I resemble that remark.

I have alternately been laughing at and identifying with this cartoon since Ndef sent it to me earlier this week:



Real credits and copyright go here.

News... now with more pictures!

In addition to working and ranting and raving over here, I've had some projects in the works. Although I can't show you all of them yet (March is Birthday month for the family!) I do have a few peeks into what I'm doing that I can share.

First on the list is the indoor garden. As you can see we're doing pretty well. From left to right that's our cucumber plants, little tomato plants and, of course, the BEANS of DOOM. Not really pictured is the planter with tiny carrot green sprouts.


The lettuce, onions, and broccoli have been declared failures since none took to the new planters well and pretty much ceased growing. They have been replaced with red and green bell peppers, and some seeds that Wes pulled from a pepper at our local On the Border. Remind me not to eat those. Finally we have transferred the herbs. So far we've got lots of little basil plants and some cilantro. I can't wait to have fresh pico de gallo!

The other project that I finished recently was a knitted bag that I've been eyeing for a while.


The Pattern: Celtic Tote from Interweave Knits, Winter 2007

The Yarn: Lamb's Pride, 3 skeins of Tahiti Teal and 1 skein Charcoal

The Needles: US 8's

The Verdict: I love this bag! I modded it to make it just a bit bigger envisioning it as a project bag. I purchased some plastic mesh at my local Michael's to make the bottom a bit sturdier, and frankly the bottom of the bag design is really genius! This one felted up pretty quickly with only one cycle through the washer. I still plan to line the bag, and I have some interfacing to add to it in the hopes it will create a sturdy durable bag. I'm 100% pleased!

Things that piss me off.... today.

1. Octo-mom. No one has business bringing 8 children into the world when he/she cannot support them. And by support I don't mean "depend on others to pay you money to keep your children fed and clothed" - I mean YOU make/have enough money to take care of their needs.

2. Guvernator Schwarzenegger. You got elected because you said you were better than the "girly men" in government and you would balance the budget. Well here it is 2009 and you've done a damn crappy job. In fact, now in addition to furloughing employees and cutting their already scarce paychecks, you're going to send out 20K pink slips. Do you have a tumor or something?

3. Law suits against tobacco companies. Don't get me wrong - I think what the tobacco companies did for years was despicable. But seriously... no one FORCED people to go buy cigarettes and smoke them. So when your relatives file a lawsuit, and the tobacco company gets forced to pay out 8 or 10 million dollars, all I can think of right now is how many mortgage payments that would make for people who can't pay their bills because they got laid off (by the Guvernator and the like).

4. Madoff and his cronies. Like the world isn't a hard enough place to live in now that the bottom has fallen out of the market and people don't know how they're going to manage to eat and keep a roof over their heads. I don't really believe in hell, but if I did, there's a special place in hell for people like that. Ditto for Stanford, the Enron folks, and anyone else who has reaped huge profits from intentionally duping the average American.

5. The peanut thing. I almost don't have words for this. Despite numerous health code violations and POSITIVE SALMONELLA TESTS, one company knowingly shipped tainted and unsanitary products. This is a lesson in ripple effects. Not only did the company have to close it's doors and layoff employees, OTHER companies are now going bankrupt trying to recall their products (that used the tainted products in some way), and keep consumers safe. Please send these folks to the same place that Madoff goes.

6. The general state of the world. I am INCREDIBLY lucky right now to have a job, a home and a wonderful spouse. But it pisses me off that we all live in a world where people who could afford to retire last year now have to work longer, where those of us who made the time and financial investment in education are working low paying jobs and forced to be grateful for them, and where hard-working people in all stages of their careers are getting laid off left and right. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a very long tunnel.


/rant
Check back for knitting content tomorrow.

The Daily DOH

Random thoughts for the week:

• Apparently there's a Valentine's day dance at a few local schools. Ask me how I know?!?! Well the 12 women standing in dress shirts and ties screaming into their cell phones "what color is her dress again?"
  
• Today I learned about knives and crystal. Yup the Henckels rep and the Waterford rep came to the store. I learned more than I ever knew about both. Now I just have a lust for fine things. DOH!
  
• And the final Daily DOH: Apparently when trying to transfer money into my mother-in-law's account I inverted the "From" and "To" categories and managed to transfer money FROM her account into mine. Don't ask why they let me do that with an account that is OUTSIDE my bank and NOT IN MY NAME.
  

Sweet Baby Jayne

A few weeks ago I fielded a request from a high school friend who is expecting his first son in April. The request was simple: use my mad knitter skillz to create a baby size Jayne hat for the baby's birth announcements.


