knitwithcats

Been a while!

2011-03-15T17:12:00.001-05:00

No one has touched this blog in over 2 yrs! Kind sad but not sad enough for me to actually keep it current.

Simon's Cat

2009-10-02T08:59:00.004-05:00

Adorable!

2009-07-31T22:47:00.005-05:00

This hamster sure is cute. But is he using his testicles as a pillow?

A Cautionary Love Story

2009-05-18T22:17:00.001-05:00

The cats expression at the end, says it all.

2009-05-12T12:17:00.002-05:00

Music Monday with a Twist!

2009-05-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

In a Perfect World, He Would Have Bought His Own Cat Litter Too

2009-05-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

How to Sell Your Knitting

2009-04-29T20:58:00.002-05:00

Don't bother with Etsy, just put a sandwich board outside your igloo! It's that easy.

Music Monday: Sunday Edition

2009-04-26T09:17:00.001-05:00

Combines kwc's two favorite things: Pixar animation and dancing dogs.

Music Monday - A Real Post

2009-04-19T23:50:00.002-05:00

Here is some real music. Everyone enjoy!!

Music Monday

2009-04-19T23:36:00.002-05:00

She left me no choice people. My threats had no effect. No MM post from KWC, thus, I did it for her.

P.S. If you thought Franzl was hot, just wait til you see the dancer guy in this video!!!

Tasty Tuesday

2009-04-13T23:57:00.002-05:00

Music Monday was slightly traumatizing so here is a new category: Tasty Tuesday. Since I just watched the latest Bond movie Sunday, I feel this post is appropriate. Enjoy!

Once is never enough!

And I'm done...

Music Monday

2009-04-13T07:36:00.003-05:00

i don't usually listen to music like this, but i can't stop listening to this song. i'm surprised Franzl didn't set his lederhosen on fire with his hotness. Not kidding yall!
-B

My Dream Life

2009-04-08T01:07:00.003-05:00

Just add yarn & books & I would be the happiest woman in the world. This place looks amazing. Check it out:

Music Monday

2009-04-05T23:43:00.001-05:00

With friends like these...

2009-04-04T01:28:00.003-05:00

First clue: suspicious reference in an email from tuttut asking how my spirituality is going.

Second clue: tuttut & dropstitchdeb have become obsessive twitter freaks.

Third clue: tuttut & dropstitchdeb both have evil sides that, while they usually suppress it very well, come shooting through in very insidious ways.

Result: I am now following Rush Limbaugh & some pentecostal church via twitter.

Conclusion: my friends are assholes.

Keep your friends close & poke your enemies in the eyes with your knitting needles...

Music Monday

2009-03-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

Best. Show. Ever!

Roxanne's Christmas list (Shop early!)

2009-03-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

Roxanne demanded equal time for dogs. And since she doesn't have opposable thumbs, which makes typing difficult, I agreed to post this for her.

*Notes: Roxanne specified that she prefers the memory foam mattress for her bed. She also said, and I'm quoting here: "Roxy don't go for that fake stuff in her bling!" Guess that means no rhinestones.

Today's guest poster: DineometerDeb of the fabulous blog http://www.dineometer.blogspot.com/.

Friend or Snack

2009-03-26T22:00:00.002-05:00

Dine-o-meter takes over!!

2009-03-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

news update:

for some reason, when i open the layout page of my blogger dashboard, nothing shows up on my computer. when i open it on dine-o-meter's computer, i have a layout page. how unfair is that?? so all of those knitting tags i have wanted to put on my blog i can now add to my blog... but not from my computer... life is cruel. and i am tired and whiny so i am letting dine-o-meter take over my blog & add stuff to it & play around & widget me out. my blog is getting pimped. so any normal, adult content cannot be blamed on me. it is all her fault. i leave my 2 followers in her hands...

