The Original Grumpbump

Planet of the Cats

2012-02-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

Warning. This will be a cat-intensive blog post.

Miss Macy had her dental cleaning on Friday. I had an estimate from a vet for this procedure and it was upwards of $600.00. This is very budget-unfriendly; I just put this on the back burner. Macy seemed to have no problems with eating, so I felt comfortable with this decision.

Then we moved to our new house, far away from Macy's vet, and time for her annual wellness exam came and went. I couldn't find anyone I knew to recommend a vet so I called the local SPCA, which is associated with the County's Animal Services Department. Turns out they have a vet clinic and very reasonable rates. Macy had her annual wellness exam, and the only issues were her weight (she needs to lose a pound) and her teeth. The vet told me that she would need a cleaning and some of the teeth would need to be extracted. The estimate was less than half of my original quote of $600 plus. So we scheduled the cleaning.

The morning of the surgery, I bought Macy to the clinic and saw at least 30 other owners and their animals waiting in line (although most of them were probably there for spay/neuter - the clinic will not treat any animal that isn't fixed). Macy was so miserable, meowing and carrying on. Macy was one of the first animals called in and it was in the moment I handed her to the vet tech, that I started crying. Poor Miss Mace is something I say a lot (in relation to Delilah's grumpiness towards her). But I was saying it that morning. Poor Miss Mace doesn't know what is going on and she's scared. Of course, Macy pooped in her cat carrier, but I was prepared and scooped it out before I handed her over.

I was told that the clinic would call me if there were any complications or questions during the process. I called the clinic but left a message with the vet tech. I never heard from anyone and tried to reassure myself that no news meant good news. I left work at 4:00 p.m. to go pick up Macy.

I arrived at the clinic at 4:30 p.m. and told the nurse at the desk that I was there to pick up Macy. She told me that Macy would not be ready until 5:00 or 5:30 p.m. Another couple was there at the same time as me to pick up their dog, who had also had a teeth cleaning and they were told the same thing. While they patiently waited, I stomped out of the clinic and went to my car to call my husband.

When Mr. Grumpbump answered, I was already in tears and the first thing I said to him was "I should have paid the extra money." And burst out into dramatic wailing. Mr. Grumpbump is telling me to take deep breaths and calm down. I told him that Macy would not be ready to go home until 5:30, but this was unacceptable to me and I was going to march back into the clinic and demand that my cat be released from this prison!

Honestly, the clinic people were not very friendly to me (I was pouting and visibly upset) and about 5:15 p.m. they processed Macy to go home. Macy had four teeth removed and they prescribed pain medicine (to be rubbed on her gums) and an antibiotic (with a syringe so we could get it down her throat). With the amount of animals they must see on a regular basis, their procedures are in place for reason. I couldn't help but feel like I was in the animal welfare clinic because there was almost no personal service for me, the human, guardian, and the person footing the bill. I believe that they took good care of Macy and she seems no worse for the trauma of it all.

Macy came home with a shaved front leg and now she looks like she's wearing a boot on her front leg. I haven't been able to get a good look at her mouth. We can't get anywhere near her with the pain medicine but she doesn't appear to be in any discomfort. The required antibiotics are a bitch to get in her mouth. Last night she spit up most of it (I think the taste is off-putting). I posted a note in a cat forum and found out that I was administering the medicine wrong. We were putting the syringe in the front and putting the medicine down her throat (and then she spit it back). However, when we put the syringe in the corner of her mouth and shot the medicine across her throat, her reflexes kicked in and she swallowed it. Success!

Macy and her fur boot

I have two water bowls inside (one is a fountain that has continuously running water) and there is a water bowl outside by the pool. Delilah still insists on drinking from the pool. I caught her this morning. She spreads her back legs out and firmly plants them on the concrete as her anchor and then she lowers the front half of her body into the pool.

Delilah is very thirsty

No Coffee For The Mace

2012-01-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

Mr. Grumpbump is now proficient with our stove-top espresso maker. There is nothing I like better than my husband making me a cup of coffee. I pretend to be inept at the whole process and ask him to "help" me. The cup I'm enjoying now is super yummy, which is made all the better because he's also cleaning up the percolator too! I let Miss Macy smell my coffee but she was not interested in it all. Her loss.

We hired an electrician to put up our ceiling fan and track lighting in the kitchen nook. It is so nice to have actual overhead lights in the living space instead of relying on table and floor lamps. The fan will come in handy once the Florida weather heats up. Mr. Grumpbump also installed a light in the front hallway so he can maneuver the front bedroom in the morning (he keeps his uniforms in the front bedroom closet).

Ceiling Fan front and center - kitchen track lighting visible in background

I've made some progress on my latest ripple afghan. I've switched up the color blocking on this one so there more color changes than with the previous two. Basically, it means that I have a lot more ends to weave in. While I enjoy the pattern immensely, I think I might retire it for a while after I finish this project.

Fall colors for my winter project

Miss Macy has a new sleeping position I like to call Nautilus (because she's curled around like the seashell). She's constantly sleeping on or near my knitting project. Macy has to have her teeth cleaned this Friday (Feb 3). The teeth cleaning will involve the pulling of some back teeth that are unhealthy and potentially harmful to the Mace. I hate to do that to her and trust she will forgive me someday for this but I'm very nervous about it all. If you are reading this, please keep my Mace in your thoughts and wish her a speedy recovery.

Definitely cuter and fluffier than the real-life nautilus

No Delilah on today's entry because she's just too mean to me these days. Unless she's asleep, Delilah treats me like her servant and yells at me whenever I approach her. Then she runs away.

Cat Tales

2012-01-08T20:20:00.000-05:00

Ugh. I love and hate Sunday nights all at once. Sunday nights mean I have to go to work in the morning, but they also represent my last little bit of freedom before the work week.

I've started my third version of the Ripple Stitch afghan. I've changed up the striping on the pattern just a bit; not sure how it will turn out. I think the colors (chocolate brown, beige, burgundy/wine and cream) are reminiscent of fall and autumn and hope they work well together throughout the entire project. I'll know more as I knit more rows of the pattern.

Macy supervising my progress.

Delilah made me laugh this morning. She was out on the patio and I was checking up on her when I saw a familiar sight. Delilah had her tail in the pool, while she was drinking water out of the dish Mr. Grumpbump set out for her (it's actually a plant dish, but Delilah insists on drinking water out of it so that's what it is now). I was able to grab my camera to document the moment.

Tour de Grumpbump

2012-01-07T13:19:00.002-05:00

Early Saturday afternoon here in Florida and the temperatures are back up in the 70s, although it is overcast right now as I sit on my patio. Maybe overcast is the wrong word; there is a lot of cloud cover and you can't really see the sun or the sky. Just light gray and white clouds everywhere. I'm waiting for Mr. Grumpbump to get back from Lowes.

Since receiving a bike for Christmas, Mr. Grumpbump and I go out on Saturday mornings - he runs, I bike. It's the first opportunity I've taken since moving into this house to see the neighborhood and the houses around us. I enjoy riding and would be willing to do more exploring of the other subdivisions on this side of the main roadway.

La Bicicleta - Yo quiero un (como se dice... "basket")

But today, I realized that I could right my bike to the Farmers Market just a mile or so from the house. The only problem is that I have to cross a MAJOR roadway to get there. There are plenty of sidewalks to take me all the way to the shopping center where it is hosted every Saturday, I just have to be very careful about the traffic when crossing the road. Once I get across the street, the sidewalks keep me away from the cars and I'll feel very safe.

My trip today yielded some beautiful tomatoes and cucumbers. But there were so many other good fruits and vegetables (strawberries are in season, the onions and peppers were so bright and colorful). I'll have to get a basket for my bicycle so I don't have to stuff everything in a knapsack.

Dinner Tonight

I'm still getting used to riding the bike. I know they say you never really forget how to ride (which is true) but as I have aged I have become less sure of myself (physically). I'm very aware that should I crash on this bike, I could hurt myself very badly. I don't take my hands off the handlebars, and even the process of looking around can cause me to very quickly over correct. I need more practice before I will feel confident on the bike.

The Color of (Grumpbump) Money

2012-01-05T20:57:00.002-05:00

I finished my second slouchy hat in time for the two days of cold weather here in Florida. I love this hat and this time the yarn I used is perfect for the project.

Back of the hat -

Just a bit of slouch

I'm starting another ripple afghan. I'm not feeling the love for it as I have previously, but I attribute that to slouchy hat pattern that I can complete in just a few days. I'm going to have to really focus on this afghan because I think the colors I picked are going to pop.

Mr. Grumpbump got his pool table. But the story definitely does not end there. Mr. Grumpbump was supposed to set up the pool table in the dining room space of our great room. Days before he bought it and had it moved, I made him assure me that he had measured and that it would work in the dining space. After the movers got here and unloaded the table, they spent about an hour re-felting the table. I was in the bedroom with Delilah, trying to keep her out of the way. When Mr. Grumpbump revealed the table to me, I was very upset. The table was HUGE and much too big for the space. I did not hesitate to tell Mr.Grumpbump of my displeasure.

My solution was for the pool table to go into the garage. Mr.Grumpbump pouted and said he couldn't afford to lose the space for his car (my response to that? Let's sell your damn car.). One thing was certain - the pool table could not remain in the space. After mulling it over for a day, we decided to compromise. The pool table will remain in the house, in the front room, but we turned it 90 degrees. The benefit to this is that you don't see the pool table the second you walk in the front door. It still takes up most of the great room, but I can live with it and it is sort of cool to come home and play a game of pool (even though I suck at it).

Mr. Grumpbump owes me BIG for this concession

We are going to move the furniture all around this weekend to come up with the best layout for the room. You can see that the loveseat is up against the pool table. I'll post final pictures to show how we will make this work.

No Yarn Was Harmed During the Making of this Blog

2012-01-01T23:14:00.001-05:00

I made white wine sangria today. I was tipsy after only two glasses and promptly passed out on the couch.

I spent way too long in Michaels today, trying to decide what yarn to purchase. They had a 50% sale on Country Loom, and I loaded my basket with 10 skeins of it, imagining I would knit an afghan. However, this yarn reminds me too much of Homespun and I had a terrible time trying to knit with it. I put it all back and moved onto a new Bernat yarn called Waverly, which had the most beautiful colors and was so soft. I couldn't think of a pattern to make with it so I put it back too (although by searching their website, I found a beautiful pattern so I might be going back to purchase it). I ended up going with the Loops & Threads Impeccable Yarn (acrylic) in order to make my favorite ripple stitch afghan.

I'm still working on my second slouchy hat. I hope I can finish it before Tuesday because the temperature is supposed to drop on Tuesday. Hoping this hat will fit better than my first attempt in cotton.

Macy in the middle of my knitting

Tomorrow, Mr. Grumpbump gets his pool table (another Craigslist find). The delivery company is not only going to move it for him but they will also re-felt it. I believe it's got a green felt now, but Mr. Grumpbump is going to have it re-done in a wine felt. I'm happy for him because he's very excited about it.

I'm going to take all of my leftover stash yarn and start knitting an oddball blanket. I must be saving these remnants for something, right? I also have a drawer full of leftover sock yarn but I don't know what I can do with it. I'll have to search Google and Ravelry for ideas on how to de-stash this.

It Really Feels Like A New Beginning

2011-12-31T21:56:00.000-05:00

I'm so grateful for this three-day weekend. My weeks are completely absorbed by work - it's all I focus on, to the detriment of my personal life. (At work, when we tell someone that they need to "focus" we are referring to the urban definition of Fuck Off 'Cause You're Stupid.)

I've evolved from spending my weekends just vegetating, sleeping, just trying to recoup some bit of energy sapped from the constant stress and pressure of my job, with a basic enjoyment and happiness for spending time working on the house. We still have a few pressing items to fix/fill in....we need to install lights in the hallways, bedrooms, and the living area. We are relying on floor and table lamps and it is just not cutting it. I'm constantly borrowing a lamp from the front bedroom in order to knit and read in the living area. Mr. Grumpbump tried to install track lighting in the kitchen nook and while the tester said that there is power to the strip, the light will not work. In fact, we have a ton of switches and wall sockets that either (1) don't work or (2) don't appear to belong with any fixture. Basically, we need an electrician to come in and map out the switches and wall sockets. I have bugged and nagged Mr. Grumpbump to find us an electrician.

I'm currently knitting Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. My first attempt was with a cotton yarn and, although the color is HOT, it was not the best choice because cotton has very little give, even with the ribbing on the band. The hat stretches easily and does not bounce back. I'm going to wash it and see if I can shrink it a bit. The pattern is really cute because it has the feel of a cable but it's just a stitch being passed over two knit stitches that gives it the cabled look. I love the decreases at the top (you can't see them in the picture) and the way it gathers at the crown. I actually have a red poncho that my mom gave me and I wore it and my slouchy hat to work several days this week. Cheeky!

This color is fabulous but cotton is not the right yarn for this project

I have another slouchy hat on my needles, this time using a better-suited yarn (wool/acrylic blend). I've only just started but I have a feeling this fit will be better than the cotton.

I bought two closetmaid storage container to put in the bedroom closet so I can organize my yarn stash. I wanted to buy faux wood storage cubicle units (6, 8 or 9 cubes) and Mr. Grumpbump and I were in Target, attempting to pick them out (white, natural or dark), when Mr. Grumpbump got all miserly on me and tried to steer me towards the plastic storage solutions. I hated that idea because there is no way I would want some plastic tubs out in the open in the house. However, comparing the prices, figuring that I would store these containers in the closet anyway, and realizing that I would have more money leftover to buy more yarn, I went with the plastic 3-drawer containers. Tomorrow, I'm printing my Michaels coupon and heading over to the store to get more yarn. It's nice not to have yarn all over the house in shoeboxes, wicker baskets, paper bags, and plastic shopping bags.

Are you ready for cat pictures? First up is Delilah. She's in love with the back patio area now that we have cushions on the chairs. She's claimed the lounger and at least three of the four chairs. She loves napping on them.

Delilah knows how to make herself comfortable

Delilah is checking out Alfred, the garden frog (gift from my mom at Christmas)

I think Macy has really blossomed since moving to the new house. Macy loves to sit in the patio area and watch the lizards run around. She doesn't roam the house with Delilah around, but she is not shy about hanging out with us while we watch tv. She's usually on the couch with one of us. When she's really relaxed, I can get her to let me rub her belly while she naps next to me. And she purrs so much now. I feel like we have really done right by her when I hear her purr.

Macy's usual spot

Worth Staying Up For

2011-12-04T20:45:00.001-05:00

Mr. Grumpbump's blanket is finished! This ripple stitch pattern is my absolute favorite; it seems that no matter what colors you pick, the blanket is so striking. Definitely something I will do again.

Completed

I've started on a new project, which I chose based solely on the ease of getting in on my needles and the quickness of the knit. It's called a Baktus Scarf. I'm using sock yarn to knit this and I will probably buy some beads to add to the ends of the scarf (a lot of the scarves are made with tassels at the end). If this turns out as cool as I hope, I might use up my other sock yarn to make this very easy knit. Right now, it remains to be seen how it will turn out.

On Tuesday after work, I'm going to attend a knitting group meeting at my local bookstore. Because I am under so much stress at work, I now fight even harder to get time for knitting. I have to make time to knit on a semi-regular basis and I get very angry when something else takes time away from knitting. I work it out in my head every day as to how I can get more time for knitting. Is there a job for me out there that will allow me to pursue my hobby?

Two Dolls

Pink is the New Retro

2011-11-13T18:01:00.001-05:00

I found a cute patio set on craigslist yesterday and went to pick it up this afternoon. I got four chairs, a table, and a lounge chair for $45. Everything needs a good scrubbing but otherwise it's in very good condition. I'll need chair pads for everything but I'm hoping I can find something reasonable at Garden Ridge or Old Time Pottery. The mauve color is one of the good features for me, although Mr. Grumbbump thinks the furniture is trash. He really doesn't like it, but that doesn't bother me nor did it stop me from getting this to our house today. The color of this furniture is very, very close to the tile in our master bathroom. I don't think that really means anything but I thought I would mention it.

It's retro!

Just a little elbow grease and some cute chair pads and we will be in business!

I went to Michael's last night with every intent of getting some new yarn and I left empty-handed. I was disappointed with the overall feeling of the store but it's really the only craft store near the house. There is a Hobby Lobby near my office, which I've never been to. It would mean going out at lunch, which practically never happens for me. Leaving the office at lunch is so much work!

I think this completes craigslist furniture needs for a while. Next up, I'm looking for a bike. But since that is Mr. Grumpbump's idea, I should probably just let it be his problem to solve. I need to get back to the serious business of knitting.

My Good Life

2011-11-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

I have neglected my blog for long enough; while Captain Grumpbump is out running morning errands, I'm taking the opportunity to unload everything that has been going on in the last two months.

We are almost three months into home ownership, and we are so in love with the house that's it is borderline embarrassing. Capt. Grump has really blossomed into my very own handy man. He finished painting the rest of the house (with the exception of the bathrooms) and now he's starting on painting all the doors. Additionally, he fixed the master bathroom bath faucet (there were problems with the water pressure when we were taking a shower) and he installed blinds in the living room, guest bedroom, and the Capt's video room (formerly the second bedroom).

We added a few new (to us) fixtures to the house: (1) barstools (we inherited them from a friend whose parents were moving); (2) side tables being used as nightstands in our bedroom (purchased off craigslist); (3) the previously mentioned china cabinet (great find on craigslist); (4) round wood end table (craiglist, again); (5) headboard for full bed (headboard was craiglist; the bed we bought new - both to furnish the guest room).

Finished Guest Room

Barstools (a/k/a Delilah's favorite place to sleep)

China Cabinet with Capt's paintings

Our bedroom - this is one of the two "nightstands" I bought off of craigslist

I am addicted to searching craiglist for furniture. Right now, I'm on the hunt for outdoor patio furniture. I'm having a harder time with this search than the others (I've had two failed attempts to buy) but that's part of the fun of it.

The opposite of fun, however, is what the Capt and I did last weekend. The whole truth is that it started out with Delilahs. For the record, I want it known that we never have these types of problems with Miss Macy, who is practically the perfect cat.

Portrait of a Perfect Cat

Troublemaker (yes, she's sitting with her tail IN THE WATER...WTF?)

The whole story starts with the issues we've had with Delilahs the last few weeks. She constantly whimpers, whines, and chirps her demands to be let outdoors (basically, the front of the house). We have also been subject to her vocalizations at ungodly times (3 and 4 o'clock in the morning - every morning). The capper was when we let her to go out back and she hopped the fence and ended up in our neighbor's yard. We had to come up with another plan. Delilahs cannot be a free-roaming outdoor cat in our new space. Many ideas were thrown about (and most of the solutions were fairly expensive - invisible fencing, netting for our existing backyard fencing) and the Capt and I decided on the cheapest "solution" - put Delilahs on a harness and use a tie-out in the front yard.

We put our plan into action last Saturday. The only hitch was that the tie-out did not come with a corkscrew stake to put in the ground. Capt. Grump improvised and used a curtain rod from the garage. He staked it into the middle of one of the tree stumps in our front yard. And then a few minutes later, we were frightened to see water pouring out of the side of the house and into the front yard. The Capt ran to shut off the main water valve and we both realized that the curtain rod had most likely punctured the water line from the street to the house.

