Monday, February 28, 2011

sunchaser

Teeny the wee little chihuahua spends the greater part of her afternoon chasing the streak of sunlight that moves around the livingroom floor, and then she falls asleep in it "standing up".

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Thanks for all the comments about the photo yesterday of our it-will-be-lovely-again-someday house!

Please believe me when I tell you, that photo is quite the illusion. The selling agent could have used my photographing prowess, that's how much trickery was used to take that photo. It was taken to cleverly hide a multitude of flaws (hide them from myself in an attempt to reduce my own panic), and it is a photo taken facing one of the few corners of the house that doesn't need a complete overhaul. You will very soon be seeing some photos of the mess that is really going on (I just need to work up the nerve to post them, because they sort of scare me to death).

I kid you not, I am not exaggerating. We are talking months of repairs, beginning with complete overhauls on the electrical and plumbing, which I am hoping happen this week, because everything else sort of hinges on it. Things like heat. Or fixing the toilet.

Here. I'll do just one photo. I'll make it as small as I can for my own sanity, and if you dare, you can click to embiggen.


That's the inside of the front door. Neato, eh? Swollen and ill-fitting, missing weather stripping, the frame chewed up by the previous owner's dog..... and we now know that the latch mechanism is shot, is beyond repair, and that it's really hard to find hardware that fits the opening because it's probably as old as the house.


Worrying about work to be done aside, it was a fairly productive weekend.
~ I set up a wee little meditation area (cute!) in the new house. Even if the rest of the house is doody (and it is), it feels really great to have set up a nice little corner with good vibes for us to use.
~ We went back to the historical museum and pulled the rest of the records that we hope we can use to knock off some huge permit-type fees.
~ The plumber came back out to see if we could put in a tankless water heater (venting issues), the pool guy stopped by to prep for his repairs that he will next week, and our handyman buddy came by to take another look. Hopefully he'll be chipping away at the to-do list soon, too. Oh, and we had a locksmith come out.
~ We drove up to TheMostImportantGuy's mom's to take her out to lunch for her birthday.
~ We went to IKEA to buy some window coverings for the big wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling windows that one side of the room that overlooks the patio and pool.


So tired. And the house I live in now is a bit of a wreck because it's not the focus of my energy. Tomorrow I play catch up!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

snaps on saturday


Potential.

Friday, February 25, 2011

I was so proud of myself last night! I did my blogpost before going to dance class!! And then this afternoon I logged into Blogger to do today's post, and I noticed that yesterday I had hit "save now" button instead of pressing "publish post". Sheesh. I was wondering why none of you were commenting on my kitteh! LOL

Wellp, today is another Free thang on a Friday....woot!!
First, let's take care of previous weeks:

** Last week's freebie was a Vessel reusable drink glass, which since there were only 5 of you vying for it, I asked MyFavoriteKid to pick a number between 1 and 5. He said, "Seventeen." I said, "Yah. Seventeen is a number between one and five." "Oh. I thought you said one and twenty-five. Ok. Three." That makes last week's winner TheYarnStashIsAttacking. Shoot me an email, and I will shoot you a cup!!

**The week before last , the freebie was a bump of fiber, won by KarenWhoIsOnTheFenceAboutSpinning, but who AgreedToLearnByStPatick'sDay. Karen, if you have emailed me your address, I missed it (would not be the first time, though). Please shoot me a note!


This week!
Okay. I've been giving away stuff that I use myself, and love. This week, I am giving away something I ordered for myself that didn't work out, and sadly for me (although good for you, though!), it ended up in the gift pile.



It's a very cute t-shirt of a kitty with a ball of yarn from one of my favorite etsy shops, BoyGirlParty. It's brand spankin' new, and it doesn't fit me. It is an American Apparel Tri-Blend Short Sleeved Women's Track Shirt in "Tri-Cranberry", and it's an XL (for like and XL wee little person who lives on a very small planet or something, it would seem). The manufacturer of the shirts have a size chart, and it says their XL is a size for a woman who is a 12-14 with a 40-42" chest and a 33-35" waist. I say phooey. What I can tell you is that from armpit to armpit, this shirt is 17" wide (so 34" around), and that's a whooooole lot of negative ease on a person who is 42" incross, man LOLOL. I didn't want to return it to the etsy artist who did the printing because they did send me the size that I ordered, and they did post the measurements that the shirt manufacture was giving out, so it wasn't like they were misrepresenting.

