Archive for blather
December 16, 2007 at 4:48 pm · Filed under blather
Moon and I are headed out soon to see a performance of The Nutcracker downtown at the Overture Center. I’m psyched, because nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit like Tchaikovsky and a guy in a massive skirt with lots of little kids popping out from underneath it.
Truth be told, I have a LOT to do in the next week. Not only have we not wrapped a single present, about half of them haven’t even been purchased yet. Also, I’m finally getting around to our holiday letter, which means we should be able to mail our cards before Friday. I think my family is getting used to way I do things, because I’ve heard very little in the way of reminders. Last year at this time, I had to put my hands over my ears on a regular basis to drown out the guilt.
It’s not Christmas without the last minute rush, right?
December 6, 2007 at 5:01 pm · Filed under blather
She got out of bed by 3 a.m. weekdays, had strangers greet her by name during routine errands, and received critical emails whenever she changed her hairstyle in the slightest. Such was the life of a morning news anchor. Local fame and lots of scrutiny.
[I am participating in x365.]
Tags: x365
December 2, 2007 at 3:04 pm · Filed under blather
The first storm of winter blew through here yesterday, and I couldn’t be happier. Have I mentioned that I generally like winter? Pete had music practice in the morning, before the snow really started coming down. The drive home was crazy enough that we decided to stay put, make brownies and watch DVDs.
I think that’s the appeal. So much of the time I’m running to and fro, doing this and that, being all efficient and wise in the use of my time. (Or at least I’m trying for that last part.) Crappy weather gives me a reason to slow down. There’s something very comforting about being warm, safe and at home when nature is slowing us what it can do.
The sleet started in the afternoon. Noisy pellets that pummeled the side of the house and sounded exactly like rain sticks. Right now things are rather icy. Pete went out for his morning jog at 5 a.m. An hour later, he was pounding the front door because he had lost his keys somewhere along his 4-mile jaunt. He backtracked and miraculously found those keys, after many false alarms from spotting fallen leaves, rocks, etc. Quite the adventure. We’re heading across town for a meeting this afternoon, and that ought to be an adventure, too.
Tomorrow will no doubt be back to normal, with school and work and the related bustle/hustle.
I might feel a little different about winter by the end of February, but for now I wouldn’t have it any other way.
November 17, 2007 at 10:28 pm · Filed under blather
It was snowing today, perfect for making stew in the Crock Pot and watching movies. Which is what I did. I also worked on my nephew’s socks. I’m kind of dragging now. A warm bed sounds pretty darned good.
November 13, 2007 at 10:10 am · Filed under blather
Between meeting a tattoo artist on Friday, this morning’s conversation with a co-worker and this post, I am so jonesing for another tattoo.
November 11, 2007 at 10:31 pm · Filed under blather
Today, a friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while asked me how I was doing. And I immediately answered, “Great!”
“Wow, I haven’t ever heard you say that,” she said. “Usually you’re good, or doing better. But great? Things must really be going well.”
And you know, she’s right. I hadn’t really given it that much thought, but life is on a definite positive swing.
That is all. Carry on.
October 17, 2007 at 4:37 pm · Filed under blather
This is how nerdy I am. When SpiritMan is finally cooking the beets that came in our CSA box a month ago, I am compelled to say: “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.”
October 4, 2007 at 8:55 am · Filed under blather
Here you are trying to be kind and give me a comment, and you’re getting a crazy error message. No worries – it’s a problem with one of the theme files, and I’ll upload a fixed copy as soon as I can get to my laptop. Rest assured, the comments are coming through, though.
[ UPDATE: Comments should be working now. Have at it! ]
August 9, 2007 at 8:08 pm · Filed under blather
So, the Mugglecast event? Absolutely worth the 5 1/2 hour round trip. For one thing, Moon’s favorite wizard rock band, the Remus Lupins performed. And this picture says it all:
Yes, that is one happy 16-year-old. I got to be the coolest mom in the world for a day. As we were leaving Borders, a few girls even said to me, “Bye, awesome mom!” Because not everyone will miss a day at the spa to drive a few hundred miles for a Harry Potter event.
In other news, I mailed two pairs of socks last week. One to my Sockapalooza 4 pal, and one to Terry in Quebec. I’m working on another pair of Monkey socks because I like the pattern so much, and I’ve finally started a black Chickami for my mom.
