency is becoming more and more of a factor in my decision. I'm currently thinking of a Toyota Camry.

33 days until I turn 30. No festivities are planned. I'm not sure if I want a big celebration or just a quiet evening at the pub with my close friends.

Must clean my room. I have way too much crap. But, where do I start?

Need to organize my yarn. Should this be done by weight? Color? Fiber content?

My beading supplies are a mess as well.

I have some laceweight alpaca yarn. Its been sitting in my stash for several months and I have no idea of what to do with it. Perhaps a lacey scarf for this fall? Should I follow a pattern or try to design one myself? I do like the design process but don't have much experience with knitting lace.

I was at a friends housewarming party Saturday night and seeing the paintings she has done made me realize how much I miss painting. I'm thinking of taking it up again and possibly taking a class either at the local community college or at the Learning Exchange.

I wonder if grandma would let me turn the spare room into a studio, both for knitting and painting. Hell, crafts in general. A craft studio. I would love that. I'd definitely have to get some shelves from IKEA.

I want a new bed. I've had my eye on the Noresund at IKEA for a while now and while I was there Friday night I saw that they've marked the price down to $194. It's tempting. I could also use a new mattress.

Its past 1 am. i need to get up for work in 5 hours. Why do the weekends always have to go by so quickly?

Oschuns Bag

Here it is, my latest felted purse, modeled by my sister.
I called it "Oschuns Bag" because Oschun is a caribbean goddess of the sea that my mom is fond of.








I'm working on getting the pattern written up.

Because Weekends Were Made For Fun...

I didn't do much of anything productive this weekend...
Friday night after work I went to Erin & Jeremys (E&J's) to help them move in, but by the time I got there they had already finished unloading the truck so we headed over to the pub and had a fun evening with friends.
Saturday, it was so hot out I decided that my spoiled ass dogs needed a wading pool to help them keep cool. In search I went. Evidently, the rest of the universe decided that they needed hard plastic wading pools as well. There were plenty of the inflatable kind, but I wanted to get the plastic kind just to be sure that their nails wouldn't puncture through. Ultimately, I ended up driving all the way to freaking AUBURN to get a damn pool. Its about 25 miles and 30 minutes from my home.
Other than that, I did NOTHING Saturday. Well, I did TRY to knit that blanket. I don't know if its me or the pattern, but I kept losing stitches on the 2nd pattern row so I gave up and went with a crochet pattern I've had plenty of success with in the past. its a simple patter, but with pretty sideways shells and it works up incredibly quickly.
Sunday, I slept in, went to knitting and then went to E&J's to help them finish unpacking and afterwards we had an impromptu dinner party.
I was able to finish the felted bag I was making. Photos will be posted in a day or two once I've found a willing model.

Back Home

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and well wishes. I'm doing okay and my family is as well. The services were nice and it was good to see some family I hadn't seen in a few years.
I flew home this morning, took a nice long nap and then met up with some friends at the pub.
Tomorrow my dear sweet beautiful lovely fantabulous cousin Erin is moving back to Sacramento so I'm looking forward to that. Oh, and her husband Jeremy is moving with her. I guess thats okay.
I'm just kidding, I'm very glad that theyre both moving here and Jeremy knows that harassing him is one of my favorite hobbies. He is the closest thing I have to a brother-in-law after all.

Now, knitting projects. I finished the first felted purse I was working on about 2 weeks ago - just with all thats been going on I haven't sewn in the handles yet. So far I really like how it's turned out and I think my mom will as well - did I ever mention that it's for her?
Now I'm working on a crib blanket for a friend who has a niece on the way. I've already had to start the thing 4 times. I'm hoping to not screw it up yet again and be able to finish it within a week or so.

While in Oregon I was able to play with photo shop a little bit. For the little program booklet thing handed out at the viewing and services my grandpa wanted to put a photo on the back of my grandma and a photo of her garden. She loved to garden and could grow some beautiful irises and dahliahs. I found a GREAT photo of her taken at a casino back in the early 60's (she also enjoyed the nickle slots) and a photo of her garden, not in its glory, but still nice. After stumbling through some knock off version of photo shop that my grandpa had on his computer but had no clue of how to use I was able to come up with this:

I know that I'm biased, but I think she looks a bit like Jackie O. in this photo.

At Peace

Dee Ann Steinbrecher
July 25 1938 - July 8 2006

I'm off again....

I'm taking half of tomorrow and Friday off from work to fly up to Portland to see my grandparents again. Things aren't looking very well. I'm scheduled to fly back Sunday afternoon, but thats subject to change.
It's 11:30 and I have yet to do any laundry or pack a single thing.
In fact, the only thing I have packed is a bag of stuff for my dad that he had his girlfriend put together for me to bring with me.
I'll be sitting up with my grandma through the nights that I'm there, so I'll be taking a couple of knitting projects and a book or two.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

I'm off to the pub to enjoy some beers and the company of friends for the afternoon.
This evening it will be bbq and fireworks with family.