My camera may be misrepresenting, though. This shirt is more on the burgundy side of things, the kitty is pale yellow, and the ball of yarn is a sort of leafy green.


So. If this shirt fits you or someone you know, you can have it. Or if you want to cut it up and make throw pillow or applique the image onto a totebag or something crafty, more power to ya'. All you need to do is leave a comment say you want to enter, and your name goes into the proverbial "hat". You can also leave a comment if you don't want to be entered, just tell me so. I'll draw next Thursday at noon, and post the winner next Friday when I put up another goodie.
Good luck!!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

things i love, and miss: boyfriend kitten

Sometimes my cat Gaara would arrange himself on my bed, right in between the stuffed animals, like this:


It always kind of reminded me of that scene in E.T. ....


...but for some reason, I always called him "boyfriend kitten" when he did it. It sort of felt like he was warming up a spot for me and waiting for me to come to bed LOLOL.

I say all this past tense, because since Teeny the chihuahua has been here, I think I've only seen it once. Teeny humps my stuffed animals, so most of them have been relocated to high ground....plus Teeny seems to think that once I jump into bed it's party time, and goes all crazypants....totally scaring off the relaxed and sultry kitteh.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

today i...

...learned a whole lot from "the well guy" about pumps and bladders and water tables (and about whether or not fix the well that is in the rear of the new property). Plus I learned he used to be a professional wind surfer until he had to "get a real job".

....learned a bit about home security systems and that ours is the only thing that hasn't been yanked out of the wall (even our thermostat is gone).

....went shopping for a couple of lamps at IKEA because, "let there be light."

....learned about which trees on the property can be trimmed with or without a permit and which ones were planted by the city, and I also learned that the dead tree in the front yard can be replaced by the city at no charge.

....was present for the power company's visit, and now have a not-so-smart "Smart Meter".



I am quite tired, and still have a mountain of laundry before sleep.

Thanks for all the lovely comments about the house, y'all :-)
I'd love to show you some shots of the inside, but I feel like I need to wait until there is at least on "after" picture. The "before" shots that we exist in now are just too scary on their own! I'll see what I can do, though.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

TheMostImportantGuy and I closed escrow on our cute little house on last week.

I'm not sure if I failed to mention it because it's just flat-out freak-me-out overwhelming (the term "fixer-upper" does not begin to describe the place), or if I failed to mention it because I was too busy dealing with James being in the ICU, or if I failed because the chihuahua needing an emergency trip to the vet for a butt rupture, or the fact that my car was hit in the parking lot while I was leaving the vet's office, or maybe it was MyFavoriteKid's gala/concert thing, or perhaps blogging about the new house thing just didn't happen because I've been sick and hanging out with the bag-o-death.

Who knows. Whatever! I'm tellin' ya' now!!!

So. I've been very busy with house related stuffs the past couple of days with this house! This was a bank owned property that was thrrrrrrrashed by the evicted owners as they made their way out. It's a good sized property. It's a 2 story, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house on about a half-acre, and there are sub-structures. There is a LOT to be done, and TheMostImportantGuy and I are dividing up the workload. He's got the greater share of things of right now, and the most complicated. He's dealing with the city and contractors and drainage issues (which are all at a crawl), and I'm....well, I'm trying to do what I can to help, and quickly learn how to do what I can't.

I've met with the tree trimming guy about hacking back that huge sycamore on the left in the photo, and pulling out a few dead trees while the soil is still moist. I've met with the guy who can keep the yard mowed and looking cleaned up while we are in fix-it-up mode, and he will also be generally keeping an eye on things by going by every other day to check up on the place. I'm trying to work with a guy who can repair that gate out front on the left (plus it's twin on the back end of the property). I've interviewed two, and now finally chosen one, pool repair guy, because....

...yup. There's a pool. And, Yup. It's green in that photo. It's blue again now. It's still a little cloudy, but with a couple more repairs that should be all straightened out fairly soon.

We've done a few things to make the place look a bit more lived in (like adding some temporary, but effective, window coverings). I got some timers so lights will go on and off, etc....and I'm going to try to create more of that "lived-in" look tomorrow while I am stationed at the house to meet with three more contractors and technicians that TheMostImportantGuy has scheduled to come out during the day: the alarm company, the power company, and the well guy (there's a well on the property in addition to city water, and we're hoping that the well can function for things like landscaping, the pool, and whatnot).