I started making phone calls to find a plumber to come out on a Saturday, while the Capt started digging out the tree stump (because we surmised that the plumber would need to get to the line that was broken underneath). We quickly realized that we didn't have the tools necessary to dig out those stumps and so I was sent to search for a stump grinder. My mind is reeling at this time because I'm figuring that this is going to cost us well above $500 for our stupid attempt to allow Delilahs access to the front yard. I was lucky to end up with a great company agreeing to come out and remove both tree stumps for only $140!

Our stump-less front yard

The tree grinder guy only took 15 minutes to finish and then the plumber arrived shortly thereafter. He ended up re-routing the water line around where the stumps used to be. Mr. plumber man said that the Capt's puncture was a one-in-a-million shot, which cost us $250 to fix. That was hard to swallow but we had to do it.

Finally, we have not forgotten about the Delilahs. She was still tethered to the tie-out while we trying to figure out who to call and she was startled by a garbage can lid being knocked over the wind. She freaked out because she wanted to run but couldn't go that far because of the harness and lead and we watched in what seemed to be slow motion as she jumped and bucked and pulled against the tie-out until she frantically slipped out of the harness. Luckily, she ran back to the house in her panic and I just brought her inside. At this point, my heart is pounding out of my chest, with the cat all freaked out and the thought of the major expense we were going to occur.

Delilah before the freak-out

I'll end this long story by saying that by the end of the day I was very happy with the look of our new front yard and satisfied that we didn't really spend that much money. Of course, we are no closer to figuring out Delilah's issues with still wanting to be an outdoor cat. I've decided that we should just kill Delilah's soul and force her to be indoors all the time, but the Capt has not seen the light on that issue and still talks to me about how we can help her.

I'm still knitting the Capt's afghan but I also finished a crocheted hat. The hat is too big (typical) but I'm going to wet block it to see if it can be saved. I'll post more about it later.

My Heart's Not In It

2011-10-02T15:28:00.003-04:00

Gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Florida. We are truly blessed today; I am so appreciative of all the nice things I have in my life now.

I've moved back to working on the afghan for Mr. Grumpbump. I'm trying to finish it before it gets cold in Florida, which means I have at least two months. And since Mr. Grumpbump grew up in Minnesota, Florida "cold" to him is a joke anyway. I'm not thrilled with the colors, but they were Mr. Grumpbump's choice.

I want to start another knitting project. I think I'm going to take an online course on sock knitting. I have a lot of sock yarn and really need to use it up, but I am not a very good sock knitter in that I don't do sizes very well. My socks are usually too large.

Mr. Grumpbump and I are trying to add more foliage and actual grass to the garden areas within the pool enclosure to help the cats enjoy their outdoors instead of always wanting to actually venture outside of the house. We went to the local home improvement store and bought some shrubs, soil and mulch. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

In the meantime, our cats sleep their lives away (cutely):

Baby Kitten a/k/a Delilah

Macy sleeping in our luggage.

I'm in need of some ice cream and the laptop is burning my leg so I'm going to end this post.

I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage

2011-09-20T22:43:00.003-04:00

Now that we have a bigger place, Mr. Grumpbump and I have different ideas about how we should furnish the house. Mr. Grumpbump wants a pool table and I've agreed to it, on the condition it has a table pad to convert it to a dining table (in my defense, he wants to put it in the dining room). My wish was for a china cabinet. I inherited a set of wedding china and I have really want to display it appropriately.

In pursuit of our individual goals, Mr. Grumpbump and I have been searching the for-sale ads on craigslist. We have a disadvantage because we don't have a truck and most people selling on craigslist don't deliver. The other consideration for both of us is the cost; we don't really have a ton of extra cash.

However, I found a little treasure for sale a few days ago and now it sits in my garage! I paid $60 for it. It's small (3' wide x 5' tall x 14" deep) but it has grooved shelving for plates. It has a scroll work on the top (we had to remove it to get it to fit in my car) and the glass in the front door has no cracks or chips.

My new cabinet!

My measurements were not exact and I was worried that it would not fit in my car. Because we don't have access to a truck, it was very important that we be able to get this thing home safely. Lucky for us, my car is awesome and with a bit of maneuvering, this cabinet fit in the back and the hatch actually closed securely.

Without scrollwork at top

The lady selling it called it "vintage", which means that it has cobwebs and the wood is beat up in some places. There are a few places where the wood has bowed, but I'm counting on my handyman to help me get it in working shape.

I need some advice on what to do about the exterior. Should I just clean it? Or should I take a leap and try to stain it?

Storage space

See Mr. Grumpbump's hand in the corner holding the scrollwork?

Delilah rubbed herself all over this thing when we brought it home. She has to make sure everyone knows that it is in her house and therefore, by manifest destiny, it falls under her domain. The house I bought it from had a really cute cat, so I'm sure she was also erasing the scent of the other cat.

America's Next Top Cat

2011-09-17T10:55:00.001-04:00

My Delilah is a model. Seriously, she's so beautiful - on the outside. Her personality is, well, let's say, not so beautiful. Delilah could definitely be a contender on the feline version of America's Next Top Model. If there were such a thing, here's how I imagine it:

All Delilah needed was a trim to her honey-blond locks. Typical wannabe-model drama when the finished product revealed the cut to be shorter than what Delilah wanted.

It's Makeover Time!

Time for the photo shoot! The shoot was outdoors, early morning, and the theme was luxurious living by the pool.

"Delilah, look directly into the camera"

"Delilah, show me vulnerability"

"Show me Madonna vogue-ing but then at the last minute scale it back a notch"

"Great profile shot while showcasing your fluffy belly!"

"Show me relaxed but with controlled lines"

Time for judging panel and we will see which cats will continue in the search for America's Next Top Cat. Delilah, we edited your film heavily. There were so many shots of the *exact* same pose. You can be a bit too boring, and your small body mass and frame mean you have to work harder to get that extra strong photo. These were the best pictures of your film:

"Your paws look awkward in this picture but as a beauty shot it's good"

"Your face caught the light beautifully"

"At this angle, your paws look huge, but the toe fluff is a nice touch"

"I feel the action coming off the picture - your face is bringing it!"

"You lost your face in this shot but there is a market out there for paw shots"

And the award for best picture goes to....Delilah! Congratulations, you are still in the running in the hopes of becoming America's Next Top Cat.

"You are beautiful but you have an anger that makes you push too hard
to the point where you lose focus and become to difficult to work with"

Making Room for Grumpbump

2011-09-07T20:06:00.001-04:00

A few weeks into home ownership and it still feels great! The cats have definitely settled in and both of them enjoy hanging out by the pool. The backyard is big enough to let them each have their own corner and Macy stays far away from Delilah.

I managed to unpack all of the kitchen boxes and lined the kitchen selves. It was hard to decide where everything should go. I hope I made the right decisions on where to put our plates, dishes, silverware. I did ask Mr. Grumpbump for his opinion on the placement of everything. I think it makes logistical sense, which is important when you are searching for the right pot, pan or kitchen tool.

Mr. Grumpbump had to install the over-the-range microwave, but the outlet for the microwave is in a weird spot. Turns out that we will need to move the outlet (which would require the hiring of an electrician) to the cabinet above the microwave. We don't have the budget for that right now so the microwave is plugged into an outlet on the side of the range. For now, I'm hiding the cord by shoving the knife block and toaster in front it. I can live with it for a while.

Visible microwave cord

I knitted a grocery bag holder so I could start collecting all my random plastic grocery bags for each dispensing. The pattern was very easy and I used some of my stash yarn. It's not the most attractive piece of knitting (looks like a sphincter) but it's very useful. The pattern is only available on Ravelry. It's got a ribbing on each end and the lacy middle allows you to stuff the middle with a bunch of grocery bags.

It poops grocery bags

These moving boxes keep multiplying! My dad is coming over this weekend and he's bringing more! I have a feeling that I will end up throwing out most of what he is bringing over. However, I have several boxes of wedding china (it belonged to White, who was my babysitter when I was very young). I am in desperate need of a china cabinet but I can't afford to purchase one.

As usual, I leave you with pictures of my favorite cats, Delilah and Macy:

Delilah was not happy to leave the apartment but she's adjusting

Macy hanging out in her cat condo - always a window view for her

A Place For Grumpbumps

2011-08-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

No one I know likes moving. I've moved at least 12 times in my life and I've cried during a lot of them. A new place is always exciting, even when you are moving for sad reasons (like breaking up with a boyfriend - four times). But this move into our new house has been so satisfying. It sounds conceited or perhaps like I am being a braggart but Mr. Grumpbump and I deserved this house. With everything going so much in our favor, I feel like I'm tempting fate by talking about how happy I am over the turn of events. Also, it does us no service to chalk this up to fate or karma. The facts are that Mr. Grumpbump and I made this happen. I don't think I've ever believed that line coming out of other people - but now I feel like it completely a legitimate explanation for why some things in life happen the way they do. (I don't believe this across the board because lots of bad things happen to very good people through no fault of their own.) I just think it cheapens how Mr. Grumpbump and I hung in there in order to close on this house.

The big move happened yesterday. Because we were moving from such a small place, we were 95% packed and ready to go. Mr. Grumpbump and his friend and said friend's grandson packed the U-Haul, drove to the new house, and unpacked all within 2 hours. I came over early to the house with the two cats in tow. Both Macy and Delilah were pretty miserable upon entry into the house. Delilah would not stop hissing and growling, while Macy just made whimpering noises and ran behind the washer and dryer. Delilah ended up in the master bathroom, hissing at anyone who opened the door. It was not until we set up our bed and Delilah was able to climb up and sleep that she calmed down (a bit). Macy did not relax all day, with a lot of whimpering and whining and crying.

Day two has been better. I've moved Macy's cat condo to the main living area so she is near us, which appears to be of major concern with her. Macy's not a very needy cat, but she has really been stressed about this move and is constantly sitting next to us, always touching us. In fact, she's sleeping next to me now, with her feet pushed up on my thigh. Delilah, on the other hand, has been sleeping all day. Mr. Grumpbump convinced her to go outside and she's now exploring the pool area.

Delilah lounging by the pool

Macy relaxing (sort of) on the couch with me

Macy's new perch by the window facing the pool

Today, I explored the neighborhood and found our Publix and a Super Target. There are a ton of shops around our house and I'm looking forward to getting to know the local stores (for example, there is a cute little bakery up the street that I'm anxious to try).

I will post pictures of the house once we've organized ourselves a little better (too many boxes all over).

Happiness Is Our Home

2011-08-16T21:48:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I'm typing this but we actually bought our house! Almost one year ago (Labor Day weekend of 2010) Mr. Grumpbump and I started looking for a home. And now, we own a really cute 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single-family home with a pool!

The house needs some TLC - fresh paint inside and a good cleaning. But the remainder of the house is in really good condition. The floors are entirely tile (even the baseboards), with an inside utility room. The master bath is really nice. I'll get pictures of all rooms and post pictures as I can.

And, of course, the pool:

Amazing Pool

Although this is definitely the "before" picture because the house has sat vacant for more than six months, so currently it looks like this:

Yuck! Florida is no friend to untended pools

We've got a pool guy coming over this week to get this pool back to the great shape seen in the "before" picture.

I plan to post a ton more pictures once we actually move in and get everything situated.

Ugly Business

2011-08-06T12:06:00.001-04:00

We are supposed to close on our house in 9 days. I am very pessimistic about this closing and I am sickened by how people in this business are treating me. My realtor is basically a non-entity. She didn't even find this house for us - Mr. Grumpbump is the one who found it on the internet. The loan processor handling my loan is rude and bitchy and I don't know if the loan conditions are cleared. And finally, the title company handling the transaction is, predictably, padding my side of the closing statement with junk fees. I spent a lot of time on email and the phone yesterday arguing with the title company about these fees. I can't believe that they are refusing to lower their fees in order to close the transaction. Instead, they feel the need to argue with me about what they feel they deserve, even after I disclosed to them that I'm a very informed buyer and closing real estate transactions has been my job for the last seven years.

The end result is that I'm anxious, nervous, pissed off, and very insecure about this closing. We are so close to owning this house that it feels very surreal.

No matter what happens we will be moving from our apartment by the end of the month.

Decisions I Don't Regret

2011-07-31T19:28:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Macy's one-year anniversary with us. She's a much more comfortable with us and can usually be found sitting in our line-of-site, watching us intently. Macy has also learned that paper plates mean catnip (I put catnip on paper plates for both Macy and Delilah) and that good things come from the kitchen. She's a bit more vocal but only when it comes to food, which I believe she learned from Delilah.

Macy's favorite perch

No eyes! A rarity not to see those owl eyes.

I started a new ripple stitch afghan for Mr. Grumpbump. He picked out the colors he wanted and I started it immediately. I have to finish my pedicure socks, but I find it hard to work on them when I have my (current) favorite pattern on the needles. I really put a lot of time into the afghan this weekend.

Color Palette

A nice lady at work is going to teach me to crochet. Crochet will never replace knitting as my favorite hobby, but I have found so many cute crochet patterns that I want to try. I'm going to have to dig through my stash of yarn and find something suitable to practice with.

I was supposed to go into work this weekend. I didn't make it because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. I needed to work into order to catch up on some things that have just sat on my desk for weeks, while I put out fires and work on other high priority items. But you know what happens when you put something on the back burner too long, it will become the next high priority. I just hate being behind, but I hate going into work on the weekends even more. Just thinking about me makes me sick.

Mr. Grumpbump thinks that Delilah is sick. But I've tried to look at the situation from a realistic view. She's still eating regularly (wet and dry food), drinking water, and going to the bathroom. She has been listless and hanging around the apartment more than usual. I think it can be pinpointed to the change in Mr. Grumpbump's schedule. He and Delilah had a definite routine for more than 18 months and now, with Mr. Grumpbump getting a new job and working during the day, Delilah has had to adjust. It is not as ominous as Mr. Grumpbump would have me believe.

Orange Cat loves to nap

We are not-so-patiently waiting for the short sale bank to decide if we can finally buy our house. The appraisal by my lender came in $1500 under the offered purchase price and we immediately got an amendment to the contract to reduce the sales price. My interest rate lock expires 30 day from tomorrow so the pressure is on to close this before the beginning of September. I'm so anxious about this - sometimes I can feel my heart beating out of my chest thinking about actually purchasing this place.

Moving On To The Next Project

2011-07-17T23:07:00.000-04:00

I finished my afghan last night. I wanted to knit a few more rows but I was running out of the main color (orange). I have enough of the green, pink and beige to make another cat blanket. Or I might use it to practice my crochet skills. The afghan ended up being 53" x 45". I'm going to try to wash it on gentle cycle to see if I can soften it up just a bit. The yarn I used was acrylic but it's not scratchy or rough. I also want to make sure that my weaving in the ends will hold up to a wash.

I actually like the colors

I started working on Pedicure Socks (you have to be a member of the Paton's website to view this free pattern). I'm just some KnitPicks sock yarn that I've had a for a while. I couldn't put my hands on my bamboo dpns so I'm using this nickel-plated dpns. The yarn slides easily (too easily) on the nickel-plated and I have to be very careful not to drop stitches.

I've decided to put the idea of a third cat on the (very) back burner. I'm not sure that Delilah or Macy would be accepting of a new cat and we've only really begun our lives with these two. I've already asked a lot of these cats to be housemates; asking them to share their house with another creature is probably asking for trouble. The good news is that we might be moving to our new house as soon as the middle of August and that will certainly be an adjustment for both of them.

We've moved forward a tiny bit on our house purchase. There is now a completely signed contract and the closing is "scheduled" for August 16. We also did our home inspection and we are pleased with the results. The roof on the house is in good condition, as is the air conditioner. There are a few items that will need to be addressed, and the pool is just gross. Mr. Grumpbump and I have decided that we will have a professional come out and clean the pool to get it in decent shape and then we can take it from there. I'm hoping that we can get into the house pre-closing in order to get a fresh coat of interior paint on the walls and to clean/sweep up the kitchen and master bedroom.

My plans were to take as little as possible into the house and just start over with all new items. However, I'm going to have to redo my budget because I have to come up with more closing costs than originally expected. The short sale lender would not approve the contract unless we reduced the Seller-paid closing costs to 3% (from 4.5%). Additionally, we have to buy all new appliances. It's scary to think about spending so much money but I'm cautiously optimistic about having a house of our own in just a few weeks.

Crying Because I Want To

2011-06-26T17:56:00.001-04:00

I started an easy project - a scarf using the the Double Bump Scarf pattern. I've made several facecloths from this pattern, meaning to give them as a gift but they still sit on my kitchen table. I took a knitting class several months ago and ended up with a skein of this light blue yarn. I figured I could do a scarf and maybe have enough left over for a matching hat. We'll see. In the meantime, here's the little bit of progress on the scarf.

The beginning of a scarf

My afghan is getting heavier on the needles and now drapes over my legs while I'm on the couch, knitting. I'm not sure how much more I'm going to knit but the pattern it's based on recommends at least 57 inches of the pattern, which does not include a two-inch bottom and top border. I imagine that I will keep going until I use up all the yarn I bought for this project. Mr. Grumpbump hates it when I have random left over yarn.

Retro Afghan

I thought about carrying around a little notebook with me so I could jot down ideas for this blog. I think that most of my entries tend to be very one-sided and uninteresting. In order to capture these brilliant ideas as soon as they pop into my head, I now carry around a small green notebook. And it remains empty. All of my ideas come to me as I drive. I believe it would be a bad idea to suddenly whip out my green notebook at that time. Notice I did not say they were good ideas.

For example, today I was thinking about how much hatred I have in my heart. Or maybe I just feel like life is unfair and it makes me angry. Now, as I start to type what I was thinking, I realize that the words on the page only make me sound bitter and pathetic. It is a habit of mine to look at houses as I drive by and imagine how the people living inside can afford such luxury. What is it that they are doing that I am not? I then see that my hatred is just jealousy and it makes me feel uglier than all my excess weight ever does. It's just a game I play with myself.

I then skipped around until I made a connection to explain my jealousy. I was raised Catholic and attended parochial school until the 9th grade. This means I went to mass every Friday and Sunday for at least 8 years, from age 5 to 14. On top of that, every year we had a religious education class. All the teachings were drilled into me over and over until it was no longer a choice but a part of me. I believed with all my heart that if I lived my life as a good Christian that I would be rewarded by a good life. So, I was basically a good person, with the exception of petty childish things, I earned good grades in school, I tried my best to be respectful of all adults, I did what I was told. And then I waited. Waited for this good life to come to me. By the time I realized that the good life was not going to come to me, that I had to pursue it, I ended up with a man who took complete advantage of me. Convincing me that being with him was the good life, when it was the exact opposite of good. It was completely wrong. I gave up that lifestyle and just tried to live a decent life. Yet, I am still behind and the morally corrupt, rotten people are miles ahead of me. I have no explanation for this imbalance and its very existence pisses me off. That's the convoluted reason I envy those who have so much more than me.

I have to say that there are people I love who are experiencing things so much worse than me not having a house, or another kitten, or a baby or even a respectable career and money. I specifically am not including their pain in this because it's not my place to discuss their private matters. However, I am in no way equating the unfairness I feel with what they are going through and I would never discuss this with them for that same reason. I would gladly accept more pain and suffering, with the rule of keeping my pity party strictly to myself, to alleviate all their problems from their life.

I Can't Help Myself

2011-06-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Mr. Grumpbump and I looked at another house today. While I liked it, and the price was certainly right, our chances of actually getting it are slim. There are already three other offers on the table for the house. The house does not have a pool, but it does have a big backyard and an enclosed Florida room. We are going to add our offer to the mix.

