My mind has been on an unpleasant topic this week: hate. Why people feel a need to enter a discussion between people of both genders, many religions, races and sexual orientations and spout hateful BS. (Then go back to their little religious group and brag about witnessing to the heathens or complain about being "persecuted.") I've been so angry that I haven't been able to formulate fun or interesting posts for this space. Things have died down and I feel like petting pretty yarn and going to parties (real or virtual) again. In the meantime, I got to meet some pretty fantastic people (this was all on Ravelry): for every hate-mongering jackass dragging my God's name through the mud, there were a couple dozen amazing people to chat with.

I learned something new (and feel kind of dumb for not knowing the source): "Love the sinner and hate the sin" is a quote from Ghandi. I knew it wasn't in the Bible, but love that it came from the same man that said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are not like your Christ." (Not holding up Ghandi as an example of a perfect man, just find it ironic that the quote that lots of people that call themselves Christians use came from someone who was not remotely interested in being a Christian.) For the record, I'm a Christian, and have a small number of Christian friends, but do not identify with any denomination or belong to any church. (It's complicated.)

I want to go shopping! I need summer tops and probably shoes, and definitely socks, but I'm not in the mood to shop for those things; however, I will buckle down and get some of that shopping done this weekend, because there is nothing worse than having to wear a long-sleeved, black acrylic sweater to work on a 90-degree day because I fell asleep before the few shirts that were appropriate (weather-wise) into the dryer. Shopping for clothes is not my ideal activity, but I like sweating in black acrylic less.

Craft show update: matchboxes are done (8 sets). I'm about half finished with felt bowl #10. I've been working on signage and bag toppers. I'm obviously putting off the sewing, hoping to be more in the mood. Still really looking forward to the show!

Coming up:
Saturday, June 14: Worldwide Knit in Public Day. I still haven't decided where I'm going.

Thursday, June 26: Saucy's Wedding Party. My post is ready. The problem when you write something in advance: the longer you have to edit it, the more times you read it and the more times you tweak it. My entry has been tweaked a lot, but it's a picture-filled start-to-finish recap, with virtually no drama: just the good stuff.

Saturday, Jun 28: A Fanciful Twist's Mad Tea Party (of the costume variety)

Friday, July 11: Hellboy II comes out. My love for Hellboy cannot be explained. I now have all the animated DVDs and at least the first five volumes of the collected comics (some of which were Valentine's Day presents). Four more weeks to go!

Friday, August 8: IH Contest ends (start date not yet announced -- probably July 1). Oh, it's also my birthday.

Saturday, August 23: Craft Show @ Holly Library 9:30 - ?

But first
Every morning, the radio station I listen do does a little "brain buster" contest, where they give a percentage and a segment of the population, then listeners have to guess what it is they do/don't do/believe in/find hot, etc. This morning, it was "98% of working adults think what is wrong?" The what: stealing other people's lunches.

I think I'd reword that to say that 98% of people think it's wrong for someone to steal their lunch, because I think more than 2% of people have stolen food or beverages out of the fridge/freezer. At one job I had, food was stolen constantly. Sandwiches with a bite taken out of them? Gone before the end of the day. Unlabled bowls of unknown (except to the owner) soup? At least they left the bowl in the sink when they were done. Everyone wanted to blame the night shift (phone & data entry center), but surprise! When our promotional dept. moved to another building, the thefts all but stopped, except for the things taken out of their communal fridge (they stole from each other). Those were the highest-paid people, with their own area, their own fridge, and they shopped out of the other fridges. Too sad.

When I was in high school (maybe 9th or 10th grade), all the girls kept our lunches in the bathroom window. It was high up, with a deep ledge, and stayed cool all day. Well, someone started going through all the lunches and stealing all the good stuff. All we knew is that it was probably a girl in junior or senior high. Maybe 100 suspects (really small school) A friend and I got together at my house and made molded chocolates for our lunches the next Monday. Except that we -under the tutelage of my father  - carefully blended chocolate Ex-lax into the candy melts before molding. The chocolates disappeared, but it was the last compromised lunch.

Oh, yeah. On to the point of the post:


Apparently, some part of me is seven years old, because this (above) was my "knitting bag" yesterday (it's since been cleaned out so it will close). I take an activity of some kind everywhere I go. I have a simple washcloth project in my purse, and usually a book. In my knitting bag, I cram books, patterns, tools, and any project I might want to do at lunch one day that week. I've also been known to throw in a DVD of a TV series to watch at lunch. I thought it would be fun to inventory it.