A new job and no pics

2008-11-18T23:38:00.003-05:00

so i have a new job that a poorly trained monkey can do but that is ok b/c a job is a job, right? i found it interesting how many people in my training class are in my same situation - educated, management experience, good pay - and simply could not find a job. as one man said, misery loves company - especially considering how little we are paid. but they do pay tuition reimbursement and offer medical insurance so that's good. i am selling my car because it is either that or live in it and i really don't know where i would plug in the catgenie and ain't none of us livin' without it!

and i caved. dinomeaner asked me to teach her how to knit socks so she came over to my abode and i got her started and then became nosey (shocking, i know) and was looking in her knitting bag and saw Twilight and thought, hmmm, wonder if this book is anything near the hysteria it has inspired? so i picked it up and started reading... 64 pages later dinomeaner had to rip it out of my hands and run out the door hitting me over the head with her knitting bag to keep me from snatching it back! how rude of her!

since friday, i have finished my own copy of Twilight and New Moon and have started Eclipse. these books are definitely addictive. are they Harry Potter? no. nor are they Faulkner on a bad day, half drunk, and dictating to a monkey - but Faulkner is the platinum standard so when Meyers reads this post, as you know she will, i hope she is not offended. most of the time, i do not like to have to digest a book's poetry. i, like most lazy humans, do not like to think when reading - i like to escape. and that's what this series does and does very, very well - allows you to escape and enjoy an adventure that is interesting and well written without requiring you to have a dictionary next to you or wikipedia pulled up on your laptop. while i think that The Road may be one of the best books i have ever read, i can only read so many of that nature. life is too much most days so i don't need my fiction to be what pushes me over the edge - i want my fiction to distract me and make the edge less attractive and life more interesting. this series has definitely kept me interested!

oh, and i also blog slapped dinomeaner about not posting in like 2 weeks so i had to make myself sit down and write something before she could! ha - i win!!

WOW!

2008-11-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Tina Fey does not have to leave the planet and I don't have to move to Canada because Obama won. I think I am still in shock. And I must say that if I am experiencing this level of shock and hope, I truly cannot conceive the level of hope and optimism the African American community must be feeling. I can only image and try to internalize the words of friends like Essie as they express what this victory means to black people specifically and Americans in general. Just wow.

and I would be posting a picture of my cat but I have a new phone and cannot figure out how to send my pics from my phone to my email. I think I might have to cave and read the book tomorrow. Sucks.

But congratulations America - we finally voted out GW and his potential replacement, Palin. Because you might not be willing to say it, but we all know that there was not way McCain was going to live through his entire term. Sorry - but it needed to be said.

how to label your boxes

2008-09-30T21:18:00.006-05:00

my friend j told me today it is not that i am handling my current situation (lack of employment and how it came about) well - it just hasn't hit me yet. and damn if the bitch wasn't right because i am no longer handling it well.

i take 2 medications daily (and then some if needed) and had a 3 month supply called in to wal-mart for pick up today because today is my last day with medical insurance (technically, i could COBRA but as i have yet to hit the lottery, i cannot afford to COBRA). turns out, i am not due for refills until 10/3 and 10/11 and my BCBS plan does not offer an early pick up option. so, as all of my well laid plans always end, this one too ended in failure.

and that's when it hit me. i am sitting at the stop light leaving wal-mart and tears are rolling down my face.

when my neighbor/friend/former coworker brought me the box of stuff that was cleaned out of my desk for me (and termed "just some shit" by my former ___ ) i set the box on the floor next to a box containing things from my store. i laughed and said out loud to myself, "look, another box of failure! i think i'll start numbering them!"

at the light at wal-mart, it ceased to be funny. the reality is that i am unemployed in one of the worst job markets in the last 20 years; my 1 remaining 401k is so in the crapper i would not be surprised to receive notice that it has actually rolled back to $0.00; my medical insurance lapses at 12:01 am; no one has called me for an interview; and it will be another week before there is even a possibility of my being notified of whether or not my unemployment was approved (if approved, the state max for me is $275/week before withholding. i know, envy my windfall).

i think the icing on the mental breakdown cake was seeing all of the red & blue school flags on the cars and realizing that this is homecoming weekend and also my 15 year high school reunion weekend. nothing says i have arrived like being unemployed & unable to afford health insurance. i can actually say i have no self esteem left.

i thought the whole point of going to a good high school, getting a college degree, and working hard was so at 34 i would not find myself in this fucking situation? Seriously! remind me again why i am still paying back student loans? again i succeeded in making an investment in nothing - and that was over 10 yrs ago and cannot be blamed on the current economic shit storm. you know you've hit a new low when you're excited about making $70/night waiting tables at the olive garden. that's not even good waitressing money!

tried working hard. was laid off. tried following my dream. declared bankruptcy. tried working hard again. no idea what happened this time. no explanation. nothing.

at least i now know how to subtitle my boxes: Failure #1 - where your dreams died. Failure #2 - just some shit.