There was one other thing I did today. And it was actually the highlight of my day. Now, look at that picture up above again. To the left of the pool what you have there is a structure separate from the house. It's a detached garage, and there is an in-law unit in upstairs. We want to fix it up and rent it out. Now, I could discuss the details here until I put you to sleep, but the general gist is that the city has been telling us that they have no record of it being a legal second unit, and that if we want it to be above board (and we do), the filing fees are going to be about $30,000.

*gasp*
*cough*
*choke*

TheMIG has been doing all sorts of research and work with structural engineers, and it has been determined that the rear structure was indeed built at the same time as the main house: 1932. But just because it was built then, does not mean that it was built to be a separate address. It could have been built to be storage, for all we know. Well, TheMIG has been trying to prove that it's a second unit by way of power records, being that there are two meters on the property and all.

But today I went down to the local Museum/Historic Society and went trolling through these:



And I found out a TON of cool stuff, and I cannot WAIT to go back and find out some more.

The good news, is that we can now prove that the rear unit was definitely treated as a separate address all the way back to 1935. I can also tell you who lived there, who they were married to, and what they did for work. It was the most entertaining sleuthing I have ever done, and I cannot wait to do more. I am truly hoping to find some old photos of the place, because up in one of the attics of our new-old house, I found a ribbon from the county fair for best of show for the garden tour. There has got to be a photo somewhere.

The really exciting part of this little research excursion of mine, was meeting the docent at the front desk of the museum. She knew our house. She'd been in it. She knew the dentist that lived in it for years during the 50's going forward a few decades. She knew that he'd put in that pool for therapy for his disabled daughter (that made me kinda cry a little bit......'cuz this here disabled person is going to be swimming in that pool very soon herself). She could describe the inlay detailing in the wood floor in the dining room and livingroom, which is still in tact. She could describe the stairway. And she knew about the rear unit as well, and she actually thought it may have been used for the daughter's nurse/caretaker at some point. She'd been there socially, and she could describe the garden, and is going to help me look for photos, and I kind of gathered that the doctor was very active in the community and that he was a sponsor of the museum. Heck, if they have saved us $30k, we might have to become sponsors, too.

Everyone that has been in and around this house and property the last few weeks....contractors, inspectors, etc....they have all said that the house is totally cool and has a really good feel to it. Even the people I have spoken to about the house in passing, when I tell them the where the house is, they've all seen it or driven by it at some point, and they've noticed it, and they like it.

And it's a mess. But it's a really cool mess. We have our work cut out for us. But I am finally really really excited.

Monday, February 21, 2011

dance inspiration

I'm sick and punchy and just about everything is irritating me just a little bit right now, so instead of complaining, why don't I show you one of the things that is inspiring my creative process around dance right now ;-)


That's the great Ruth St. Denis as Kwan Yin in the dance "White Jade", choreographed in 1926. It was,"an attempt to study stillness through dance."


Noticing any themes here? LOL

Sunday, February 20, 2011

bag o' death

Ohhh, I have a nasty head cold.

I felt it coming on like gangbusters yesterday afternoon. I kid you not. I felt perfectly fine, and then out of nowhere, I felt "the tickle" while we were driving up to MyFavoriteKid's performance with the Youth Symphony. We pulled off the road to hit up a drug store and buy some airborne and zinc before so I could nip it in the bud before I got sick....but I lost.

I am now filling up my personal BagO'Death (at my house, that's what we call the paper bag we stick next to our bed to catch our piles of used/diseased tissues).


I missed Stitches West this year...AGAIN.
Did any of you go???
Tell me all about it!!
I looooove being told stories....especially when I'm sick :-)

I'll read them tomorrow while I'm in bed blowing my nose and filling up my Bag and hopefully slurping on a bowl of chicken soup (if I can get my sh%t together).

Saturday, February 19, 2011

snaps on saturday

This is a belated posting....it was my Valentine's Day "card" from TheMostImportantGuy. It's him at the office :-)

-----
Sent from my iPad

Friday, February 18, 2011

free stuff on a friday

Woohoo! It's Friday! Free stuff!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner of last week's fiber, was commenter #5--Karen, who does not even spin yet! She promised to get off the fence and learn how to spin by St.Patrick's day if she won though, so welcome to the tribe, Karen! Email me your postal address, and I'll ship it out to you toot-sweet so you can get cracking (a link to my email addy is in the sidebar).