• Seven sets of knitting needles, not in use (2 pr. Sox Stix, 1 pr. sz 2 (I think) long circs, 2 short circs & 1 pr straights, 1 set DPNs)
• Sunscreen
• Lotion
• Un-seamed, but otherwise finished baby sweater
• 3 balls of yarn from finished projects
• 1 ball of yarn for no reason whatsoever
• Current project (small felted bowl = 1 ball of yarn & 1 pr needles)
• 2 tubes of glue
• Bag of ribbon
• Cupcake box (see tomorrow's CFF post)
• 2 or 3 books
• Project journal
• File folder full of patterns, papers, etc.
• Camera & iPod cables
• Knitting tools case (zippered cosmetic case)

Does not contain: snacks, gum, juice box or water bottle (or Pacifier, gwensmom  ).

Inside the knitting case (this isn't as scary):

• Scissors (vary -- I'm always losing and finding them)
• Over-the-ear light (this one sucks. I want my Sharper Image one back). I don't actually use it while I'm out, but grab for it at home sometimes.
  
• Tape measure (see note for scissors)
• Mini clicker-thingy from Clover (should be on a string)
• Flair markers (orange & pink)
  
• Crochet hook (for picking up dropped stitches -- I cannot crochet)
• Chibi
• Pumpkin spice lip balm (gift from someone that knows me pretty well -- she also gave me the case)
• Never-completed knit pumpkin (someday...)
• Thread/yarn cutter necklace
• Baggie w/ stitch marker(s) and tiny emery boards

Like I said, last night I cleaned out the bag so it not only closes, but is light and spacious. For now. Someday I'll show you the inside of my purse (not as bad as this, to be honest).

In no particular order:

The gift for an upcoming birthday that I ordered last week arrived today. Very large box. HSN sent a 15%-off coupon via email after I ordered, and I'm wondering if I need one of these as well. Okay, I don't. But I want one. At this time, however, we have no space, and I'm not baking anything until we move and I can have a kitchen to move around in, so it's a no go.

I have to be careful how I say this, because at least one person who reads this hasn't read the book yet. So, when Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out,  while people were still waiting in line at bookstores that first night, some jackasses drove by and announced a big-time spoiler. Someone (or several someones) were very patient (a couple of years patient). The guy that did it was recently beaten to a pulp by someone who was not happy about having the ending of the book ruined for him. (In case someone comes by that has a similar sense of humor, I'm screening all comments on this post.) It's not a proportionate response, but when I heard about it, I did wish some kind of karma coming around to people who did this kind of thing. Maybe not having his kneecap smashed and several other bones broken, though.

It turns out the roof on Dad's house does need some work. It's not as bad as the guy made it sound, but it's not in perfect shape.

We're going to be having a big garage sale at Dad's in June. It looks like there is a lot of sporting equipment in the garage. If you're local, and want details when the time comes, let me know.

There was something else, but it's gone right out of my head. Have a good night!

The sale (of Dad's house) fell through. The inspector found some things that needed to be fixed -- nothing significant; no problems there -- but also told the ex-buyers that even though there was nothing wrong with the roof, it should be replaced anyway. So they got scared and backed out. I am trying to be positive about it and hope this doesn't mean that we're going to have it on the market for many more months.

contest
Don't forget about my contest (previous post). You have until noon tomorrow. Many people made me smile, laugh even, and I appreciate it!

mood swing
I'm not as down as I was earlier in the week (although the news about the house has dampened the improved spirits), but I can't quite describe how I do feel. I'm yearning for adventure of some kind. Something different and fun; something to blog about. I want to find a huge jar of vintage buttons at an antique store, but I don't go to antique stores. I do have tentative plans to meet karen_d and tour some local graveyards next weekend, so that's something to look forward to! I think you can all prepare yourselves to start hearing about Halloween really soon.

where have i been?
Postage went up again yesterday?

Arsenic and Old Lace
In two words: Loved it.

The performance was staged at my niece's school. I think all of the performers were seniors, including the young man that played Mortimer. We know Aaron because he, his brother and their parents are close friends of my brother's family, and are at all the kids' birthdays. I have to say -- I was really impressed. I liked it better than some college plays and some touring "Broadway" plays I've seen. The two girls that played the aunts had their tiny, mincing steps down pat, as well as their very special brand of crazy. Aaron was very good -- he didn't seem at all nervous and had the audience laughing (as he should) in all the right places.

I have issues with parochial schools, having endured five long years in one particular hell hole (different school, same religion), but I'm tentatively impressed with my niece's school. They have extensive fine arts programs, as well as languages; and, I understand, they're adding a robotics class or club. My niece is doing exceptionally well in math, and isn't being discouraged because she's a girl (she won the "Math Bowl" earlier in the week). To give you a comparison: the students in a class a couple of years behind me got to college not knowing how to write a basic essay. We had choir, but nothing else, never any drama, nothing but sports. Only sports mattered. Right after I graduated, they dropped literature from the curriculum. For my chemistry class, we did one experiment in two semesters: mixing baking soda and vinegar. That was in the 10th or 11th grade. I'm reserving judgment for awhile -- I've not encountered a parochial school yet that encouraged independent thinking -- but at least it's a better academic experience than I had. (And she seems to like it, which also helps.)

