Hair status: curly! With the rain we're having, no point in trying anything else.

General status is bored. Bored bored bored. I haven't had more than three hours of work to do all week. I am so disappointed that this has turned out to be such a blah job. I mean, I was not expecting glamour and excitement, and I did take this job because it was a good entry into a new industry (pharmaceutical advertising vs. consumer) that is very lucrative. And at the time, no one else was ready to hire me, and this job was paying $10k more than I had been making before being laid off.

That said, I am still bummed to be looking for another job so soon. It makes my resume look pretty crazy, with a lot of short stints here and there. And I have only been here since March, which means prospective employers will be definitely question my stability. Hell, I'm even questioning it these days. But really, I was hired to work on a project that got postponed until 2004, and have been tossed around from client to client ever since. Yuk.

I have an interview Tuesday at a place I interviewed at before I started here. Back then the creative director liked me a lot, but felt I didn't have the necessary pharmaceutical experience. These days it seems I might. We'll see how it goes. I think there are other more attractive options out there that are also possibilities, but I'm going to check this out, too. At least I am in a pretty good position, as I don't seem to be in danger here.

Very happy that the weekend is nearly upon us. The realtor is having another open house at Ryan's place, and we hope to find a buyer so we can get to making moving plans. My lease ends 11/30, so it's getting a little nervewracking!

I sit here at my desk this morning with straight hair again. My straightening iron (purchased on eBay for way less than the retail price) came yesterday and I couldn't resist trying it out right away. Not bad! I got kudos from the girls here at work, and I am sure I will get even better at it as I get used to it. Of course, it started to rain on my way to work and you would've thought I was the wicked witch of the west, I whipped out my umbrella so fast!

The rain also gave me a chance to wear my cute new raincoat, which I got over the weekend in the "happy red" color. Who could resist? I still have my big London Fog trenchcoat with the wool lining for serious rain, but this makes me feel way cuter, and isn't that important on a rainy day? What I really want are these boots - the ones with the clouds on them are my favorites. Unfortunately the online store they refer to - Styletrek.com - does not seem to exist. Going to do some research on this one, as I do believe cute rain boots will really improve my world. Please nobody mention to me that we're in the midst of a drought.

Had a wedding nightmare last night. In the dream, for some unknown reason, we were getting married very suddenly - either that or I had slacked off completely and it was already June and nothing was done. Everyone was there, but unprepared in some way. And my hair was a big rat's nest, and no one was there to help me fix it up. Suddenly they started telling me that it was time to walk down the aisle, and I was sitting there trying to figure out how the fuck to put my tiara and veil on, and my dress was wrinkley and I had no makeup on, while the photographer was snapping away. Yipes! As you all know, this is highly unlikely to happen to me.

Stomach is still not very happy. She's better than the past few days, but still very touchy. I had buttered noodles for dinner last night, just to keep her calm. I think I will blame her for the aforementioned nightmare.

Been futzing a lot with my archives and archive template. I finally managed to make my archives reappear, but only after I changed my template temporarily, then changed it back. Unfortunately, when I changed back to my original template (I had saved the html code in another document - a good idea for those of you who have to do this, so you don't lose anything) it didn't change my archive template, so I have this other weird template for archive stuff. I'm trying to sort it out and get it back to normal. But now at least if you want to read my wisdom from days gone by, you can.

That stomach problem I had yesterday really ruined the day. I only ate some rice for lunch, and still when I got home last night I had really bad stomach pain. Around 10:30 I ate some buttered noodles, and I finally got to sleep around 12. Woke up this morning really tired and dehydrated, but without stomach pains. I think I will take it really easy on the food today, just in case. Really all I want to do is crawl back under the covers, but I didn't want to use another sick day. I figure I may need those later.

One of my headhunters is sending my portfolio out today, which I am pleased about. Then I have to get it back so I can bring it to the other agency that wants it. I feel sort of bad about wanting to leave here, because honestly it is a pleasant place with good people, but I am so bored with the work and lack thereof that some days I think I might actually chew my own arm off. And then I would be at a serious disadvantage when it came to writing, so I must go.