After we did our walk-through for the house, we drove by the home we still have under short sale contract. The pool is a lovely shade of Mountain Dew-green and there are tadpoles now living in it. This house is still the one we want but as the days tick away, we are less and less assured that it will ever be sold. I wrote a letter to the owners of the house and appealed to them on a personal level. I asked them to allow us to buy their house and take care of it properly. I know they don't make the final decision (their bank does) but I have been told that they are not submitting the paperwork necessary to qualify for the short sale. I can't stand the thought of someone else getting this house or having it just sit empty and deteriorating while the bank forecloses on it.

It's storming outside right now and Delilah is begging to go out. In fact, she's yelling at me, but I will not give in. So, she started taken to stalking Miss Macy. I think she's going stir-crazy being inside, so I tried to work out some of her energy by playing with her.

Miss Macy is such a laid back cat and sometimes that means she does not get the attention she deserves. Instead, Delilah gets it for being a such a bitchy cat. While I was engaging Miss Delilah, Macy was sitting on the couch, watching us. I did play with Macy but she was not really interested. Macy is more interested in observing and eating.

Macy watching the action

Lost

2011-06-12T20:06:00.074-04:00

I've been avoiding spending any money or making any big changes because I was sure that at any moment we would hear about our house. Now, it seems inevitable that we will not get this house. So, all of this waiting means we've gone four months without any real fun. Now we have to plan to move to another apartment. I can't get another cat, even if I wanted one, because I'm back to being controlled by what my landlord would allow, instead of being a homeowner and making my own decisions. My anger over this situation is directed at the people who contracted to sell me their house, only to break the terms by removing items when they moved out (the ceiling fans, window treatments and bathroom mirrors) and by refusing to make any progress with their short sale (as far as I know they haven't even submitted the correct paperwork). Also, my realtor has been downright ineffectual about this. I don't understand why I can't get a straight answer about the status of the short sale and why does she take the listing agent's vague answers as fact? Seriously. I don't get anyway with that wishy-washy stuff at work, and why should she? Mr. Grumpbump and I would be so appreciative to get this house and we would take good care of it, instead of it just sitting empty and abandoned.

Besides Mr. Grumpbump and the cats, the only thing making me happy and/or keeping me relaxed is my knitting. I'm still working on the ripple afghan and I'm not sure if I will keep it when it is completed or if I will gift it. I think the colors are too odd for me to gift it (a friend called it "retro" which I believe is code for "ugly"). I think I will take a break from it once it's done and perhaps start a pair of socks. Or maybe I can have two projects at once, although I do find this to be a problem when knitting socks because they require me to be more organized. This ripple pattern is so easy; I've already memorized it and I don't keep track of anything other than counting rows on the actual project.

I love this pattern

Mr. Grumpbump has to apply with a new company because this new company won the contract for the place he works. We will know by July if they will keep him on as an employee. Just another thing in our lives that we have to worry about. We are feeling a bit beat down lately. Things are tense because of our living situation, the uncertainty of Mr. G's job, and our inability to get on the same schedule. Mr. G. and I never see each in a meaningful way. He's either sleeping or I'm at work. We really need an escape to be together, even for just a few days, to reconnect and feel better about our life.

I Wish I Could Knit For A Living

2011-05-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

My sweet cat, Macy, is sleeping on the floor in front of me, on her back with her legs in the air. Macy's been with us for almost a year now, and she has started exhibiting a need to be our line of sight. Macy always relaxes or sleeps directly in front of the couch and tv if we are in the room with us. For regular longer sleeping or napping, she's still much more comfortable and safe in her cat condo. In fact, as I type this, she just climbed on the couch next to me and made herself comfortable on my knitting.

The flash woke her up

I am in the middle of a big project at work and it has completely screwed up my routine. I've been going into work earlier and leaving late. I feel very stressed all the time. I basically get a few hours each night to try to relax. The only thing that helps is knitting. And I started an afghan project a few weeks ago but I messed up the pattern two separate times and had to frog the entire project both times. Knitting was not helping me out at all.

However, on the third try, the pattern suddenly clicked with me and I couldn't put the pattern down. This is exactly what I needed to start taking my mind off the mounds of work ahead of me. I hate the colors I've picked for this afghan (they don't work together as well as I thought they did) but I love the pattern so much that I don't care that it is ugly. I'm already planning my next afghan.

Ripple Stitch Afghan in progress

Reverse Knitting

2011-05-15T19:27:00.000-04:00

I really want to knit an afghan I found on Bernat's website. I can't link it directly because you have to be a member to view it, but it's called Ripple Stitch Afghan. While I bought yarn to start the project, it is clear to me now that it will not be enough. And, while I will not have enough yarn of the same dye lot, this is not enough to discourage me from this project.

Color palette (the orange is the contract color for border use)

The pattern seems simple enough. I've learned my lesson from other projects that I will read through the entire project and make sure I understand the stitches. This easy pattern passed the test. My contrast color (orange) started the project as the border, and then I had to increase the number of stitches by 30. At this point, I started with my first color (pink) in the ripple pattern. The pattern involves increasing and decreasing in the row, but I thought I knew what I was doing. Wrong. I managed eight rows of the pattern before I realized I was leaving out several stitches at the end of the rows. I frogged the entire thing back to the beginning (i.e., all stitches off the needle) and started over with my border color.

My second attempt was started yesterday and I made quick work of the border. I was confident going into the first row of the pattern. Everything is looking good unless I get to what is supposed to be the last seven stitches. Only problem is that I only have six stitches remaining to work. Argh.

I was tempted to rip out the whole thing again, but I'm trying to keep my frustration in check and I'm reversing (unknitting) the last row. This is very slow because I have to unwork 207 stitches, some of which are stitches knitted together and slipped. I'm wondering if I will ever get the project off the ground. I'm hoping that once I establish the correct pattern repeat, I will be able to pick up mistakes long before I get to the end. Otherwise, I may start looking for a new pattern to use up this yarn.

I've neglected this blog and, believe me, it's not the only thing in my life getting the neglect edit at this point in my life.

We are halfway through May and we have no idea what is happening with our short sale home purchase. Mr. Grumpbump and I want to own this home and we are willing to wait for it. If we just had an idea of where the Sellers were in their short sale process. I would never recommend buying a short sale to anyone, especially if the house is to be your primary residence. We've heard horror stories about short sales taking seven months to a year to close. We love this house but are really afraid of waiting that long. I'm not sure we can remain sane that long.

I've asked Mr. Grumpbump if I can have a kitten. He was not very open to the idea but mumbled something about getting our house first. He's right, of course, and I have not completely considered how adding a kitten to our household would affect Miss Macy or Delilah Cat. I want to believe that their maternal instincts would kick in, but I've been known to be wrong before.

Delilah is ALWAYS cleaning.

We believe Macy's background to be part cat, part owl.

Short Sale Woes

2011-04-03T09:34:00.000-04:00

Ugh. That sums up how I feel about myself lately.

Now that April is here, the anxiety level surrounding our house purchase has increased significantly. This anxiety feels exactly the same as when I was in grade school and there was a big trip planned (to Sea World or the now-long-defunct Circus World) and for some reason, I was not going on the trip. All my friends were going. In fact, all of my classmates were going. But I could not go. I was staying home. The feeling was a combination of misery, jealously, curiosity, and sadness. I felt like I was missing the biggest event ever.

That's how it feels, waiting for a short sale to be approved. All my other plans are on hold, pending the outcome of this. Add to this, the fact that there is another person in this equation, feeling similar feelings. Mr. Grumpbump is normally very laid-back in comparison to me. But, his temper has been showing lately.

We constantly discuss that short sales typically take an average of four to six months to close. We know this. It's the whole heart vs. head debate. And our hearts are telling us we need to close soon in order to keep our sanity.

Mr. Grumpbump wants me to go running with him today. I'm going to try for two miles (running and walking). Time to go charge my first generation Ipod Shuffle.

Why Can't I Just Leave It All Behind?

2011-03-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

We let Miss Macy out of the house this evening. I put her collar on her and let her come outside. Delilah was instantly on alert and vocally unhappy that Miss Macy was in her territory. Mr. Grumpbump and I were not alarmed by this because that is the nature of the cats' relationship. We were just going to let Macy roam around the house while we were watching her. Of course, our great plan went up in smoke when a stray dog showed up. He was a very friendly pup but Delilah the Sentinel was freaking out and bopped him on the nose. I was so sure in the ruckus that Macy would just bolt. Lucky for us, Macy ran to her safe zone, which was right back into our apartment. The puppy, whose name was Timmy, just wanted to play with Delilah. She was having none of that and tried to slice him several times. His owner was so distressed by Delilah's hissing when she showed up. Timmy was a sweet dog but dumb.

I finished my second sock. So I have the first new socks of 2011. They are too big, typical of my knitting style. I am trying to get Mr. Grumpbump to wear them, hoping that they will not be too big for him. I don't like the ribbing all the way done the leg.

I started a new pair of socks but they are already looking too big!

I am so frustrated by how things are going with the house. I just hate our apartment so much. I wish we could just leave her and start over with all brand new things. I'm at the point where I want to get a new sofa/loveseat or sectional. Starting over with everything new sounds so wonderful to me right now. The thought of having to move our cheap, mismatched furniture makes me sick.

My grandmother is going on a week post-surgery. I'm so glad that she made it through without any significant issues. She is 85 years old so there will be a longer recovery but I am happy that she has made it through this far.

All I Have To Say=Knitting and Cats

2011-02-26T16:54:00.000-05:00

My blanket is finished! I don't really know the measurements but it's much bigger than a lap. I added a crochet border (my first ever!) to clean up the edges. The yarn was nothing special and is very soft but a bit heavy. I used larger needles (size 10) so the blanket has a lightweight quality to it because the stitches are larger. The colors are masculine because I knitted it for Mr. Grumpbump. However, my grandmother is in the hospital having surgery and I've decided to give it to her. She's not picky about colors.

Mr. Grumpbump is the lump in the blanket

Full Size

Crochet Border Close Up

I'm in love with my Wii game, Just Dance 2. I wish they had more downloads for it. I love pop music, but I can't listen to it in the car. In the car, I like to listen to talk radio; I think it has something to do with conversation. But when I'm working late or leaving work for the day, I pull out my earphones and my phone is my music player. Pop music puts me in such a good mood and instantly erases the stress of the day. Funny, it only works after work - before work just makes me depressed because I'm stuck inside all day.

Mr. Grumpbump says I take too many pictures of my cats. He's right.

Delilah Bug

Miss Mace

Nothing new on our house purchase. At this point, we would just like to be in the house by June. How great would it be to have a pool during the hottest part of the year? So excited.....

Many Hours In My Day

2011-02-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

I bought a new cat toy at CVS of all places. I know this is not a very exciting opening line, but keep reading. I went to PetSmart to buy dry cat food and litter. I always sneak a peek at the cat toys section but I don't give in to temptation very often. I know my cats are older and, quite frankly, not really interested in most of the stuff they sell. The only exception is the Cat Teaser, which we use infrequently when Delilah (mostly) or Macy express interest in it.

I recently saw a show on Animal Planet, and its name escapes me, but there was a segment about a woman who owned four cats and she made her own toys to stimulate her cats. She took plastic bottles and poked holes in the sides and then put cat treats in the bottles. Her cats would play with the bottles in attempt to get the treats out. She also had this wooden box with holes in and it served the same purpose.

PetSmart does not have this wooden box but I look every time I visit. It's the only thing I would consider buying. So I left PetSmart with just my food and litter in hand. But I had to stop at CVS to pick up human supplies. I can't help walking around CVS, even after I've got everything I needed. And in their pet section was the wooden box! It comes with toys inside. Of course, I bought it.

I made several other stops before getting home and I was starving when I finally pulled up. So I unloaded everything but didn't make any moves to introduce Macy and Delilah to the new toy. Of course, Delilah threw up after I got home (so I had to clean it up - not Mr. Grumpbump, who was sleeping after working 12 hours last night). Then I made lunch. I finally got around to putting the toy out for Miss Macy's benefit (Delilah was sleeping with her favorite human, Mr. Grumpbump). Miss Macy comes running when I shake the cat treat bag, and I placed a few treats where she could get to them. The rest I put inside the box and watched the smartest cat in the world dig around to get her favorite treats.

It took no time for her to figure out the box

Macy spies her treat

We have a completely signed contract for the (pool) house. Now we settle in for the wait for the mortgage holder to give their blessing. Mr. Grumpbump is going over to the new house tomorrow morning after he gets off work in order to measure the areas in the kitchen for the appliances. We looked at refrigerators and ranges on Saturday at a scratch and dent store. We are considering a blend of stainless steel and black appliances. Mr. Grumpbump is going to be responsible for the refrigerator and range and I'm going to pay for the washer and dryer. Mr. Grumpbump has been working overtime hours whenever possible so he can save up enough to buy the refrigerator of his dreams (stainless steel, french doors, and icemaker in front).

My lap blanket has morphed into a real blanket. I'm working on my last two skeins of yarn and I have decided that I will use the blue color to crochet the edging. For some odd reason, I run out of the black yarn much faster than the blue. The yarn is the cheap red yarn (soft) brand, which I bought for a grand total of $8.00 (thanks to Michael's 20 percent off coupon and my $5 gift card from christmas).

It's almost done!

Sunday is winding down but I've been up and about since 7:00 a.m. so this day has felt luxuriously long. I'm going to knit a bit more today and then finish the laundry and start to worry about work in the morning. I should have gone into work this weekend but, as usual, talked myself out of that idea on Saturday. Today should have been a crappy day because I was at Starbucks drive-through and they gave me the wrong drink at the pass. I didn't figure it out until I got home and took a sip. I tried to salvage it but I ended up pouring it down the sink. I sent an email through their website (which I frequently do when I get poor service at stores) and hope to hear from them soon. I really only want a refund of the cost of the drink. Mr. Grumpbump just laughs at me when I tell him I wrote them a letter because he knows it means I went on the website and bitched. He knows me so well.

I leave you with a picture of Delilah Bug wrapped in blanket while I hold her like a baby. Not her favorite past time, but she is so damn cute I can't help myself.

Delilah Baby

Left vs. Right

2011-02-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

I learned how to knit continental, thanks to another class hosted by Sip and Knit. I asked Mr. Grumpbump tonight if he noticed I was knitting differently. He was, of course, very confused because he does not make a practice of analyzing my knitting style. So, I showed him that I could knit with (a) the working yarn in my right hand (English) and (b) the working yarn in my left hand (Continental). Surprisingly, he was underwhelmed by my new skills.

I'm still working on the striped lap blanket; I've knitted about two-thirds of it. The whole thing is the knit stitch, so it's the perfect project to practice my continental knitting. I've not touched any other project, although the only other things on needles is a second sock (why are they soooo hard to finish?) and a dishcloth. I've asked a friend at work to give me a good beginner crochet project for me, which I hope is not a dishcloth.

Mr. Grumpbump and I have made an offer on yet another house and it's a short sale. So, we are in for three to six months of waiting for the seller's lender to approve the contract. We are very hopeful for this house because it is in really good condition, with tile floors and travertine counter tops in the kitchen and bathroom. Oh, yes, it also has a pool!

Expanding My Fiber Horizons

2011-01-30T11:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I attended a "Learn to Crochet" class at a local yarn store, Sip & Knit. The class was only $30 and I received two plus hours of instruction (there were only two students in the class, including me, so I basically received one-on-one instruction). I was totally confused for the first hour and thirty minutes; I felt like I was struggling to get my mind around it and that I was just mimicking what the instructor was showing me. I didn't know the how or why behind it.

I fumbled around and managed to create a simple crochet border on a knitted swatch. It was not impressive but I had fun in the class and signed up for another one on the spot (Learn to Knit Continental). I was intrigued and after I got home, I pulled up as many beginner crochet videos as I could and started practicing stitches. I was a bit bored with it until I found granny squares.

I ran through five or six versions of the granny square until I finally understood the stitches. This was my first completely successful attempt. (I'm using the crappiest of crappy acrylic yarn because I'm just practicing and why waste decent yarn?)

Granny Square

I added a different color as a border to practice what I learned in class.

Granny Square with border

It's not much. But I am very excited about this. I have to finish my knit blanket and maybe the second sock on my needles. I want to tackle a crochet project. I'll do some researching (i.e., reading blogs and crochet forums online). Also, there is a lady at work who is an accomplished crocheter and I will ask her for a recommendation.

I'm nervous about our possible move. Nervous because we will have to acclimate Miss Macy to another new place. It's been six months since she's been with us and she's still a 'fraidy cat. I want her to feel secure and I'm not sure how we will do that with the new place.

Look how little she looks! Miss Macy all curled up.

Home Is Right Around The Corner

2011-01-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

I enrolled in a knitting class for this Saturday - actually, it's a crocheting class for knitters. I am trying to learn some good finishing techniques. My common complaint about my knitting is that it doesn't look polished or properly finished. A few people have recommended that I do a crochet border around my projects to hide the uneven or unsightly edges.

I knitted up a few dishcloths and plan to make at least one more. I have just a bit of cotton yarn left and I'm trying to use it up. The pattern I used is called Double Bump Dishcloth and it was a lot of fun to knit. Tonight, I will start on the third one.

Plain Old White Cotton Dishcloth

Dishcloth Part II

I also started working on a lap blanket. I'm using very soft acrylic yarn that I bought with a gift card from Michael's. The colors are dark - I picked them out for Mr. Grumpbump. I am concentrating on making the stripes look good. I'm only about 1/3 done at this point. It's a completely knit blanket and I'm carrying each color up the side. I am hoping that my crochet class will give me some good ideas for a border for this project.

I love stripes!

Mr. Grumpbump and I are thisclose to signing a contract for a home. Even if we have a signed contract (which we hope will be tonight), there are still several hurdles left. We have to do a home inspection and the home has to appraise for at least the contract price. The house has most of the features we were looking for and I think it the house for us. That being said, I am not afraid to walk away from it, should any of the inspections come back negative. If everything goes as planned, we could be closing by the end of March.

The house would be a much larger area for the cats to roam around in, and this will be very beneficial for Miss Macy. Since she never gets to go outside, she will, on occasion, run around the living room. She doesn't get very far since our apartment is only 800 square feet. Additionally, the new house will give her plenty of more places to hide from Delilah. The house has a Florida room (a patio with actual walls and windows) and I think both girls will love it. All floors are wood or tile, so we don't have to worry about cleaning carpets.

I am constantly in the cats' faces. And they don't love it. I always want to get that perfect picture of them to capture how cute they are.

Delilah Cat

Miss Macy

Happiness Is A Sleeping Cat

2011-01-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Let's start off the New Year with a great picture of Delilah Bug.

Sleeping Beauty

That's my scrap blanket over her. She's not usually a fan of having blankets or sheets over her but we've been experiencing colder weather these last six weeks.

We are starting to see some promise of relaxing between Delilah and Macy. Close quarters still means that there is the occasion hiss or aggressive stance, but there are these moments between the two of them. For example, during feedings, they can get rather close to each other with just a glance and I hold my breath waiting for the vocalizations to begin. Instead, they just separate from each other. I still hold out hope that they will be become friends. To have a picture of these two curled up together.....I would die a happy woman.

Since my marriage to Mr. Grumpbump, my life is good. This is very hard for me to admit openly because, well, I have a fear that to express your happiness and complacency in life just begs for bad things to happen. I can no longer deny it; I am happy. And we aren't even homeowners, yet. It scares me to think about how I will feel when we actually own a home.