Hell Has Frozen Over and I Have The Sweater To Prove It

2008-07-01T17:48:00.005-05:00

Blinky tested and approved.

Thank you, Knitting Goddess, for granting me strength to finish this project by making wool a natural fire retardant.

This sweater will be mailed to the Northeast the first of next week and pics of the beloved nephew wearing it, sans face, will be posted asap. As much as I now hate this project, I have to say that I am really proud of the finished product. He'll look great wearing it once for the pic because by now it is too freakin' small! But he has a little sister who hasn't started reading Harry Potter yet so she will get some wear out of it - if he'll share.

I am a Failure as a wife

2008-06-12T20:43:00.002-05:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

I found this link on another blog and thought, what the hell and took the test. The results speak for themselves. Now, I am not married so I answered the questions as honestly as I could. But still - a FAILURE? A little harsh. Take the test and see how you do - especially you married women out there and let me know how it goes!

And Dine-o-meaner, I would not hit you were you actually to show up for Saturday knitting - I would just pull your needles out of your knitting. Knitting violence takes many forms...

Sofa vs. Boxes Full of Books

2008-06-10T17:55:00.006-05:00

Just wondering who will win - the couch or the boxes of books?

Tinkerbell votes that her mom is an idiot.

I've been Blog-Bitch Slapped!!

2008-05-28T19:50:00.006-05:00

Oh, it is on, Dine-o-meter!! The sound of crickets?? Am I the one skipping out on Saturday Knitting? Noooo, that would be you. Except, I missed 2 weeks ago and may miss this week... But that's not the point!

What is the point, you ask? I have been called out for my spotty (at best) blogging. How rude of you to point out the obvious! I am a busy single mother of 4 who works all day and comes home very tired and in need of toast! Did it ever occur to you that I have nothing interesting in my life to blog about? Well, thank you for pointing out my extremely boring existence to your readers.

I mean, look at these faces:

Roxanne needs lots of love and reassurance!

Blinky needs supervision - she has started stealing my cigarettes again!

Tinkerbell obviously needs to be fed!

And Izzy - it's just interesting to watch her watch the world, and bugs, go by.

So there! I killed all the freakin' crickets over here, Dine-o-meaner!!

I LOVE this man!

2008-04-09T21:26:00.003-05:00

I was not planning on writing anything tonight but in making my nightly rounds of my favorite blogs, I stopped by www.jezebel.com and read this article titled, "10 Things Karl Lagerfeld Could Do Without."

Read and enjoy! I love that he is completely honest - hates kids and meat and fat girls and skinny girls and the 90's and prints and... As one person commented, he is like your favorite batshit crazy uncle. But those weird gloves. So demode. And of course he only wants to talk about the fat girls - everyone knows they are the most fabulous and interesting women in the world! But I don't think that was his reason for wanting to talk about them...

Enjoy!

Oh, and here is Roxanne's toy, Bear (don't you love my creativity in naming her toys?). Bear is not longer with us as he lost his arms then legs then head. At that point, he went to his Glad grave. Sad day for Roxanne...

Cat Pee vs. Wooden Knitting Needles

2008-03-12T18:49:00.004-05:00

An epic battle that has been raging for ages - but which will finally triumph? Thanks to Blinky, we may finally have an answer. Looks sweet and innocent, doesn't she? Docile, lovable, cute and posed? She is just this side of evil.