The Pattern: Jayne Beanie with modifications.

The Needles: US 3's

The Yarn: Sisu and Lanett

The Verdict: It's awfully cute. And thanks to my model Oswaldo for pitching in!

I hope the parents like it!

25 Things

a.k.a. The STD-like plague that's sweeping the Facebook Nation

1. I love to sleep. There are few things I enjoy more in life then sleeping late on a weekend morning or taking a nap in the warm afternoon sun.

2. I am not a pet person. I will watch your pets for you if you go on vacation. I might think they are a wee bit cute and cuddly (that’s your kitties Sean!). But I don’t want any pets of my own…. Unless we’re talking fish and a self-cleaning tank.

3. I quit my job last year to move to the Midwest with my husband. Since then, and especially lately, I have had a lot of trouble finding work. I am working as a department store clerk right now and for the foreseeable future. Part of me is proud of myself for finding a job and doing what it takes. Part of me is angry that I can’t get a better paying job given all this education I paid for. And part of me feels like a failure.

4. Knitting is like breathing for me. I knit a few stitches every day, and often a few hours of stitches. I can’t imagine life without it.

5. I have never been drunk.

6. I am neither a packrat nor a hoarder by nature. About every 6 months I get a cleaning bug and I get rid of all sorts of things and create order. But let me loose around yarn and it’s like I’m a whole other person. I have entirely more than I could use and I can’t stop collecting.

7. I like all kinds of music. Teenybopper pop makes me want to dance and I have a soft spot in my heart for country music.

8. I hated my teen years. I didn’t even like my college years that much. I finally REALLY started enjoying life when I turned 25. I was excited to turn 30 because, hands down, this has been the best year of my life!

9. I never thought I would get married. I just didn’t think I had it in me to love one person forever. Now I can’t ever imagine my life without loving Wes. And I made him promise me we’d be married at least 50 years, so I don’t think I have to worry!

10. Although I’m a little rusty, I speak French with a near perfect accent. So much so that when I speak with a native speaker they always think I’m a Francophile rather than an American.

11. I rarely wear makeup. I like the “wow” effect it has when I do.

12. I am a total geek. I LOVE learning new Excel techniques. I love playing with new technology. I have: played D&D, met my husband on a MUD back in the 90’s, skipped a social event to stay home and chill with my computer, met some of my closest friends on the internet.

13. I love to read. I don’t care whether it’s teen fiction (Twilight), 18th century lit (Jane Austen), business buzz books (Malcolm Gladwell) or non-fiction. I once joked that my dad’s reading list on his nightstand was going to require a public storage locker – well I’m getting there!

14. When I was little, I always complained of boredom. My father told me that he was NEVER bored and that when I grew up I would understand. Now I do. I could be reading or knitting or spending time with hubby... there aren’t enough hours in the day to fit everything in!

15. I have many virtues. Patience is not one of them.

16. The person I miss more than any other is my grandmother. She taught me how to knit. Weekends we stayed with her were full of cooking, shopping, crafting and having fun no matter what we did. I didn’t appreciate it enough then, and I wish I had more time now.

17. The house I grew up in didn’t have a saltshaker. (Well ok it did, but it was for company). My dad always had high blood pressure so we ate salt free pretzels, and low salt foods. As an adult I have discovered I love salt on a few foods: eggs, potatoes and popcorn!

18. I always wanted to learn to roller skate or ice skate, but unfortunately I can do neither. I was always jealous of my sister because she took so easily to both.

19. All through elementary, junior high and high school I did musical theatre. In college I performed with a vocal jazz ensemble. The idea of getting onstage and singing today terrifies me. How was I ever that brave?

20. A corollary to #17: I always wonder how my life would have been different had I decided to pursue a career as a singer.

21. My blog just hit its 4th anniversary. Who knew I had so much (or so little) to say?

22. I love the Hollywood Gossip. I used to work in an office where three of us would trade the gossip daily including photos and the latest stories! Not surprisingly, Wes isn’t nearly as enthusiastic when I try and share the gossip with him.

23. I love word games. I grew up playing Scrabble with the family. When Wes and I got together I taught him to play. Now he beats me almost every time.

24. Sometimes I wish I were a little more domestic – that I cooked better or cleaned the house a little more. Then other times I just want to order a pizza and hire a cleaning service.

25. I always thought I would live and grow old and die in Los Angeles. I NEVER thought I would come back to the Midwest after college. Just goes to show that you really never know.