Insomnia

With everything going on, is it really any suprise that I havent been sleeping much this week?
I've always been a "night owl" with tendencies to stay up until at least midnight regardless of how exhausted I am, but once asleep I always sleep through the night and then have a hard time getting up in the morning. Its as though my body refuses to comply to the standard 8 am to 5 pm workday.
This past week I've been staying up until about 1:30 am each night, then toss and turn for somewhere around half an hour before falling asleep. On top of that, I then wake up around 3:30 am. I've found that if I take a hot bath I can then get a little more sleep before I have to get up at 6:45 am, but overall the lack of sleep this week is wearing on me.
The past two days I've also had a constant headache that does not go away despite popping numerous forms of tylenol, aspirin, and other remedies.

I talked to my dad today. He thinks its pointless for me to try to go visit grandma at this point. After hospice visited yesterday afternoon he and my grandpa went to look at making "arrangements" this morning. At this time, dad said that he thinks I may be best off waiting until mid to late next week at which point I could very likely be flying up for services.

Moms doing well. She came home yesterday and seems to be recovering MUCH better than she did when she had angioplasty 3 years ago.

Avalanche...

It never ends.

My mom had her angiogram this morning. While she was in having the procedure done I sat in the waiting room with her new boyfriend and knitted. I did not grill the new boyfriend, I figured thats her business, not mine. Lets just say that from what I've heard I think he's married and my mom is "the other woman". His story is that he's divorced, but still lives with his "ex" wife. My mom says that the ex wife had some sort of accident that has left her partially disabled and he promised their kids (I don't know how old the kids are) that he'd always take care of her. Yep, sounds like he's still married to me. Anyways...
She gets out of the angiogram and the Dr comes to tell me that theyre going to transport her to another hospital for an angioplasty because she has a 99% blockage in one artery and another artery is narrowing so they may be doing a balloon procedure on that. So, I go home and grab a quick bite while shes transported to the other hospital, then visit her for a while before they do the procedure this evening.
After she goes in for the angioplasty I see that I have a voicemail from dad. His mom is the grandma of mine in Oregon with lung cancer that I've been visiting a lot lately. Evidently, she decided to stop chemotherapy treatments over a month ago but didnt say anything to anyone. I can understand this. That was her decision to make, she's the one who's been going through chemo for damn near two years, she's the one to decide her treatment and course of action. Nobody else. Anyways, since stopping chemotherapy she's been under hospice care and has gone downhill. Theyre thinking she has about 1 good week left where she'll have recognition of people. Maybe two weeks. Overall, the hospice nurses are thinking she has a month total.
FUCK.
I need to get up there to see her, but I'm broke until payday. On top of that, I have my mom to take care of now.
I went back to the hospital after her angioplasty and she made it through the procedure fine, but they ended up having to put in 4 stents to help with her arteries. She'll most likely be discharged some time Wednesday.
How am I dealing with all of this? I'm drinking my way through it. I had 4 beers at the pub and stopped to buy a 6 pack of hard lemonade on my way home.
3 down, 3 to go.

Stressors

Well, the car problems may not be as bad as I thought.
The other night I had my uncle drive it and he doesnt think its my transmission. He seems to think its either a filter or sensor that needs to be replaced. Or at least thats what we're hoping.
Tonight I'll be taking my car to my service guy and Wednesday he'll run the full diagnostic on it to see if thats the problem or if I'm starting to have issues with the transmission.
Best case scenario - $200 or less for the sensor or filter. If thats the issue, I'll just have it fixed and continue to save up for the new car that will inevitably be needed.
Worst case scenario - $2,000 for a new transmission. If thats the case, I'll just suck it up now and find a new car.
What does everyone think of the Honda Element?

In bigger news, Im taking my mom for her angiogram later this morning.
When she had her heart attack 3 years ago, she had 4 blockages - 2 major and 2 minor.
The 2 major blockages were cleared out with angioplasty. The Dr's determined that the 2 minor blockages wouldn't be able to be removed via angioplasty, but that they would require open heart surgery and that the open heart surgery would present a larger risk than the blockages themselves. My fear is that those 2 minor blockages have grown to present an issue large enough to require open heart surgery. Of course, this is just my fear talking. I'm hoping nothing that invasive will be required.
Also, I'll be getting to meet my moms new boyfriend today. I'll be grilling him while she's in having the angiogram done. My moms not the best judge of character when it comes to men. She's the type who tends to let the potential for romance cloud over everything else and with what I've heard of him, theres already at least one major red flag screaming in her face that she's over looking. I'll see what I can find out.
While grilling him I'll also be working on a new knitting project. Its going to be a felted bag for my mom. I'm not following a pattern this time, sort of designing it myself but it is heavily influenced by some of the felted bags I was working on last winter. I'm keeping track of the "pattern" I'm developing and if it turns out well, I'll write it up and post it here for everyone later.

On top of all of that, my mom found out this morning that my sister and her boyfriend are moving back from Oregon and their bus will be arriving today. Just in time to stress the hell out of my mom as soon as she gets home from the angiogram. perfect.
Just to give some background, my sister is a very high strung individual naturally and on top of that she has some addiction issues. She can be a lot to take sometimes. Hell, she's a lot to take most of the time.

Perfect Timing....

last night I decide that I'm not going to get a new car for now. I figured that I'd be best off to keep this one until it dies on me so that I can have a bit longer to save up a larger down payment so that I won't have to finance as much or pay as much interest.
This morning on the way to work, my transmission goes out on me.
I no longer have a 3rd gear and 2nd gear is questionable.