You see, Blinky is one of the four kittens I found in a drainage ditch and bottle fed and loved and cared for until the other three were old enough to go to new homes. As you can imagine, Blinky has a bit of a princess complex. When I moved to my new apartment, she did not adjust well. I did not realize how not well she was doing until I started smelling cat pee and started sniffing around. I discovered that random boxes containing books, bins with random contents, and a box with knitting patterns & needles were drenched in cat pee. Not misted, not a slight puddling but a concerted effort at soaking every single item in each box.

Horror! Disgust! A strong desire to pass out from the smell! I dragged boxes outside and tossed most things in the dumpster. There is no saving a book from cat pee. The cd's could be cleaned, the patterns were done, and the throw knit from hand painted yarn could be saved by the dry cleaner. The knitting needles - they were an unknown. Could they be saved?

I asked A for her expert opinion. I proposed wiping them all down with Clorox wipes but would that take off the varnish and ruin them? A responded that being covered with cat pee had also ruined them so what did I have to lose? Her logic is undeniable. I was either going to ruin a few hundred dollars worth of needles or have a few hundred dollars of ruined needles.

The great experiment began. All needles were wiped down well with the wipes and then wiped again with a damp paper towel then subjected to a sniff test. Test results were inconclusive - they still smelled like lemon from the wipes. So now I am pausing in the typing to go and check for the final results:

A random sampling indicates that wooden needles do indeed defeat cat pee! One or two may have to go but that is a small price to pay for overall success. Blinky's evil plan was only minimally effective. Now I must go love on my evil genius and her associates. They can pee on my needles, eat my socks, and sharpen their claws on my sofa but like a teenager overwhelmed with hormones and in thrall to her first boyfriend, I ignore all of the negative and pretend they love me as much as I love them. And as they cannot talk, I'll never know differently.

A Very Sad Passing

2008-02-14T19:42:00.006-05:00

Last Monday I came home from work and found Bailey curled up in the batting of my box spring mattress dead. An abrupt assessment? Well, it was an abrupt moment - just ask my poor mother who received a phone call that was completely incomprehensible due to my sobbing and sniffing and hysterics. I really don't think she understood anything I was attempting say for the first 15 - 20 seconds of the conversation. Then she had to walk me through the preparing of the body for refrigeration (I'll come back to that) and the opening of the first beer of many.

I ended the phone call and her misery and then realized I would be incapable of concentrating on work the next day and so thinking I could hold it together, I called my boss to tell him I would not be in Tuesday. Well, needless to say, he also could not understand the first 15 - 20 seconds of our phone call but was very sweet. I then remembered that I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday and called their office and left a completely incoherent message on their machine. It was a trifecta of incomprehensible messages.

So the fridge. I wanted her cremated and so I had to keep her chilled until I could get her to the vet in the morning. So I wrapped her in a towel, put her in a garbage bag, and put her in the fridge. Morbid, yes. Effective, yes.

Tuesday morning I work my way step by step toward the vet. First getting the bag from the fridge to the door; door to car; car to vet; bag from car to front door; front door to front desk. And crying the whole time. I drop off Bailey with the very kind staff and cry my way back to the car. I am sitting in the car sobbing (no delicate, gentle tears here - snot and sobs only) and I notice this elderly man looking at me. I give him the "I acknowledge you as a fellow human only because my mother taught me that this is what I should do" smile and he mouths the words, "I'm sorry" and I mouth back, "Thank you." More sobbing until I realize that the man is back outside my window. Addled with grief, I crack the window and the man proceeds to tell me how he once a wonderful dog that he loved very much (it helps if your inner voice assumes a Scandinavian accent while reading his story). His dog was deaf and every time he got in his truck the dog would stand there and then move out of the way. Well, she was deaf. So one day, he started the truck and ran over the dog. Because the dog was deaf, it didn't move out of the and he ran over it. He loved that dog very much and he understands how I feel. End of the story. What do you say to that??? I said, "Thanks," started the car, and left.

How do these people find me? Am I cosmically listed? At least it made me laugh - so hard I had to pull over and blow my nose and wipe my eyes. Bailey would have enjoyed every moment of my misery but have been the first to let me rub my face in her fur while she purred in my ear. I miss her every morning when she's not demanding to be fed and at night when she's not beating up the other cats and the dog. She was mean, she peed on me in bed more than once, and I loved her so much. She cannot be replaced.