Day of the Dead (Remake)
What was good about it: it was short.

A. The following paragraph may contain spoilers.
B. This picture has nothing to do with the movie, but this post needed another picture.

We love zombie movies, and are usually going to own whatever comes out, regardless of the quality. This movie was, in one word, lame. John is a George Romero fan, as am I. Day of the Dead wasn't my favorite Romero flick, but I liked it. This version bears so little resemblance to the original that the producers and directors should have sucked it up and just gave the movie a different title. Let's see... there are zombies in it (the fast kind (wrong!)), the military (although not entirely relevant to this story line) and a character named "Bud" (not Bub). There are also bits of Resident Evil. The movie doesn't start months into the infestation, but at the beginning. Right off the bat, these zombies climb walls, use tools and follow directions on the radio.

Big surprise that it went straight to video.

Yarn/knitting
I knit throughout the play, since I had nothing but 6.5" of mindless stockinette to do, and could easily focus on the play at the same time. The Knitpicks Options I use don't make any noise, despite being metal. Aluminum needles really click, but the nickel-plated-brass don't. As a result, I'm just about finished with the 4th Christmas hat. Three of the six hats will require a crocheted edge, so they'll be mostly done until I can arrange some help with that.

I went through my stash today, ruthlessly pulling out some skeins. Some (left) will be going to Interim House, and some will stay behind to be used as prizes.

Etcetera
I slept for almost 11 hours last night. I guess I needed it! The play was very entertaining, yet I felt myself wanting to drift off 2/3 of the way through. This was a long week! We successfully launched the new corporate site at work on Wednesday, and it's been a draining experience. At the same time, my car was in the shop and still isn't fixed correctly ($450 later). My arm is 92% better.

I've been craving a real (non-Taco Bell) nacho for several days. The closest place by us has a really sporadic schedule (they're never open when you think they would be, like lunchtime on a Saturday), so John went to another place for me. I'd ordered from there before and found the food to be tasty, but the portion small (it was like an appetizer, and I was starving), so I ordered the next size up. It came in a pizza box. A large pizza box. Most of it is still in the fridge, and I don't think it's going to heat up well.

Presents
If you are not someone that I regularly exchange gifts with in the summer, you can check out my gift ideas blog. I'm not trying to torment people, but it's too good an idea not to share.

I've also heard that my nephew, J, was a big fan of the appliqued t-shirts we've made for him, so it looks like a repeat is in order. His birthday is coming soon, so I may do some shirts for that and figure out something else for Christmas (there's time). If you need gift ideas for younger kids, I put together a mini tutorial over on Flickr.

Charlie is such an odd cat! When he's not ripping around the house at top speed, he likes being near us - but not too near. He demands scritches (on his butt) pretty much only when one of us on the toilet. On rare occasions, he will act all cuddly, and we love those moments.

This morning, about an hour before I was due to wake up, a cat climbed up onto my chest and started kneading my upper arm (the bad one). I moved around to get into a more comfortable spot, and he stuck right with me. Finally, I gave up and got out of bed, and was accompanied (at top speed) to the bathroom, where he let me pick him up and cuddle him and scratch his head. Oh, he was in bliss. Then he went stiff, and panicked and tried to get out of my arms; it was as if he'd just woken up and found himself in a strange place.

Not quite a lemon, but close
So, it's finally Friday. Not over yet, but I'm glad it's here. My car has been in the shop all week, and is still not done, so my boss let me work from home 2 days this week.

Oy, the car. I took it in late Monday, after explaining that the car was lurching on gear changes just like it had been doing a couple of months before. The mechanic didn't listen to a word I said, found a different problem, one that may have needed fixing, but at $450, I would have preferred that it fix the problem I took it in for! I picked it up at lunch yesterday, and didn't get out of the lot before I knew he hadn't fixed the problem. Took it back, and he fixed something else. Still lurching. He's not charging us for anything past the initial $450, since it's his fault he didn't pay attention to what I said. As much as I hate this car, I would like it back.

Sold
My dad's house, which has been on the market since last summer, sold yesterday. The first 6 months hardly count, since the realtor did nothing. We got a new guy a couple of months ago, and he's had steady showings. The market sucks here so bad -- we got $1,000 less than my parents paid for it 10 years ago. This will help John and I when we go to buy a place out of this county (can't wait), but it's still a bummer that values have dropped so far. Things are bad enough that we'll be lucky to get what I owe out of this house, losing the $20k downpayment.

Greasepaint
We're going to the theatre tonight. Okay, it's a play at my niece's school, but it's Arsenic and Old Lace, which I haven't seen on a stage of any kind before. (I love the movie!) I want to get the fourth Christmas hat cast on and past the increases (it's a top-down pattern) so I can do rows of mindless stockinette.