Lifes full of disappointments.

I'm not getting the convertible.
Consumer Reports didnt have very good ratings for it. Especially on customer satisfaction, fuel economy (lower than what the EPA estimates are), and depriciation.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I've looked at a Honda Civic - I know that those are reliable and get excellent gas mileage (I would save $175 a month on the fuel alone) I'm just having second thoughts.
Part of me says I shouldnt get a new car yet, that I should drive my Ford until its dead BUT the thing is 11 years old with almost 170,000 miles. I'm not sure how much longer its going to last.

Other than that, things are going pretty shitty.
Theres too much to go into but one of the worst is that I have to take my mom to have an angiogram next Tuesday. She had a heart attack 3 years ago and it looks like some more blockages have formed so we have to find out where and how badly.
One of the more frivolous is that I was trying to arrange a camping trip with some friends to a cabin my family has at Shasta Lake. Its a beautiful place, very remote - boat access only, no electricity but with running water (heated by propane tanks you carry in), the perfect place to go to relax and have a great time with friends. I talked to my dad this past Sunday to see if I could use the cabin and we agreed upon a weekend where he would be up there during the week before hand and leaving on a Friday so my friends and I could show up Friday to take over the place so the boat would already be there and everything would be set up and ready to go. Last night I call dear old dad to confirm the weekend before I officially invite any friends and he's backing out of it saying that I don't know how to tow a boat and I'd better talk to all of my friends to find out who has what kind of boating experience and report back to him so that he can think it over. I reminded him that he was going to be there the week before hand so there would be no need to tow a boat or launch a boat or get one out of the water. He brushed me off. Its something so frivolous, but at the same time I am genuinely disappointed in him once again failing to follow through on something he's said.
Maybe I'm just being oversensitive about this one issue because theres so much other crap going on right now and this is just the easiest thing to get upset over.
Theres a part of me that just wants to pack up and move far far away somewhere to escape all of the bull shit thats going on.

The Pros, and The Cons

thanks to everyone for bringing up the pro's and cons... I've already thought them over... I have taken gas mileage and insurance into consideration with the new vehicle, and heres the breakdown:

PRO'S
*Better gas mileage. I'd save almost $100 per month over what I'm spending on gas in my current behemoth
*CUTE AS HELL
*The drivetrain is still under factory warranty for another 5 years and 54,000 miles
*CUTE AS HELL
*maintenance, my current SUV is starting to have lots of little things going wrong with it. The thing is 11 years old and has almost 170,000 miles. I'm thinking its just a matter of time before I start having MAJOR problems with it.
*CUTE AS HELL
*convertible top would allow me to tan my right arm as well as my left

CON'S
*Insurance. there is a SLIGHT insurance increase, but its very minimal. Only about $15 dollars a month. I was suprised by this, but I guess because the Sebring is a 4 seater as opposed to a 2 seater, its classified as a sedan rather than a sports car.
*Having a car payment again. I paid my car off in January and it was nice to have it paid off for the past 5 months.

really, those are the only cons I can think of.
I don't NEED an SUV, so losing the space isn't a drawback. Actually, its more of a benefit because anyone who knows me knows that I allow way too much crap to accumulate in the back of my SUV. With the convertible, I wouldn't be able to do that.

I am doing a lot of research on the car, I'm not going to go into something like this blind and make an impulse purchase. I want to be aware of consumer satisfaction, ratings, reviews, all of that.

I Made A H-U-G-E Mistake....

I test drove the convertible Saturday morning.
It is a niiiiiiiiiiiice ride!
Is it possible to love a car?
I think this could be "THE one"! I think we could really have a future together.
I'm leaning more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more towards getting it.
It's still a lot to think over though.

excuses, excuses....

With my recent string of luck I've begun to think a few different things....

1. Its only a matter of time before I'm in another accident and my car is TOTALED since the KBB is so low on it now.

2. Maybe my car is jinxed or cursed or has a hex upon it, or something along those lines because I had my first accident a month after I got the thing & its been nonstop ever since.

so, last night I decide to browse the website of a local dealership where a family friend is the service manager. He's been a friend of the family for as long as I've been alive (if not a tad longer) so he's hooked us up with some pretty sweet deals over the years.
I'm hoping he can get me a deal on this one:

Its sporty. It says so on the window!

I called to ask him to look in to it and he immediately knew which car I was talking about and started in "that car is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!"
and a perk? it gets much much much better gas mileage than what I have now.

If it wasn't for bad luck....

I'd have no luck at all.

So, while I'm still settling my claim with super crappy insurance company from the woman who rear ended me back in February, guess what happens to me on the way to work this morning?
Yep, rear ended AGAIN.
This time it was barely more than a tap, no visible damage to my car OR that of the woman who hit me. I just can not believe my luck. This makes the 4th time in less than 5 years that I've been rear ended.
Just for clarification, none of these times have I cut any one off or slammed on my brakes. Every single time I have been sitting at a red light or a stop sign.

How much do you think it would cost to take a taxi everywhere?

iPod Shuffle

The way it works:
1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How am I feeling today?
Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You by Diana Krall

Will I get far in life?
Spending Money by Jimmy Buffett (thats it. I'm starting that Roth...)