End of the month - Just a little stressed...

2008-01-29T19:35:00.001-05:00

It almost sounds like I'm waiting for the stick to change colors! I'm just waiting for the month to end so the craziness will end for a day or so before we start panicking about next month. Ah, the circle of life.

So I moved from my crack house (with the great Victoria porch) to this nicer and much larger apartment in November '07. I have not unpacked anything. My clothes came in garbage bags so emptying those into the dresser or on to the closet rack doesn't really count. I bought new dishes and glasses so those, while existing, did not actually "move" any farther than from Wal Mart to my kitchen. How sad is that?

You can actually see the boxes and storage bins of yarn behind Bailey. If I had any shame, I would be feeling it at this point - and nothing. Which is a good thing, really, as drastic changes in personality is one of the signs that my meds aren't working. So all is well.

Oh, and the pic? That is the "get your ass off the couch and feed me now" look that Bailey has perfected over the years. She held that look without blinking through 3 flash pictures. That cat has staying power.

Back in saddle, so to speak

2008-01-10T20:25:00.000-05:00

My friend, B, is a regular blogger and reading her post tonight inspired my to get back at it and set some time aside during the week to post. So here I go...

I looked at my last post and was shocked to realize how old it was - April 2007! So much has happened I can't reasonably cover it all here. The highlights:

1. I moved from a crack house to a nice quiet apartment with so much more room for the crazy cats and the new addition, Roxanne the rat terrier.

2. I bought a dog. This statement sounds misleading - like I bought her from a breeder. I actually bought her from my crack addicted neighbor who was strung out and needing money for another hit. While you always have choices, I felt that in this situation, I did not have a choice as not buying Roxanne would have haunted me endlessly because he was going to sell her to someone and who knew how that person would treat her. So for $60, I acquired a spastic rat terrier who needs love and patience. She has settled in so well - she plays with the cats, chews up her toys, and sleeps under the covers with me every night. She is the best $60 I have ever spent.

3. I am still employed by the same company; still enjoying having medical insurance; and really loving my "new to me" convertible VW Beetle.

4. I am leading a Saturday morning knitting group of wonderful women who are constantly supportive, smart, funny, and creative. What more could you ask of your friends?

I would add some pictures at this point but we are having a terrible thunder storm and my camera is in my car so above is a pic that B took while walking Roxanne.

More pics and stories to follow and in a more timely fashion!

2007-04-25T17:53:00.000-05:00

The pic is of "Bird Cat" and it was one of many purchases I made at the 4 Bridges Art Festival. For those of you who know that I have a bird phobia and are wondering why I bought it, I just imagine that the cat is about to eat the bird. A little sick, but it works.

I had a little too much financial fun there, though. Oh, well, it was all so pretty! How was I to resist? The only thing that could have made it even better would have been a shoe vendor. Maybe next year...

This week at work has been crazy! I've been department hopping, project juggling, going to a funeral, and setting up a blind date - but not for me!

The funeral was for my aunt T's mother. She died Saturday night from cancer - she was very ill and in pain so her passing was a blessing in that respect. T has lost a lot of weight caring for her mother and is just exhausted. No matter that it was a blessing - I still cannot imagine losing my mother. It literally makes me tear up just thinking about it. And to stand at the front of the room at the funeral home and have to greet and talk to all of the people - I would just want to scream, "You don't understand! She was MY mother!" I know many of you have lost your mothers and I cannot understand how you function. Even the thought nearly paralyzes me. We all have to go but I do not have to like it or accept it gracefully! I didn't do that when Maggie died and I have not plans to change now! Tirade against death now over.

On a much better note (maybe I should have put this before the death rant but at least I'm ending on a good note!), I have set up my first blind date! My friend J is meeting a guy I work with, M, on Sat for drinks. I am more excited than they are - they are just nervous while I am completely giddy! My self esteem isn't on the line! Why should I be nervous? I'm going as a "date facilitator" and if it goes well, I'll leave. If it bombs, we'll drink a few beers, dump him, and have a good girls' night.