I have to go now. Mr. Grumpbump wants to give me a massage. Ah, the good life.

Not Home For The Holidays

2010-12-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the year, practically, and I'm in a horrible mood. My dream of home ownership for 2010 is unattainable, and I don't feel that things are promising for 2011. Typical me, I want to blame someone for this. When I'm angry or hurt or slighted, I must direct my emotions to someone. I feel better doing this. The person solely receiving all the blame this time is my realtor. Around the time of my birthday, the middle of December, the promise of closing on a house fell apart.

On that day, my birthday, my realtor called me and told me to contact my mortgage broker because I had to close before the end of the year. So, on December 13, with approximately 12 working days left until the end of the year, I had to get my loan originated, underwritten, approved, and closed. I told my realtor this was nearly impossible.

The house I was purchasing was a short sale, and I knew that my loan officer would need to see the short sale approvals as a part of the loan process. When I requested those from my realtor, they never materialized. I could see that this closing was not really going to happen by December 31, and I would be left holding the bag for the cost of a survey, appraisal, and home inspection for a home that would never really be mine.

We didn't give up right away; our realtor convinced us to submit a new, lower bid for the house, and it was quickly turned down by the sellers. And, in keeping with the mess that this whole process has been, my realtor informs me that the sellers are not approved for a short sale. Therefore, this means that some time between December 13 and December 23, ten days, the sellers went from a short sale approval to no approval at all.

I am frustrated because I feel helpless and stressed because I'm worried that there is not a house out there for us. I am also sick of living in this small apartment and anxious to move out.

I've not done much knitting this holiday season but I'm planning to expand my craft during the new year and tackle a bigger project. Perhaps something like a simple cardigan.

I will blog again before the actual end of year.

Future Impatient

2010-12-05T14:20:00.001-05:00

My sweater wrap is off the needles but it needs to be blocked. What worries me a bit is there appears to be some pulled stitches and I don't know if blocking will take care of that.

Only a small portion of the completed wrap

I bought mats and pins for blocking, so I'm really going to try to do this correctly. This means I'll be back on the Internet, researching blocking procedures. I think I'll go to the store and get some Wool-lite because I'm hoping that will fix the problems with the pulled stitches.

I started another cat blanket in order to use up some of my stash yarn and to practice knitting stripes. The blanket is coming along great (it's so easy - all knit stitch) but I messed up by running out of a color in the middle of a row. I'm not sure how to fix it and, of course, this glaring error almost ruins the blanket for me. Then I remember, it's for the cats. I'm going to have a bigger problem getting them to actually use it. I'm just going to look at the error as a lesson learned.

Ran out of pink and messed up the stripes

There are only four weeks left in this year and it looks there will not be a closing for us. Realistically, I knew a short sale would be a longer process, and my frustration stems from having a lazy realtor. I never get updates from him and he randomly returns my emails. I know he can't make a closing happen when there are a ton of variables out of his control. However, he could and should be updating me on a weekly basis, even if it is to say "there's nothing new". I am quite annoyed that I have to stay on top of him about everything. I already do this as a matter of practice for Mr. Grumpbump but that's because I love him and he's my husband. And sometimes, even doing this for Mr. Grumpbump pisses me off. So, having to take care of a lazy realtor, who is supposed to be working for me, makes me completely insane and I have a hard time controlling my anger.

After I sent him an email, telling him that, "while I don't expect you to make a closing happen, I am very disappointed by your lack of initiative in getting updates and information on these deals." He responded after two days and said that he has sent me over 20 emails since October 7, including new market comparable listings. And that I have to be "patient". I can't imagine being more patient with this fool, who has ignored me for the whole month of November. My expectations are realistic, but his interaction with me has been disappointing. Of course, his answer to tell me what I need to do. I am so unhappy with him and just hope that one of our contracts is accepted and I can't get out of this business relationship with him.

Meanwhile, we are in a holding pattern with our apartment. There are several things we need to buy but we have zero storage space (when we have people over, we have to use our closet as a temporary hiding place for junk using left out in the open). I did break that rule and buy a cat condo over the Thanksgiving. Mr. Grumpbump wanted to wait but I couldn't see a good reason why we should. I bought it hoping that Delilah Cat would like it so much that she would stay inside more. I know you can guess what I'm going to say next, but Delilah is underwhelmed by it and makes no moves toward it. Do not put it past me to pick her up and put her on it. She quickly jumps out and runs to the door, yelling at me to allow her outside.

Before you pity me for wasting money on this carpeted condo, remember that Miss Macy is a very good housecat. And she loves the new views she has from the perches. Also, in even better news, she actually uses it as a scratching post. As if it is a part of my contract, the camera comes out and I've taken so many pictures of her in the condo that it even bores me now.

When I get close to her, she looks HUGE in this little perch

Macy The Spy.

Does Walking to the Mailbox Count As Exercise?

2010-11-21T14:18:00.001-05:00

I am so lazy on the weekends, or at least that's what it seems like. Actually, I think it is more accurate to describe my weekends as "a body in rest, stays in rest; a body in motion, stays in motion". Today, I am definitely in motion. It's not that I did anything extraordinary, and actually it is a rainy, overcast day, but I managed to prepare two casseroles, one for the husband and one for a co-worker who just had surgery, complete the laundry, clean the kitchen, and make chicken for stir-fry tonight.

After I finish this blog post, I'm going to go back to knitting my sweater wrap, which has been on my needles since forever (February of 2010). I have about 12 inches left to knit on it but it feels like I have a mile to go.

I also finished my thank-you cards from the wedding. I have two left to do, and they are for my bosses at work. Of course, I only had a few stamps on hand but I'm sure I have a few extras in my purse. In fact, I found a stamp stuck to the hand lotion in my purse.

Just about the only thing that isn't making me satisfied is my weight. I gained very slightly last week (I attributed it to the wedding) but I am not feeling the love this week either, even though I'm on plan. I hope I'm just maintaining and that I'm not actually gaining weight. I would hate to start the holidays this way.

I've been bugging Mr. Grumpbump to buy me a EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii. I actually used Active and I should probably just start using it again until I get the latest and greatest version. In fact, if I'm being honest at all, I need to start exercising in order to see results on Weight Watchers.

Possible good news regarding my cats. Although they do not hesitate to hiss at each other, there have been developments that offer promise and hope that one day these guys might be friends. On three separate occasions, Delilah and Macy have been on the same couch without incident. Typically, these two just steer clear of each other and do not share the same space.

Temporary Truce

We can always count on Delilah to provide drama in our lives. She has now taken to napping in the dryer, if we leave the door open. Mr. Grumpbump is guilty of this as his idea of doing laundry does not include taking the clothes out of the dryer and putting them up. Instead he just uses the dryer as additional clothes storage. And, of course, Delilah takes full advantage of that.

Dryer Cat

We still have no word on our house purchase. I am getting depressed that we might not close before the end of the year. With only three working days this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I am sure we will go yet another week without much news.

I Now Pronounce You Crazy Cat Couple

2010-11-13T20:01:00.000-05:00

I made vegetable soup today. Nothing fancy, just a bunch of vegetables I bought at the Farmer's Market this morning. My goal was to make something very weight watchers-friendly. It's not exactly zero points (I added chicken stock and whole-wheat rotini) but it's still relatively okay for my new eating plan.

I have not lost any weight this week. I've splurged too much and I'm afraid to get on the scale. I have to get out tomorrow and do some exercise, just to justify the extra intake.

Back to the soup, the good news is that it smells really good. I'm having a bowl of it right now, but it's too hot to eat so the verdict will have to wait. I made it in the slow cooker and you really can't screw up crockpot food.

Macy and Delilah have exciting news. Two members of their staff, the ones who provide Delilah and Macy with food and water and love, got married on Thursday, November 11. Yes, we are very happy. We are now Mr. and Mrs. Grumpbump.

We had a few guests to our house on Thursday, and, honestly, we were most worried about Macy. She's still edgy about sudden movements or loud noises, so with everyone in the house, we were convinced she would hightail it to the safest place in the house, under the bed. We figured Delilah would just ignore everyone and go about her business.

Macy definitely surprised us, in a good way. While she was not social, she was not shy about walking around all of the new people in the house. She did not run and hide but stayed out front in her normal positions by the window. Delilah hung out in the bedroom and ignored us. After the wedding, when we got home, we thought all was normal.

That was a big mistake. Delilah might not have acted out while company was here, but she certainly let us know later that she was over us. We let her outside, as is the normal routine but she never came back. After several hours, I went outside to look for her. She was nowhere. I had Mr. Grumpbump go look for her and Delilah typically will respond to his calls. Again, no sign of her. Of course, I get upset.

Then, around 11:00 p.m., our phones rang. It was a neighbor calling us to say Delilah was at their house, which was at least five buildings away. Jeezo'man, I was relieved but also embarrassed because a lot of people have definite opinions about cats wandering around. Mr. Grumpbump and I walk over to the house and sure enough, Delilah is hanging out and talking to the neighbors. After introducing ourselves, we explain that Delilah has been like this since we've known her and we do have a collar (with our phones numbers) for just this reason. Mr. Grumpbump called Delilah to come to him and she headed his way. However, she then made a beeline to the next house, yelling at us and warning us with her tail swishing that she wanted nothing to do with us. We cornered her and I picked her up; Delilah was howling at me the whole time, definitely unhappy that we were taking her away.

I was even more upset as Delilah has never acted like this before. Sure, she doesn't always stay right around the house, but she has never before been unhappy to see us. We had her inside that night for about 10 minutes before she started howling and crying to leave again. We let her out.

I'm not sure when she decided to come back in but later that night, I woke up and Delilah was in bed with us, as normal. My concern was elevated because that next day, Mr. Grumpbump and I were gone for the whole day and were staying at a hotel that night. I called a friend of mine, who agreed to stop by and look after the cats while we were away. Delilah was in the back of my mind all night.

When we got back from our trip today, Delilah was in our bed, sleeping, not concerned about anything. I felt pretty silly about working myself up and convincing myself that Delilah was leaving us. Macy was awake and alert. Macy has so many good qualities and I'm sure that her sensitivity will wear off as she gets more and more used to us. She already is very good about sitting with us on the couch, and she talks to us all the time.

Delilah is my fickle, quirky cat, and her indifference to me makes me try harder to control her. Of course, this equation equals failure. In fact, as I type this, Delilah is out roaming the neighborhood, while Miss Mace sleeps on the couch behind me.

When our guests were here, Mr. Grumpbump left the door open and Macy actually walked four steps outside. We all panicked and followed her, calling her to come back. Lucky for us, Macy is smart and knows that the home she has means constant food, water and love. She took her four steps of freedom and turned around and came back in the house.

Macy Love

When we get our house, Mr. Grumpbump is concerned that Delilah will be hard to train to stay around. If we get the house we want, Delilah might just be forced to be indoors all the time. If we can convince her to stay indoors, most of the stress associated with her would be gone. I think our best bet is also to introduce ourselves to our neighbors and let them know who Delilah is. We will deal with it when the time gets here.

Happy With Less

2010-11-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

I'm working on another pair of socks. This pattern is knit 3, purl 1 rib. It goes well with the variegated yarn of blues and browns. The sock is rather large on me (as usual). I could not get a decent photo of it on my foot so here it is on display:

The second of the pair on the needles but I'm slow going on it. I have been busy lately.

I have lost 10.6 pounds since September 22! Slow and steady - about 1.5 lbs per week on Weight Watchers. I've not had a week where I didn't lose weight, although I had one week where I only lost .2 lbs. Seriously. What is that? However, I rebounded the next week with over 2 lbs. Weight Watchers has really helped me with portion control and eating smarter. My vegetable and fiber intake has dramatically increased. Now I actually eat vegetables with pleasure. I have finally reached adulthood!

I'm still waiting for an answer on the short sale offer on two houses. I would love to have a definite answer from the seller's bank before Thanksgiving, but there are no guarantees.

The cats are doing fine. They aren't friends but they manage to stay away from each other enough. I feel like Macy does not get as much as attention, mainly because she is not as pushy with us as Delilah Bug. Macy is so sweet and does like to sit with us on the couch, compared to Delilah who is usually too busy outside to give a hoot about us.

Macy Gray relaxing on the couch

This upcoming week should be a big change, but I reserve the right to post about it until after the event.

Covering Up

2010-10-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

I finished my socks. They are unremarkable and I'm hoping to improve on this new short-row heel technique I've learned.

Nothing Fancy.

The New Heel

These socks were knit with size 2 dpns, which are easily my favorite size. I just cast on 64 stitches and knitted a cuff of 12 rows of K1, P1 (but you knit through the back loop of the knit stitch). The foot and leg are simple knit stitch all the way around. The socks don't have a good fit, probably because the garter stitch does not have very much give.

I've started a new pair of socks, but this time I'm going to do the leg and cuff in a rib pattern, to (hopefully) insure that the fit is more snug. The color pattern of this yarn is also variegated - this time it is greens and browns and gray and turquoise. I'm planning to knit more of a knee sock. We will see how this first sock goes.

I have completely given up on trying to do cable patterns in my socks. I used to love knitting cables, but with socks, I find it too aggravating. I tried to do cables in my newly cast-on sock, but I frogged it back to the cuff after about four rows. I'm searching for some patterns that are based on rib stitches but create interesting patterns. I have a couple more skeins of solid colors (purple and pink) that would really show off cool stitch patterns. I am relying on Ravelry searches to find free patterns.

I'm trying to distract myself from some real problems at homes by concentrating on my knitting. So far, all I have been doing is pushing them to the bottom of the pile, but those problems have a way of creeping back up to the top. I'm not sure what do to; I'm only sure that when these problems come to light, I'm going to be in trouble.

Typing This Post Is Distracting Me From Snacking

2010-10-03T21:28:00.002-04:00

I finished Sock One of the variegated sock yarn. Of course, true to my knitting prowess, it's a bit on the big side. What makes this one special, to me, is that I learned a new heel technique called short row heel. While I'm not sure that I applied it correctly to this sock, I'm going to knit the second of the pair and then do a search on the internet to see if I did make a mistake. The wonderful thing for me is that I actually learned this strictly by reading! I didn't cheat by watching a video, which is not technically cheating, but I feel smarter being able to read and understand knitting instructions.

I knit socks on double-pointed needles, top-down. The generic heel pattern is one in which you knit a heel flap, and then knit back and forth on it with a short row technique that causes the flap to take a cupped shape, and then that gets connected back to the sock itself by you picking up stitches. When this technique is done, there is a clear delineation between the heel and the sock itself.

This mitered heel, short row technique creates a heel that is, in my opinion, less obvious but more just a seamless part of the sock. Now, where I think I screwed up is that I did not do any decreasing once the heel was finished. As a result, my sock looks really wide and fits that way too.

Seamless Heel!

That's Macy's butt in the corner.

I started Weight Watchers, as I mentioned last time, and I have lost a few pounds. I am eating so much better these days and making me accountable via the Points system is really the reason for my success (so far). Some of the replacements, substitutions I've made: turkey and veggie burgers for hamburger, whipped cream cheese for mayo, sandwich thins for regular bread; I've also added fresh vegetables to lunch and dinner. I've learned the key is to get low-point but filling foods. My next step is to increase my activity level so I can start maximizing the weight loss, which is currently due just to me cutting back.

I'm still looking for a house. I have two contracts on homes, but both are short sales. Therefore, there is really no timetable but instead I have to just sit and wait for the seller's lender to determine if the price is acceptable. What could potentially be terribly frustrating is if after waiting for months, the bank comes back and rejects my purchase price. However, I try not to dwell on that and instead there is a little part of me that is so excited to consider being a homeowner for the first time in almost ten years.

The latest cat news is that Delilah and Macy are still living separate but equal lives. However, I haven't figured out if Delilah is trying to get closer to Macy for good or evil purposes. Delilah does push the boundaries, sometimes, by getting as close to Macy as possible until Macy starts growling. Macy will eventually slink away but Delilah stands her ground. It could be a case of Delilah stalking Macy (I notice Delilah rubbing up on a lot of things lately - marking her stuff) but it could also be that Delilah wants to get close to Macy and is less afraid and more curious. Macy's still too fearful to be receptive to Delilah, but Macy has been very good about always sitting near us, whether it be on the couch or under the table.

All that being said, what is more cute than a sleeping cat?

Delilah stole Steve's heart and now his favorite chair

I'll tell you what....a cat in a laundry basket.

Caught!

She's had it with all the pictures.

Living Up To The Grumpbump Name

2010-09-27T19:04:00.000-04:00

I am so hungry. I started Weight Watchers on Wednesday, September 22. My plan is to use the Weight Watchers online tools to help monitor my weight and eating, not this blog. However, I will make sure celebrate any success I have with the program here without getting too specific.

I never realized how poorly I ate and how I have developed the worst eating habits, regardless of my weight. I know I should have made the connection but I am really good at justifying my behavior to myself. No crisis of conscience for me when there is a brownie in my sights. This past week I have really adhered to the program and recorded everything I've eaten. I've also turned my food intake upside down - I now eat more vegetables than anything else (thanks to a visit to the Farmer's Market on Saturday). I'm trying hard to incorporate more fruit as well.

One of my worst traits is my quick submission to my cravings and weekends bring out the worst in me. I added as many vegetables as possible to my meals to fill me up but it was not easy. My saving grace is that I'm not a very picky eater, so the options available to me are varied. For example, I made a vegan burger for dinner, with red onion, tomatoes, cucumber slices, and bread and butter pickles. I use sandwich thins for the bread and I splurged with a teaspoon of mayo on the bread. Very filling meal and I still have a few points left to eat some yogurt and fruit or even to enjoy some Weight Watchers ice cream.

In order to keep myself busy, I started a new pair of socks - this time using a variegated yarn. It is so hard to find a pattern for variegated yarns because the changing colors can overwhelm most stitch patterns. I started the same sock at least four times, each time making it about 20 rounds before I decided I hated it. My knitting tends to be tight, and on top of knitting with small needles, projects that require you to knit into stitches more than once really have me pulling my hair out. I'm going to start again tonight.and this time I'm going with something very easy and simple and I'm going to jump up one needle size. Variegated is pretty but not as fun as a solid.

Macy knows what you are thinking! Shame on you!

Hoping For A House

2010-09-20T21:53:00.000-04:00

I finished the second sock! It took me no time to get that one done, even though I realized my notes from the first one were not as complete as I needed them to be. So I did a lot of holding up the first sock to compare it to the second one in progress.

From Steve's View

From My View

I am joining Weight Watchers starting Wednesday. I am not looking forward to this, but when the commercials for Jenny Craig and NutriSystem actually start to look promising, I know it's time to do something about this problem. I started exercising in the mornings - not of my own free will and not even because Steve has been on my case. It is because the cats start screaming at me for food starting around 6:15 a.m. After making sure that Delilah and Macy are eating (separately) and they have clean food and litter, I turn on the television and look up the OnDemand exercise channel. The selection is varied but I've only been doing the cardio workout.

I wish I had good news about my house purchase, but everything dealing with short sales is hurry up and wait. I have a contract on a really nice house but I'm waiting for the seller's bank to approve the contract. It is really hard not to put all my faith and hope into one house because the reality is that there are too many variables in short sales. The key is to be patient and have lots of offers and options out in the market. I was patient for, let's face it, about ten days. I am going to start a new pair of socks to provide me with a distraction so I don't yell at my realtor (again).

Don't Mess With Me, Delilah!