How do my friends see me?
Band On The Run by Paul McCartney

When will I get married?
All I'm Thinkin' About by Bruce Springsteen (ummm.... no?)

What is my best friend's theme song?
The Chicken Sangwich The Heckler and The Kabbash by Dane Cook (hahahahaha! and yes, I do have comedians routines on my ipod))

What is the story of my life?
Biloxi by Jimmy Buffett

What was high school like?
Buenos Aires by Madonna (Crap! I was in Evita my junior year!)

How am I going to get ahead in life?
I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross (I've got to show the world all that I wanna be and all my abilities... this is true))

What is the best thing about me?
When The Heartache Is Over by Tina Turner

How is today going to be?
I Will Buy You A New Life by Everclear

What is in store for this weekend?
I Finally Found Someone by Barbra Streisand with Bryan Adams (seriously???)

What song describes my parents?
Nadine by Art's Missing Finger (a local Sacramento group that is no longer)

What song describes your grandparents?
Another Suitcase In Another Hall by Madonna and Antonio Banderas (not really - this ones about a brief affair and my grandparents had been married for 52 years when he passed)

How is my life going?
The Prayer by josh Groban

What song will they play at my funeral?
Work It (Remix feat 50Cent) by Missy Elliott (hell yes!!!!)

How does the world see me?
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Aretha Franklin (great)

Will I have a happy life?
Fade Away by Chris Isaak

What do my friends really think of me?
As If We Never Said Goodbye by Barbra Streisand

Do people secretly lust after me?
Hard Hearted Hannah by Banu Gibson

How can I make myself happy?
This Joint Is Jumpin by Banu Gibson (I do adore Banu and she is playing in Southern California later this year. Perhaps two of her songs in a row is a sign....)

What should I do with my life?
Waterloo by ABBA (what? I don't get this)

Will I ever have children?
Sleigh Ride by Barenaked Ladies (again... what??)

What is some good advice for me?
Peace Train by 10,000 Maniacs (good advice for anyone!)

What is my signature dancing song?
Coffee Shop by Red Hot Chili Peppers

What do I think my current theme song is?
Some Of These Days by Cab Calloway

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
So It Shall Be by k.d. lang

What type of men/women do you like?
The Joker by the Steve Miller Band

What kind of kisser are you?
Dancing With A Stranger by Cyndi Lauper

What's your style?
You Call It Madness by Diana Krall (HA!!!)

What kind of lover are you?
Ring Of Fire by Joaquin Phoenix (I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing....)

What would be playing on a first date?
Marriage by Margaret Cho (ummmm.... no)

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
What A Waste by Jonathan Pryce from Miss Saigon (noooooo!!!!)

have you missed me??

I haven't been anywhere, I've just been busy this week.
That interview I had the day before I left for Ireland? The one I thought I'd bombed because I was a total and complete spaz? I did get the position so I've spent the past week training for that as well as trying to finish up the projects for my current position. I'm nowhere near having them completed.
Then theres also been some stress from my car accident from back in February. I'm not going to comment on it because there may be pending litigation.
Also, my sister miscarried this week. I know that its for the best because she is in absolutely no position to be a mother at this time. There is a lot in her life that she needs to clean up before she can even think of being a mother, but at the same time there is the sense of loss. I talked to her yesterday and she knows that its for the best and is honestly a bit relieved but at the same time shes disappointed and also feeling a little guilty over feeling relieved. I'm in the same position in that I know its for the best, she has addiction and responsibility issues that she needs to straighten out before she can start a family, and I'm relieved that she won't be bringing a child into the middle of all of that, but at the same time I'm disappointed. That was my niece or nephew.

Yesterday, I helped a friend move. I didn't contribute much because my back (see above statement) and knee are messed up so I mainly picked up the beer and coffee before hand and carried light weight items such as yarn stash and empty cd racks.
My knees been giving me problems ever since Ireland. I've had knee problems for years in that my kneecap is unstable and when the knee is bent the kneecap tends to track outwards instead of tracking straight. In Ireland while at the Guinness Brewery at their 7th floor Gravity Bar (which is all glass with gorgeous panoramic views of the Dublin area and the Wicklow Mountains) I got in line to take the elevator down. The woman in front of me in line was afraid of heights and on the verge of a panic attack. Since the elevators are all glass I figured it wouldnt get any better in there and I didnt want to be in the elevator with her if she had a panic attack so I took the stairs. Down all 7 floors. My left knee has been giving me problems ever since. Its gone between feeling weak and the tendons feeling strained ever since then and that was two and a half weeks ago. I know, I need to make an appointment to get in with my doctor. I'm just putting that off as much as I possibly can. I really don't want to deal with going to see my primary doctor, having to get a referral to an orthopedist, all of that stuff. I went through all of that a few years ago, went through the physical therapy (which only made it worse) and when I finallly got to see an orthopedic surgeon he essentially said I was too fat and wouldn't do anything. When I pointed out that as my knee has gotten worse my physical activity has been reduced resulting in me putting on more weight his response was "you're stuck between a rock and a hard place" and essentially said that he wouldn't see me again until I'd lost a significant amount of weight. I was in tears by the time I left his office. He had no bedside manner at all. I have new health coverage now, through a different medical group so I will have to start the process all over again beginning with meeting with my primary care physician. I'm not looking forward to it, probably afraid that I'll encounter the same lack of empathy that I did with the orthopedic surgeon I saw a few years ago.