For those of you new here to the freebie thing, let me just explain how the winners are chosen. It is not based on what you say in the comments, but it is truly by the use of a random number generator. In other words, this was not me choosing who would win because I was excited about having a hand in hooking up a new spinner (although I am indeed excited that it ended up working out that way!).
No. It's truly random. I do not do the choosing.
Hal does that.


So if you enter this week, you can say as much or as little as you want (you can even keep blowing smoke up my bumm if it makes you happy--LOL--or not), but it really is a random number generator choosing, not me. Oh, and as a reminder, you can also just comment if you have something to say about whatever is being given way, even if you don't want to be entered. Just say so, and I'll take you off the roster.

Here's this week's thang:


It's a reusable, earth friendly, grown-up version of a sippy cup. It's made by Vessel, it's 16oz and BPA free.
It's the blue one on the left that's up for grabs (the clear on one the right is mine, I use it daily, but I told ya' that I'm giving away stuff that I use and love, so there's your proof of that).

Enter if interested, come back next week for something different if you are not, and good luck!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Some shots from the camera (because my day was way beyond description):





~ rainbows and wild turkeys ~


And a loose end from yesterday:

berlinBat commented that she couldn't see the clip from yesterday because the video was not viewable in her country, and of course, here I am, not even mentioning the name of the tune or the artist within the blogpost because I am sooooo mysteeeeeriousssss. (Sorry! I didn't even consider that Could be an issue.) What I linked to yesterday was a music video for The Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care". Here's a lower quality clip of the video that someone probably filched somehow, so maybe it's more on the "allowed" side of things, but the higher-quality "official" clip is still this one.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

stuck in the head

What I really wanted to do for a post tonight was imbed a video. I have had this song stuck in my head all day long, but they've disallowed embedding, so if you want to know what it is, you'll just have to click through ;-)

xo

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Since I don't want to shoot myself or at anyone else, today the bullets will go here:


* Today was odd because I didn't make my regular convalescent home rounds. There was no weekly visit with "TheLadies" today because their convalescent facility is on quarantine status. The whole place is coated with flu bugs, so no group activities are allowed. Everyone has to keep to their own rooms. The activities director asked me if I'd come anyhow and go room to room to visit the uninfected people, but I said nay to that. I don't do flu shots, and I can't afford the risk.

* I didn't see James either, because he has been moved from his convalescent hospital to the "hospital-hospital" because he'd been peeing colors (which seems to have stopped), but he is still having breathing problems.

* I got a call from James later this evening that he is being moved from a regular hospital bed into the Intensive Care Unit. Not so good. I spoke with the nurse tonight and they can't tell me anything because I am not family, and because James wont let me speak on his behalf. I will be going in tomorrow to see what else I can do or find out.

* I came home to discover that the chihuahua had taken apart another skein of yarn.

It certainly was NOT left out at wee-little chihuahua level. I am now smarter than than (but barely, it would seem). She must have had to work for it. I had it out because TheMIG's neice wants a single leg warmer type thing to cover her knee-brace....but I didn't leave it down low.

* I should also mention that I had to go to the laundromat today so I could use those uber-jumbo machines to wash my comforters and duvet covers, because that same chihuahua is still quite confused about where to pee. Damn her. Crate training starts this weekend, by the way. I would have started sooner, but I had to special order a crate for her because she is too tiny for the smallest crates they normally keep in stock. This chick is HIGHHHHHH MAINTENNANCE.

* I spent much time today trying to fix an old Aran sweater of my mom's. It's old, and it's just gorgeous, but it has a stain on the front, and lots of discoloration. I cannot even tell you how many round of washing this thing has been through and how much research I have done about how to clean it. It's looking better, and I have one more thing to try, but honest to gawd, I'm not a miracle worker. I'm not sure this thing was EVER washed, to be honest with you. Several rounds of washing later, and I am still getting silt at the bottom of the tub. The stains are lighter, but I'm sure it was stored dirty and it's just set deep in the fiber. I've tried several wool washes and also vinegar, and now lemon juice and sunshine. I'm open to other ideas if y'all have any. Meanwhile, mom is complaining that she wont get the sweater back until spring (which, at the rate I am going, may be true)....but she's also not the one leaning over the bathtub (on ONE KNEE mind you), wrangling--but not wringing!--82 lbs of wet wool.

