Letters to the Editor

Dear California:

Thank you for the lovely weather during the Thanksgiving holiday. Although some folks like their Thanksgivings to be nippy, I loved our long walk through 70 degree sunshine on Thursday afternoon.

I also have to thank you for your lack of traffic during the holiday weekend. Other than getting in and out of the airport you were an absolute delight. Let's see more of that m'kay?

Love,
The Little Devil

*****

Dear Kansas -

You were lovely when we left - 50s and 60s and sunny. WHAT happened? Now you're spitting snow upon us. I hope you know that I'm not planning to leave my house until you get a better attitude. No matter how long it takes.

Icily yours,
The Little Devil

*****

Dear Smoking Man -

When I arrived home from Thanksgiving week last night, fresh from beautiful sunny California to snowy, icy Kansas, I was already a little disappointed in my homecoming. Add to that the fact that it was midnight, I had no heavy coat with me (please see letter to Kansas above for reasons) and that the Blue Bus took over a half an hour to arrive. So please understand me when I say I really didn't need you to chain smoke through the waiting period and hack that terrible cough in my ear forcing me to HAVE to take an extra shower at 2am just so I could go to sleep without smelling like your ash tray. You could learn a bit of common courtesy about standing away from crowds of people when you feel the need to indulge in your disgusting habit. Because really, if I ever see you again, I'm going to have to resist the impulse not to ash directly on you.

-The LD

*****

Dear Family and Friends:

Thanks for the fabulous time. I miss you all and enjoyed seeing you and sharing wonderful meals. Photographic evidence is below.

Holiday whimsy

I call this two little monkeys jumping on the bed:



The Pattern: BMFA Funky Sock Monkey

The Needles: US 5's

The Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy (Blue Lagoon), ShiBui Knits Sock Yarn

The Verdict: The pattern comes in two sizes and I think the larger size would probably be easier to work with. They came out really cute though and I just hope my niece and nephew love them (Xmas gifts!)


I hope everyone has a wonderful turkey day. The hubs and I are off to LALA land for the three best F's: food, family and friends!

Random Tweets

• Whoever started calling the Point of Service system the POS either had a great sense of humor or absolutely zero intelligence.
  
• Sweet jeebdus I need a real job so I can shop at yarn stores as a profession.
  
• My husband is an amateur carpenter and turns water into wine. Did I marry Jesus?
  
• I should go to the DMV, but the couch looks much more inviting and less filled with freaks.
  

If you want to see more, you can follow me here.

Orts

I do believe I am following in the steps of my friend PlazaJen when I do a post of random orts!

• I went to the drive-up ATM today and watched not one, but two people park their cars more than 3 feet from the ATM and GET OUT to use the ATM. PEOPLE! They are drive-up ATM's, you use them FROM YOUR CAR.
  
• Yesterday night I was all in a tizzy because I had missed a call from the HR Director at the great place I want to work. I needn't have bothered to get anxious since it was just another "we don't have a decision yet" call.
  
• This means I have to enter retail hell on Monday. SUCK.
  
• Since this is random orts, look at my cute little sock monkey!
  
  
• This morning I woke up to a terrible beeping noise. The battery in the smoke detector was on its last legs, only I couldn't reach it - even with a stepladder - because I am vertically challenged. EPIC FAIL. Then I used a coat hanger to whack on it a little and got the battery out. Still that infernal beeping. Then hubby suggested I get furniture involved. I gave in and built a pyramid of furniture and FINALLY reached the detector to change the battery. Ahhh blessed silence.
  
• Then I went to the post office and building maintenance came in and changed the batteries. Again.
  
• Next week is Thanksgiving and I'm excited. I get to see my friends and family and go to LA! I get to knit myself a sweater during all the travel time! Can it be here now?
  

Reality Bites

Why is it that at night, as I lie in bed and wait for sleep to come, I compose beautiful bloggy prose in my head and when the morning comes and I can finally type it all out, all that remains is "I can haz cheezeburger?"

Last night, for instance, I had this whole beautiful post about how my life is going right now. How I got a call about 6 weeks ago to interview for a great position at a local company. How I sailed through three rounds of interviews (one with the CEO) and how I was happy and excited and nervous and buoyant all at the same time. And then how in the last week or two I seem to have hit a wall. They have my number, but they just don't seem to be calling me. How I have no idea if I did something wrong, or if they're still working on it or if they're "just not that into me".

And then I started thinking about how I felt when I applied to colleges. How when I visited Cornell I fell in LOVE with the university and how I wanted to go there so badly I could taste it. And then the unthinkable happened - I wait-listed. And suddenly I had to pursue a plan B that I hadn't even started thinking about. I had to suck it up, get over it, and get on with my life.