Now, I'm working on getting myself a date! I'm working on it and will report fully when it happens!

And I have not given up on the socks - I am waiting for my brother to give me his foot measurement. Very rude of him to keep me waiting, I think.

2007-04-16T19:23:00.000-05:00

So the Bailey story. She has had this sneezy-thing for a few months that then progressed to coughing and pushed me over the edge when she began mouth-breathing. Have you ever seen a cat mouth-breathe?? It is soo creepy looking! Cats are not meant to breathe out of their mouths! So off to the vet she went again. One liver panel, one set of xrays, one thyroid panel, one new antibiotic prescription, one new food, and one $237 bill later, and I have a very traumatized cat. Thank god my mom took her!! (Side note: Mom dropped something off at my apartment two days later and all she saw of Bailey was her butt as she ran under the bed!)

So here is where the sudifed comes in. Bailey had lost 11 oz (which is a lot for a cat that barely tops 7 lbs) and so I told the vet that I thought part of the issue was that she couldn't smell and Dr. L agreed but they don't make a decongestant for cats - strange, huh? Dr. L told me to get children's sudifed and give her 1/4 of the smallest dose. So off I go to CVS and sign away my life and dna and called my mom to cosign, etc... and home I go to dose the cat. Cats do not like getting medicine period. They really, really, really do not like getting GRAPE flavored medicine. She looked like she had rabies - foaming at the mouth, panting, hacking... it was gory. Of course, through all this taste bud misery, she still cannot breathe through her nose. Spit went everywhere!

But, next day, she was breathing through her nose a little - lots of sneezing which was good. She ate and beat up on the other cats a little. All good signs. This morning, she ate half a can of food, beat up on all three of the cats, and didn't breathe through her mouth once! The sudifed was a total success!! Dr. L ROCKS! Grape flavored medicine, not so much.

So due to the financial strain Bailey has caused, we are on a ramon noodle diet this week. The one week I decide that it is o.k. to spend $100 at Target on new pants, the cat's health crashes. Everyone assures me this is how it always works so that makes me feel a little better. What made me feel the best was my mom floating me $137 until tonight. God Bless Mothers!

2007-04-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

The heel has been turned! I am on the downward decrease of sock #1! That is, sock #1 of the second attempt to make socks for my brother. Attempt 1 ended in the garbage on fire - but the fire part was not intentional. You think you've blown out a match and you can be so, so very wrong. But now (new yarn that is not cut and has not been chewed on by a cat) I am rollin' right along! As they just got 15" of snow, he might still be able to wear these before they thaw out for their 3 days of summer. Now how loudly will I be whining this summer when we are simmering at around 100 degrees and they are sweltering at 80 degrees? Very, very loudly. I am honest enough to admit it.

As for work, I feel like the new kid in day care - I am catching every damn disease that comes through that place! First, I catch the "digestive upset" that wiped out half the shop. Now, I have a head cold. My nose and my lips are chapped and I can't breathe. I called my mom just to whine about being sick - I don't feel that I received that appropriate amount of sympathy but it was better than nothing. (I just had to stop typing to go sneeze and blow my nose - any sympathy yet??) And my ears won't pop. I'm taking my deaf, itchy, sneezing self to bed - after a brief stop over at Robotusin Land. Good sleep tonight!!!

And Bailey had to go to the vet - I'll write about that tomorrow or Friday night. But here is a teaser - I am dosing my cat with grape flavored children's Sudafed. So we're both drugged up on cold meds. Needless to say, this is a very happy and relaxed apartment.

2007-03-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

So I decided that since this blog is called "knitwithcats" I should show some knitting with / on my cats. So here are 2 of my babies: the very large boned one with knitting resting on her belly is Tinkerbell and her pillow is Izzy. And the knitting, well, that is my new sock for my brother. As many of you know, the old sock and I stopped speaking and I decided to kick it out. So, now I'm working with new yarn, Jitterbug by Colinette, and it is great to work with! A hand paint that is superwash wool with a nice tight twist - slides deliciously on the needles. It is a little browner in reality than it looks here with nice highlights of navy and cranberry. He will love them!