* I am busy with details about the new house. Some of what I am doing is completing actual tasks, getting contractors lined up for things that need to be done immediately after closing, but I'm also doing the whole "rearranging furniture and choosing wall colors" every time my brain has a chance to. Even when sleeping. Gah.

* I am busy tonight knitting up a few sample swatches for Brooke to use in her booth at Stitches this weekend....which I am enjoying doing for her.... but I probably don't even get to go to Stitches again this year. This will be two years in a row I am missing. Last year it was because of dance rehearsals. This year I decided I would NOT perform at our usual March venue, because I wanted to be sure I could do things like Stitches....and now this year I'm not doing either. Yay me.

And sorry for not including links to things and photos of swatches and dirty aran sweaters and rings around my tub and cute chihuahuas, but I'm tired, and off to bed.

Monday, February 14, 2011

spinspanspun

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!
A Card from me to you...


~~~ XOXOXOX ~~~


Finally, photos of January's spinning. Here's the beginning and ending shots:



For the first time ever, I haven't figured out how many yards I have, or the weight of each ball, or what type of yarn of made (although it looks fingering/sport-ish).

I also have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I was aiming for socks since it's superwash wool, but I'm not sure the structure is consistent enough for the wear socks would get. Maybe some very perky armwarmers.

This was my first time doing a Navajo Ply, and the end result has some consistency issues, but I also had issues with the consistency with the singles in the first place. I think the singles inconsistencies might have been less obvious with a traditional 3-ply, and so there's my lesson learned this time. Gonna N-ply?? Be Consistent!!

For February's spin, I had this great idea top take something out of the "Year of Spinning" box so I could swap it out with this...



...because it's called "Complicated Soul," and I feel like a complicated soul, so how perfect, yah?
Except now I see that the colors are pretty danged similar to last months spin, and I want to mix it up.
And so now here I am, mid-month, and I haven't started February's spinning. I haven't even picked out a bundle of fiber from the box! Gah!
Time to get busy.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

last days of slackin'

A photo of:
~the lap of TheMostImportantGuy
~who was flopped out on the couch all day getting over a headcold
~his 2nd box of tissues
~his Kindle, which was passed back and forth between us all day as we played Scrabble (I won, best two out of three...mwahaha)
~the face of one Teeny chihuahua, and the white leg of NumeroUnoDogDog who was sleeping upside down in a pile of throw pillows and fuzzy blankies


I've been in pj's all day like a total slacker, and I enjoyed every minute of it, especially knowing it may be the last time I have a day like this in a looooong time.
Barring unforeseen circumstances (and we've worked diligently to foresee them all), we'll be closing escrow on that cute little house....and every weekend from here on out will be spent fixin' her up. 'Cuz she needs a lot of fixin' up, as lovely a lady as she is.

No more pj's for me.
A paint brush, a belt sander, and TheMIG says, "a smock."



I keep forgetting to take a pic of that fiber I spun up, dangit. I will try for it tomorrow, but I understand our spring-like weather is fading back to the normal winter weather, beginning with a week of rain. Natural lighting might not be working in my favor. But I will try. I have it out right next to the laptop with the camera, which is the tabletop equivalent of tripping right over it ;-)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

snaps on saturday

Teeny finishes a vanilla-banana soymilk smoothie.

-----
Sent from my iPad

Friday, February 11, 2011

fibery fuzzy freebie friday

Alrighty, fiberistas (hey, does that mean a guy would be a fiberisto..??)

Here is this week's offering:


Funky Carolina
4oz Rambouillet
The Trapeze Swinger (August '10 Fiber Club)


Admittedly, the colors are a bit off by my camera. It's a wee bit whiter and brighter.
But it's lovely.
Trust me.
This month's spinning project for me is a FK colorway called "Complicated Soul" (ha).
Which reminds me. I never showed you how January's spin finished up, did I.....
I will take pics and do that.

Anywhoo. If you wants to get yer mitts on the fiber, leaving a comment will enter you in a drawing for it. I will draw next Thursday at noon and announce the winner next Friday when I post another item.

You can also comment and not enter, if ya' like---just say so, so I don't throw you into the hat ;-)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

a note from mom

The other day I post this vintage photo of me not knowing where it was taken or wtf animal that was in my lap.

Mom emailed me:

Hi - the photo on your blog was taken in our house in Framingham, Ma. You where sitting on our couch on our sun porch. You were reading a book to our new kitty in your lap. I got this special cat from my mother (cost me a few bucks!) but after we had her for only a few days it got very sick - I rushed it to the Vet's where it was determined it had a defective heart and then failure......boy, did I ever cry! That kitty was so cute, and a very special kitty.

That's the story.......
Love, Mom

Neat to have the details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I felt so great and so back on track, and then today came along and I felt like I was kicked in the teeth. Luckily dance class tonight straightened me right out.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

I finally feel like myself again. Really. Truly.
*happy sigh*
I have been taking time for myself, taking care of myself, my to-do list has been reduced to a point that is no longer anxiety producing (because I actually did some of the things on it--whoop!), and as of this morning, I finally feel like I've caught up on sleep.

If my age and experience has given me anything, it is the knowledge of how to get myself out of deep doo-doo when I'm in it, and the wherewithal to actually do it.

The weekend away was truly like hitting a reset button, which is pretty great considering I almost didn't go. I bitched quite a bit beforehand, I'm embarrassed to tell you, about how the weekend had a pretty high possibility of sucking ass.

In my mind, it was going to be 8 hours in a car on Friday (my birthday proper), with both TheMostImportantGuy and I too tired to do anything but sleep....then maybe a wee bit of time on Saturday to eat breakfast and maybe do nothing else at all, followed by hours of sound checks and playing and watching TheMIG plugging and unplugging things...just so we could get back on the road again Sunday morning for another 8 hours of driving. Whee, was my thinking. And then on top of this glorious image, because I spent most of Thursday night throwing up from the I-Dont-Know-What that MyFavoriteKid and I both had, it looked even less appealing. Ugh.

Well, I was wrong. The weekend was great.

For the car ride on my birthday, I packed along an in-flight barf bag, that I happily did not use. I slept for some of the ride, listened to comedy on TheMIG's satellite radio thingy for the rest of it, and on the way down, TheMIG stopped at my all time favorite pit-stop, Anderson's, for some split pea soup (I've waxed not-so-poetically about this place before so I wont waste your time). I was actually able to eat (and keep down) a half bowl of pea soup and a wee bit of salad. Woohoo!

I was feeling much better by the time we arrived at the hotel, and the fancy schmancy-ness of the hotel TheMIG had booked us into didn't hurt at all. We unpacked, freshened up, and went out to explore the Hollywood closest to the hotel and walk over to the venue he'd be performing at the next night to scope it out.

That's when I accidentally bumped into Fred Astaire's star, and then.....I saw one more really cool thing.

We were on the side street that TheMIG's club was on, and it's one of those unmarked doors type of clubs with no signage, and that is when I look into one of the windows and see this:


Whoa. Is that....YARN???

Well, by golly it was. The sign said "Artstring Boutique" and the designer had a taped a note to the door that she was there and to knock on the door to be let in (so we did) and holy moly....


Some of the COOLEST knitwear I have seen.
She was super sweet and amazingly creative. She had handknit for years but now does custom design work using knitting machines. She had just gotten through hosting her regular Friday night knit-in (damn! just missed it!), and she was taking apart her wall of coned yarn and reorganizing it.

The whole shop was full of neat things, but I was particularly inspired by this piece.


Tuesday, February 08, 2011

snoozefest

I had made plans to sit and do some typing tonight, but at 9pm decided to lie down for just a second, and the next thing I know, it's 10:30pm and MyFavoriteKid has put himself to bed and shut down the house because I'd been asleep the whole time.

Lame!

I swear I haven't caught up on sleep from the weekend.

Tomorrow is more of a down day, so hopefully I get my energy back on track.

Monday, February 07, 2011

vintage me


me, 1971 (age 4) ~ reading was a very favorite pastime
I'm not sure where this was taken, but I suspect it was Grandma's sun porch
I have no idea who the fuzzball in my lap is,
but look at the matching fuzzy slippers! LOL

Sunday, February 06, 2011

a single, delayed, snap

A snapshot taken Friday, that could have been posted as the "Snap On Saturday" except that I didn't have what I needed to get it off my camera, and now it's Sunday.
And I am sooooo tired.


Me at 44 with the giant cupcake that came along with TheMostImportantGuy singing Happy Birthday to me, and therefore making my birthday feel complete.

It was a fun weekend, but I am so so tired. TheMIG's band played last night (Saturday night). We weren't back from the club and wound down and sleeping until just after 3am, and then at 4am the fire alarm went off in the hotel waking up the whole damn building (some dork was smoking in one of the little closets that houses an ice machine). People were all out in the hallways in their PJ's and the alarms were screeching and strobe-type lights flashing inside the room. It took me until about 4am to fall asleep again, and then there we were this morning, by 9:30am....showered, packed, caffeinated, fed, and on the road for the long day of driving.