I Actually Did Things This Weekend

2010-09-12T19:40:00.004-04:00

I completed two projects this weekend. The aforementioned patchwork cat blanket and now, Sock One of Two, which was started more than a month ago. Here's hoping that I can get Sock Two on the needles tonight. It always seems that the second sock of a pair goes quicker than the first.

I still have fit issues. I understand the mechanics of sock knitting but do not have the patience or the fortitude to adjust the pattern for my feet. Instead, I just strictly knit the pattern as-is. Although, this pattern calls for size 1 needles, but I just could not get those to work for me. This sock was knitted on size 2 needles. (Hint: If you click on the pictures, you can get a closer look.)

No cables, but the look is intricate

I'm not sure I like this heel

Macy said I did a good job.

I have a ton of sock yarn in this colorway (deep solid purples, blues, and pinks, with variegated versions too). I'm leery to do a cable pattern because I have problems with knitting cables on such small needles and cable patterns are a lot of damn work! Socks can be nice when they are a quick knit (comparatively speaking). I'm the type of knitter that is okay with taking time on a project when the pattern is easily memorized. My cat blanket took me longer than I normally like, but the pattern was so easy to do and also to put down and be able to pick back up at any time. Cable patterns....not so much.

Sunday nights are my favorite at this time because it means Mad Men, even though Monday morning is right around the corner. I'm going to get my Sock Two on the needles right now so I can feel I had an even more productive weekend.

Things That Distracted Me

2010-09-11T18:37:00.001-04:00

I missed a whole month of posting due to my preoccupation with (i) work; (ii) my favorite television show, Mad Men, and the newest season; (iii) knitting; and (iv) everything else that interferes with sitting in front of the laptop.

As you know, I adopted another cat. I have promised myself that I will stop at two. No more pets; I haven't even told my mom about Macy yet (she's severely allergic and Delilah was not a welcome addition for her). Macy is doing better these days - we've had her since July 30 and now, almost 7 weeks later, we see definite improvements with her. She is much more relaxed around us and she frequently joins me on the couch. Also, she is much more playful than Delilah Bug and I try to make a habit of engaging Macy with one of those cat teaser toys. Macy also gets a kick out of messing with me while I'm knitting. The movement of the yarn makes her jump at it and that's when the cat teaser comes out so I can distract her from my yarn.

I knitted a mat to use underneath the litter box (using up my scraps of cotton yarn) and then got an idea to knit a blanket for Macy to use. So I got more scrap yarn together and made a mismatched, patchwork blanket using a Quaker Rib Stitch. I made a real effort to get it done quickly, and every day I would find Macy laying on top of the work-in-progress. Today, I finished the blanket, snapped the obligatory pictures, and handed it off to Macy for her total use. Of course, she wants nothing to do with it now.

Maybe I need to wash it in catnip

It's hard to see the stitch pattern in the picture and some of the yarn I had really shows it off nicely. I ran out of the chunkier yarn so I started using two strand at a time of the thinner yarn. I'm glad to be using up my stash because then I can buy more yarn - Steve will not let me buy new yarn unless I make a serious dent in what I have already amassed.

I need to figure out how to make my edges cleaner looking. The cast-on and bind-off edges are fine, but the selvage is a mess of weird bumps. Perhaps I need to just slip my stitches at the start of every other row (when knitting flat). I am considering knitting a nice afghan for my mother for a homemade gift, so I want that to look as finished as possible.

Finished Product

My big news is that I finally decided to start looking into buying a house. This process requires me to be secure in my job and to have a generally positive outlook on life. Therefore, you know this will be a challenge for me. However, I don't want to jinx my plans already in progress, so I will not be saying anything specific until I actually have closed on a home.

Room Enough For Two

2010-08-07T17:33:00.000-04:00

While I have been honest about my-less-than-satisfying relationship with Delilah (hereinafter "Delilah Bug"), I was usually just teasing about getting another cat (specifically one who likes me). My tendency was towards a kitten, presuming that Delilah would tolerate the addition of a kitten without much threat. But that is not what happened.

Macy Grey f/k/a Gypsy is what happened.

Macy Gray is a cute name, but could we do better?

The bedroom is her sanctuary from Delilah Bug

She was a stray hanging around a friend's house (because she was getting fed). Macy is actually on Petfinder.com as Gypsy and you can read her short little bio there. My friend suggested that Macy might be a suitable second cat for us. I considered that Delilah would never be able to accept a full grown cat in her house, but I agreed to give Macy at least a two-week trial.

Today is Day Eight of Macy in our household. Because our apartment is small, we have arranged the cats to limit their interaction unless we are in the house with them. Macy is usually confided to the bedroom and bathroom behind closed doors and Delilah Bug gets the front room, dining room and kitchen, and, of course, outdoors. The first few days were rough, with each cat giving her share of the hissing and posturing. Now, however, things are slightly more mellow, especially for Macy.

While Macy is still timid and skittish, she is much more relaxed when in Delilah Bug's presence. She usually just sits still and watches Delilah Bug as she walks by. Delilah Bug, on the other hand, ignores Macy for the most part. However, when Macy is directly in her sight, Delilah Bug scrunches up her face and hisses and screams about how important she is in the household but she also usually walks off.

Of course, we are still limiting them getting in close physical proximity to each other. I am not sure at what time we will feel comfortable when they are in the same room together (and not constantly monitoring them and holding our breath until they both fall asleep). Delilah Bug was very angry with us for several days and she refused to be held or touched or petted by Steve, her favorite person. She's coming around now and has started napping for a few minutes with him each day.

By this time next week, we will make our final decision about Macy's future with us, but I am feeling good about it.

I'm going to end this post with one of my favorite pictures of Delilah Bug.

Washing Up Before Dinner

And This Is Only Part of My Friday Story

2010-07-31T23:03:00.000-04:00

All kinds of drama in my house, but I'll write about that later.

For now, I will just share with you the randomness that was Friday. Friday was payday and I headed to the bank at lunch to deposit my paycheck (side note: I have been procrastinating signing up for direct deposit). I decide to get in the drive-through at the bank, and pull up behind a car in one of the lanes. I notice that the vehicle next to me has not fully pulled forward to the speaker. I am not sure of what they are doing until the car in front of me moves on and I see this:

It's 1:00 p.m. in Florida in July and it's hot as hell and there are cars circling her, idling while she breathes in the car exhaust and fumes. And, I checked, this bank has handicap access to the lobby of the bank. Why would she not just go inside? It's so random.

After a long day at work, I head home, a bit anxious about things, and Steve greets me at the door. He points to the outdoor table we have on the patio-area of our apartment. This is what I see:

Six glasses. Steve had seen someone walking around our apartment that morning when he got home from work, and I was getting ready to leave. He went to the door but when he opened the door, there was no one there. He surmised that the person who was walking around in the morning left the glasses there. I have no idea why. Steve thinks the guy was moving out and did not want to take his glasses. I know, it's a ridiculous theory. How could you not fit six glasses somewhere? This is so more than random; it's freaky weird.

Before you ask, I did take the glasses inside and washed them and I plan to use them. What? They are nice glasses!

Suddenly, motorized wheelchair lady at the bank drive-through is looking pretty good next to me, right?

Sock Story

2010-07-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

I've started on a new pair of socks, and I'm happy with the pattern. It's easy to do but looks complicated. I usually knit after dinner and can manage to get in a few rounds while watching television. At the end of the night, I will just deposit the knitting next to the couch. mean, it's not really exciting. Actually, it is sort of boring and sad, but that's my life. The cat who lives in my house, Delilah, just ignores my yarn stash and my knitting in general.

However, yesterday evening, while I was trying to fall asleep, Delilah cat was in some kind of mood. Steve had coated a toy with catnip earlier in the evening and typically that high only lasts about 30 minutes. But, here it was, about 11:00 p.m., and I can still hear Delilah batting the toy around the front room. I ignored it until Delilah came into the bedroom and jumped up on the bed, ending up behind me outside of my line of sight. She was meowing so I reached behind to move her to my front and she started yelling at me. That's when I saw the blue yarn wrapped around her back foot. While she struggled and practically accused me of trying to kill her, I realized that the yarn was from my sock knitting. I got out of bed, put on my glasses so I could see what damage she had done, and realized that the yarn was wrapped around the bed and out the door. I was imaging the worst because I followed the yarn trail into the front room. It lead me back to my knitting, which I was happy to see was no worse for being part of Delilah's play time. She had pulled out the extra yarn from the ball instead the finished product.

The Aftermath

Not So Simple Socks

2010-07-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

I finished my "first socks of 2010". I sent them to my brother, but upon inspection of the photo he sent, I see that they are way too big around the leg, which was the same problem Steven had with them. It's hard to tell from the photo, but if you look at the leg, you can see how loose they are.

Sock Envy

So, I immediately started on a new pair of socks, this time aiming for a more feminine look (for me). I pulled out my stash of sock yarn from KnitPicks and my size 1 double-pointed needles and started K2P2 rib stitch. I knitted ten rows (about 1 inch) and then started a stitch pattern called braid. This stitch pattern is so cute and a really easy cable pattern. But, on size 1 dpns, I was having a bitch of a time with the cable and not to mention that the size of my cable needle was twice that of the knitting needles. Also, it seemed like my knitting was really tight. I managed about four rows of the cable pattern and then frogged the whole thing. Basically, all the work I did that evening was unfurled from the needles and I decided to try again the next night.

Tuesday night, I picked up the yarn and cast on again. Still using the size 1 needles, I completed my ten rows of ribbing and started the cable pattern again. I really tried to keep my knitting loose this time, but I royally screwed up the cable pattern. I was still using that cable needle, although I did look up how to cable without a needle, but my whole problem is that these needles were just too small for me to use this trick. My first mistake on the cable pattern caused me to rip out the stitches again and forgo knitting for the rest of the night.

Wednesday night, I tried again, but didn't even make it through the ribbing before I pulled the whole thing apart. I've had it with the size 1 dpns. They are just too small or the yarn I'm using is too thick. Either way, I can't knit comfortably with them. I went searching for my size 2 dpns, which is what I used to make my brother's socks above, and I felt like those flew off my needles.

So, here comes Thursday night and I'm casting on 64 stitches on size 2 needles. I make it through the K2P2 ribbing, but when it comes to the stitch pattern, I've decided to change it to something without cables or just straight knitting. I choose a pattern that is only a combination of knits and purls - called Moss Rib. It's on the insert that came with my KnitPicks sock yarn. I actually complete about four rows of this pattern before going to bed, the first time in a week I have knitting on my needles and not in pile on the couch.

It might look messy but it really is coming together

Our next-door neighbors had a huge fight outside last night. Steven would not turn down the television and let me listen to what they were saying, so I could not make out what the fight was about. These neighbors always seem to have some type of drama going on and they apparently love to share it with everyone in the complex. I went outside to get Delilah but made little attempt to hide the fact that I was more interested in the fight. Steven came out after me and scolded me for my nosiness. He never lets me have any fun.

Starbucks Has Been Replaced

2010-07-13T22:07:00.001-04:00

I like the new blogger format because it automatically resizes pictures for me. Just another extra step I don't have to worry about.

I have already finished one sock and, true to my knitting skills, it's way too big for me. So I immediately looked to my left to the gentleman with the size 9 1/2 shoe, and he is the lucky recipient of my as-yet-unfinished socks. He still has room to grow, especially around the ankle, but I am satisfied with the outcome.

For My Boyfriend With Big Feet

You know how I complain about my job? And before you think it, yes, I end up complaining about every single job I've held (since I moved to Orlando). Today, I received some "friendly advice" not to trust everyone because I could end up on the wrong side of a "power player" and this person offering said advice has seen people lose their jobs over this. As if losing my job scares me, that doesn't scare me; you scare me by saying I did a lousy job or my work product sucks. But to scare me by saying I could be fired? Not happening. Yes, I have bills and obligations but it's just me. I can take care of myself, even if I were to be fired. I had to stifle a laugh when she acted like being fired was the worst thing possible. She's never walked in my shoes. Being fired would be a relief. She should have said that everyone would think I'm stupid. Now that is what causes me agita.

I can relax when I get home, although it never seems like I have enough time in the evenings, and I get to see Steve and Delilah. The more we get to know Delilah Cat, the more I see her tailoring her activities (eating, sleeping, and prowling outside) to Steve. She's really got herself set to his schedule. She sleeps when he does and then when it's time for him to leave for work, she's out the door to do her own rounds of the neighborhood. It's never been more evident to me than when I caught the two of them napping together over the weekend.

Mirror images of each other

I snapped several pictures, without the flash to make sure I would not wake them, and I even watched them for a few minutes, much like a creepy stalker. This becomes my new "happy place" where I want to go when the world and life and people become too much to take.

Not Wasting Time

2010-07-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

I have one of those energy-efficient light bulbs in the lamp over my dining table. You know what I mean, it's in the shape of a curly-q. Tonight, a small moth got into the house, and while I sit here at the table, I am watching this little moth fly in circles up to the light and then down from the light, like it's caught in a tornado.

I finished the baby blanket today. I ended up using the full two skeins of yarn because I was not under a time crunch with this one. The finished project is 28" x 40". The mom who requested the baby specifically wanted white only. I did not double-strand the yarn so it's a very thin blanket, which is not a problem because it's ridiculously hot and humid here.

This is pre-washing and blocking

Delilah does not enjoy the fireworks tonight; she's taken to her favorite hiding space under the bed. I'm happy with that, as long as she's in the house.

Even though she has greatly increased the amount of time she spends indoors, when I assuming has a lot to do with the extremely warm weather, she still has her moments. She even coined a new term in the household - "mep". When she's had enough from me, she lets me know with a "mep", which is sort of an abbreviated meow and yelp in one. It's definitely her signal to me that I don't need to get anywhere near her. Just me pointed in her direction can cause a mep. I'm going to get a sample of a mep recorded so there is evidence of just how much this cat controls my behavior.

Delilah sleeping in the printer box

Did I tell you that I am knitting socks again? Right after the baby blanket was finished, I started my first pair of socks since my Ocean City socks from last September. Remember I have a ton of sock yarn that I need to use up before Steve will let me buy anything else. The only problem with sock knitting is that I constantly lose my double-pointed needles.

I'm so glad I don't have to work tomorrow. The benefit of a three-day weekend is a four-day work week.

Tension

2010-06-21T19:48:00.000-04:00

It's almost the end of June and I've not blogged once this month. I have good intentions. I open up a new browser window. I log into Blogger. I even start a New Post. And it sits blank. That has happened at least four times in the last three weeks.

I'm on the home stretch of my second baby blanket. I'll post a picture of the finished object when it's off the needles. I also started a new pair of socks, using Lions Brand sock yarn that I've had in my yarn basket for a while now. After this baby blanket is finished, I'm going to really concentrate on working on socks. With this second blanket, I'm not under a time crunch, so I will have time to appropriately block and dry the blanket. I have noticed a few odd-sized stitches in my knitting, and I'm hoping that blocking will get rid of those odd spots.

I don't understand why I have random oddly-shapped stitches

I'm focusing more on my knitting because my stress level at work is out of control. I am so tense and anxious during the day. The 30-minute drive home does not even help me unwind. I am out of my comfort zone and constantly question every single piece of work I produce.

I want to be this relaxed and serene.

When It Rains, I Knit

2010-05-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

I've been busy lately. I am working full-time and also took on a three-week part-time assignment transcribing podcasts. In the middle of doing that, I got a call from my friend whose baby shower I attended last month. She had her baby girl and we talked for a while about her birth (this was her first baby). For my shower gift, I made a baby blanket, which my friend said she loves. In fact, she loves it so much, she asked me to make another one! So, today, I went to the store and purchased some more baby yarn.

Steve wanted to know why I couldn't use the yarn piled high in my yarn basket. After rolling my eyes at him, I explained that I needed baby yarn, which I don't stockpile in my basket. He reluctantly agreed that I should go purchase yarn for this project but made me swear not to buy any more yarn until I make a dent in my stash. I promised him I would not, knowing that I had already ordered some more sock yarn from KnitPicks. I'm going to start knitting socks again.

Hidden Treasures in this Stash?

Sock Yarn!!!

I'm still working on my sweater wrap; in fact, I just picked it up again after letting it sit for a while. For simplicity, I've been working on generic dishcloths in my favorite go-to pattern. I would link to the pattern but you have to register with site to see it. The basics of the pattern are, starting with a cast-on of 39 stitches, you knit the first row and then alternate rows are knit 1 and then knit 1 into the next stitch below. It makes a great textured cloth. I knit the pattern for 10 inches or so, and bind off. For Mother's Day, I make three of these dishcloths (I called them washcloths) for my grandmother and they turned out very cute.

I've figured out a way to get Delilah to sit (willingly) in my lap - by getting out her brush. She absolutely loves the way the brush feels on her forehead and cheeks and her chest. Now that we are getting into the warm summer months, she is starting to shed much more. When I run the brush over her back, it comes out full of hair. I figure we need to brush her at least every two days to cut down on the shedding in the house and her hairballs.

In case you forgot how cute she is, this a picture of Delilah from today, doing what she does best, sleeping.

No Cat Hair On Me

2010-05-04T20:17:00.001-04:00

I have a huge complex because my cat, Delilah, hates me. She no longer sits in my lap in the evenings and when I try to pick her up, she immediately goes into her "there-is-another-cat-in-territory" growl. I feed this cat and I want her to love me so badly. I guess she senses my (increasing) desperation and she just retreats.

She responds to Steve rather obediently (for a cat) by voluntarily getting into his lap and sitting contentedly. She also will sleep next to him in the bed when he gets home in the morning. But with me, when I try to pick her up, she immediately voices her displeasure. To add insult to injury, she even runs and hides under the bed to get away from me, when I want to hold her and squeeze her and love her.

Steve got her to come out from her safe spot with a billion treats. Now she's sitting by the window and I'm crushed. I can no longer call her "my cat" - she's just the cat that lives with me and barely tolerates me.

The Work Weak

2010-04-28T21:16:00.001-04:00

My work days consist of me trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, but somehow ending up looking like a dumbass. Look! It's Debbie Dumbass.

I will have to get back with you if this ever gets better.

Appreciation for Learning

2010-04-25T10:31:00.001-04:00

Before I met Steve, I was in a relationship with a man that defined my life (and not in a good way). My life during this period revolved around said man. All of my free time was spent on him. And I spent six years with him. I voluntarily gave up 2,190 days to benefit someone else. I had no hobbies because everything centered around him.

After extricating myself from the sickness and dependence of that nightmare, I realized part of the recovery would be to get involved with something outside of work that could occupy my time. It was hard for me to figure out what I should do; I've always been a reader but reading did not give a sense of accomplishment or encourage my creativity.

I met Steve and was very impressed with his artistry in painting. I could see Steve's personality in his paintings - devotion, straightforwardness, and positivity. I envied his ability to create something. At the time, I had no tangible evidence of my creativity. Pointing to a pile of books and saying "I read these" is not my idea of great accomplishments.

Steve tried to help me figure out what I could do but his suggestions were basically things that we could do together. I really needed something to do for myself. And that's how I discovered knitting.

Teaching myself knitting has given me confidence to try other things. I'm also learning how to speak conversational Spanish (I bought a collection of CDs called the Pimsleur Method). I have to say that my redneck hillbilly accent is not evident until I speak Spanish, and then it is overbearing! There is no doubt I'm from Polk County, Florida when I say MOO-CHAS GRA-SEE-AS.

Thank you to whatever force or entity or karma or fate bought me to this place in my life. I appreciate getting to know myself again.