I finished most of the components of my hat last night, even though I didn't make it to Stitch-n-Bitch because of the aforementioned stomach pains. Now I just have to figure out how to put it all together and get it to Staceyjoy on time. Well, the second part is easy. The first is more confusing, as I had to change my plan a bit when I realized it was sort of stupid and unrealistic.

Would you believe I haven't finished weaving in the ends of the Moo blankie yet? I am trying to pass it off as superstition (wait until the baby is actually born healthy before I finish) rather than laziness. Is it working? I did get several good suggestions from the Knitlist (yes, they do occasionally talk about knitting, when carpal tunnel and cats eating wool become boring to all) about how to keep the dye from running from the black to the ivory when I wash it. And several people said they have used the same yarn and colors without problem, so my confidence level is much higher now.

On the wedding front, nothing much new. People are so amazed when I tell them my wedding is June 15th and I have already booked the location/caterer, band, rabbi, photographer/video, decided on bridesmaid colors and bought my dress. Well, what's the point in putting all that off and having to settle for choices that are less than what you want? Still, it's uncomfortable when people look at me like I am some anal-retentive psycho-bride. Then again, anyone who's done it themselves generally understands and doesn't do that.

I am babbling. Yeah, that's what you're here for, but this might be even too much for you. Done!

Once again, work has slowed to a crawl and I am spending my days reading blogs and wedding stuff. I have put it to some advantage and gotten some stuff done like booking a rabbi for my wedding. That is a big relief. He married my friends 2 years ago and I really liked him - he's very nice, great sense of humor, and seems to understand the needs of a Jewish-Athiest couple. While I'm on the topic, thanks to everyone who wrote me about their thoughts/experiences in this area. Very helpful! I haven't written back individually but I will get to it.

Did some knitting on my super-secret hat last night. It will be less super-secret when I go to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight, as it will require some explaining when people see what I am knitting. But I will keep it quiet here just for fun until I send it to Staceyjoy.

Can't believe how bored I am here at work. I should believe it, as it has been a regular thing, but I still can't. Luckily I have three job leads who all want to see my portfolio, so hopefully one will pan out. One in particular sounds good as it is an interesting company, still pharmaceutical work but consumer-targeted, rather than professional (doctor)-targeted. Plus they are in a great neighborhood which would take about 20 minutes off my commute by the time I move to Brooklyn. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Other than that, what else to tell? I'm super-sleepy today and my stomach isn't very happy. But I will most likely survive. :-)

Once again, work has slowed to a crawl and I am spending my days reading blogs and wedding stuff. I have put it to some advantage and gotten some stuff done like booking a rabbi for my wedding. That is a big relief. He married my friends 2 years ago and I really liked him - he's very nice, great sense of humor, and seems to understand the needs of a Jewish-Athiest couple. While I'm on the topic, thanks to everyone who wrote me about their thoughts/experiences in this area. Very helpful! I haven't written back individually but I will get to it.

Did some knitting on my super-secret hat last night. It will be less super-secret when I go to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight, as it will require some explaining when people see what I am knitting. But I will keep it quiet here just for fun until I send it to Staceyjoy.

Can't believe how bored I am here at work. I should believe it, as it has been a regular thing, but I still can't. Luckily I have three job leads who all want to see my portfolio, so hopefully one will pan out. One in particular sounds good as it is an interesting company, still pharmaceutical work but consumer-targeted, rather than professional (doctor)-targeted. Plus they are in a great neighborhood which would take about 20 minutes off my commute by the time I move to Brooklyn. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Other than that, what else to tell? I'm super-sleepy today and my stomach isn't very happy. But I will most likely survive. :-)

Another Monday - the first one of Autumn. It felt like it, too, waiting for the bus this morning. The thermometer said 70 degrees, but it was overcast and so windy that I huddled against Ryan until the bus showed up and we parted ways for the day. It's supposed to warm up later, so maybe summer hasn't totally abandoned me!

