P.U.

Yes, this is how I will sum up the last ten days.
P.U.
El Stinko.

Shall I elaborate? Oh, yes...please do!

Camera is terribly ill. This photo was taken over a month ago. Appropriate, nevertheless.
Car had a nervous breakdown. Had to call Gina and babbled like a raving maniac. Nothing new there.
Personally had a nervous breakdown. Actually, more like a slightly askew view of the outside world lightly smattered with a bit of woe and feeling really deflated, more or less. Not to worry. No need to take cover. I don't plan to let my head explode in public anytime soon.
Feeling tired and mopey about knitting. Everything is so dark and heavy. I need something light and fresh and springy. Which reminds me...to top it all...I have finally found the perfect sweater pattern!.....and then I found two perfect sweater patterns. Ironic. Now I need to choose. Vote at the store...my stuff is behind the counter.

Want some great news?? One is that I am ready to knit that sweater...hey, we gotta start somewhere!
I finished three whole pages in my novel today. Yes, that sounds pathetic, but I only worked for about an hour. This is a good thing.

That might cover it for now. But it was a really fine, relaxing day. My house is clean. My soul is mellow. Hope you all come visit me despite the camera shortage...hopefully this is just temporary. More to come....bye!

Things I find disturbing...

13. How dogs can sleep in snow. Or is this just a sign that I have some sort-of Himalayan-Abominable-Snow-Dog that defies the laws of thermodynamics?
14. How technology is painful, particularly to the technologically-stupid. Yes, that would be me. Tried to fix the laser printer by taking out all noticably-movable parts and shoving hand inside. So, now I'm told that evidently it is called a laser printer because there's a laser in there?? I have a scorched middle finger tip with a giant (and I mean giant bubbly blister on it. Good thing I killed all the nerve endings in there so at least I can type on my blog tonight.
15. How the Violent Femmes could agree to let Wendy's market their Bacon Mushroom Melt Burger with the song, "Blister in the Sun." Yes, we're still on the "blister" image. Sorry...
16. How the anti-glare coating is somehow messed up on my glasses causing me to randomly swat at little lights that pop-up in front of me once in a while. People will start to talk.
17. How you can cook a chicken, put it in a platic-wrapped, air-tight container and say it is actually edible within three months. By the way, there is a pre-cooked, packaged chicken recall I just heard on the news. This is what prompted my disturbance on packaged chicken in general. Go figure.
18. How a single, weak muscle in one's upper back can make it so difficult to do little things, such as sleep, brush your hair, knit...yes, this is a disturbing one.
19. How my husband can be the strong, silent type in public and then run around my house with a laundry basket full of undies and socks singing "I Feel For You" by Chaka Khan..."let me rock you...that's all I wanna do..."
20. How I can actually get comfortable with a digital camera (I am soooo the 35mm girl) and the stupid thing decides it never wants to take a picture ever, ever again. Typical.

So, I may have really boring blogs for a while! No project photos! No yarn! I will try to take the camera in this week, so hopefully it hasn't gone to that great computer-generated, picture-taking place in the sky. Fingers crossed!! Bye for now.

Sanctuary from the Mint Creme Oreo

Can anyone tell me...is there anything more beautiful than life in the mountains? This is my backyard view, complete with treehouse and swing set. When and if we move, I've decided that I need a view like this. I will also say that no home should be without a tire swing. That thing cooks. With a good heave-ho or two, that thing seriously rocks...I'm talking four or five feet off the ground and a span of twelve feet or more. There is nothing quite like sticking your butt in that thing, flying with your head back and making yourself completely nauseous.

The writing break has been great, and tomorrow evening I plan to do some writing for myself. I also decided last night that I need to get my health and fitness back on track. It is all about me...and the oreos. And the cookies we bake on a snow day. And hot chocolate...anyone seeing a pattern here? Miserable CHOICES! I'm a sucker for sugar! Well, no more. And, ready for another sign??.....during the middle of the night last night I turned over and twisted my back (many of you may not know I have a little back thing)...nothing better than being whacked into an alert state of mind by muscle spasms, would you say? I neglected my exercise, and now the back muscles are weak again. My own fault. Since we are cleansing the body of negative influences in the workplace (not at the shop, that's my positive work environment), why not cleanse the inside as well? Happy Valentine's Day, body...I'm doing something for you!

I finished the hat, started writing a pattern for a felted bag with diagonal triangles...I'm using some raspberry-colored Lamb's Pride with triangles of Noro Kureyon. And no sweater pattern, yet...but I have a week to find one!

Hope everyone has a great V-Day! Hugs and kisses (no chocolate ones!) ~ B

Mental Zerplatzen

Forgive me, faithful blog readers. It has been a bad week. Nasty. I even started an easy, mindless knitting project just because I can't actually think about knitting right now. My brain hurts!! So, I grabbed random stash for a basic hat and decided to see what happens. Sorry, pretty Lizard Ridge, you'll have to wait a while...
Anyways, I've been working like a mad woman on all kinds of writing jobs...every night this week until eleven...midnight...and I have come to an eye-opening revelation. A "slap-upside-the-head" moment. Up until now, I've been spending my life writing for the betterment of others, which for a long, long time has been gratifying in of itself...but the problem is that I'm doing zero writing for me. Manuscript sitting all safe and sound, protected from rejection and vulnerability and scrutiny on a silver disk. A novel only 20% finished...virtually still in diapers.