Come In Quietly

2010-04-18T17:42:00.004-04:00

I made a delicious lunch today. Sunday is the one day of the week that Steve and I share as a day off. Of course, he was a grumpbump when I woke him up to eat lunch. I made ham and green beans and homemade mashed potatoes. I was feeling pretty good, thanks to my three glasses of Sangria I downed while cooking.

It has rained most of the day, but I was good enough to get my weekly shopping done early today, so I could enjoy the afternoon. However, I did not plan accordingly and ended up at Publix. I spent $100 for a week's worth of groceries. I paid more because I determined it was too inconvenient to go to Aldi's, which is further away from me. Even though I am working again, and perhaps Publix is now in my budget, I really appreciate that Aldi's can save me so much money.

I've been knitting dishcloths lately. They are a very weird shape and it is my fault because I did not check my gauge before knitting. I hate knitting gauge squares and refuse to do it. So I tolerate my weird kite-looking dishcloths.

I have taken the whole week off from exercising and I feel terrible. I have to get back on track because I sense that work is going to start sapping my energy out of me. Also, I have been very bad about not bringing my lunch to work, although the good news that I have not been going to fast food. There is a cafeteria downstairs in my office building, and I usually get a sandwich from them. I have asked Steve to help me get back into exercise.

However, right now, I'm just enjoying the rain and drinking my coffee. My silly cat is laying on the floor next to the sofa, with her paw over her eyes as if to say "hey, it's too bright in here", sleeping the afternoon away. She's going to jump up and freak out when Steve comes in (sleeping by the front door is a good way to get spooked).

Story In Three Pictures

2010-04-04T11:54:00.011-04:00

(Please suspend any dislike of me allowing my cat outdoors until the end of the story)

A few nights ago, Delilah and I went outside; Delilah to do her business and me to enjoy the cool breeze and fresh air.

I could hear rustling in the grassy area across the parking lot from our apartment. After my eyes adjusted, I could see the movement in the leaves. I walked up closer to see what was making the noises and saw it was an armadillo. Man, he was ferociously hunting through the leaves and grass for bugs.

I watched him for a while and he never even acknowledged my presence or looked up at me. He was a man on a mission.

I heard a noise behind me and found it was Delilah, back at the apartment, calling me to come home. I guess I needed to pay attention to her, so I politely took her picture from across the parking lot.

When I saw the picture preview on the camera, I was not sure I wanted to head home with spooky kitty eyes glowing at me. Lucky for me the real-life version of this picture was just a sweet cat who wanted to go back inside and get some food.

Knitting Till My Hands Fall Off

2010-04-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

You have no idea how much my hands ache. I finally finished my baby blanket today, with minutes to spare. I had to knit for 5 hours straight to complete it. The finished product was about 35 inches long (I was shooting for 36).

This picture shows the blanket folded over (with a close up of the basket weave pattern).

The following picture shows the entire blanket as laid out on the bed.

In a perfect world, I would have blocked it so the edges were straight, but when you get the finished product off your needles at 12:45 p.m., and the baby shower starts at 2:00 p.m., there is no option but to just wrap it up.

As luck would have it, my gift was the last one opened at the shower. When the mother-to-be unwrapped it, I got emotional because this is my first true knitted gift and it was for such a wonderful woman and the baby she always dreamed about. When she held it up, I was surprised by how nice it really looked (close up I can see all of my mistakes).

I learned a few things while knitting this project: (a) I am not a marathon knitter, just let me knit a few hours every day and I will be fine; (b) I am terrible at budgeting my time for knitted projects; and (c) I would like to knit a baby blanket for myself one day (but I'm not holding my breath).

Knitting Countdown

2010-04-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

I started working on the baby blanket on Sunday. I allocated at least two hours every night for it; knowing that I had to have it done by Saturday. I'm behind schedule but I don't have to work tomorrow and I plan to have most of it done by tomorrow. The baby shower is not until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, so if I need it, I can use Saturday morning to finish it.

It's a bit of a simple blanket and it's definitely for a Florida summer baby because the yarn is thin. I'm using Bernat Softee Baby in Baby Pink Marl. The yarn is very soft and it's a really cute pink color.

Additionally, I will pick up something else for the mother-to-be as a secondary gift. She's registered at Target and Babies 'R Us so it should be easy for me to find something to go along with the blanket. If I can't finish in time, then at least I have a backup gift. I'm looking forward to this shower on Saturday even though I will not know anyone else there. I know the mom-to-be because I worked with her last year, and this baby is truly a miracle and a gift. She's only one year younger than me and this is her first baby, but I don't say that with any jealousy or envy. I know I made poor choices and that's the reason I'll never have kids. I'm not spoiling anyone else's joy because I wasted my child-bearing years with a jerk.

Speaking of jerks, the ex-boyfriend texted me a few days ago, feeling me out about the possibility of meeting up. I said no and told him I was with someone else. Even through the limitation of texting, he was pretty upset with this information and started to call me a liar, a whore, etc. I think he assumed I would remain single and celibate, waiting for the possibility that he would call. Of course, if I did this, he would only want to spend a few hours with me, before going back to his real life. As if I would settle for that shitty lifestyle ever again. How sad and depressing that this is the person I loved so much with all of my heart only five years ago. While I always knew in my heart that he never really cared or loved me the way I deserve, now I can see how ridiculous I was to have devoted so much time, effort and energy on trying to make things work. I find it easy to see now because I can compare it to what I have now. I never feel the despair and desperation with Steve that I felt on a constant basis with the ex. There is no comparison of the person I was then to the person I've become now.

Projects On The Side

2010-03-28T09:54:00.004-04:00

You may think I've forgotten or abandoned my knitting. But I'm still working on my sweater wrap. I have to knit until the length measures 64 inches and I'm only halfway there.

I'm headed to Michael's today (after I exercise) to buy yarn for a baby blanket. I have a baby shower to attend next weekend. Yes, I'm starting this project with only 6 days to finish it. I will have to put the sweater wrap on the back burner and really focus on the blanket. I've picked a fairly easy pattern (Baby Afghan for Beginners) so I'm confident that I can complete it. The mother-to-be is also registered somewhere so I'll probably get something as a backup. You know the old saying about the best laid plans....

***************************************

I'm nearing the end of my second 30-day challenge and I've been losing weight. The scale says 5 pounds but the big deal is that my clothes are fitting better! When I start my next 30 days, I'm undecided if I should move up to high intensity or re-do the medium intensity.

I gained so much weight in the last year that, even with this progress, I still have a long way to get to a truly healthy weight. I'm not delusional; I have no desire to be a size 0 or 2 because that is just not possible for me. However, I would like to ultimately lose at least 40 pounds. I'm averaging a pound a week so by the end of the year I should be close to my goal.

Praying For Good Health

2010-03-21T13:23:00.006-04:00

I was in the bathroom stall today (sorry if I am grossing you out), and I just had this rush of a feeling that I can't believe this is where I am at this age. And I don't mean literally at that second, because using the bathroom is a normal function of life. But, here I am, 9 months away from being 40 years old and everything I do is tempered, measured, or limited by a variety of influences (finances, schedules, etc.). Could I possibly just let go and throw all caution to the wind and do something wild and fun and just amazing for my 40th birthday?

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I love Daylight Savings time; walking out of work at 5:00 p.m. and it just feels like I'm escaping early and I still have plenty of usable daylight at my disposal.

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I just added the following to my To Do List: (a) Figure out what exactly the Healthcare Bill really means; and (b) Clean out my car. I am ashamed of not knowing the provisions of the bill but even more ashamed of the mess in my car. Because I am working a temporary position, I do not have access to decent benefits. I have to provide for my own health insurance, which seems almost like catastrophic coverage because the deductibles are so insane. I am THAT american who needs access to coverage even though I am not currently a part of an insurable work group. I really dropped the ball on getting involved and educated on the health insurance reform. Instead, I was just angry and opinionated about those opposing the measure. Those people seem so greedy and selfish, and I get angry because I take their opposition personally. I have always been a hard worker and I do not slack when it comes to taking on my fair share. But somehow I have been lumped into a category with those who work the system and ride others' coattails. And, as of this instant, the bill has been signed into law (I know there are about 14 states, including my Florida, waiting to file lawsuits to have it declared unconstitutional), so I guess the naysayers have to eat their words for a bit. Of course, I can still have hope.

As for my messy car, if I just took all the books out of the backseat, it would be a HUGE improvement.

I Did Not Forget To Wear Green Today

2010-03-17T18:45:00.007-04:00

I've been neglecting this blog because I ended up with a temporary job at a law firm and my brother was in town last week. Time to catch up with what's on my mind.

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Turns out that Ms. Delilah is perfect in every way, except for her "serious" Bartonella infection. I have to give her liquid antibiotics every day for 21 days. Although Delilah was not sick from the infection, I think her upper respiratory problems (she is the sneeziest cat I know) were a result of this.

Her latest favorite place to crash is in front of the bedroom window in Steve's ugly green recliner. When Steve and I started seriously seeing each other, we bought a green cotton throw. It was always over at Steve's house for my use when I got cold or chilly. Now, Delilah is attached to that blanket like crazy. She loves to cuddle up in it and sleep, be it on the chair, the bed, or the couch. Usually, when I get home from work, I find her curled up in the chair on her green blanket, as below.

Of course, I can't let her sleep in peace. I must take a picture.

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I cannot stand making mistakes. Yes, it is irritating and upsetting in a general sort of way. But my problem is that I constantly berating myself. It's like my internal voice just is stuck on repeat. When I am working, this problem is magnified ten-fold. I can handle mistakes and screw-ups when I'm around my family or friends. However, in the face of co-workers and clients, mistakes I make send me spinning and I end up compounding errors. While I logically realize what I do and what I am responsible for is merely a blip on a blip on a blip in the huge scheme of things, once those destructive thoughts form in my head, I can't keep them from multiplying until they become my only thought. I have to forcibly distract myself in order to get rid of them. They are strongest on my way home from work; thus the reason I try to make as many phone calls as possible on my way home. To avoid the negativity......

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I'm halfway through my second 30-day workout session with Wii Active. I know the workouts are going to get even more intense. I have been religious with following the routines, but the weight is not really dropping off. But, for a change, I am withholding final judgment until I complete a full 90 days of exercises (Wii Active on low, medium, and high intensity). Meanwhile, I have to congratulate (on a daily basis) Steve on his 20-lb weight loss.

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I'm only halfway through my sweater wrap. I've been neglecting my knitting as I have my blogging, and for the same reasons.

I Have Time To Exercise

2010-03-03T20:50:00.003-05:00

First, let's get to the good news. Delilah is a very healthy cat. The vet's office called and said all the additional blood work was clean. She is still recovering from all the shots, but she actually moved around and even ventured outside for a few minutes.

For dinner, I made chicken and zucchini in a garlic sauce, and the dish was delicious. The recipe is going in my cookbook (a gift from my mom for christmas last year). I imagine this dish is even better the second day due to the garlic sauce; and Steve will have to fill me on this theory as he is taking the leftovers to work. I actually made this recipe because I was craving zucchini but Steve was unsure if this was a vegetable he could work with. Turns out we were both very happy with the results.

This morning, I started my new 30-Day Challenge on Wii Active, this time with the intensity level set on medium. Day One had 18 exercises to complete, three of which are running and four of which are squat-related. I felt good because I could keep up with the program and definitely credit the fact that I previously worked through the entire 30-day challenge on low intensity.

I'm eating better (not great, but better) and exercising; I have seen my energy level increase and my moods have been really good (even though I am an out-of-work loser). However, I have quite a way to go before my shape is something that I am not embarrassed by. Because I am looking for work, I think my weight can be a negative to a potential employer. I would hope they could see past my shape because I am a truly great employee, but with so many people out there competing for work, who knows what employers are basing decisions on. Right now, I am focusing on staying positive and keeping up with my exercising.

Delilah In The Dumps

2010-03-02T13:54:00.002-05:00

Delilah has been lethargic and moping around since her vaccinations yesterday. I'm afraid she was overloaded with the poking and prodding. She slept most of the day and night and didn't ask to go outside - very unusual for her. I believe I heard her eating yesterday but I'm not sure. I've put together a small bit of food and water and moved it to be closer to her. Her favorite spot seems to be near the window with the light coming in on top of her.

From what I've read on the internet (some of which was pretty damn scary), I should see an improvement in her attitude and interest in eating within 48 hours of the vaccinations. I wish she would let me hold her and make her feel better.

All Over The Place

2010-03-01T18:48:00.003-05:00

My blog entries jump around too much; the paragraphs do not flow into each other smoothly. I don't do transitions very well. I'm going to try something new and create a header for each idea, so there is at least a semblance of delineation for the separate thoughts.

Cat News
I took Delilah to the vet this morning. I was completely stressed out by the whole idea. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to make sure that she was healthy. The car ride over was uneventful; Delilah did not make any noises at all. After we got situated in the exam room, Delilah started in with the growling noises and I could not comfort her. By the time the vet tech came in, Delilah was very vocal about her uneasiness. The tech took her in the back room to do lab work and I could hear how unhappy she was. Lucky for us, the vet pronounced Delilah to be very healthy and she tested negative for feline leukemia and feline aids. There is more blood work being done and we will have the results in a few days. However, I feel good about it all.

The aftermath of today's appointment was that Delilah did not talk to me for a few hours. She went outside and sunbathed. I got her to come back inside and she slept in the sunlight, all curled up.

Technology Pains Me
I have the worst luck with audio/video setups related to our television. This started years ago when I purchased a receiver without really investigating what input/output configuration was necessary. So the one purchase of a simple receiver caused me to spend a ton of additional money to buy component parts to work together. The worst part of it was my experience with Radio Shack. At the time, I was buying a antenna so we could access over-the-air free HD signals. As I described my television to the Radio Shack guy, he smugly informed me that I did not own a television but a "glorified 42" monitor". Ugh. Anyway, I am back on that track simply because I want use my "glorified" monitor to watch television online.

It should be easy. I connected the laptop to the television via the VGA port. Now, to get sound from laptop to the television. I had to go Radio Shack and get a Audio Y Cable (stereo male to Dual RCA). The cable goes into the headphone jack on the laptop and into the red/white audio inputs on the television. But I still cannot get sound to the television,......errr, monitor.

I searched the internet to find out what the heck is wrong with this configuration. I'm going to call my brother and get his opinion. He's better at this stuff than me.

My Kitchen Experience
I made homemade chocolate chips cookies last night. Yes, homemade, as in mixing flour, baking soda, vanilla, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips. They are good, not great, and even better the second day. Mind you, I did all of this without the assistance of a mixer, handheld or stationary. Totally powered by my muscles, and, yes, my arms were tired from all of that stirring. I think I just had to prove it to myself that I could do it actually make something edible.

Knitting Burns Calories, Too

2010-02-25T15:34:00.003-05:00

I resumed knitting; I did a quick knitted cap since we are still experiencing lower-than-normal temperatures. The cap looks really good on Steve, but he's asleep right now so I can't get a picture of him wearing it. I'll post it later.

I started knitting a sweater wrap and was imagining that I could give it to my mother as a gift. I have not knitted cables in a while and so, I didn't refresh my memory before attempting it. Of course, I made a mistake on the first cable and now the sweater gathers at the bottom. Perhaps it is something I can fix when blocking the piece, but I really do not want to gift it when I know I screwed it up. The good news that I am still knitting it and I didn't just rip it all out. I liked the color more in the store than in the bright sunlight. The pattern is incredibly easy to memorize and the cable is really simple, even though I screwed it up the first time. I lost my cable needle and instead I'm just using one of my double-pointed needles.

Next week, Delilah has her vet appointment. And based on her attitude this morning after I trimmed her nails, she is going to be very mad at me on Monday. I have noticed that Delilah has modified her schedule over the past month. In the mornings, she is a very needy cat; she will talk to me until I sit on the couch, at which time she will jump on my lap and take nap. She does expect head rubs at this time as well. Delilah is very unusual cat because she does not meow. Her communication with us consists of trills and cries, which is common for Maine Coon cats. I am convinced that Delilah is a Maine Coon mix. Although she is not the right size for a Maine Coon (they tend to be large cats), she has the other features, such as the furry raccoon-like tail, the tufts of hair in her ears and between the pads on her paws, and her full and glossy coat. She's so pretty and she knows it. Just look at this photo of her looking out of the front window.

I am almost finished with the 30-Day Challenge (EA Sports Active for Wii). I plan to start a new 30-Day Challenge as soon as this one is completed; the new challenge will be on medium intensity. I'm working on low intensity because I am so out of shape. After I complete the 60 days, I will consider joining Steve on the Insanity workout. This workout DVD program is so intense and, currently, I do not have the stamina or the endurance to do it. This is such a rough program - even the people on the DVD who do the workout along with the instructor actually STOP doing to the exercises because of the intensity. It's funny to watch the program and see all of the participants in the back dropping like flies because they cannot keep up with the program. And believe me, these people are in seriously great shape. So roly-poly me does not really stand a chance without building up some time of stamina with "regular" exercises.

Unsteady On My Feet

2010-02-18T11:45:00.003-05:00

While exercising today (Wii Active Day 17 of 30-day Challenge), I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I knew what was happening - I was overheating. This is first time this has happened to me while exercising. Wii Active was leading me through an exercise of kick-ups and I was alternating between fast kick-ups and slow kick-ups for an extended period of time. I was pushing myself pretty hard and my body revolted. I had to yell for Steve to come out to the front room (waking him up) and, true to Steve, he wanted to check my heart rate. What I needed was a cold compress and water to bring my body temperature down. Luckily, he listened to me and, after a few minutes, I was feeling better. I finished the exercises for the day, which focused on my upper body.

I've only experienced overheating one other time in my life, but it was not while exercising. I was in Nashville at the CMA Music Fest, more commonly known as Fan Fair. It was a very hot day and I did not keep myself hydrated. I passed out on a concrete staircase and was transported to the First Aid tent, where I was covered in wet towels and cooled down with copious amounts of water. This was not the highlight of the trip, and I learned my lesson to always make sure I had something to drink.

I think this latest experience was that I pushed myself too hard on that kick-up exercise. I will have to plan more water breaks if the level of my exercising is going to increase.

To end on an good note, here's the lovely Delilah:

Tuesday Mish-Mash

2010-02-16T15:16:00.005-05:00

My second attempt at felting was a miserable failure. I can't even take a picture of the result of the felting because the bag was stuck together like glue. It was bizarre. Steve and I tried to pry it apart but it was melted or fused together. I am obviously doing something wrong but I'm too frustrated and disappointed to try to work through what that could be. I started knitting a ribbed cap, so no blocking or felting required.

I made chili on Sunday night, and it turned out yummy. Pictures were taken but they don't look so appetizing so I will spare you. Last night was sweet italian sausage and peppers and onions. So far, so good. I'm not doing anything fancy but I have learned that using fresh produce does make a difference. For example, using real garlic instead of the stuff in the jar or, even worse, garlic seasoning, has a definite positive impact on the taste of the dish.

I cannot stop taking pictures of my cat. I played around using digital macro on my camera and managed one cool picture of Delilah.

Saturday Details

2010-02-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

While the mid-Atlantic states are being hit with a ridiculous amount of snow (my brother and his family in D.C. saw more than 2 feet of snow today), our Florida Saturday was seriously beautiful, albeit a bit on the windy side. Now, I'm not complaining about it at all. I went to a car show in Lake Mary with Steve and I got to enjoy the day. Cars don't interest me at all, as I see them as merely transportation. Steve, on the other hand, is a car enthusiast and was thrilled to see the collection of Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and yes, the million dollar Bugatti.