As a knitter, I should welcome the return of cold weather. While knitting sleeveless tops is fun and quick, everyone knows knitting is all about warm cuddly woolies. Alas, I am a summer girl, and this time of year fills me with melancholy. Seeing the summer end is always like watching a dear friend leave town, not to be seen again for many long months. I think knitting is my consolation prize.

I do love watching the leaves change, and the feeling of snuggling up in a big squishy sweater, but that only carries me through mid-Autumn. By the time Christmas passes, I just want Spring to hurry on up. By February I am trying to fool myself into believing that it's a short month, and March will bring warmer weather. As if.

Of course there are many bright spots to look forward to. We're traveling up to my alma mater in October for Homecoming and a 10-year reunion with a bunch of my roommates. Later that month my brother will be in town and we're going to see Rush at Madison Square Garden, a show I am immensely looking forward to. Then there's Thanksgiving, and who can argue with turkey and all the accompaniments? And just when things are getting freezie up here, we're going to Hawaii to stay at Kristy and Tom's house (sister-in-law-to-be and her fiance) for a week at Christmas.

Then there's that long stretch from New Year's to Spring. Ack.

I'm also pretty anxious right now because we haven't yet sold Ryan's apartment, and my lease ends November 30th. So I think I am going to end up being faced with either moving into a new place that will suck up a giant chunk of income until we sell, or (b) put 90 percent of my stuff in storage and stay with Ryan at his place until we sell. Oh yeah, those are great options. Hopefully we will at least have a buyer by then and just be awaiting a closing date, so none of those will be long-term options, but either way it's going to cost me. Whee.

OK, gotta throw everyone a bone, because this is something of a downer entry. Funny, because I am not really all that down today - this is just what's on my mind. I had some fun last night - Ryan asked me to show him how to knit. So I gave him some big needles and bulky wool, grabbed some myself, and taught him how to do the single-needle cast on (the one I learned first) and how to knit continental style and purl betsy-ized continental style. I've never taught anyone to knit before, so I am sure there was a better way than I did, but he kind of got it. As with any other beginner, he had trouble with his hands, ended up slipping a lot of stitches without knitting them, and the stitches he did make were tighter than Jesse Helms' butt, but he did get the idea. And I think he enjoyed it, despite the hand cramps. And now has a new appreciation for my knitting - not that he really needed it!

Other fun weekend stuff included another marathon afternoon registering for wedding gifts at Bloomie's, and a trip to an open house at Urban Glass with a friend of mine from work and his girlfriend. The glass stuff was really neat - I especially liked the beadmaking demonstration. Pretty colors and slightly more manageable than those giant glassblowing rods. I'd love to learn how to do that sometime in the future when time/money permit.

Oh, and to all interested parties - reports of the demise of our Jewish wedding are greatly exaggerated. All appears well these days. Thanks. :-)

It's Friday! Hallelujah! So far it seems like a good one, too. I was late getting out of the house (because I couldn't haul my lazy ass out of bed) but there was so little traffic that the bus zipped along and I was only 10 minutes late getting into work. I actually almost missed my bus stop. I've been re-reading The Two Towers (the second book of Tolkein's Ring Trilogy) and got so absorbed in it that I wasn't paying attention. Traffic has been so bad on 3rd Avenue lately that I expected I'd have far more time to read than I actually did.

I wonder why it is that I can read on the bus (most of the time) but not in a moving car? On the bus I feel OK, but in a car, anything more than a quick map consultation and I am looking for the barf bag. I'm sure you're excited to hear that.

I am excited to have learned that Ryan and I have way more than enough AAdvantage miles to fly first-class to Hawaii for our honeymoon! I must extend some of my gratitude towards the mostly defunct Scient, where I, in particular, earned a good number of miles during the year that we both worked there. Between business trips and our first vacation to Hawaii in May '00, we earned Gold status and lots of mileage. Now we are going to put it to good use.