Contest
Next week, I'm going to have another comment contest. Part of the prize will be a kitschy Christmas book. Not sure about the rest. (Christmas because I'm in the mood now. I've mentioned this before, how I have to go with the spirit whenever it hits, since I don't know if it will be here when it's more appropriate/convenient.)

MCY
The poor zombie in NM must be a little nervous now that someone from the NM Attorney General office has joined Ravelry and the group devoted to shining the spotlight on her actions.

She was probably a little elated earlier in the week, when one of the claims against her was denied with the "evidence" consisting of an unsigned, undated note stating that the co. shut down at the end of December. It didn't take long before an unofficial task force was formed, consisting of a couple of lawyers and some people just interested in helping document this. They started gathering proof that the co. was still doing business as late as February, and soliciting sales for the sick, then dead, "sister" into March. A chronicler has started this website (not a lot of content yet) to keep track of what they know and can prove.

The sock puppet hasn't been back. She's probably reading, and clicking "disagree" on every post (someone is) but she hasn't had the guts to actually post in a week.

( more about the sockpuppet )

Unread entries in Bloglines: 10,000+. I'm going to dig through as much as possible, delete any that have no entries, and mark a bunch of 'em read. Crap. My friend's page here is as bad - proportionately - but there is no counter to mock me.

I bought a craft magazine yesterday, during my first trip to Michaels in months, and I'm on the fence about it. Cute ideas, but it's really a catalog for their advertisers. Sample directions: "Mug: apply rubons"; "Soup Mix: Add soup mix to jar. Add tag." (No recipe, or hint of one for said mix.)

...and it's not over (quite) yet. At least I get to work from home tomorrow.

I got an order in my Etsy shop from someone with the exact same name as me. That's just weird.  Just when I was planning on shutting the store down, too. I probably will take a break, regardless, so if anyone wants anything in the shop, I'm offering free shipping for readers of this blog. Put a comment somewhere in the order, and I'll send a revised invoice. I always send a treat of some kind.

I am just pooped. Going to watch The Office and go to bed. Mini CFF tomorrow, unless I can find some more entries.

Just b/c I'm feeling better physically doesn't mean I'm in a good mood. I'm getting tired of being late for work because the guy that drives the shuttle in the AM parks and waits to see where everyone who's coming in is going to park. Meanwhile, I either just missed him or he drove past me (today) and now I have to wait until he feels like going to drop a group off at the building and come back around. 15 min. minimum, every day. 20 min. today.

I was so proud of myself for packing my lunch last night AND remembering to take it to work! Then I got an email asking me if I was still able to have lunch w/ my rep today. Oops. Lunch is in the fridge, and will keep until tomorrow. Instead, I got to deliver the present I knit for her baby, and enjoy a not terrible salad.

Yeah, I'm not a salad person, but it actually didn't suck. I got the Caribbean salad (@ Chili's) with shrimp instead of chicken. I have to admit, fruit and salsa kind of go together, if it's the right combination (pineapple & mandarin oranges). That salad dressing rocked, too.

My friend Lisa invited me to join NaBloPoMo. I'm a little late to the party already, but seeing as how I'm way behind in posting, etc. I'm going to give it a go. Not officially, b/c I've never been able to get a ring to work on LJ, but I'll be with 'em in spirit. So, quickly:

• Listening to: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.
• Reading: Brother Odd, by Dean Koontz -- I usually get his books in hardcover, but I'm behind on that, too. So this is in paperback. I'm enjoying it quite a lot. I like Odd almost as much as Chris Snow.
• Watching: Season 4 of NCIS plus a variety of Midnight Movies (we got a "Monster" box set with 9 titles)
• Sewing: commissioned baby blanket
• Knitting: Nothing. My finger is just now well enough, so I need to pick out a new project.
• Swapping: Actually working on one for February, because I got in the mood. It's a Lucky Parcel swap (3 themed smallish parcels of craft supplies and other assorted goodies), theme "Rockabilly." I have 2 Christmas ones to do by the end of the year (don't know my partners yet) and 1 in January. Keeping my pledge to keep swaps to a minimum!

One of the movies we watched today (I'll have to go look up the title) was scarily awful, but I could see it as a starting point for an interesting conversation. Say the world has ending, and you a few bunkers that will each house about 12 people very comfortably for 5 years. They will be responsible for starting civilization over again (if the bats don't kill them all*). Who do you select? I was baffled by some of the choices in this movie, even though it turned out to be just a test. My thoughts, in no particular order: 12 individual people is too few. There is no use for a corporate president. No skills except ordering people around. In this case, the one military guy was okay, but I would think they'd tend to take over, and we've seen how well that's worked in other movies. Yes to the doctor and the biologist. No to the nutritionist, thinking the first 2 could figure out food. The folks in this movie were supposed to be the thinkers, the ones to make all the big plans, but what about the doers? All the thinking in the world can't help if you don't know how to build a structure, understand how to deal with waste, how to grow and harvest food, etc. In my scenario, these people aren't two separate classes - one to sit back and think and one to work - but parts of a bigger whole.