Long day. Very tired. Off to bed.
But happy.
Getting away was a real attitude adjuster.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

snapless saturday

having tons o' fun. omg. but forgot the thingy that takes pics off cam and gets them onto ipad so oh well, this is it.
yay for mini-vacations!
rejuvination!!!

pics upon return.

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sent (with love) from my iPad

Friday, February 04, 2011

mixin' it up this friday

Quick health update: Maybe MyFavoriteKid didn't have food poisoning after all? Or if it was food poisoning, maybe it wasn't chicken strips. Because I got it, too. And I didn't eat chicken strips. I started feeling ill yesterday afternoon. First I got the trots, then I tossed my cookies at dance class last night, and again when I got home. Awesome, eh? If it's a virus, neither one of us have any other symptoms. No fever or anything. And we barely ate the same foods. I can only think of mandarin oranges and cherry tomatoes. Well, and I did have 3 of MyFK's french fries that he got with those strips.
Who knows.

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Freebie Friday!
Thanks to the random number generator, last week's freebie goes to Lorena (all that hand waving to the number generator must have worked LOL)!! It sure seems like I have your mailing address somewhere, my dear...but can you email it to me anyhow? I'll send out your tea! Enjoy!
Also, my (public) apologies to suenapse. I did not catch that she had in fact emailed her address to me, but that I had just failed to check the spam filter. Doh! I didn't manage to get to the post office on Thursday as planned (home with barfing kid), but will go next week for sure. Sorry for the delay!

Bibliogrrl, you also asked about recommendations for other teas. My suggestion is that you just taste and taste and taste, and make notes! It's amazing how different our palates can be! I would suggest you find a good coffee and/or tea shop that both brews and sells tea. Go often and try a cup of this or that, and then buy what you like from them! Ask them questions--they love it. I love so many different kinds of tea, but I'm a big fan of green teas (from the grassy flavors like sencha to the flowery jasmines). I also like Genmai Cha, which is a blend of green tea and toasted rice, if you can believe it. I also really enjoy Oolongs, which are their own beast. I have a special clay teapot that I use just for oolongs. Lastly, I really adore teas that are blended with fruits or herbs and spices. Some of my favorites come from SBS Teas (who also makes some fabulously flavored herbal tisanes) and also The Tea Haus, which I discovered through a yarn and tea club (another great way to find great new teas).
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More gifts will be given away next Friday, so please do come back for that, but this week I am spoiling myself by taking a break because.....

today is my birthday :-)


This photo was taken June 1968 (so I was 16 months old).
That's my Nana I am sitting with (my mom's mom's mom).
What makes this photo so special today is that my Nana and I shared the same birthday :-)

Nana was also knitter ;-)

I know. Enough with the emoticons already.

Hey, look at the card I got last night from KarenTheDancingLurker:

Hahahahaha.
It's a button that I can wear (I LOVE IT), and check out sistah there rockin' the crochet sweater, will yah?

I also got a very funny post on Facebook first thing this morning from Carol:

"Happy birthday to you,
You wear only one shoe.
You're sweet, smart and funny,
Happy birthday, honey!
(And man-ee MORRRRRE)"

Totally made my morning!!

Especially since MyFavoriteKid didn't make or get me a card again this year, nor did his dad help him in making that a reality...even though TheEX gave me a card from himself (like, hellooooooooo....why not just have MyFK sign it too, you dipshit??).


I'm headed out of town this morning. TheMostImportantGuy's band is playing down in L.A. Saturday night, and he booked us a nice hotel near the venue for the weekend, so off we go.
And although I do feel a bit better today, and took in water last last night without tossing it up, I am stil packing a barf bag for the drive ;-)

Thursday, February 03, 2011

lets' just get this out of the way, shall we?

I may as well get the blogpost for the day over and done with, because it's only 8am and I already want to die of exhaustion.
Why, you ask??

Because I've been up all night at the TheAmazingPewkoli's Technicolor Barfing Show!!

*sigh*

MyFK really hates throwing up and having tummy problems. This might be the perfect parenting opportunity to point out to him that this is what a hangover would feel like. The grand deterrent, yah?

So since I am sitting here right now, at the computer, emailing all of MyFavoriteKid's teachers to let them know he won't be coming in today, I may as well just keep typing.