Current thinking on the honeymoon is that we won't leave the traditional day after the wedding. The wedding is a Sunday afternoon (June 15th), and Monday morning is way too fast. So we're thinking of leaving maybe that Friday. And maybe I will take Monday and Friday off work, but actually come to the office Tuesday through Thursday in order to save a few vacation days. This is all very preliminary thinking. But if we leave Friday the 20th, the second week of the trip (we definitely need 2 weeks) will include Independence Day, which is Friday, thus saving another vacation day. I know, I'm anal retentive about the vacation days. But you really need to strategize in order to not get screwed in the end. If I am still here at my present job, I will get three weeks vacation next year, and I don't want to miss any of it! I also don't want to use every last drop for the honeymoon and not be able to take a day here or there beforehand or later in the year.

Sorry for boring you with my vacation day spiel. I know you really want to hear about knitting. But I didn't do any, so you're SOL. Last night I cleaned the cat box, the bathroom, and the dishes, and pretty much lazed away the rest of the night without picking up needles. I think finishing that Moo blankie wore me out for a bit. Plus it took away my "urgent" project. Then again, the hat contest hat should be urgent, given that there are only 10 days until the deadline. But I know I can finish it fairly quickly, and if I have to, hand-deliver it to Staceyjoy in Brooklyn at the last minute. Ah yes, I may be a procrastinator, but I am a procrastinator with a plan!

Oh who cares about disappearing archives or working late? ANNIE'S DOG IS HOME SAFE AND SOUND!!!

Trying one more time to fix my archives.

I switched to Blogger Pro a week or so ago, and now I notice that my archives are missing. Hmm. I have done "republish all" a few times, and nothing shows up. Wondering whether one thing has to do with the other. Hmm. Will have to investigate further. OK, actually I just did investigate further and did what the help system said (set my archive settings to "no archive" and publish, then set it back to "weekly archive" and publish again. Here goes the publish again part.

Other than archive issues, not a lot to talk about today. The photographer meeting went well last night, and we want to work with him. But it opened up a can of worms that I didn't expect to be a problem anymore. Namely, the Jewish ceremony vs. a secular ceremony. I'm Jewish, he's a Christian-born athiest. I think that's a tougher issue than just an interfaith marriage, because it's not my religion vs. your religion, it's anti-religion vs. some religion. As I've said before, I am not traditionally religious, but I feel a very strong connection to Judaism and Jewish culture. Maybe someone who didn't grow up with that can't possibly understand it. I don't know. Honestly I don't want to go deeply into it here on my public blog, but it's really weighing on me heavily and I'd love to talk to anyone who's been in a similar situation.

Well, I didn't go to Stitch-n-Bitch because my friend wanted to go to dinner last night. Poor guy. His hopes and dreams are all dashed and he feels totally lost. He was crazy to have put so much stock in a woman who has never shown any true interest in him and has been dating other men (including her fiance) for years, but this isn't really something that's worth saying to him. Especially at this point. He's a very smart guy, too smart for his own good, so he can see his problems. But of course they are pretty tough to solve on your own, and he is not interested in seeing a professional. So, I'll just try and be a good friend.

Not much other stuff of interest to report. Ryan and I are going to meet with our probable wedding photographer tonight, which I am looking forward to. Work is a ridiculous pile of crap that I don't even want to get into at the moment. Just really frustrating.

I need to finish my super-secret hat contest hat soon. I shouldn't work on anything else until I do, which won't take long once I sit down and do it. Right now, I am going to stand up and go get some lunch.

Back to work today. More projects that I worked hard on got canceled by the client. Whee!

I’m not sure if I will make it to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight. I was planning on going, even though I don’t have a specific project I want to work on. But a friend of mine is having a very rough day. He got a call last night from a woman he has been in love with since high school (yes, it’s an unrequited love of epic proportions, made worse by her inability to come straight out and break his heart in one fell swoop). She’s getting married. He is totally devastated. Everyone around knew this day would come, but he always hoped against hope, and now he is paying for that hope. So, if he is willing to go out and get a bite to eat, I am going to take him. If he wants to be alone, I’ll come to S-n-B.

