Run on Sentences...

secret pal strikes again!

Thank you secret pal!!! 

I received another package from my secret pal on Monday.  What you see is a pack of knitting note cards, Hello Kitty candies, the cutest tape measure in existence (with a rubbery, koosh ball type pom pom on the end) and a beautiful hand made bracelet.  (secret pal - only because you asked, the bracelet is a little big, but don't worry about it. It's fun and sexy and dangly that way)

family

There are some things that divide the families of the world into categories.  And there isn't much room for gray area in these categories.   For instance there are the Vaseline families and the non-Vaseline families.

Last year I went out to dinner with a newly married couple and another friend.  The newlyweds were describing some time they spent with the groom's family in Ireland.  The new bride was making fun of the groom's family, with the grooms help, and I whole heartily laughed along until it came to the suject of Vaseline.   She thought it was disgusting that the mom used Vaseline.  I said that I used it on my lips every night before going to bed.  'Really?' she said.  I went on to describe all the many uses, dry hands or feet, weird rough patches of winter dry skin that are more common in the midwest, etc. That's when an invisible line was drawn on the table.   The bride and our friend talked about the inherent grossness of the substance and why anyone would want to use it.    The groom and I talked about it's many uses and did we need to run home in shame since we admitted to using the stuff?   

There is another division between families that I have become all too aware of since moving to SF.  There are the hotel families and the we're staying with you families.  Some people's parents come to visit and stay in a cute bed & breakfasts.  Or a big fancy hotel downtown.  Or the reasonably priced place just down the street.  My family comes to visit and I offer up my bed, my futon and and my entire life for the duration.  For the most part I wouldn't have it any other way.   Talking in our pajamas first thing in the morning or watching my mom fall asleep while watching law and order are the little life moments that I miss by living so far away. 

Now that I live on my own, it isn't such a big deal, but having family visit with a roommate presents more considerations.  The last time my dad visited I had a roommate and I spent a lot of emotional effort trying to make sure we weren't in her way and that my dad was on his best behavior, etc.  For some reason I felt like julie the cruise director and you know what?  That job is exhausting.   I told my sister that next time dad visited that perhaps i would look into a hotel for a few nights.   She acted like I said I would shoot him.   

"Really? You'd make dad stay in a hotel?" (implying that it is some sort of torture chamber instead of a nice place with little shampoos) 

"Well, yeah, but only for a night or two.  Besides he'd probably really like it."

"Did he do something wrong? Why would you make him stay in a hotel?"

I dropped the conversation.  Now that I live sans roommate, I told my family that they can stay with me whenever and for whatever time period that they want.  The only stipulations are that I may not be able to take time off of work and that I reserve the right to keep my own bed.   My dad is flying in today and he will be staying with me, for part of the time at least.  The ironic thing is that he will be in a hotel for a week of his stay in California because he'll be taking a class that is too far away to drive to from SF everyday.  So I get a little break during his stay, he gets the little shampoos and we all walk away happy. 

*My grandma was a vaseloholic too and told my sister to put some on her doll's hair so it would lie flat.  Under no circumstances should you ever do this.  That doll's hair was never the same again.  It became know as the doll with the messed up hair. 

dad

I'm sitting here at work looking through the 5,000+ songs on my IPod trying to find the ones that will motivate me to work instead of play online.  Which album could that be? 

My dad is arriving tomorrow for a visit.  He'll be staying with me for a few days, go off on his own for a week and then back with me for a few more days.  It'll be a nice way to see him without having so much quality time that we drive each other crazy.   

He knows just how to get on my nerves and despite my best efforts, my buttons always get pushed.  The first time that he came to visit me I was living on my own in Berkeley and he stayed almost a week.  I couldn't take time off of work, so I armed him with maps, some words of advice and pointed him towards the BART station.  I would work, come home and we'd go out to dinner somewhere and talk about what he did that day.   By the end of dinner I was usually a bit testy.  That's when he learned that a beer makes me a little more tolerant towards him and perhaps eve nicer.  Now my dad isn't a big drinker, so when we'd go out to dinner and he'd say 'here. have another beer' I knew that it was time to reel in the sarcasm.  When he'd say 'here, have some of my beer, too'  I thought that maybe it was too late.

Happy Easter!

Did I say something about knitting this weekend?  hmmm.... well that didn't happen.  It wasn't really planned but my intentions to tidy things up snowballed into an honest to goodness spring cleaning.  Call it a lented cleaning or a pre-Easter cleaning or a 'Can I get into heaven by cleaning my house instead of going to confession' cleaning?  My soul might not be in order but look at my bathroom shine!  I'm only half joking of course.  Whether you're religious or not, I do find that cleaning can be a very meditative activity.   