Wow, I think too much.

On the eating... found some wonderful substitutes. A Greek yogurt called "Fage 0%" that may taste better than sour cream (and allowed on our plan, unlike sour cream) and some meat substitute that is crumbled up like browned hamburger (Smart Ground). I make a mean soft taco: fat-free refried beans, a couple T of the "meat", low fat cheese, onions, red bell pepper, Fage and a couple T of Wild Mild salsa (made locally, which I could eat w/ a spoon) on multi-grain tortillas. I've cut my meal-time insulin in half already. John's discovered salmon burgers and can choke down the "smart dogs". Me, I'd rather have 1 real hot dog a month, but that's just me. The actual bonus: I feel better. ETA: We are not becoming vegans or even vegetarians. We were advised to reduce our meat intake and balance out our carbs, that's all.

*The "monster" in the monster movie

John and I just got back from an overnight trip to Frankenmuth. Did you know that that small city has more ordinances than any other city in the US? I didn't either. So, it's an interesting place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Imagine having everything about your home and property regulated to the point where you may as well live in a cookie cutter suburb. Anyway, it's a nice destination for us because we need to be able to give Sheldon his meds fairly on time. We stayed at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, in a honeymoon suite. The room was easily 3x larger than the room we stayed in on our actual honeymoon!

This is the first overnight away since then that was just the 2 of us and not for family business or a funeral. Note to self: the packages aren't really worth the $, especially if they include the breakfast buffet (which kind of blows). What I love about the hotel, which will bring me back, is the no-kids pool. There are four others for the kids to swim in and scream and do cannonballs while their parents sit as far away as possible and chat while completely ignoring them. If we were traveling with people that had kids, it would be a different story.  We didn't actually check out the adult pool, since I wanted to see the waterfall pool (eh) and we ran out of energy to track down another. 

Still catching up! First, it's been well over a week since I got to meet celticsuncat in person, along with her adorable daughter. We've known each other online for close to three years, via a site we both frequented while planning our respective weddings. For the time being, she's living close enough that we could arrange a central place to meet and chat. She brought me some sock yarn to play with, and when I'm finally ready to start a pair, that will be the yarn I use. It was a real treat to see & meet baby P, who slept almost completely through our visit, but woke up long enough for me to hold her and coo. I started on a present for her yesterday (some legwarmers), but after 3 false starts (splitty yarn, too-short cables, changing the cast on amount), I realized that those legwarmers did not want to be knit on my car ride and put them away. I didn't knit another stitch the rest of our trip. Once I'm all unpacked and recovered, I will get them out again.

The next night, John and I went to jennifred40's house to have dinner with her and her husband. Jennifer and I met at summer Bible camp mumblemumble years ago, and have recently gotten back in touch. It was a fun evening! We had some yummy food, then sat and talked movies while Jennifer and I did some knitting. She's starting a new job, but hopefully we'll be able to find some time to do it again soon.

Wow, I'm tired. I have to leave for a couple of errands, and then I think a nap is calling!

Lessee... In no particular order:

• I got a package from my Fiber Godmother already! I hope to photograph tomorrow. 
  
• I finished my faboo wrist warmers. It's hard to believe that they're wool; they are so squishy and soft (merino is like that). I tried a modified Calorimetry, using the same yarn, but it was tragically too big before the halfway point. I'm glad that I checked and didn't waste any more time. I'm giving it one more chance -- reducing the cast on by another 16 stitches, maybe 20.
• I won a drawing, can you believe it? The Felt Mouse is destashing her fabric collection and is sending me a big 'ole box of fabric. I cannot wait!!
• I'm sick. As in "Nyquil is my new best friend" kind of sick. Since Sunday, but the coughing really didn't start in earnest until today. Luckily, I get to work from home tomorrow, so my cubicle neighbors won't feel the need to stuff me in a closet.
  
• I am 100% caught up on all swaps! Except for the one I'm hosting that is still missing an item from a participant. However, I've been assured that it is in the mail. So, I'm 100% caught up on everything it is within my power to do.
• One of my friend's boss quit, very dramatically, this week. Again. (I guess he does it annually.) But this time, they've all agreed that he's staying gone. He was like an abusive parent/spouse, always calling them terrible names and just going off. This is not how grown-ups behave. It was very hard for the team members who really did come from abusive backgrounds. They believed in what they were doing, but had to endure so much crap that it had morale in the toilet. It's going to be tough for their team, but in the long run, I think it will be a good thing. I had a boss once that was kind of like that, although he was more paranoid and passive-aggressive than outright abusive, and it was HARD. I was the 4th or 5th person in a row to quit and say "I quit and it's 100% because of X." Of course, he got promoted. (Okay, I don't know that. I do know that he was a cousin-by-marriage to our VP and he did not lose his job.)
• Oh! Check out this fabric! I want it ALL. Of course, not one quilt shop around here carries it (I'd like to get a yard or so per paycheck instead of ordering and paying for a bunch all at once), but I did find an online supplier that has it. There are knitter's skulls and quilter's skulls, plus so many other cool prints. Brilliant. Just freaking brilliant.
• Finally, Heather made me join Twitter.