Which is what I did today. I'm now a seasonal sales associate at a major department store. It isn't my dream job (although I'm sure it's a perfectly great job) and a little part of me is dying inside that I had to suppress both my bachelors and my graduate degree to even get the job. But I'm moving on, finding a paycheck and working through this period of limbo.

Now that wasn't poetic at all, but there you have it. Reality bites.

Outdoors

After last weekend, the last thing I expected was good weather this weekend, but it's the Midwest and you just never know. Yesterday was cold and there were a few flurries, but today it was in the 50's and we got out and did some geocaching. Sadly, we only found a few of the caches we were looking for, but we had a good time and enjoyed being outdoors. We saw the usual assortment of trees and bridges, but I was quite taken with this section of railroad track.



I've continued with the knitting and have cranked out another child-sized sweater for a LYS a shawl to donate to the Sunflower Knitters Guild supported charities for the holidays. I've still got plenty on the needles and will share some of those accomplishments later this week.

A picture is worth.... hmmm...

Last weekend Wes and I stopped by Dillon's to pick up a few groceries and were astonished to see THIS in the toy vending machines:



Apparently THAT'S what they do with leftover campaign merchandise once the election is over. And how's that for a pretty crappy rendition of McCain?

What's even funnier than this, is that last night at our girls' soiree Jo Minor piped up "you're NEVER going to believe what I saw at Wal-Mart!" We both whipped out our handy-dandy cell phones and compared photos. You can see hers here (when she posts it there will be a link!).

Just in case you didn't know...

According to this source: The American Medical Association says that texting while driving is bad.

With all deference to Daddy DevilWorks who is a physician, and an upstanding member of the AMA, I think we have to thank the AMA for their OBVIOUS COMMON-SENSE wisdom. (Dr. Obvious anyone?) Any thing else we should know about?

P.S. Thank you H Enthusiast for giving me a good laugh and adding your own perspective:

"The AMA also concluded that running with scissors, putting forks in wall outlets and sticking your tongue on a frozen light pole are also bad."

And fall is over.

Just like that, the trees have shed their leaves, the temperatures have dropped and snow is in the forecast. Fall was beautiful but short and I miss it already. I'm really cold.

This weekend we headed down to my in-laws so that Wes could finish up a curio cabinet that he's building for his mom. This meant LOTS of knitting time for me.

My favorite accomplishment this weekend was finishing the first of two fingerless gloves that I'm making myself.


The Pattern: Winter Twilight Mitts

The Needles: US 1's

The Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug & Dale Ulli

The Verdict: LOVE LOVE LOVE these! These are going to be a part of my new winter set (well yeah winter is already here). It's my first big stranded project and I had a little trouble with tension at first, but then seemed to get into the groove. I still have the second one to do, but I'm hoping that it will go faster now that I know what I'm doing!


I also managed to mostly complete a commission order that I'm working on, a newborn baby bunting. (Yes the sleeves are still missing - hope to finish that up today!)


The Pattern: My own, adaptation of EZ's February Baby Sweater for the yoke and then all my own.

The Needles: US 5's

The Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, Off White

The Verdict: This is turning out pretty well for a hare-brained idea of mine. I found the red star buttons in my sewing box and thought it would compliment this unisex pattern (Grandma doesn't know whether it's a boy or a girl!)


Finally, I managed to finish a big sweater that I've had on the needles for a bit. This is a sample that has already been mailed to A Mano.


The Pattern: Shawl Collar Openwork Jacket, Tahki Stacy Charles, Fall 2008

The Needles: US 10's

The Yarn: Brown Sheep Lanaloft, 7 skeins.

The Verdict: I really loved this pattern and I think it makes a great cozy jacket. Having done a few openwork patterned projects, I have to say that I don't care so much for the knitting of them - more for the final product. This is another one that may find it's way into my queue again!


This week is pretty open. I have a few more commission projects to crank out while I'm waiting to hear about jobs. Hopefully I should know more by the end of the week. Hope it's a great one for you!

History

I honestly don't have words eloquent enough to describe what I watched last night; the tension, the elation, the sense of relief I felt. I feel proud to be an American today.


I would also like to say how impressed I was by both speeches last night. Senator McCain was gracious and patriotic, and respectful to President Elect Obama. I admire him more for his speech last night than I have during his entire campaign. I found President Elect Obama's speech moving as well. He was hopeful, but also serious about what challenges lie ahead. I can't wait for January 20.

Halloween Mayhem

There was toxic green punch, there was inappropriate conversation, there were LOTS and LOTS of laughs, and there was knitting. Thanks to Grasshopper for hosting a fun shindig at her house and to my wonderful friends PlazaJen and Miss Carmen for a great evening.



P.S. Miss PlazaJen is a Yip Yip. If you don't know about it, learn more here.