So, I finally talked to my sissy...have I ever mentioned my little sister? She's beautiful and fair and blond and really smart and teeny...not at all like me! We used to really ham it up together. Well, she gave me the "goods" tonight, let me tell you! And that's what great about having a sister...they know when you're a sad, gutless turd and can coax you into believing in yourself.

Didn't know this was going to be like a Hallmark moment, did you??? Ewww, let's break out the International Coffee and celebrate the moments of our lives...I'm going to make myself sick...

Anyway...let's just say I've decided to back away (not entirely back out...just away) from all the freelance writing responsibility. I can help Gina at the shop since poor Loren is broken (feel better Loren! Knit, girl, knit!!), and suddenly I'm like...this is a sign...it is time for me to be happy, enjoy the family and the dogs (isn't Pepper Jack soooo cute?), do what I love, have courage, and tighten the belt. Hubby and I are discussing details this weekend to make it work. And you Mommies out there know how guilty you feel when you concentrate on yourself. Well, I'm going to love being at the shop, being "off-deadline" every night, knitting more than twice a
week (this past week...Saturday through today...I've only knit for a total of about two hours max...), being a fun and happy Mommy (who doesn't have to work nights for a while), and being true to my passion for as long as I can.

I feel that this is my contract to all of you...my testimony. I'm committed to really good things, and you can all hold me to the fire. My face is always smiling, but I feel like my heart is smiling now, too. (Jeez, that was sappy.) Back to the life of the simple poet and knitter...what more can one woman want?? ~ Sigh ~ Glee ~ Sigh again ~ AND I HAVE SWEATER YARN! That is, I've chosen the soft brown Eco Wool...all put aside and waiting for me to pay for it! Now, the pattern...and I'm still looking. Hugs to all....BYE!

By the way, "Zerplatzen" is German for "splattering." Rather festive, wouldn't you say??

BiZarRE

First, I have to ask...has anyone ever watched "Puppy Bowl" on Animal Planet? It is cute but completely mindless. They drop a whole bunch of random puppies in an enclosed, artificial turf field and let them run amuck amongst puppy toys and chewies. No plot, no real action, but majorly cute puppies. Made me think of Stevie Kate when she was a wee-one. This is her at almost three months. Ahhh...to be a puppy.

Now an example of why we, as people, are ridiculous. I made way too much dinner last night, ate like a piggy, said, "no...never again...never, never..." and I am right now waiting for chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bars to cool just enough so I don't scorch my lips off. Another example, the lovely pharmacy police (I won't say which pharmacy) refused to let me buy both my husband's regular supply of allergey medicine and an extra bottle of Nyquil (not that we are ill but it was on sale and good to have at the house...just in case)...BECAUSE we were over our "daily limit" in purchases and...for goodness sake, might be mass producing illegal substances in our basement. How ridiculous. I can't save my family an extra two bucks to buy it now while it's on sale. Heaven's no! Much smarter to wait until my husband has a cold, can't sleep, and I have to run out at 10pm in the snow to spend two dollars more. Grrrrrrrr. And, I finished my Debbie Bliss Fair Isle hat to find that it is WAAAAY to small for my noggin. Actually too small for my youngest son's noggin as well. Isn't that just PEACHY! And I even added four extra rows for an additional stripe. Go figure. My cast on was fine and would fit my head...but the height is way too small. Confused, why yes, thank you. But these were leftovers from the scarf.

No matter...I am undaunted by the shortcoming...and I mean really "short"...as I have decided to make yet another hat, but I sat up with hubby until 1am last night watching Saturday Night Live and designing a "paw print" fair isle hat. Perhaps I am setting myself up for potential failure. But I want to try.

In closing, I found this great quote that I had written down a long time ago.

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." ~ Rita Mae Brown

Hmmm, now that's a tasty thought! Hugs and crazy love....me

Grrrrr

This is me this afternoon...feeling plump and irritated with myself. Everyone is home due to the recent downfall of invisible, anti-slippery, sun-enduced snow...so we can't even enjoy a so-called winter day. Bah humbug. Ritzandfratz. Friggydiggy.

This is a great day for random babbling. I told Mimi today that I have nothing to write about...no finished projects to share, no patterns to mull over. I'm ready to knit the sweater, so I will consider any suggested patterns for something non-feminine using a size US 7 needle or less. By the way, this is my cat Bia. She's ten years old. We call her Bob. Don't ask why.

Since I'm truly boring right now, here are the top ten exciting things for today:

1. Gina bought me a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha...mucho yum yum.
2. I organized lots of yarn.
3. We are considering nominating Virginia as the area's most elligible bachlorette.
4. I think the eye glasses people didn't include the proper anti-glare coating on my new glasses.
5. Oh...I have new glasses.
6. My glasses are red and very cool.
7. I don't have to make dinner tonight because I have an entire fridge full of left-overs.
8. I get to have coffee with my friend Tiffany tomorrow...if school isn't cancelled again.
9. I'm bloated from all that friggin Chinese food...does anyone find that exciting?
10. I have Breyer's Ice Cream in the freezer...how's that for exciting!

I'll update on Friday...surely I'll have something by then. Besides, I need a new project...hint, hint, wink, wink ....ideas???? Think "sweaters"...BYE!