Gah, and I have so much to do today! On top of all the regular stuff, I have to pack for going away for the weekend, and that includes packing up MyFK and each of the animals to get to their respective caretakers.

Ohhhh, I and had such great plans for my evening last night. TheMostImportantGuy comes up on Wednesdays nights, so I had dolled myself up all cute-like in hopes of a little romance schmo-mance (because I figured for sure that would get my mood back on track....right?? Even better than sunshine and fresh air!! Woohoo!). In the end I was afraid to get the ball rolling for fear of being called back to the sick room, and ohhh how right I was about that one. I was in there every 15 minutes at one point.

Oh, MyPoorFK. Yesterday was a minimum day at school, and we had a mad dash between school and a private clarinet lesson. He was hungry, so I drove through Jack-N-The-Box on the way. He ordered the grilled chicken strips, and he said they looked a little funny and felt a little rubbery, but he ate them anyhow. That was at 1:30pm, and by 6:30pm he was sick. We're almost positive that's what it was. The poor thing. I feel so bad for him :-(

And poor me this this morning! TheMostImportantGuy was making his own coffee and getting ready to go to work while I was getting rid of barf bags and hosing down the kitchen, and as I was standing there scrubbing, this song pops into my head (I am so wierd):




We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes....
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes.....

hahahahahahahahaha

I am such an odd duck that after that song popped into my head I was actually able to go over to the music rack, produce the tune on a CD, and pop it into the CD player for him.
At least it had both of us cracking up a bit.


Okay. I'm going to make coffee now, and do as much as I can get done before I crap out.
I'm so glad I am going away this weekend to a hotel.
Calgon, take me away.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

i have to admit it's getting better...

...a little better...all the time ;-)
Although it still kinda sucks.

I would have to say that the current state of things is that I am not "fortified" enough to handle the stupid little "blips" that come up in daily life.

On the good side, the weather was great today, I got some sunshine and fresh air, made a long overdue phone call to my grandma, had a nice chat with my mom, and I dealt with the DMV because my driver's license expires Friday (how's that for down to the wire). I had to go in for the written exam and a new photo. Oh, and I also took care of all the tasks that needed to be done for the required volunteer duties with the Youth Symphony.

On the bad side, the kiddo started my day by forgetting a crucial component of a science project that was due today, so I had to run back and forth a couple of times....and then this afternoon he got food poisoning from chicken at a fast-food joint and is presently in a post-barf prone position with a hot water bottle.

And I am just delicate and easily rattled. Sensitive! Emo! LOL

At least I'm finally back to laughing at myself.
I think I'm on the upswing.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

attempts at balance

I'm really really tired. Tuesdays are always long. They start with making rounds at the convalescent hospitals.

My visit to see "The Ladies" went well, but half of them have been sent to the regular "hospital-hospital" with breathing problems, and one of my favorite ladies of the bunch was moved to a facility in Southern California by her family so they could be closer to her. It's a great deal for her, but man...she will be missed. She was very informed on current events and always contributed greatly to discussions when we'd all be sitting and chatting together. Not to mention she was just plain sweet.

James just looked flat out ill. For the first time in years he asked me not to bring him food because he's not hungry. His lips still look blue, his ankle looks swollen and huge, and he confided that his urine looks like brewed tea. Our visit was cut short because the traveling x-ray folks had showed up to see him. He just finished a course of antibiotics and they took a urine sample which is still being tested....but I dunno. He's resilient. But I just have a bad feeling about this one.

Meanwhile, I'm doing everything I can muster to take care of myself. I finished January's spinning last night, and it feels good to meet at least one goal. I took some time this afternoon while MyFavoriteKid was at symphony rehearsals to sit outside and get sunshine and fresh air and visit with friends. Instead of news radio I listened to tooty-fruity soothing muzak in the car (how funny--muzak is not activating spellcheck...but "spellcheck" is...hahaha). I am eating well. Quite well, actually. And I even knit a little bit today, which is great, because for some reason, I have barely knit since the New Year (I think I need to cast-on something more colorful and full of lacy holes perhaps....knitting plain ol' vanilla socks in a neutral shade are great as an on the fly project, but I think I need something complex right now to take my mind off things).

Anyhow. Like I said, I am pooped. I just caught myself dozing on the couch and it's only 9pm, so I'm going to get ready to hit the hay.