I found this new website that has some great roving and hand dyes! I was really impressed with the colors and weights offered. Very worth a visit!

http://www.helloyarn.com/

I also ordered 3 new books from Amazon:

Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit

I have been told that this book is a little disappointing design-wise, but has some good tips. So, I'm going out on a limb and getting it anyway - critics be damned! Of course, I'll most likely regret it, but hey...

Then I ordered

Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave

Anne already has this book and I saw it and love it! And therefore must have it! It will be 4 years from now until I finish anything from it but that is never the point, now is it?

And finally, I preordered:

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting

I don't think I need to say anything else about this one - the author speaks very well for herself, thank you. Very excited to get this one!!

And here is Blinky - watching television. Fascinated by it! Enthralled! Moving her head side to side as different characters speak! How creepy is that? I think she might have a "problem." Does anyone know a good kitten interventionist? I may have to cancel my Amazon order so that I can afford her treatment. So sad on so many levels!!!

Off to knit!

2007-03-16T18:03:00.000-05:00

So have I been knitting this week? NO! Between the time change and PMS, I have been totally wiped out! I took Bailey to the vet on Friday and Dr. L (who is the best vet ever) prescribed her some antibiotic pills - no problem. Saturday morning, I give her a pill and off I go. Sunday morning, I go to give her a pill and the pill bottle is gone! How do they do that?? I think she sent Blinky and Izzy on a recon mission and they knocked the pills down to her and she hid them. I have yet to find the damn bottle! My mom picked up another bottle of pills and now they have to be stored in the fridge to prevent theft. They are crafty, tricky little bastards but they have yet to figure out how to open the fridge door. Yet...

I went to traffic court on Tuesday morning and was there for 2.5 hours! No talking, reading, or chewing gum - I'm not kidding. All to show the judge my current registration. What a joke! So annoying!! I mean, it's not like I brought this on myself by forgetting and then procrastinating updating my registration. I blame the whole thing on the cats. Somehow, this was their fault. It just was.

Oh, and the pic? That is the view I have all the time as I walk into the bathroom - Izzy and Blinky's butts. Do they have a water bowl? Yes. Do they prefer to drink out of the toilet anyway? Yes. Ahh, my babies...

Wireless Internet @ Home!!

2007-02-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Zoro, Stretch, & Me Too's mom for the great suggestion on wireless internet! Backstory: I called Comcast about wireless internet and they would be happy to set it up for me for $179.00 and I would have to be there and then they would have to check this and that and then I would have to rent the equipment from them for $5 a month.

Well, retelling this story, the above cats' mom said, "just go to Best Buy and do it all there!" So off I went today and spend $80 on equipment (including a self-install kit) and they signed me up with Comcast. I was in and out in literally under 20 minutes! And, because I had Best Buy do the activation, I am paying $19.95 / month for 3 months! Stupid Comcast person!

And my glasses were not the correct prescription - I was always walking uphill - so I went and ordered new glasses and a new contact prescription and hoping this goes better. Very annoyed with the glasses people, too!!

O.k. I think I'm done bitching... for now...

But on a happier note, we had our first post-knitting store class / knitting group on Sat morning and had a great time! It is nice to see everyone again and catch up on the gossip! Not that we ever gossip, though...

Off to finish laundry! But now that I have wireless at home, I will be updating this blog on a much more regular basis so check back often and be sure to leave some comments!!

Still Greasy!! And Loving It!!!

2007-02-19T19:35:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is a pic of where I am working! You are looking down the center aisle of the shop with repair bays on each side - approx 30 bays total. On this day, I helped unhook a drive shaft, drop a transmission, pull out a clutch, and finally repaired the two recalled gears that necessitated all of this work in the first place! Then, we had to put it all back again! That day, I was the filthiest I have ever been in my entire life. Grease in, on, and ground into every part of my body. But I also had my best night of sleep in a long time. Too much fun!! But my cuticles are shot and my nails are so short and still encrusted with grease - I think my brother's socks are going to smell like an auto shop. At least it will be a manly smell!