Tomorrow is Friday. Happy Friday! There will be a CFF entry, at some point.

Earlier this week, I mentioned feeling overwhelmed and behind on many things. I’ve made great progress on the overwhelmed, but it turns out I wasn’t really late for many things. Two items* are going out a day late, and two more are actually early! There is one swap that I’m very behind on, but it has to do with obtaining the right shipping container: I hosted a 5 Things swap, all the items were sent to me, but one item is awkwardly shaped. I think I’ve figured out a solution: Pizza boxes. Tonight, I’ll see if any of the local pizza shops will sell me 4 large boxes, and I should be good to go. The other thing that is technically late is another 5 Things swap, and I’m still waiting for a participant to mail her item to me. So that one isn’t my fault!

I am dropping out of one swap group, though. It was a cool one, but complicated and expensive for a swap where I didn’t get anything in return. If my package was coming from overseas, I’d be a little more patient, but it’s coming from the US and I’ve been told twice that it was being mailed. The last time was 3 weeks ago, so I’m guessing it’s not coming. Of course I saw one of the things I sent my partner go right back out to her partner in the exact same swap. (I know not everything I send is going to be perfect for someone, so I would understand that some items would end up back in their “swap box,” but wow.) That wouldn’t keep me from playing again, but spending all that money on the items, making items, shipping it overseas, and getting zilch back, has killed it for me. It baffles John when I keep signing up for swaps, since I’ve gotten burned so many times. But I think I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of really excellent groups, and I’m going to limit myself to those.

My first order of business is to get the ticket I got last night cleared up. I didn’t get my registration renewed on my car when I was supposed to (last week) and my plates expired. I ended up getting a ticket for an “unsigned registration.” I believe the officers were trying to find a way to cut me some slack, since I have a good driving record, so I’m not complaining, but I’ve honestly never heard of this, and neither has anyone else I’ve talked to. The last time I remember signing a registration, it was because I was selling the car. So, Michigan folks, apparently you have to sign the back of your registration. I can get the fee waived if I take the new registration – signed – to any police station, have them sign the ticket, and mail the whole she-bang to the court. If they have it by the end of the month, then it should be cleared.

That made for a fun evening! Firstly, I got out of work a little later, which put me into a more congested traffic window. I was trying to get to the Post Office when I got pulled over, and still had to accomplish that task. (Luckily, the big PO by us is open until 6 or 7). While I continued my travels, John tracked down a proof of insurance for me (thank goodness the cops didn’t ask to see that!). A quick stop by the house to pick up that paper, then on to the Secretary of State (providentially open late on Wednesdays only).

Tangent: Wow. I’ve never seen lazier people in all my life. Every time I go to the Secretary of State (like DMV in other places), there are a couple of people working, and twice that many standing around, chatting, leaning on the counter, doing anything but working.

Michigan has switched to new license plates. You can get the basic one for free (part of your tag cost), or pay extra for a slightly fancier one. Yeah, like I’m giving the state MORE money so I can have a picture on my generic plate. The basic one, with a new tag, is in my back window until I can get it switched out.

John is sick (head cold), so I also had to get dinner and go to the drugstore to get him some NyQuil and DayQuil. Finally, home to collapse. But of course, I didn’t collapse! I spend what was left of the evening preparing the swap packages mentioned earlier.

Weekend, get here quick!

*One of which I don’t even remember signing up for!

I think I mentioned before that it's been a weird, or intersting, week. I was not exaggerating. The bad stuff was mostly work-related -- mistakes I made based on bad information. So not entirely my fault, but I'm the one up front and the person who told me X and Y would work in a certain way is gone. One was bad enough that I thought I was going to get fired, but my boss was cool and said that we needed to get a better process in place and I'm not allowed to work on this file type anymore. This is FINE with me, since I shouldn't have been doing it in the first place!

I remembered to draw the winner for my comment contest - over 24 hours late (if she wants one, a custom tote will be on the way to the winner). I remembered to post about the IH Birthday Contest... about a week later than originally planned (still plenty of time, though). In good news, my blood glucose levels are approaching normal. I'm still tired a lot of the time, but feeling better overall.

Fun Find, thanks to the Mario fan in my house:
Grow your own 1up mushroom. For real! The spores are dyed in a particular way, and this is what you get.

Crafty Fun Friday is chock full of goodness for tomorrow! So full that I started a list for next week already.