OH, and, um... its only 75 days until I say "Adios" to my 20's.

I Love the Weekends...

Friday I left work and drove to San Francisco to see RetroCat and her husband.
Friday night was a blast. We saw Craig Ferguson perform at Cobbs Comedy Club, and he was great. Its official, I now have a crush on the hilarious Scotsman.
At the show, vanilla vodka tonics were consumed and afterwards the supplies for the same cocktails were purchased. Yes, we took the party home with us.
Today, we slept in to recover. Afterwards I went to Urban Knitting where I was able to pick up a few cute patterns including two for my impending niece or nephew - one pattern is for a seamless sweater and the other is for two different crib blankets.
Tomorrow I'll be joining my knitting group for the first time in a few weeks, I'm looking forward to the knitting and drinking... we do meet at a pub after all.

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

My sister is pregnant.

This one is my favorite...

I Have Two Choices...

I’m nearing thirty. I’m single and without children.
On both sides of my family, this is entirely unheard of. At the age of thirty, EVERY woman in my families are either married (or has been at one point), or had a child, or been in some sort of significant long term relationship.
I’ve realized that because of this difference, I can become known as one of two things:

A - The spinster daughter/grand-daughter/niece/sister/cousin

OR

B - The ecclectic daughter/grand-daughter/niece/sister/cousin who travels independently.

I’d rather be the latter.
This trip to Ireland was amazing, it was truly the realization of a life long dream.
The only drawback is that it has made me realize exactly how much I want to travel the world. How I want to experience the various cultures and lifestyles.
I’ve always said that I want to travel, now that I’ve had a taste of it I want it exponentially more. A list of places I want to go is beginning to grow:
Italy
France
Greece
Morocco
Egypt
Brazil
Chile
Russia
Argentina
Australia
Japan
Czech Republic
Iceland

Those are just the places I can think of off the top of my head, and it doesn’t even begin to include the places I want to see here in North America. I have a strong desire to visit both Chicago and Seattle. I’ve never been to either.

So, in order to achive the reputation of being the ecclectic relative who takes off to various parts of the world I’m going to have to visit at least one of these international locations each year. I’d also like to take off for 3 day weekends to domestic locations as well.
Now, I just have to figure out how to finance all of these trips.
Or, see if Rick Steves is looking for an apprentice of sorts.

I'm Home

I made it home Saturday evening and have spent the remainder of the weekend in San Francisco with Erin & Jeremy.
I'll be taking the train home to Sacramento a little later this morning.

The trip was wonderful. Dublin was great, the whole country was amazing.

I'll be posting photos sometime this week.

This trip has really bitten me with the travel bug. I'm thinking next years destination will most likely be Florence Italy. Anyone want to join me for some Italian classes at the Learning Exchange this fall?
Although, Paris is second on my list of places to go.

Dublin

I made it in to Dublin last night.
So far Ive had a great time on my trip.
Today, I think I'll head over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and I'm not sure what else.
Also, I'm on the hunt for a Starbucks. So far the coffee here has been rather crappy. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a good cup at a Starbucks.

Ireland

Im here and its beautiful.
In about an hour and a half Ill take a train out to Limerick where Ill be until Tuesday evening

All My Bags Are Packed, I’m Ready To Go

My journey has just begun.

This is a VERY long entry, I apologize for the rambling and the typos but I’m on Amtrak on my way to San Francisco.

I can’t even describe what I’m feeling right now.

This morning it hit me:

I’M GOING TO IRELAND.
I’m flying across our continent, ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND PARTWAY INTO ANOTHER CONTINENT!!!

Is this real?
Despite this realization, it does not seem real.
I can not believe that I’m actually going.

All this realization did was send me into a panic that lasted from about 9:30 this morning until about 7:00 this evening.
All day I felt like I was about to throw myself into an anxiety attack. The only way I could describe it was that it felt as though my heart was in my throat and my stomach was in my foot.
I partly blame this on my highly honed skills of procrastination. I’d put off cleaning out the suitcase until late last night. It involved the vacuum, and when that didnt work completely, I had to resort to the high pressure hose and leaving the suitcase out all day to dry. This left me with having to pack when I got home from work this evening. I also had to find a power converter. I’d thought that I’d taken care of that the other night,, but upon reading the fine print on the packaging last night, I realized that I’d gotten a plug converter and not a power converter. had I used this little device, I would have been able to plug in my ipod charger, or the battery charger for my camera, but the 220 volts coursing through the european outlets would have fried out my electronics that are only able to handle 110 volts. Why do plug adaptors even exist? Why even label them plug adaptors? Why not label them “Device to Enable You To Destroy Your Expensive Electronics & Potentially Short Circuit The Entire Hotel”? With my luck, thats what would have happened. I would have short circuited the entire hotel, and theres no way I would own up to it. I’d be standing in the candle lit lobby along with everyone else saying “What jack-hole did this?!?!? God! Some people!” Oh yes, I would deny deny deny that responsibility.