Speaking of which, this is the week that my parents and kids are together at my brother’s house in Seattle. Pete and I have the house to ourselves, which is an odd experience indeed. Kind of a preview for when the nest is empty. It sounds like the Seattle crew is having a good time, and I’m fully expecting the kids will complain loudly about having to come home, where it’s 85 degrees instead of 65, and we eat the same boring stuff all the time. (My sister-in-law is doing things like setting up a tailgating lunch in their driveway, which is way too fun.) Today they went to the Space Needle and Pike Market. Am I envious? Maybe a little.
(Someday I want to make a pilgrimage to the first Starbucks, I admit it.)
July 28, 2007 at 7:56 am · Filed under blather
Moon and I are taking a bit of a road trip today, about 2 1/2 hours to a Borders store in LaGrange, IL. We’re seeing the MuggleCast folks and the Remus Lupins. Should be fun! (I’ll have you know, I’m missing a spa day at Sundara in order to do this for her.)
July 23, 2007 at 9:34 pm · Filed under blather
Moon had it on Saturday, stayed up the entire night reading, and I took over on Sunday morning. I finished at 1 a.m. Monday. And it did not disappoint. That is all.
July 14, 2007 at 9:30 am · Filed under blather
Yes, I’ve been a bad bad blogger. The thing is, I spend so much time in front of a computer for my job that sometimes my creativity begs to be channeled into other things. (See: knitting.) After finishing my sockapalooza socks, I started another pair, made a too-big Latoya sweater, an awesome Wheelie steering wheel cover (haven’t uploaded my own pictures yet) and continue to make mitered squares.
Plus, I’m eyeing the Harry Potter knits (after getting Charmed Knits for my birthday on July 1) and of course I’ve seen the new movie. We all went on the day it came out — Sis #3’s birthday. My verdict? Best movie yet. Loved it.
In other news, Moon and I celebrated our week-apart birthdays with her best friend Brooke’s family by dining at Sabor, which was a delicious experience and very non-vegetarian. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Brooke and Moon were born two days apart, and live two houses away from one another. Brooke has been to Brazil, and her dad took Portuguese in college. His professor is a close family friend of theirs and joined us for dinner — it was fun hearing her Brazil stories and listening to her interact with the wait staff.
More later, and I don’t mean a month later, okay?
May 24, 2007 at 9:13 am · Filed under blather
Awesome:
- My Mother’s Day presents. I had my pedicure this morning (my first ever! and the lady said my feet weren’t all that repulsive or anything!) and I used my gift certificate from Lakeside Fibers last week.
- Ravelry, the site I never knew I was always dreaming of until it was invented. I can keep track of my projects, my yarn stash, needles, and so much more. Very satisfying to the OCD (which is under control, thankyouverymuch). You can see my projects here.
- Seeing friends during my last week at home. Lunch today, a road trip tomorrow.
- The Monkey socks pattern at Knitty. (No, they don’t have monkeys on them, nor are they sock monkeys.) I’m making a practice pair, because I’m thinking of making them for Sockapalooza 4.
Not Awesome:
- Pete has been suffering from neck/back/shoulder pain for about two weeks. He’s been to the chiropractor and urgent care, and he’s scheduled for physical therapy in another two weeks. (Such a long wait!) It appears to be something called Double Crush Syndrome, which is related to carpel tunnel. We all feel a little helpless as we watch him tough it out. But every now and then we are able to get him to laugh.
Oh, one more awesome: Starting my new job in five days.
May 10, 2007 at 2:36 pm · Filed under blather
Mr. Bennet
You scored 62 Idealism, 50 Nonconformity, 41 Nerdiness
Are you on the list?
Congratulations, you’re Mr. Bennet! You are one mysterious person with mysterious motives. Despite all the mystery, it’s clear that you believe what you do is for the greater good, and you are obviously a well-educated person in your field.
Your best quality: Dedication to your work / organization / etc.
Your worst quality: Keeping too many secrets
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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You scored higher than 99% on Idealism |
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You scored higher than 99% on Nonconformity |
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You scored higher than 99% on Nerdiness |
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Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test
May 4, 2007 at 8:47 am · Filed under blather
Yes, I’ve been super quiet. Yes, I’ve been knitting without posting photos of my finished work. Yes, the regular boring stuff is still going on. Yes, there’s other stuff I’m not writing about because I’m not ready — mostly, my insights about working at home and being self-employed, and what I’m learning from all that.
Gripping, compelling insights. (Wink.)
In other news, I have a new vice. Starbucks venti soy green tea lattes. The soy isn’t the best for me, but green tea is healthy, right? It’s got to be better for me than coffee was. Unfortunately, it’s also a heck of a lot more expensive.
I have a ton of work to do, so it’s back to the silence for now.