We saw the new Harry Potter movie. Since it was based on my favorite book, it was eagerly awaited on my part. I'd give it a 4 our of 5 stars. Didn't hate it, but there were so many things missing! Not just favorite scenes that I'd hoped to see on screen, but scenes that seemed integral to the plot &/or character development. No one except Harry had any kind of personal life - even Ron and Hermione were treated as just window dressing most of the time. Great fun and all, but lacking. I've reserved the final book and may or may not get it at the midnight release on the 20th. I might wait until Saturday morning, pick it up, then read all day. I'm actually dreading this as much as I'm anticipating it, because of the hints the author has dropped.

More about movies: over the weekend, John talked me into watching the most offensive movie of all time, Terror Firmer. So now I can say that I've seen the most offensive movie, ever, but my mind may never be the same. I've seen worse movies (Don't Look Now, Muriel's Wedding), but this was intentially bad.

The weird little video store by our house had Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on DVD for 99¢ each. I remember watching that terrible flick on Sir Graves Ghastly (just found that link -- it's a site I'll need to visit again) when I was a kid. The movie's main claim to fame was that it featured a young Pia Zadora. Anyway, I bought 3 copies. They are probably not great prints, but hey - $1! I will give two away... just need to think about how. Any suggestions?

Yum!
Dinner on 24 June, 2007
My favorite stir-fry place (even more then BD's) is Stir Crazy. They have the few veggies I like and the best sauces, and I never screw it up.

I do the same thing every time: celery, red bell peppers, water chesnuts, baby corn, onions, spinach & bamboo.* A small scoop of peanuts and a tad of garlic. Then 2 ladles of peanut sauce, 1 of "basic Chinese" and about a Tbl. of Szechuan. Flank steak & lo mein.

John eats more veggies, and uses all the spicy sauces.

*Until I typed it out, I was thinking I hardly had any veggies (I'm a picky veggie eater), since I passed so many by, but this doesn't suck.

Ask me how much I'd rather be soaking in a hot, bubbly tub right now, rather than in my desk chair 40 miles away from said tub. Answer: a whole lot!

I endured a little hip injury over the weekend. Other than that, it was a good time. I accomplished quite a lot – maybe not what I planned on, but still plenty. But then… anyone want a fur hat? Mostly gray, with a little bit of white?

John and I are fairly used to being injured by Charlie: we each have scars in very interesting places (I have 3 long ones under my left breast), because he seems to think we are trampolines. This time, though, he really did it. He injured me.

I had a splinter in my foot, and put John to work to get it out. Since he was resting in bed, I stretched out, sideways/diagonally, with my foot on his chest and my head hanging off the side, while he brandished a super-bright LED flashlight and a straight pin. It was a particularly nasty splinter, so I was doing a bit of flinching and whining as John worked. Right after he cautioned me (again) to keep still, Charlie leapt onto my knee and off again, with his weight from the landing and pushing off again forcing my leg sideways, in a direction it did not want to go. I went from whining to literal tears – it hurt so badly!

Achy hip, sore knee. Woot! Glad I got the laundry done earlier, otherwise, I wouldn’t have had anything to wear to work today.

After similar antics caused John’s keyboard to crash to the ground umpteen times, yesterday it finally gave up the ghost, so he went out to get a cheap-o replacement, and came back with something for me to do.

I am not a huge fan of video games. Partly because I suck at them, in general. Because I’m not very coordinated and don’t react quickly enough. And partly because – if I don't entirely suck – I can lose entire afternoons/evenings. I'd rather have something to show for my time. However, since there wasn't a lot I could do anyway, I was happy to give up my day to virtual gardening and piñata farming.

Shoes
I'm going to Mayfaire on Saturday. It's my first time there. I'm mostly going because Heather is manning a friend's booth and it's about halfway between our homes. The fact that it's a Renaissance faire is just a bonus. I realized the other day that I don't have any shoes to wear. I've completely worn out my Dreamshoes (both pair). Maybe someday I'll spend some $ and get some excellent, period shoes, but for Saturday, I just need something that will pass for period and don't cost too much.

I went to Payless at lunch on my at-home day. I was beginning to be very sad, because they had nothing I could work with. I was hoping for a simple pair of lace-up shoes, similar to a kind I'd worn to faire in the past, but they had nothing. On a whim, I went to check out the men's section, and found a pair of shoes that will do. Except they're not shoes. They're slippers. But they have rubber soles and suede uppers, and except for the bow (from the laces), they're just simple shoes.

Such a long list of things to get together by tomorrow night (I'll leave the house around 6 AM on Saturday)! In the last 3 seasons, I've been to MiRF a total of 3 times, and haven't been to SLRF since '04. So my stuff is spread out all over! Wish me luck on putting something wearable together.

Drugs
I think I mentioned before that my neurologist (whom I see about migraines) tried to medicate away my grief when I saw him last month. I don't have an issue with taking drugs when they're needed and, in fact, have been taking antidepressants off & on for years. However, doubling my regular antidepressant and adding .5 mg of Xanax three times a day? Pushing it to the extreme! I needed to actually function, you know? I left the stack of prescriptions on my sewing machine table, along with all the samples, and went on my way. But then my right eye started twitching again, and nothing I could do would stop it, so I figured an evening dose of the Xanax might help a little.