In happier news, Ryan and I had fun at Bloomingdale’s this weekend. We picked out our dishes! I know, that is astoundingly exciting news to most people. Well, it’s still exciting to us – we’re the ones who are going to eat off this stuff. This was all prompted because my cousin asked my Mom if we were registered anywhere yet, and then another friend’s Mom asked my friend the same question. Well, you don’t have to hit me over the head with a hammer! We’ll probably go back this weekend to pick out flatware, glassware, etc. At least get the basics done so we don’t have to worry about it so much later.

We’re also talking about invitations. Being an artist, Ryan would prefer to design them himself (with my input). Somehow that ended up being very stressful to me on Sunday. While I love the idea, it overwhelmed me for a bit and made me wish we could just do “normal” invitations like other people, since it is far less hassle and doesn’t involve dealing with paper stock, printers, etc. Fewer choices = fewer decisions = less stress. I think we came up with a good design solution, though, and I am feeling better about it. Now I just need to find some printers and see if it’s feasible both from a production and a financial standpoint.

Not much to say today. I'm fasting for Yom Kippur, so my head is a bit fuzzy! Had a good weekend, though no knitting got done. Went to an odd party at a colleague's apartment on Saturday. Just a very strange crowd. We didn't stay too long.

Had to wash my hair on Sunday, so it's back to curliness. Going to look online for a good flat-iron so I can try straightening it again myself sometime soon. Other than that, I can't really think of anything exciting, so I won't bore you any further!

You know your hairstyle has made a vast difference in your appearance when even the 40-something straight men in the office stop in their tracks and say "cool hair!" I went back to Antonio Prieto salon last night and had the same guy, John, cut my hair. He just shaped it up a bit and re-chopped the layers so it wouldn't be so heavy, but didn't take much off the length, as I am still growing it long. Then he took out the blow dryer and the straightening iron and went to town.





Quite the change, eh? I really like it, because it feels so different! I have been very bored with my look lately, so this is a fun change of pace. Of course, it will only last until my next shampoo, so right now I am like the Wicked Witch of the West in my fear of water touching me. For my morning shower I put on a headband and a shower cap and it was fine. The most amazing thing to me was that I could sleep on my straight hair and wake up with it not even messed up. With my curly hair, that is a total impossibility.

So, now I am on the search for a good straightening iron. I don't intend to do the straight hair every day (especially if it is humid - then it's impossible) but I really like it as an option. Especially if it means I can do it one day and have it last for 2-3 after that. We'll see how long this one goes for.

In other fun news, my Artfibers yarn came today! I am so impressed - they sent it right away, and it got here within 3 days. Very exciting. I just need to fill out the pattern request sheets and have them generate my patterns. Yay! Of course, that means I need to talk to the chicas and find out what they all prefer as far as style. A knitting bride's work is never done!

Speaking of work, it is so insane. This client is nuts, and so is one of the account people who is running the show on this end. Some people (hopefully not I) are going to be working weekends to make sure this crap gets done in time for the convention the client has a booth at in October, and it's just so messy. Even my friend Jonathan, who is usually very calm and easygoing, was cursing up a storm in his office after our status meeting today. Bleah.

I left out one more important piece of info - I'm getting my hair cut again tonight. Three months is quite a long time for me to go, after so many years of having short hair that I had to get cut every6 weeks or so. Nothing drastic tonight, it just needs a little shaping up because it is starting to get scraggly. Still, wish me luck and think good thoughts. Every stage of this growing-out brings new hair intrigue.