I made stew for dinner and I have a couple of gallons left over. It was pretty good, for such little effort. And technically it's going to be "cold" tomorrow, so the leftovers will be appropriate.

I'm back at work at another bag. My first bag, pre-felted, was really nice, and I had high hopes for it. But, once I ran it through the wash, the felted result was just yuck. The colors didn't run together in a pretty way; they appeared more as a mush. My solution is to start over, with different yarn and a size larger for needles. I'm almost done with my second attempt and I promise to take pictures of before and after, no matter the outcome.

I have got some great pictures of Delilah, I'll probably post them next time.

And It Tastes Good, Too

2010-02-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have resolved to get into shape this year. I am actually exercising, using my Wii, but I haven't got on board with any type of diet menu. Even though I am almost 40 years old, I still believe that if I can just get a good cardio program going, I will lose the weight, no matter if I still decide to eat bread and rice.

I cleaned my house and I have kept it clean and organized! I have to work at it every day because the second I let anything slide, then I'm afraid that the clutter will take over again. Now that I'm basically organized, I've started meal planning (not for a diet, mind you!) and I've made a few actual meals. For example, I made rice soup with carrots and green beans. I added shrimp too, and it made a good meal. In fact, I still have leftovers to eat.

I also just made my first lasagna, very simple and easy recipe (no jar sauce, either). It turned out very well, very tasty. I have a lot of leftovers. The picture below is right after I took it out of the oven. The only drawback of this recipe is that the prep time was almost an hour. The cooking time was an additional hour. I don't know if I would normally say this, but all that time was worth it because I think this recipe was a real success.

We've been subjected to a few days of rain and clouds and dreary, overcast days. At this time of year, rain usually means cold weather, which I hate. However, I'm not turning on the heater for this short stint of cold weather. I'm just pulling out my blankets and quilts. My electric bill was almost $30 higher during our two-week cold spell a few weeks ago. And my budget has tightened seriously in the last two weeks and I think I'm going to need to carefully manage my money for the next few months.

I felted my first bag last week and HATED the outcome. I must confess that I threw it away because I couldn't even look at it. My solution was to go out and buy different wool yarn and start over. I can't really pinpoint what I hated about the first bag because I loved it before I sent it to the washing machine to be felted. I'm going to have to read up on felting to see if I did something wrong the first time. I think the most obvious reason I hated the outcome was because the colors didn't felt into each other in a good way, if that makes sense.

First Day of Cleaning Results in More Mess

2010-01-24T20:22:00.004-05:00

My place is a mess. I'm not joking. There is crap everywhere, and my place is so small that I have nowhere to hide. I tried to start organizing but I'm just creating more mess as I go. I thought I would start in the bedroom closet but then I realized I needed to start with the miscellaneous papers and mail all over the place. I started to box up the CDs and DVDs that were in my bookcase (to make room for books and framed photos) but now I can't make room for those boxes! And to make it worse, I've got a sinking feeling that my landlord's foreclosure might start heating back up. My lease allows me an out for that but I don't want to move right now.

I'm done for today; I organized my knitting stash and the closet. I'll be taking a bag of clothes to the Salvation Army tomorrow and then I need to start cleaning.

Knitting Makes Me Happy So Long As I'm Not Driving

2010-01-17T18:11:00.004-05:00

I bought myself a present, KnitPicks Options Interchangeable Wood Circular Needles. I was trying to make the decision between the wood tips and the nickle-plated. I really love working with the bamboo dpns I have, so I finally settled on the wood tips. As soon as I got the shipment, I went to Michael's and bought some wool yarn to start my first Booga Bag. I've been aware of this pattern for a while, and I really hope my first felting attempt is successful. Not to worry because I will post pictures of the results, no matter what they are.

Lately, Delilah has been so sweet and climbing into my lap to nap while I knit. Today, I managed to get a pretty good shot of her at the window.

I'm taking a big leap this year by saying aloud that I feel like this will be a good year for me. I know that changes are on the way for me, and I'm going to embrace them. Although I'm not ready to announce what they are just yet, I do plan to include them in my future posting.

I have the worst road rage lately, and I've got to get it under control. I was making a left turn out of a parking lot this morning, and my car stalled (I drive standard transmission and my foot slipped off the clutch pedal), and the car behind me honked at me for not moving! I let loose by screaming my head off (all to naught because my windows were up and I have tinted windows). I was so angry; too much for the offense. The honker drove away and I proceeded home. And just like that, my anger was gone. But it was quick and fierce. I do not think this was a healthy response, even though I had immediately let go of the anger after I was able to scream and yell. I have to figure out why I can't seem to handle the little infractions that happen when you drive.

Practical Knitting

2010-01-05T18:27:00.006-05:00

After four attempts, I have mastered the knitted skull cap with stripes. Well, to fit MY head. I cannot guarantee that I can do it in one try for someone else with, perhaps, a more normal-sized head. Of course, I still find fault with this hat. I don't like the colors. I know, you are wondering why I would combine these yarns if I didn't like them. I will answer you. Because that is the yarn I have on hand. Not a glamorous answer, but the truth. And surprisingly, I am not sick of this pattern yet.

I am sidetracked at the moment because I'm knitting some dishcloths (cat-themed) right now. In fact, I'm knitting one dishcloth strictly from a chart, which has been incredibly challenging for me. I started knitting and got to about row 15 or so before I realized I was knitting part of the pattern backward. So I ripped out the rows (about 6 or so) and started again. The pattern is here. I'm slow going on this because there is no "knit x, purl y, knit x....." but instead just some colored squares. And because this is a knitted flat pattern, on the wrong side of the work, you have to reverse what is on the chart. Very confusing but if it comes out right, I will have a very cute dishcloth. If I want to knit this again, I might have to write out the pattern for a quicker knit for me.

Twenty Ten Sounds Cool

2009-12-29T20:59:00.003-05:00

I'm still working on that perfect fitting hat. I think I've mastered adding a color; I made this hat with pink stripes. Delilah is admiring my work.

I just don't know when to stop knitting. The circumference of the hat is good but the length is too long. So my fat head requires a total of 76 stitches but the body of the hat needs to be less than 7 inches.

I'm not an optimist at heart but I have a really good feeling about 2010. I started out the decade in a relationship that I thought would define the rest of my life. That premonition came true, but not in a good way. I've been recovering from that six-year relationship for a while now. In this decade, I experienced, and came to respect, karma. However, I finally feel like I've paid for all my past sins and transgressions. I'm going into 2010 on my own terms and, for the first time, I trust myself to make the right decisions.

Homemade For Christmas

2009-12-23T16:55:00.010-05:00

This graphic represents a summary of the words used in my blogging, the larger the font, the more frequent the word use. It was created by Wordle. It's not a surprise that the largest word is "Delilah".

I actually made something for my co-workers for Christmas. Although I briefly considered making a knitted gift (found this really cute knitted lump of coal, did you see his name is Grumpy? Ha!), but I didn't really have the time or the stamina to knit five gifts.

Then, I remembered a sweet snack called White Trash Mix, which I was introduced to at office party years ago. There are a ton of variations of the recipe out on the internet, but the way I remember it (and how I made it) is:

1. Melt 1 package of Almond Bark in microwave
2. In separate large bowl (sprayed with Pam), mix 2 cups of Corn Chex, 2 cups of Cheerios, half of bag of pretzels, a bag of M&Ms and one-half of a can of party peanuts.
3. Pour the melted almond bark into the dry mixture and fold in carefully.
4. Spoon out mixture onto wax paper and allow to cool and harden.
5. Once cooled, break up into pieces and keep in airtight container.

I ended up with enough for gifts for five co-workers and an extra bit for home. Here's a picture of what is left.

I also tried my hand at peanut butter fudge. However, I feel like I cheated because this was the easiest and most simple recipe possible. It turned out pretty good, but I have a lot left over. I love peanut butter so much, but this stuff is very rich I can't eat too much without feeling bloated.

I packaged up my White Trash Mix and Peanut Butter Fudge and gave them out in cute Christmas-themed chinese take-out boxes from Michaels. I was pretty satisfied with my efforts and I was confident that my co-workers would like it. We had decided a few weeks ago that we would not be extravagant in our gifts this year due to the economy and knowing that most of us were not in a position to spend a lot. This was especially true because we did not get Christmas bonuses this year. Only one person went overboard (in my opinion) and got everyone gift cards from Outback.

I made another knitted cap; I would imagine this is called a skull cap. I just love the pattern on the crown of this hat. This variation has two small stripes, so I can practice adding colors. I'm pleased with the results; I have some black and pink yarn I want to use next but I would like to include more than a stripe. I would love to do hearts or something feminine. I'm searching the web and Ravelry for patterns.

When There Aren't Any Directions, I Overcompensate

2009-12-20T10:59:00.005-05:00

Until now, I've skipped over patterns that require color changes. If any of my previous knitting had different colors, it was because I was using variegated yarn. While browsing the forums on Knitting Help, I came across an easy pattern for hats. They recommended adding a color to give it some character. So I rummaged through my mish-mash of Michael's yarn and found some blue and red worsted weight yarn for my project.

The instructions for the simple 2x2 ribbed hat were minimal, and the hat knitted up really quickly. I searched the internet for the best way to add color to knitting in the round, and I declare my first attempt a success. However, I made two mistakes in the main color knitting. I dropped a stitch at the beginning and had to go back and weave some additional yarn in there to cover up the hole (you can see it in the picture in the lower left-hand corner). Additionally, I messed up the ribbing for about 10 stitches (not visible in the picture since I made sure that was on the side you don't see).

The other huge error on my part was making it too longer. The pattern only gave guidelines ("work for 7 to 9 inches"), so I knitted the maximum (number of stitches in round = 88 and length of knitting = 9 inches). As you can see by my modeling of the cap, it is way too big. I am searching for someone with a huge noggin, because even with my extra big head and fluffy hair, I'm still swallowed by the hat.

However, I'm not letting this get me down. I've already started a new hat, with fewer stitches (76) and I'm not going past 7 inches in length. The requisite red stripe will be present in this second attempt.

My Birthday Thoughts

2009-12-13T18:55:00.011-05:00

Today is my 39th birthday. While brushing my teeth this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought about myself at 19, and tried to remember if what I am at 39 is what I pictured then. I couldn't remember. At 19, I was dating my ex-husband, working at an engineering firm and attending community college. Now, I'm divorced for almost 8 years, working for an attorney, and enrolling in graduate school.

One benefit of being 39 is that I've got a lot of experience (and, not that *kind* of experience...get your mind out of the gutter :p). I analyze situations for solutions and I have trust in myself to get things accomplished. I'm not afraid to ask questions when necessary.

I do not mean to imply that I have found inner peace. There are many aspects of my life that I think require a ton of work, and I have difficulty motivating myself for issues related to my personal care (emotional and physical).

I have repaired my relationship with my parents and I have a deep respect for my younger brother, who I am proud to point out to people that we are related (although I am not so sure he can say the same).

No matter how much I want to, I'm not going to annotate my resolutions or plans for my 39th year. I'll just build them up in my brain and report on them as I feel necessary.

I actually have a Christmas tree this year, complete with real presents around it (not underneath because I'm in a small place and this is a table top tree - complete with fiber optics). One picture is with the flash (no lights) and the other is sans flash (fiber optics glowing). For the first time EVER, I realize how quickly Thanksgiving turns into my birthday turns into Christmas.

Latest Addition

2009-12-06T13:17:00.004-05:00

I neglected to blog about the fact that Delilah is now my roommate. The neighbor who owned her left me a note on my door that she knew Delilah had adopted me and that she wanted her to be happy. So, long story short, Delilah now stays with me, and my neighbor has visitation rights.

Delilah loves the outside. She howls at the door to be allowed to leave. She seems to be pretty good about hanging around my building. Of course, I still worry that she could take off or someone could take her. Our relationship is still pretty new, so I cave in and give her outdoor time, but only when I'm home. If I'm at work, she's stuck inside. Lucky for me, she just uses that time to sleep.

I'm working on a scarf, using up some really weird yarn I bought a year ago. The yarn is dark gray in color, so I figure this will be a man's scarf. Now I have to find a man that needs a scarf.

My 39th birthday is one week. I'm working on reasons why this should make me happy and not depressed.

One Hand For Knitting; One Hand For Petting

2009-11-22T19:12:00.005-05:00

Delilah's owner has been very gracious and patient with me; she has continued to allow Delilah to come over and spend the night with me. However, I realize that I need to either get my own cat or leave Delilah to my neighbor. I find myself searching online for a cat that tugs at my heart the way Delilah has. My friend's sister-in-law has a few strays hanging out at her house, and I'm going to go see if any of them will become my cat.

But first, another picture of my friend, Delilah:

I was reading the Knitting Help forums and came across a discussion on "no-brainer" flat knit patterns. I've got a sock on my dpns, and it's been there for a few weeks now, even though I've made it all the way to the toe. I just can't seem to finish it. One of the easy patterns they discussed was a scrunchable scarf. The pattern is ridiculously easy, K2 P1, on any multiple of 3 stitches (and you could add one on each side for selvage). This is my attempt at that scarf and it's the first time I've tried fringe. My fringe started out really long, but I'm a really bad barber so the fringe is short.

This scarf was really easy to do while watching tv or petting Delilah. I might try it again, now that I've done it once so I can improve on the original. As I knitted, I was thinking that perhaps I can gift the final products to family. My final product, for this first attempt, is not something I would be willing to gift because it feels too homemade. However, there is always the second time. Or third. Depending on if I get bored with it and finally go back to my poor sock.

She's Gone

2009-11-16T08:14:00.003-05:00

Well, my joy was short-lived. My immediate next door neighbor is the owner of Delilah (that's her name, which fits her well, actually). She works nights and has a small dog named Cookie, who is Delilah's friend.

The only problem is that I instantly fell in love with Delilah, and I think I need my own pet. Something in the back of my mind is that my mother is highly allergic and she has always told me not to get a cat. But, honestly, she never comes to visit, I always go to her house. I posted a note on Craigslist about my search for a cat.

I received a promising email from someone looking for a home for her cat. The cat comes with flea prevention (three months), food, and litter. The lady giving up the cat said that she has two dogs and the cat really needs to be in a single-pet household. The cat is strictly indoors and is friendly and needs a lot of love. I'm going to arrange a meeting to see if the cat is a good fit for us.

Finder's Keepers

2009-11-15T08:07:00.005-05:00

The weather has been very cool the past two days, so I've been opening the windows to let the fresh air in. I had a visitor one day, who jumped up on my window sill, curiously looking into my apartment. After seeing him several times in as many hours, I invited him in for just a minute. A minute turned into a day, and this morning I went to the store to buy food and litter.

This guy definitely belongs to someone. Although he is well cared for, he does not wear a collar. I'm torn because this little guy is really sweet and I could see myself keeping him as my own. I know I should canvas the neighborhood and ask if anyone knows who he belongs to.

I'm going to post a "Found Cat" poster by the mailboxes to see if anyone will claim him. I'm secretly hoping that he needs a home and that I can keep him.

Silent Night

2009-10-31T20:15:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it. I had no Halloween trick-or-treaters this year. Not even my cool pumpkin drew them to my front door.

I keep opening my door and stepping outside to look around and listen for the sounds of little footsteps and laughter. I don't hear anything but cars driving by.

This Halloween is bumming me out. There aren't even any good scary movies on tonight. I watched two Vincent Price films, The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Diary of a Mad Man but both are pretty campy and not exactly spooky. Perhaps I'll check my OnDemand schedule and watch old episodes of TrueBlood.

I had good quality candy too! Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, Nestle Crunch and Baby Ruth. I didn't go for the yucky and cheap combo bags with those nasty orange and black peanut butter kisses and Mary Janes and tootsie rolls.

I Deserve Better

2009-10-25T17:31:00.005-04:00

An appreciative client gave me a beautiful white orchid. I don't have many plants because I can't even manage to keep my lucky bamboo alive. However, this beautiful flower has all of the buds open and it's been in my possession since October 9.

However, the next Friday was not a good one for me. A different client came into the office and I was in charge of assisting him on the transfer of real property. I had no idea that this particular client was discharged from the hospital one night prior for the treatment of H1N1 (swine flu). My boss failed to inform me, but instead told me, after the client left, to "wash my hands".

After I washed my hands, I went to lunch with a co-worker. It was from this co-worker that I found out that the client was hospitalized and treated for swine flu. When we returned to the office, I immediately went to my boss and asked her directly if the client had the swine flu. She said yes.

I was so angry with my boss, and I confronted her about it. Of course, she failed to understand that the issue was the fact that she was aware of this client's illness one full day before he came into the office but she failed to notify me, the person who would be in direct contact with him. She just ran around trying to reassure me that I would not contract H1N1.

Typically, I let things like this go because I cannot see the value in creating tension at the office. However, I have been pushed past my limit with this woman, and I needed her to know that her unprofessional behavior had not gone unnoticed.

My To Do List Is Long

2009-10-18T15:31:00.002-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted; the last time I posted was the last time I picked up my knitting needles. The main reason was because I bought some books during vacation and I couldn't put them down.

This weekend, I finally picked up my sock project - it's from Sock Innovation by Cookie A. The pattern is called "Angee". I'll have to post a picture later. I think this is another pattern in which I will run out of yarn. The pattern also requires that I read a chart, which is something new for me. So my progress is pretty slow.

The weather is simply beautiful today. A touch too chilly for me (64 degrees at 3:00 p.m.), but the sun is so bright and beautiful.

I renewed my lease for the apartment I'm living in. Yes, this is the same landlord in foreclosure. I justify this by telling you that I negotiated $100 off the rent and added a provision to the lease that in the event the foreclosure is re-initiated (it's basically stalled since April), I have the right to cancel the lease early without penalty. With the way things are going at work right now, I'm glad not to have to worry about moving in addition to everything else that seems to be going wrong.

I will get my act together and start catching up on everything I've been putting off since I've been back from vacation.

Live from the Eastern Shore

2009-09-18T09:54:00.003-04:00

Sitting outside my brother's condo in beautiful Ocean City, Maryland. I'm enjoying the view and the weather, which has been mostly in the upper 70s and low 80s. Even when it's hot here, the breeze keeps it from being intolerable.

One thing I can say is that it certainly does not smell like the beach to me. My brain has a hard time resolving the fact that I'm on a beach vacation but I've only been in my swimsuit a handful of times. I do miss the smells associated with Florida beaches....a mixture of coconut oil, Coppertone sunscreen, and salty surf.

I managed to finish a pair of socks while I was here. I'll call them Ocean City socks.

I'm off to go take a walk on the beach, sans socks.

100 Marks This Spot

2009-09-10T20:01:00.006-04:00

This is my 100th post! Don't expect too much; I'm weary from a very busy day and I have to get up early and complete a week's worth of work tomorrow.

I finished my sock last night. I will not take a picture of me wearing these beauties until I finish the second of the pair. I really like how it turned out.

My cable provider recently added several HD channels to the basic lineup. I was excited to see that one of those channels was AMC, which broadcasts my most favorite show of all time, Mad Men. I was excited because I thought that the added bonus of seeing my most treasured show in HD quality would be the icing on the cake. But, last Sunday, when the channel was first available, I watched the show in HD without any more admiration or awe than the week before. (As an aside, the only HD programming I truly appreciate is sports and nature shows - that's where you can really see where HD is kick ass.) Thus illustrating the strength of this show and the quality of the production because I could watch the damn thing in black and white and still be utterly enthralled by it. I think my love of the show is a result of the beautiful but flawed characters and the time period.