Anyways, my day was filled with high levels of panic and anxiety, calculating “okay, so I leave work at 5, get home at about 6, then mom is picking me up by 7:30 to get downtown to catch the 8:40 train to Richmond where I’ll transfer to BART and take that in to the city where Erin & Jeremy will meet me at the Civic Center at 11. So, this leaves me only an hour and a half to find a power converter, get cigarettes, and pack. Crap, and I have to call THAT client before I leave, and change the outgoing message on my voicemail so that my clients know I won’t be returning their calls.” All day, my coworkers were telling me to stop and breathe.

Ultimately when I got home I threw way too much stuff in my bag, I have most definitely overpacked. When I get to SF, I’ll ask Erin to go through my bag with me to pare things down . With my aunt having been a high school french teacher who took the summer tours to Europe every summer and Erin going with the group, she is a very experienced European traveler and will be able to help me pare down my suitcase to just the essentials and leave room to bring back all the stuff I’m certain to pick up along the way.

And in the middle of all of that panic and anxiety today, I had an interview at work today. My manager has asked me to apply for another position, and one of my coworkers who happens to be the “lead” for that group asked me to apply as well. i was interviewed by my manager, my coworker who is the “lead”, and another seniored rep. Coming out of the interview I thought “Dear God, I choked on that. I hope I didnt come across as flustered as I felt. A little later, the “lead” sends me an IM saying:

”Vanessa, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THERE??”

Great, so I was as much of a spaz as I thought. Perfect.
My manager and the lead know my qualifications and have both said that they think I’m the only candidate qualified for the position. While they’ve never said it directly, but have insinuated it, I think the interview was just a formality. I just hope that my lack of composure doesn’t make them rethink that.

Anyways, more importantly, I’M LEAVING FOR IRELAND IN THE MORNING!!!
I will try to find at least one internet cafe during my journey, but honest, I’m not going to spend a lot of time posting entries. However, I will be keeping a journal during my vacation and will most definitely share excerpts, if not all of it, when I return. And pictures. There will be LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of pictures.

I’m excited, anxious, nervous, scared, and in disbelief all at the same time. I doubt if I’ll be able to get any sleep tonight.

Done.

So, I went shopping tonight and got the airborne, earplugs, eyemask, antibacterial wipes, bandaids, power adaptor, basically everything on my "To Get" list. So that is all taken care of. How can you spend so much $$$ on such small stuff?

On my "To Do" list, I've transferred money to my checking account and alerted my bank so they have a "travel alert" on my account and won't freeze it up while I'm in Ireland.
I still have to do...
pick up allergy prescription
laundry
clean out suitcase

and, I still have to pack. This will most likely be done very late Wednesday evening since on Thursday I'll be leaving work to come straight home, grab my bags and go directly to the Amtrak station to spend the night in San Francisco with my dear cousin Erin (on a completely different sidenote, I always feel like I'm selling our relationship short when I refer to her as my cousin, we're really closer than that - much more like sisters. I'm closer with her than I am with my own siblings after all) and her husband, Jeremy, before leaving out of SFO Friday morning. My flight leaves SFO at 1230 and according to Aer Lingus' site, they say I should arrive at the airport 3-1/2 hours early. REALLY? THAT early? I need to be there by 9 am? Ugh. I really don't like sitting around waiting in airports. Is that too early to start drinking? You have to pass the time somehow, right?

I've gotten some book recommendations:
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Rachels Holiday by Marian Keyes
Without Reservation by Alice Steinbach

All of them sound great, now the hard part is deciding which one to take with me.

Only 4 days.....

Only 4 days until I leave for Ireland,
In preparation for this trip, I have A LOT to get done.
Check out my lists below and let me know if I'm forgetting anything, please?

TO DO
pick up allergy prescription
laundry
tell my bank I'll be there so that they don't think any transactions are fraudulent and freeze up my account
transfer $$ to my checking account

TO GET
power adaptor tingy
travel alarm clock
new socks
pocket calculator (for figuring out the crappy exchange rate)
bandaids (I'm prone to blisters)

TO PACK (other than the basic clothing)
batteries
iPod charger
cameras (& the needed flash cards)
a book or two (any light reading suggestions?)

I'd give Martha Stewart a heart attack....

So, ummmmm....
I've never claimed to be the tidiest person.
Even at my best, I am definitely what you would call "unorganized".
Lets just say that my family, ever so lovingly, refers to me as "Messy Nessie" and theres a reason I've never posted any photos of the interior of my home.