I know I've been uncharacteristically silent the past few days. It was enough to get Jackie to call me when I didn't show up for Stitch-n-Bitch last night, just to make sure nothing was wrong. That was so sweet of her. Nothing's wrong. Nothing particular. Just been feeling not very chatty, not very knitty, and not very sure what to say. The not very knitty part is probably because of my marathon "Moo" session the other day. The not very chatty is more date-driven. I've been feeling less and less talkative as today grew closer.

I'm at work today, though I'd rather not be. Some idiot scheduled a client presentation tomorrow and it's not complete. I didn't come in until around 11:30, but I really don't want to be here. It feels wrong, it feels disrespectful to the memory of those who died, and to the memory of what I felt at this time last year. I would have preferred to spend this day quietly, or maybe doing something constructive, rather than being pressured into coming to work even though the official party line from our president was "do what you are comfortable with."

A year ago today, I was lying in bed on a quiet and lovely morning. I was still in bed because I had no job, nowhere I had to go. And for a change, instead of turning on the Today show as soon as I woke up, I decided to just let Ryan sleep and just listen to the silence all around me, admiring the sun coming through the window. I had no idea what was going on just over a mile from my apartment until my best friend Lisa's mother called me from Albany, worried enough that she wanted to make sure I was home.

The rest of the morning was almost a blur. I remember that Ryan was talking on the phone with his Mom when his cellphone rang, and it was a freelance client of his, wanting to talk about some work. I was absolutely stunned that this woman, who lived and worked here in the city, could be calling about work at such a time. As I was telling her he was talking to his Mom, I saw on TV that the first tower was starting to fall. I completely lost my mind and remember just screaming "oh my god, it's falling, oh my god they're all dead" and I sort of remember her saying she'd call Ryan later. To this day I have trouble relating to this woman because of what I felt was a very insensitive reaction on her part. I must have been pretty hysterical because I remember seeing my cat freeze in the middle of the floor and look at me with a frightened expression.

After the second tower fell, we decided to venture outside for a bit. Survivors were streaming up 3rd Avenue past my apartment. We walked a block south to 14th Street, and were standing on the corner when a guy wearing suit pants, an undershirt and carrying a suitcase appeared in my face and said "hey." I was totally stunned to see someone I had only met that previous Sunday. My friend Shari lives in San Francisco, and her boyfriend Jeffrey was in NYC on business for 2 weeks, and she had flown out that weekend to meet him, and we had gotten together for brunch that Sunday. He had been working in the World Financial Center, and was supposed to have flown back to SF that afternoon. He and several of his colleagues had escaped and were just walking uptown, trying to find someplace to go. We took them back to my apartment, gave them water, telephones and internet access, and at least they were able to rest a bit and let their loved ones know they were OK. What a weird coincidence it was. Two minutes later and I never would have seen him.

Other stories started to unfold. Cara's husband works at Morgan Stanley, and had been working on a project at the WTC for several months. On September 11th he was playing golf in New Jersey with some colleagues. Everyone he usually worked with got out OK, but it was still a huge relief to all of us that he wasn't there that day.

But so many other people were not so lucky. I was lucky not to lose anyone close to me, but I still grieved for school friends who I hadn't seen in years who were killed. Steven and Marc were brothers, and Tom was their brother-in-law, and they all died together at Cantor Fitzgerald.

I had a lot of trouble in the days following September 11th. A week later I had to leave the house alone for the first time, and I nearly had a nervous breakdown. My friend Diana talked me down and got me out of the house. But it was still hard to feel normal for so long. Hard to not feel guilty if I laughed or enjoyed something. Hard to live with the smell of "dead building" (as Ryan christened it) seeping inside my apartment every day. I remember I was still burning scented candles and using the air conditioner in November to try and keep the smell out of my apartment. The day the fires finally stopped smoking was a big day for me, physically and emotionally.

One thing that I found helpful was some writing I did online. My brother was working in London then, and a friend of his at BBC radio asked if he had any friends in NYC they could interview. Naturally he suggested me, and I ended up doing a series of interviews over 2 months for their morning radio show (all done live at 7:15 a.m. their time, 2:15 for me) and writing a semi-regular journal for their website. That was somewhat cathartic, and marked my first foray into online journaling in any way. I did a follow-up interview this morning at 2:15, which felt kind of weird. It was a new announcer and it just seemed odd to be talking to her about this for the first time.