The show's third season is currently showcasing 1963, which was certainly an amazing year. The modern women's rights movement is born with Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. And in August, the March on Washington, certainly a milestone in the civil rights movement. And then the sky is about to fall on all my Mad Men characters in November with the JFK assassination. At this point in the season, we are in June of 63, right after the Buddhist Monk sets himself afire in protest (one of the characters watches news coverage), and, ominously, we as the viewers are exposed to the wedding announcement for a minor character, which gives the wedding date as November 23, 1963. I sucked in my breath when I saw that scene. I cannot wait to see how the writers deal with the JFK assassination and how the characters I'm so heavily invested in react to this news. Is it how I felt when 9/11 happened? Like you couldn't count on anything? Everything you just took for granted was all just a facade? I live for Sunday nights and Mad Men.

Wow. I wrote a lot for being tired and needing to pack for vacation. This turned out to be a pretty good post (I feel like Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment - where she has to say goodbye to her children since she's dying and she tells them "I think that went pretty well, don't you?")

What is wrong with me? Comparing my blogging to Debra Winger's death scene? I'm too much.

For The Love of Art

2009-09-09T19:19:00.003-04:00

I started a new pair of the BFF socks. I'm using Patons Brand of Cotton Yarn called "Grace". The weight of this mercerized cotton yarn is heavy and I can tell that as I knit this sock. I'm actually on the toe portion of the sock today and I should be finished tonight. I really love the colors and I think this yarn shows off the BFF pattern much better than the yellow-greenish yarn from before.

I met the sweetest couple a few weeks ago. I had to make a visit to this couple's home to have papers signed for an upcoming closing; I'll call them Mr. and Mrs. B. Mr. B is in his late 80's and Mrs. B is 92 years old. I walked into their home with a singular goal in mind (to have my paperwork signed) and sat at their kitchen table. As I was leaving, I turned and took in the living room and hallway to discover their walls are covered with paintings. Real art. No glass. The pictures are beautiful and Mrs. B informs me that she is the artist. She studied in New Orleans and she works mainly in oils but tried watercolor when she moved to Florida, as watercolor seemed to be the preferred medium. I was overwhelmed by her paintings and I wish I could have taken the rest of the day to sit and talk with Mrs. B. I don't think she paints now, especially because I've seen her signature and it's rather shaky. Her pictures were mainly of still life (flowers, fruit, buildings) but she had some paintings featuring people (nuns kneeling in prayer, young ballerinas practicing in front of a mirror), and I was drawn to them immediately. Simply wonderful work, even to the untrained and novice eye. I feel silly for feeling this way, but I was moved by her work. I will get to see Mr. and Mrs. B tomorrow when they come by the office, so I'm going to try and see if she will tell me more about herself.

Good Luck Knitting

2009-09-01T22:01:00.003-04:00

I finished my BFF socks. As appears to be my luck, even though I start the socks at the same place from each ball of yarn, the color variation does not exactly match. Cables are really so easy to do but look like you put in so much extra work. Cables are definitely a good "investment". These socks fit nicely around my foot and leg, but they bunch a bit in the front by my ankle. So it was hard to get a good picture of me wearing them.

Knitting socks definitely requires an investment in both fitting the sock appropriately and in getting the right pattern with the right yarn. So I have some books, which I read and marvel at the diligence it takes to figure this out. Then I see beautiful patterns and I just want to knit them. Research and planning be damned; I just guess at the size I want and go for it. I usually take notes while I knit (on index cards, which are now strewn about the living room) but I'm not really that organized. This is why I probably will never be a good knitter for sweaters or jackets or clothing that really requires you to be precise.

Strictly a pessimist at heart, I never have faith that good things will stick. So, when, by chance, I met the department head of UCF's Technical Education and Industry Training Department, I didn't think it would amount to much. However, I was very excited to hear her tell me that her master's program would not only fit my schedule but that I was the perfect candidate for it. Dr. Whiteman was even kind enough to tell me that she would watch over my application and she would be my advisor. This program would allow me to teach at a community or technical college in a specific field of study. This would mostly like be legal studies because of my work experience, but perhaps I could branch out to some type of computer training. I don't really have a plan as to how I will pay for school and I sometimes hear on the news that student loan money is harder to get these days but I don't care. I'll figure it out.

Restless and Anxious

2009-08-24T21:40:00.002-04:00

I'll start off today with one finished sock. The pattern is BFF socks by Cookie A.. I can't wait to get the matching sock on the needles. I'm sure the pair of socks will turn out cute. I was more in love with the yarn before I actually knitted it. I just keep buying cheap yarn. I have to learn to splurge on better yarn.

I'm having problems sleeping soundly. It's stress and anxiety due to my job. For example, my favorite night of the week is Sunday. I love Sunday. All day. Sundays are so comfortable and I feel free. I always spend more money on Sundays. I rarely do housework on Sunday. I do most of my knitting on Sundays. And Sunday nights are now filled by viewing of Mad Men, my most favorite television show. However, the last few Sundays have been filled with me counting down the hours until Monday, when I have to go to work and face the projects I'm months behind on and I know I will not accomplish anything close to what will get me out from under this mess. When things get tough or I get scared, I tend to flee. Flight or fight? I'm definitely under the flight category. With my state of mind, I worry that I will do something foolish to get out from under this stress. If I had proper health insurance, I would go find a therapist to help me get out of this funk.

For now, I'll have to bandaid my issues by looking forward to my vacation. I have two weeks coming up in the middle of September. I'll be in Ocean City, Maryland at my brother's condo for at least a week; however, I have no definite plans for the other week.

Clean Up Your Act

2009-08-18T18:42:00.005-04:00

I'm watching ESPN right now. Brett Favre is giving a press conference about coming out of retirement and signing with the Minnesota Vikings for $25 million over two years ($12 million for the first year and $13 for the second). While I'm not really a huge football fan, I am surprised that this man is giving a press conference while dressed in a ugly t-shirt, a worn and beat up cap (not even a Vikings hat), and unshaven. This is a man who was offered $25 million to stay retired for goodness sakes. He reminds me of Steve on his day off....as long as he's clothed, then he's good to go.

Onto my knitting, I finished my socks mentioned in the last post. I actually took the socks to work and one of my co-workers said she wanted them. As you can see from the pictures, the socks are a bit big for me. I don't truly understand how to do a test swatch to gauge needle size for the pattern requirements, so I tend to just guess about what needles to use. These socks would be perfect for me if I just use one needle size smaller.

I've done five cookie-cutter type socks (the basic, simplest pattern). I really thought I was ready to venture out into the intermediate patterns and I chose this cable pattern (Best Friend Forever by Cookie A. I've only knitted the cuff and leg and I am working on the heel flap. As I read ahead, I'm wondering if I will be able to figure out the gusset, which looks complicated. The cable pattern continues again on the gusset so I anticipate I will have a problem picking up the pattern again. Cookie A. is a well-known sock designer. If I can master this "basic" pattern of hers, I will definitely consider investing in quality sock yarn and knit some of her more complicated patterns.

It's Not All About Eve

2009-08-03T21:29:00.003-04:00

The office I work in has a lot of turnover of personnel. The percentages are pretty equal, with half quitting and the other half getting the boot. The revolving door is a major annoyance, especially when a good worker makes the decision to get the hell out. I just get stuck with covering the work until the next contender comes along.

The newest addition is a young girl, right out of college. I'm sure that she views me as some old sick-in-the-mud, which I can't really resolve in my mind because I don't feel old, but I am really very happy she's here. She's now responsible for a whole division that fell into my lap, and I'm more than happy to hand it off to her. I just can't seem to convince her that I'm not possessive about the files. I would love for her to far exceed my capabilities so that I can be let off the hook. However, the other people in the office anticipate more conflict than teamwork. I'm not worried. I'm going on vacation for two full weeks in September - that's what is in my sights, not some silly power struggle.

I'm working on a new pair of socks. There is a local yarn store that has a sock-making class this Friday, and I'm considering enrolling. A friend from work has tentatively agreed to go with me. Now, this is not a done deal, but it might some fun if my friend and I can go together.

I Woke Up For This?

2009-07-31T23:33:00.011-04:00

Actually, I've not been to sleep yet. Flipping channels late at night and I catch an infomercial for Time-Life and they are advertising Sweet Soul of the 70s. I am instantly hooked; my mind is racing - I can't sleep. I want this CD collection so badly, but not enough to call as requested by the infomercial. I just get out of bed and I'm at the computer, looking up the actual cost (because it was advertised for the "introductory" price of $9.95 with free shipping). I tell myself as the computer boots up that if it's under $50, I'm buying it. There were so many good songs I could not keep up with them.

I sense you doubt me. Let's examine my top ten songs from the infomercial (in no particular order):

1. Earth, Wind & Fire - That's the Way of the World
One of the greatest bands of the 70s. This is my favorite, but I also love Boogie Wonderland, Shining Star, Let's Groove, Fantasy (...and we will live together until the twelfth of never...).

2. Diana Ross - Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going Go)
Hearing this song brings up feelings that I had when I graduated from high school. And I don't mean my general feelings about graduating from high school, but literally getting ready to walk into the auditorium as a candidate for graduation.

3. Smokey Robinson - Cruisin'
"If you want it, you've got it forever, this is not a one-night stand". Smokey is my answer to Barry White.

4. The Stylistics - I'm Stone in Love With You
Always wondered how you get "stone in love" with someone.

5.Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. - You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be In My Show)
Love this for several reasons: Marilyn McCoo hosted Solid Gold for a while and I was a Solid Gold fanatic (which aired right before Dance Fever on Saturday nights); Marilyn and Billy were in one of my other favorite groups - The Fifth Dimension; and, finally, as a kid, I always dreamed about who would be my vocal partner while we sang this song to each other.

6.The Stylistics - Betcha By Golly, Wow
Best chorus ever. Musical equivalent of saying "lmnop" really fast as a part of your abc's and making it sound like one word.

7.The Chi-Lites - Oh Girl
It's the harmonica in the beginning that gets me everytime.

8.Tavares - It Only Takes a Minute
I didn't know the name of the group that sang this until tonight.

9.Rufus and Chaka Khan - Sweet Thing
"Love me now or I'll go crazy". Been there, done that.

10.George Benson - This Masquerade
Very jazzy. I think my dad would even approve of this choice.

Back to my dilemma. I really, really want to splurge and buy this collection. It's 11 CDs! And I want all 170 of the songs promised on the infomercial! I can afford this little luxury, can't it? I can justify spending $50 for all this great music.

So I log onto the computer and type in timelife.com. I click on "Sweet Soul of the 70s" and up pops the price of

$149.00

And my dream ended.

I went to YouTube video and played the songs I wanted to hear, getting my fix for the night. And now I'm off to bed.

Recent Projects

2009-07-28T18:28:00.004-04:00

My socks aren't the same color! I swear I started from the same center pull for each sock. Why didn't they come out the same? The dye lots were the same number on both skeins. My model, who wears men size 9.5, said they are too big for him. And you can see the toes through the socks! Argh. Onto the next pair and hoping that they turn out better. I'm getting tired of the basic socks, but when I attempt to do anything with a cool stitch pattern, it comes out all sorts of crazy. I find it hard to diagnose just where I screw up when it comes to socks.

I knitted a dishcloth for my mom, and I'll probably mail it to her with a cute card. I want it to be sort of a surprise - who doesn't love to receive a nice card in the mail? I feel very obligated to my mom, who provides me with emotional support and she tries sometimes to do more than that. It's the "more than that" that sometimes causes hard feelings. And I hate myself when I think I've hurt her feelings.

No Soup for Me

2009-07-13T20:23:00.003-04:00

Today was a really crappy day. And then it was night, which wasn't much better. I realized that the farthest I have ever lived from my hometown is 75 miles, and that's not very far. This is not comforting to me; perhaps I've used it as a crutch. My dealings with my parents usually end with me compromising my desires to accommodate theirs. And, if I get hard-headed about something, well, it is that much more painful when I eventually cave in. This realization is one of those things that just sneaks up on a person - like when I realized that I'm really overweight - and I can't imagine how I tricked myself into believing anything other than what is obviously the truth. It's like I live in my head and then I suddenly become grounded with the full weight of the truth (no pun intended).

My conversation with my mother tonight made me realize that she honestly believes that it is in my best interest to have a partner who can financially take care of me. I had to explain to her that I know that I will always be responsible for my own well-being, even if I get married. How naive of her. It makes me laugh - as if there is some big bowl of man soup out there and I have to keep bobbing for that man who can provide for me financially and emotionally. Actually, I can reverse the argument and consider how well I am suited for a partner; I have a decent job (perhaps not enough to support a family) but am I of any value in providing someone emotional support and love? For some reason, of which I can't really place a reason for, the promise of financial stability means relatively little to me these days. Perhaps this is due to the reality of the economy these days. People who used to be so secure in their jobs and careers are quickly learning what it is like to have the rug pulled out from under them. Planning for the future is a nice gig, when you are raising a family or young enough to enjoy the ride, but me...I don't fall into either of those categories. I'm not trying to be nihilistic; but I am a pessimist by nature. And just a simpleton who can't see how any of this really matters; I just needed to satisfy my need to vent in public.

The Weekend Rules

2009-07-12T21:30:00.002-04:00

I don't like commitments on the weekend. I'm very greedy when it comes to my time away from work. I feel like I need to protect my downtime from unnecessary stress or from being used for anything other than my happiness. Therefore, making plans for the weekend is serious business. But don't think that this means I make exotic or exciting plans; it just means that I'm really selfish with my time.

I met with a friend this weekend to help her out with some computer problems she was having. She repaid me by inviting me to stay for dinner, which was a delicious spanish meal of pink beans and rice and pork chops. She even packed up leftovers for me. I made tentative plans with her for future weekends, but she obviously doesn't know me well enough because who knows if I will deem it important enough in the future.

This desire and need to control my time is based on my current occupation, wherein I get absolutely no say in anything and random events and straight-up craziness rules what and when I do something.

This weekend I finished a new sock, which I made too big for me, which sucks because I think the colors are really cute. I have a bunch of new sock yarn, purchased from eBay. The sock fits a man's shoe size 9-1/2 (see the pictures below).

So I will knit the companion to this sock and pray I can convince my model to wear them in public.

Cruising and Knitting

2009-06-29T19:15:00.006-04:00

This weekend I went with a group of girls (former co-workers) on a five-hour gambling cruise. I had no idea what to expect, but since it took me 24 hours to blog about it, you can rest assured that I did not win any jackpots. While I've never been to Las Vegas (well, I switched planes in Vegas on my way to Japan, but enough about that), I have been to the casinos in Biloxi and Tampa.

This boat was pretty stinkin' old and every floor had slot machines. There was also one floor with blackjack, poker, craps, and roulette, but I had no desire to lose money on those games. I know I lost money at slots, but at least I had control over what I lost. It's so hard to do that with the multi-player games. My job is so miserable these days that I find it sickening to throw away that money on a gamble. I put up with craziness for forty hours a week, and if I want to throw away my money, it's going to be on something that makes me happy. And, sitting on a boat, in a room filled with smoke and listening to 200 computer slot machines, is not my idea of fun, free drinks notwithstanding.

The best part of the trip was going to the top deck and sitting in the sun and watching the ocean. Now, considering that the boat trip was only $8, I feel totally comfortable with my expenditure. I played slots in order to fit in with the other girls, but truthfully, I could have spent all five hours on the deck with a good book and my ipod.

I am working on a new pair of socks. I wanted something I would wear with my brown loafers, so I thought this cream-colored lightweight wool would work. I've knitted up one sock and it fits snuggly. However, the yarn is a bit too bulky. When I try to put the loafers on with the socks, I've got a really tight fit. Drat!

I'm going to finish the matching sock and go on the hunt for a more perfect sock for a newbie like me.

My Origins

2009-06-21T14:39:00.004-04:00

Today is Father's Day. I spent a few hours yesterday with my dad and stepmom, having lunch with them and getting a look at their remodeled patio room. My dad looks good for a man turning 69 on June 29. He's the one person in my immediate family who has changed the least. And believe me, that's not necessarily a good thing. However, it is my father who coined the word "grumpbump" when I was a child. If I was in a bad mood, my dad would call me "grumpbump" or "grouchpouch". My father is also often credited with this exchange:

Me: "Go ahead"
Dad: "Who's a gourdhead?"

I finished my second pair of socks. They are too big for me but I let one of the girls at work try them on and they fit her. I'm having a bit of problem with the toes but the socks turned out quite well. I used proper self-striping sock yarn for this project.

I am actually planning a real vacation this year. In September, I'm going to Ocean City, Maryland and then probably onto D.C. I can't wait for it. I'm also considering taking a local weekend trip for the July 4th holiday too. I'll also have to plan to move shortly thereafter in October because my lease is finally up. I can't wait to be out of this blasted rental.

How Long Can I Milk This Sock Thing?

2009-06-06T16:53:00.010-04:00

I loaned my camera to my co-worker. She's on a family vacation to Cooperstown, NY. You'll just have to put up with my camera phone pictures until then.

I'll start with my first pair of socks:

I'm working on a new pair of socks, with self-striping yarn I got on sale at Michaels.

I've got to go work on some beer cozies for my brother. He's using our family's patented guilt techniques, handed down over generations, to get me to deliver on my promises.

A Little Bit of Learning Goes A Long Way

2009-05-31T13:06:00.003-04:00

So I read some more, and just as I suspected, after actually working one sock, I understood the written directions so much better. Even though I messed up on the cuff ribbing and I still have holes at the gusset, this sock is so much better than the first. I'm actually going to make a second to go along with it. I mean, this sock actually has a properly formed heel and the triangle/diamond-shape at the gusset. And I thought the yarn was black, but it's more of a brownish color.

After I make this pair, I'm going to the yarn store and buy pretty sock yarn. And, of course, I'm going to read up on how to close up those holes I got when I worked the gusset.

Sock Facing Left
Sock Facing Right

One Sock

2009-05-25T14:59:00.006-04:00

I actually knitted a sock; I can't believe it.

Sock Off The Needles

Not Exactly Hanes-Worthy

Pretty, if you don't get too close

There are a few holes in my knitting, but I've decided to leave well enough alone. Now that I have actually gone through the steps to knit a sock, I will pull out my knitting book and see if I can identify my mistakes. My method - a single sock on double-pointed needles - is not really useful if I am serious about knitting a pair. I've heard that two-at-a-time method is best because you can guarantee the pair come out the same. Or perhaps I should try baby socks next to speed up the time it takes to knit them. Wish I knew someone who was having a baby. I'm very excited about my future in socks.

I Didn't Understand the Instructions

2009-05-25T10:40:00.006-04:00

My sock is so funny looking. Once I tried to knit the heel, I got everything confused. So I just kept knitting the best I could. The project closely resembles a sock, but the heel is so wrong that I chose not to document it. I have seams where there should not be seams, so wearing this sock for a prolonged time would probably not feel good. There will be no twin for this sock because even if I tried I could not recreate it due to the liberties I took with this one.

I have several knitting books, and I read them as carefully as I can. However, it seems that I don't really get what they are telling until after I've attempted the project. As soon as I finish my sock, I know I'll be able to go back and re-read my sock book and understand what the author was trying to tell me. Although I learn through reading, my knitting would not be as far along as it is if not for on-line video and practical application.

The shape of things to come