Day 1 (Monday), I took one .5 mg tab around 7 p.m. It didn't make me drowsy or anything, but I woke up feeling like complete crap. The only good news: my eye didn't start twitching until later than usual. Day 2 (Tuesday), I took half of a tablet, and didn't feel quite as bad on Wednesday, but not well enough to take any last night (although my eye twitched less). It definitely seems to help, but the sluggishness the next day isn't worth it. Maybe I'll try ½ a tablet on the weekends only.

What is it with doctors? When I was in college, a doctor asked me if I overate when I was anxious. (I was a little overweight then, nothing like now.) I said yes, because it was true. But he didn't ask if I overate when I was happy, celebrating, sad, bored... He wrote a prescription for Xanax: 0.25 mg, 1-2 every 4 hours. I didn't realize what they were, so I tried them, and just one turned me into a zombie. I wonder what EIGHT a day would do? I ended up keeping them just for major PMS days, but refused to take more than one a day, and even then only 1-2 days per month.

My neurologist prescribed almost the same amount - 0.50 mg, 3x per day - because I was sad over my father's death. I don't understand that. Am I just super-sensitive to these meds, or do some people really need to be that numb? Even if I didn't have to get in a car and drive an hour each way to work, and function all day, I can't imagine taking pills like that on a regular basis.

It's been a long weekend, but in a good way! John and I went to see "28 Weeks Later" on Friday, and hit the Gibralter Trade Center on Saturday, touring the sales floor, the flea market and the gun & knife show. The best and worst things happened over there: in the book stall, I found and bought the last Happy Hollister book. That was the best thing. The worst thing is that, while it was the last book in the series, it wasn't the book I NEEDED. Aaargh. I had even worked out a device to help me remember which one I needed, and it went straight out of my head when I saw the row of books. But we'll go back another day and I'll see if they have the RIGHT one.

I also got a lot of sewing done, stuff I've owed to people for some time. Pics are over in Flickr. I'll probably post them here too, eventually. Having old stuff on my to-do list makes me crazy, so it's good that these things are all packaged up and ready to mail!

Going to go watch more of NCIS - Season 3 and knit. I'm working on one of these, trying to get it to the point where it's on circular needles so I can knit & walk while I stroll the grounds at Mayfaire next Saturday. My persona isn't inspired, but I have a cool hat: I'm a knitting witch, so I need to make sure I have something easy to knit. So far, this pattern is pretty nifty, once you get past the 6 stitches on 3 needles. Increasing once per row makes the increases spiral around the hat, and makes the top part - at least - twisted. Shiny!

This morning, in the way in to work, I saw a jogger being attacked by a goose. He was just running in place, on the corner, minding his own business and waiting for the light to change. He must have been standing near a nest, and the parents would have none of it.

My ride got more interesting, as I drove into a very thick fog. A lot of weather seems to happen right where 96 & 275 split -- the other day, the weatherman on the radio said that there was rain right around the 275 split, and don't ya know, it was raining exactly in that spot. Anyway, the fog was really thick, but we were all managing okay, until the exit, where our light was stuck on red, and oncoming traffic had green. You know how sometimes it feels like your light is stuck on red, but it's really not? This was really stuck on red. So we had to inch forward and try to see through the peasoup fog and essentially run the light (turning left). Just before I got to take my turn, a police car pulled up. And just sat there. For maybe 5 minutes. No one seemed to want to go - not and risk getting a ticket - but the driver just turned on his lights and SAT there. So, we all started running the light. The guy to my left (double turn lane) almost got himself killed, because he decided to go before it was CLEAR, but stopped just in time. It was a very nerve-wracking morning!

Trade offer: I have one of my exclamation point Tshirts up for trade, size (kids) Medium or Large. Black tee, with appliqued "!" on the front. (Note: Med. is pending.) They didn't sell in my Etsy shop, but maybe someone would like to trade for one? I've also listed a Chthulhu Jr. shirt on leahpeah's trade a Craft, to see how that goes.

This weekend was a long time coming!

Working on: knitting tiny washcloths, using Paton's Grace on size US2 needles. I plan to make a dozen or so, and affix them to tags to send to Interim House. They put washcloth kits together but don't have the time or manpower to knit mini examples.

Today, I got off work a little early (because of OT worked earlier in the week), so John and I went to see Spiderman 3. It was pretty good, but #2 is still my fave.

Tomorrow, I'll be driving a little north to visit J-dub and Sprocket, and the new baby goat, Hubcap. If I remember to take the camera, there will be pictures. J & I will also be giving ourselves (or each other) pedicures.

Now, it's time for me to hit the hay! I'm up way later than usual tonight. Hope everyone is well!