However, this takes the cake.
Two years ago I took my younger cousin Holly to a national karate tournament in New Orleans. She won 1st place in sparring (and got a HUGE trophy) and 3rd place in forms (with a second, smaller trophy).
While there, I also may have purchased two or ten packets of Pat O'Briens Hurricane Mix (just add rum!).
When packing for the return trip home, what to do with Hollys gigantic trophy posed a bit of a dilema. I figured that the best thing to do was to take it apart and put it in my largest suitcase - the top tier came off easily and allowed it to fit in the suitcase. In that same suitcase I also put some clothing to protect the tophies, a few miscellaneous souvenirs, some boxes of beignet mix from Cafe du Monde, and the many packets of hurricane mix.
After checking in for our flight home, my largest suitcase was randomly selected for security screening. My bags are ALWAYS randomly selected for security screenings. I'm not kidding. Every time I have flown in the past 5 years, I arrive at my destination to find that little note from the NTSA in my bag letting me know that theyve opened it up and gone through it.
Anywho...
We get home and open up that large suitcase so that we could show off Hollys trophy and when thhe NTSA repacked it, they had not placed the clothing around the sharp edges of the trophy as I originally had. As a result, the sharp corners of the trophy had punctured a couple of the packets of hurricane mix. My suitcase was filled with sticky sugary powdery gunk.
I took the clothing out, and washed it. Washed the trophy and other souvenirs, but its possible that I didn't clean out the suitcase. Its very likely that I may have said "Ugh, I don't want to clean that sticky mess now. I'll clean that out later when I've rested from my trip" and then zipped it up and put it into the back of a closet and forgotten about it. Until now.
Normally, when I travel up to Oregon to visit Granny I use my medium sized suitcase. This gives me more than enough room for my clothing & what not for the 4-5 days that I'm there and plenty of room for anything that I may pick up while I'm there.
In preparing for my trip to Ireland (in only FIVE days!!!!!) I got to thinking of how to pack lightly so that I'm not taking a TON of clothing and shoes, and have plenty of room for all of the things I'll be bringing back. Then I thought "Don't I have a larger suitcase?" then I remembered the Pat O'Briens Hurricane Mix.
So, tomorrow I'll be opening up the suitcase to clean it out. Hopefully, it comes out easily. I really don't want to have to go buy a new suitcase right now.

Sucking me dry....

gas prices are killing me.
The low end of the average cost for regular unleaded here in Sacramento is about $3.15 per gallon.
A little over three years ago I made a horrible decision when I got a new car and I went with an SUV.
My behemoth of a car gets about 14-15 mpg in the city and 17-18 mpg on the highway, and the great majority of my driving is city driving with a lot of stop and go.
Average cost to fill my gas tank? $65.
How long does that tank of gas last? Only 5 to 6 days, and thats just for my daily commute to work and back and possibly a run or two to the grocery store or Target in the evening. If I do any running around on the weekends that can easily cost me a half a tank in gas.
Once I get back from Ireland I'm going to start saving for a new method of transportation, I'm just not certain of what I want.
My initial reaction is to go with a Toyota Prius or a Honda Civic Hybrid. What makes me think twice about that is the sticker price. I've never purchased a new car before. My first car was a 1972 VW Beetle which only cost $1,000. My second car was a used Oldsmobile something or another that was less than $4,000. Next was a Geo Prizm. Again, only $4,000. Most recently was my Ford Explorer which was $8,000.
Obviously, I am very frugal when it comes to purchasing vehicles. The thought of spending $25,000 on a car sends pains shooting down my left arm.
My next thought is a Vespa Scooter. There happens to be a Vespa dealership down the street from my house. Its possible that I may have stopped by this past weekend to look at their models. The LX 150 is a beauty, only $4,500 and gets close to 70 mpg!
The drawback to the Vespa? Sacramento driving. Scorchingly hot in the summer, think 110 degrees, cold and rainy in the winter. Plus people drive like maniacs on a lot of the major surface streets, and I would have to take a lot of those surface streets on my daily commute. I ran this idea past my chiropractor that I've been seeing since my accident in February and he pointed out that in the past 4-1/2 years there have been three times in which I've been at a complete stop at a red light, just sitting there (not a sudden stop, not having cut anyone off) and have been rearended and how badly I would have been injured in any of those accidents had I been on a scooter.
So, ix-nay on the ooter-scay. However, that doesnt mean that if I were to come into a sudden surplus of cash ((such as the lottery... or an inheritance from a distant unknown relative that died in a horrific car accident while on safari in Nigeria) that doesnt mean I wouldn't get one to have as a weekend toy. Scooting downtown to knit at the pub on Sunday afternoons, or something like that.
So, I'm looking at cars again. I want something fuel economic, but not too expensive.
For new cars I've looked at the Toyota Yaris, but I'd be hesitant to buy the first year of a new model just in case all the kinks haven't been worked out. The price tag is a lot more appealing than that of the Prius or of the Honda Civicv Hybrid though, but the gas mileage isn't as good as either of the hybrids.
I don't live close enough to work to ride my bike, and again with the crazy drivers, and public transportation sucks in the part of town I live in.
Any suggestions on a more fuel economic vehicle that has been on the market long enough to be known to be reliable and fairly reasonable in price?
I'd like to get a new car within a year or so. For this, I know that I'll need a large down payment in order ro keep the monthly payments low. To save up that down payment I'll need to pay off my debts first so as soon as I return from Ireland I am going on a debt-diet. I am determined to have my debts paid off by the end of the year. Before I started saving up for the trip to Ireland I had intended to be debt free by my 30th birthday at the end of August, but I reprioritized for the trip.

Only 9 days until I leave for Ireland.

Lesson Learned? Always Check Your Pockets...