The cats have struck again! The little bastards stole one of my shoes! I wore it yesterday and when I looked for it this morning, one was gone! They like the laces and therefore the shoes double as prey!

And I got new glasses! Yea for my team! I can see things at a distance now! Life is good - kinda scared to see what the guys look like through my new glasses, though. And they feel weird on my face - I've been wearing my old pair for over 3 years. This is like a very drastic (and extremely expensive) haircut. I feel like my face is tilting to one side - slight "I look weird in my new glasses" paranoia.
Off to put the laundry in the dryer! I swear I will try and do better about my posting frequency - sounds like a condition on a pharmaceutical ad.

So Tired and So Greasy!!

2007-02-08T22:27:00.001-05:00

Just a brief note to let you all know that I am still alive and so are the babies - but barely. Me, not the babies. I am leaving home at 7 am and leaving for home at 8 pm. I am very tired... and did I mention greasy? I'm working in the shop with a mechanic (they are called techs now not mechanics because so much of their work is on computer) wearing a tech uniform (but they wouldn't give me one with my name b/c I'll only be there for 3 weeks - I am still getting over that disappointment), rolling under trucks on a crawler, taking off wheels, and hooking up laptops to trucks in a sometimes vain attempt to find the cause of the customer's issue. We race around test driving trucks and hard rock attempts to drown out country in alternating repair bays.

I have the best mentor, Oscar, who is extremely patient with me (which engine is yellow, again? the answer is Caterpillar) and also has no mercy when it comes to me actually doing as much of a tech's job as I am able. He enjoys making me get filthy. But I'm not complaining - I'm enjoying this job immensely! I am never bored, learning more than I can remember without writing most of it down, and meeting a truly odd ball group of guys - most of whom have a wicked sense of humor.

I have to admit that the level of testosterone is a little overwhelming compared to the last 2+ years of total estrogen saturation but at least I now I have the strange (and very strong) desire to go out and get - a date. Yes, that's the word.

O.k. Off to shower, sleep, and do it all again with the help of a barrel of coffee. I'll see if I can get any pics at the shop but no promises. Then again, this group might love the idea of having their pic online. I may have to lie and tell them that porn is somehow involved - I'll have to work on it tomorrow.

A new chapter with some new pics

2007-02-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

I have ended a very turbulent chapter of my life and am getting ready to start a new job on 2/5/07. Very exciting! I do have some financial clean up to do and some apartment cleaning and organizing (desperate measures are needed on the home front). Of course, the babies are being overwhelmingly helpful - Bailey is sitting on my left arm supervising content and technique.

I've cleaned out and sorted my yarn stash, donated some to charity, and put yarn with patterns. Now, I just need to get it all off the floor, into bins, and stacked. I will get it all done this weekend because I will not come home to this mess my first week of work. You can see the babies supervisory capacities at full throttle above. From the front: Tinkerbell, Blinky, Izzy, and Bailey. My bosses.

So off to eat some pizza, knit, nap, and then do some actual work.

Busy Day!

2007-01-10T19:26:00.000-05:00

Today was a crazy one - but fruitful! I am employed! Oh, the joy! I can hear my mom cheering from miles away. I haven't been home to tell the girls yet but I am sure they will be very relieved. Blinky, the baby, is recovering very well from being neutered and has seemed to have blown off the trauma completely. Here's a picture of Izzy, the second youngest, on the left and Bailey, the queen, on the top of the cat tower. Seeing this picture, I realize it's time to take some updated mug shots of the girls.

When I have more time, I'll retell the drama of her capture and the fact that though she is only 10 weeks older, she is Blinky's sister. Lots of feral cats, humane traps, trips to the vet, and much drama was involved. We are all still receiving therapy to recover.

a few kitty pics for your Viewing Enjoyment

2007-01-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

This is Blinky enjoying a yarn nap on some Kid Silk Haze. She is one of the four kittens I bottle fed this summer and the only one I kept. She was neutered on Thursday and has not missed a beat. I'm just excited that the picture loaded!

Testing

2007-01-02T19:06:00.000-05:00

Just testing this blog to see if it will work - the first one would not let me sign in and blog. So here's to hoping!!