Finder's Keepers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.