Last night I put a load of clothes in the washer before going to bed.
I have always been bad at checking my pockets before dumping everything in the washer. Often times I will take a load of wet clothing out of the wash to put it in the dryer, and in the process I will find lighters, cash, scraps of paper, a couple of times I even found my drivers license or ATM card.
However, this mornings find was a whole new jackpot. One I'd never imagined I would find in the washing machine.
My cell phone.
At first, I couldnt even get the thing to turn on, but after plugging it in to the charger, it would turn on (with visible watermarks all over the screen), but would not respond to any of the buttons. I couldnt dial, couldnt check my voicemail, couldnt even turn it back off. Off I went to the Sprint store. Chris, the representive who helped me, wasn't able to fix my phone but hooked me up with this model:

I got the pretty pink one. It's rather Hello-Kitty-ish, don't you think?
Chris was able to pull the majority of the phone numbers out of my old phone, but it's so "jacked up" (thats the technical term), that some were lost and they weren't able to be transfered over to my new phone.
Lesson learned? Always check my pockets before doing laundry!
I gotta go.... I have about 100 numbers to program into my new phone.

Thank Heavens!

I found my passport.
One of those things where I "put it someplace safe" then I couldn't find it...
I had checked my safe (that would be the "safe" place, wouldn't it?), jewelery box, desk drawers, various organizers and storage bins, etc...
and come to find out I must have only INTENDED to put it someplace safe.
Where did I find it?
Midway through a bin of clothes intended to go to the goodwill. WTF was it doing in there?
I was really starting to sweat since I leave for Ireland in only 16 days and how would I be able to go if I couldnt find my passport? Call in sick to work tomorrow and drive down to the passport center in San Francisco to see about getting a rush replacement? That actually didn't sound like to bad of an idea to be honest considering half my coworkers are out of the office this week so its been CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY.
But, crisis averted. The passport has been found. I can now prove my country of origin... and go to work tomorrow. yay.

In addition to being excited about how close my trip is, I'm also starting to get a little... scared.
Not "maybe I shouldn't be doing this" scared, but "oh my god I'm going to be in a completely different country, on a completely different continent" scared. There is NOTHING that could stop me from going. I've been dreaming of this trip for years and I think that may factor in to my nervousness. Something I've been dreaming of for so long is finally coming into fruition and its a bit surreal... almost like I don't believe its actually going to happen. I just can't believe that I'm actually going to be seeing the world!
One thing that I'm not looking forward to... the 10-1/2 hour flight. I don't mind flying, what I do mind is landing. I hate it. I can trace back the origin of this slight anxiety to the first flight I ever took by myself. I was 16 and was going to visit my father in Boston for the summer, and flying into Boston the plane approached the runway from the harbor side. Well, this one runway starts at the shore of the harbor. Correction... theres the harbor, an area of big jagged scary looking rocks, then the runway. When the plane was coming in for the landing, I was sitting in a window seat and was absolutely positive that we were going to crash into those rocks. I know that it was due to the perspective, the close proximity and the downward angle of the plane but I was a 16 year old drama queen. I WAS GOING TO DIE A VIRGIN.
Anyways... 10-1/2 hours in a plane. That means 10-1/2 hours without a cigarette. HOLY CRAP what am I going to do?
Any smokers with tips on how to tolerate that long of a flight without a cigarette? I'm thinking of going in to my Drs this next week to see about getting a prescription for Ambien or something like that to knock my butt out on the flights there and back and to possibly help with the jetlag once I get home.
Another general question...
prescription sleep aid, or just Tylenol PM?

Resuming an old hobby....

Years ago, long before I discovered knitting, I was a cross-stitcher. I cross-stitched many pieces for friends and family, and if there was something I wanted to make, but couldn't find an appropriate pattern for, I would design my own pattern.
When my lovely cousin Erin got married, I wanted to make some throw pillows for her & her husband that had a celtic pattern on them. At the time leading up to their wedding, I could not find any celtic patterns anywhere. I was able to locate some 10x10 graphing paper (as opposed to the standard 4x4) and I procceeded to design 3 or 4 throw pillows for them. In the weeks leading up to Erins wedding day, I would work on the pillows at work and at night, and help with the planning of her wedding in the afternoons and weekends. They turned out nicely, were backed with velvet and trimmed with coordinating ribbon. Erin and Jeremy loved them and kept them on their sofa. Where they were much loved by the cats. A little too much - none of them still exist.
Somewhere between "Erins wedding pillows" and last year, I forgot my love of cross-stitch. Although I still have about eleventy billion pattern books, an organizer full of thread, and various pieces of aida fabric, I think Erins pillows were the last item I made. I may have made something after those, but I'm not certain.
About a month or two ago a local cross-stitch shop announced that it was going out of business. It was the same shop I used to go to when I was a cross-stitching fiend. In recent years with the trend in knitting, it had also expanded to include a minimal amount of knitting supplies - a few shelves of yarn, a couple racks of pattern books, and needles. I figured that with them going out of business, I would stop by and see what kind of clearance knitting items I could find.
I did find some great deals on knitting items. Everything was 60% off and I was able to find some needles and 3 random skeins of yarn that I have no idea what I'll use them for. But, the best finds?
counted cross-stitch patterns. I found my family crest as well as the crest for one of my friends - in both her maiden and married names. So, it seems as though I may be taking up cross-stitch again. I'm not sure when I'll get to this as I have a plethora of projects that are currently in the works, but the ones for my friend are on my to do list. The one for myself? I'm not sure of when I'll get that one done. I aways seem to put off making items for myself and work on those that are for others first.