So for the past few days, I've been trying to figure out what I was going to say today. I felt like I had to say something important. Then I felt like it was presumptuous for me to say anything important. Then I figured I would just say what came to mind and it would be OK. So that's what I've done, for better or for worse.

Moo!



You can click on the photo for a larger version. It's not blocked yet, and there are a few ends to weave in, but I couldn't wait to share it. I can't believe I knitted almost half of this thing yesterday while I was sick. Crazy girl. Marney would be proud! I did end up deciding to finish it off in garter stitch, then go back and pick up stitches, pull out the cast-on edge, and re-knit it in garter stitch. A bit of a pain, but worth it - I like it this way much better than all roll-ey like it was before.

Wow, I have been a knitting fool today. I am just a few inches short of finishing the Moo blankie, after pretty much knitting all day. I felt too crappy to do much else! It will be nice to finish this so early and not have to worry if the little one pops out ahead of schedule! I won't bother posting a progress pic because I am lazy, but as soon as it's finished, I will certainly do so. Does anyone have any washing/blocking suggestions? It's Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, and the washing instructions say it's machine washable. My only concern is about color bleeding - is there something I can add to the (cold) water to add an extra measure of protection?

I noticed that Julie just bought the same book I picked up last weekend - Vintage Knits. Apparently, we had the same reaction - I want to make SO many things in the book! The cover pattern is particularly adorable, as is the beaded short-sleeved top towards the end. Except I think an all-over beaded top with 900 beads is probably not the best way to start learning that technique!

Ryan is out at a friend's birthday party, which I skipped since I still feel like crap. I have to force myself to stop knitting, because my left wrist is going to fall off soon. Hmm, maybe if I start knitting American style, then my right wrist can pick up the slack for a while?

I gave in to sickness and stayed home today. Not much was going at work that needed me anyway, so it's OK timing. Except that it is Friday and I feel like crap and I don't want to be sick for the weekend. I'll probably go over to the natural foods store for some lemon-ginger-echinicea juice that has seemed to help in the past. That's along with the zinc lozenges, vitamin c, etc. that I've been sucking down. I will get better fast!

Staying home sick does present a nice knitting opportunity, and I plan to take advantage of it. There are 55 rows of chart left on the Moo blankie, plus 8 rows of just plain old ivory on the end. Well, that doesn't include the crochet edging I am probably going to have to add because I was stupid. Well, the pattern was stupid first, and I was stupid for following it to the letter. It calls for straight stockinette the whole way, which we all know means rolled edges. What is even more annoying is that I looked closely at the photo in the back of the book (Mission Falls Wee Knits Too) and I can see that the edges are definitely garter stitch. When I started this, I said "Hmm, maybe I should just do garter stitch for the first 8 rows of plain ivory" but decided to believe the pattern. Stupid stupid stupid. Maybe instead of crochet, I will do the trick that Stitch Doctor Deb taught me and pick up the stitches a few rows short of the beginning, unravel the start and re-knit in garter stitch from there for a few rows. Any thoughts on this vs. a crochet edging? Keep in mind that I haven't crocheted in a while and never as an edging on a knitted piece.

Had a wedding nightmare last night. All my bridesmaids and my mother abandoned me to get dressed by myself, I couldn't figure out how to get my veil on, everything was a mess, I felt like a total spaz, and was running really late. We were on the beach and everyone was sweaty and gross and by the time I hauled my ass out to where Ryan was I was a totally crumpled mess. Nah, no anxiety here!

OK, this is too funny not to blog about. A friend here at work just sent me this link: Amazon.com: buying info: Harry Potter Nimbus 2000 Broom. Read the first few reviews. Hmm, maybe I want one of these! ;-)