April 22, 2007 at 7:10 pm · Filed under blather
And a happy birthday to my finally-a-teenager.
He’s my baby, and he’s already three inches taller than I am. Makes me feel a bit old. And short.
We had a fine day together, and added yet another video game system to his collection.
April 15, 2007 at 9:37 pm · Filed under blather
The coolest thing we did this weekend was on Saturday night. But the most unusual (for us, anyway) was during the day. Moon and I drove to Rockford to join my mom for a benefit tea party, with the theme “All Things Girly.” I know! But it made her so happy to introduce us to her DAR friends, and we did have a nice time together. One thing for sure, Moon is a phenomenal daughter (and granddaughter). I don’t think it even occurred to her to complain, and she was very cooperative when her grandma wanted to squirt her with perfume before the event.
Both of us are eligible to become Daughters of the American Revolution someday if we ever decide to do that sort of thing. They get to wear medals, and I do like shiny things.
In the evening, we went to a concert — something called a kirtan, although we really had no idea what that meant. That was a tiny bit nervewracking, since even Peter opted to join us, and we weren’t sure he’d last if it ended up being boring for him. The main performer was a woman named Ragani, and she was joined by a bass player, two percussionists, a guitarist and a group of backup singers. Except in a sense we were ALL backup singers, as kirtan involves call-and-response chanting. It doesn’t sound anywhere near as awesome as it was, because I can’t begin to describe the awesomeness. Let’s just say that three hours went by very quickly, we were all energized and happy, and I connected with the singing in an astonishing way.
After the kirtan, we bought a CD and asked Ragani to sign it. She is personable and lovely, and has a terrific sense of humor. I’d totally want to hang with her. Peter took this photo, as well as one of her harmonium. (When was the last time you saw one of those?)
Anyway, I feel so blessed to have had such a fun experience. And doubly blessed that Pete and I have such cool kids. No one ever prepared me for how great teenagers could be. (Peter will be 13 exactly one week from today, so he’s not an official teen yet. But close enough.)
March 26, 2007 at 10:39 am · Filed under blather
We saw my parents last weekend (birthday stuff) … and my mom made an awesome offer to the kids. She wants to take them to Seattle in August to visit my brother and his family. Super cool, because we probably wouldn’t be able to do a plane trip ourselves this year. Not for four people, anyway.
It’ll be interesting for the kids to spend some time with their extended family without us. And Pete and I will have five days to ourselves. Wacky!
And now for the not-so-cool news. The dog just threw up on the stairs. Gotta go.
March 17, 2007 at 4:41 pm · Filed under blather
First, the new hair. A week ago, I was sick sick sick of pushing hair out of my face and having to clip it back. So I went for bangs and had a bunch of the length chopped off. Kind of a mom ‘do, but hopefully a little cooler than that.
On the other hand, a year ago I was in court getting my name changed. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year, but Moon says it feels like it’s been longer than that.
It’s been one of those weeks. I’ve been feeling spring-fevery, restless, bored, down, blah. Pre-menstrual? Maybe. Coincidentally, I went to see Menopause, the Musical last night with (of course) a bunch of my female friends. Because I was the youngest in the group, it reminded me of being on the cusp of puberty, hanging with the cool girls who all had started having periods and knew all about tampons and stuff.
Anyway, we all laughed a lot and had bunches of fun. Which was exactly what I needed. Now I’d love to score some corned beef on my first St. Paddy’s as a non-vegetarian.
February 23, 2007 at 7:26 pm · Filed under blather
Yes, February is heart month. And coincidentally, Terry and her rom each ‘celebrated’ by having their own scary trips to the ER. (Get well soon! Haven’t forgotten about those socks!)
Today my FIL had a scare, too. Although they live an hour away, MIL drove him to the hospital here in Madison. I don’t like to think about that trip, even though everything turned out fine. We’re actually just about to head over there to say hello and bring MIL to our house for the night. (FIL is staying for a look-see. They haven’t confirmed yet that it was a heart attack, although it sure sounds like it was.)
It’s all very surreal. My dad, who’s about 15 years older than my FIL, had his first heart attack more than 20 years ago. At the time, angioplasty was a pretty new procedure, and he had two of them in liu of a bypass. He even had his picture in the newspaper. I remember being so scared, and not really thinking about how young he was. I guess late 50s seemed older to me then than it does now. Anyway, he had a second heart attack maybe 10 years later. A mild one, as I recall. He’s been doing pretty well since then. Next month he’ll be 79 years old. (Give me another 25 years, and I bet 79 will sound kinda young.)
Appreciate your tickers, guys. They’re important.
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