On Saturday I did a clean sweep of my clothing.  I pulled everything out of my closet (and dresser and trunk), tried on, re-hung, folded and weeded out all of my clothes.  I didn't stick to the clean sweep rule of 2 to 1 (for every two things you keep, get rid of one), but I'm happy with what I did.  There is a huge pile for goodwill and another smaller pile of alterations.  You know, clothes that don't work for me now, but just might if I hem here or add a dart there.  Why is it that I can remember when and where and even what I was thinking when I purchased every item?   When I wore them.  How they clothes made me feel.  There were quite a few memories, wrapped up in those clothes.  And some really atrocious shoulder pads. 

I also did a linen closet re-organization, washed the bathroom rugs, cleaned the mold growing on the bathroom ceiling*,  cleaned a new, but smaller, patch of mold on my bedroom wall, cleaned everything out of my car and took it to the gas station to vacuum the inside and man do I have to stop eating in my car - it's gross, vacuumed and dust mopped my bedroom.  And before all of that Saturday activity?  I went to Yoga.  Needless to say by the time I went to Greg's birthday poker party, I was a little worn out.  No wonder I cracked myself up with jokes about new TV shows featuring blind detectives playing poker, or something like that.  And hit myself in the head with the bathroom door, which thankfully I don't think anyone knew about, until now.  On the plus side, I didn't completely suck at poker.  At the end it was only me & Meredith.  And she had many, many more chips than I did.  I only screwed up once and realized that for a straight it helps if the 5 cards are in a row, and not with one of the sequence missing.  me:  oh, I didn't have a 5? hmm... so the 4, 6, 7, 8 don't count then?   hmmm... anyone want another beer?

On Sunday I was a little homesick, missing the family and the big Easter dinner there.  But I had more cleaning to do.  When I cleaned my bedroom, bathroom, hallway and car, guess where all that stuff went?   Yep, my main room had become the dump zone.  So I went through that stuff and then whipped a quick veggie salad and went to an Easter potluck with some friends.   My body narrowly missed going into a diabetic coma, but in a good way.  Lemon tart and real whipped cream and brownies and Easter candy....  yum.

So can you excuse me for not knitting?    I'm going to have to push back the orange sweater deadline for another couple weeks.  But deadline or not, it's getting there and that's exciting.   

*while trying not to get bleach in my eyes or fall off the edge of the tub.

sweater update

This is possibly the worst knitting in progress picture, but whatever.  I took it as I was running out the door this morning.   Yes, those are the sleeves still on the needles.   I'm still working on them.   As a matter of fact, I may have to rip the one that is further along as I think now it's too long.   But that means ripping back further than I need to go so I can still do the required amount of increases and that requires math which I wasn't quite up for last night.    Well, now you know what I'll be doing this weekend.  Any you? 

TV meme

Jenn tapped me for a meme....

1. How much space is left on your Tivo or Comcast box?
I wish I had one, but I don’t.

2.Have you ever bought a DVD of a TV series and if so which one?
Yep.  For Christmas my family does a white elephant gift exchange among the grown ups and I bought season one of Without a Trace. Luckily my sister got it and I then borrowed it to watch it all and then sent it back.

3. What was the last TV show that you watched before reading this message?
A PBS special about Typhoid Mary. 

4. List 5 shows you won't miss.

That’s tough.   There aren’t any that I rearrange my life for, but there are several that make me happy when they are on.
Without a Trace, America’s Next Top Model,  CSI, Law & Order (my fav is SVU), and when it was on, Celebrity Fit Club.

5. Name 3 people to whom you will pass this stick. 

Stacey

Carrie

Vicki

too late

Yesterday at the gym I looked over and saw an Ipod mini lying on the ground.  Hmm.  Someone should pick that up I thought.  I wondered whose it was.   Maybe the girl who had just gotten on and readjusted all of her stuff.   She'll notice it soon enough.  Should I say something?  Go pick it up?  I worried over it, but did nothing.  Then a guy came along and picked it up.  At first he kind of looked around and I thought he was going to ask about it.  He walked past me.  I wanted to stop him and say that's not yours.  But I didn't.   Maybe he'll take it to the front desk I thought.  Surely he'll do the right thing?  Who would steal something will all of these people around watching?   But what if he doesn't?  What if I'm the only one who noticed?  And I do nothing?  guilt. guilt. guilt. Finally, I got off the treadmill and did something.  I approached the owner (i had guessed right)  and we went looking for the guy.  It took a while and just when I was about to give up and go back to my workout he came walking towards the exit with his coat & backpack.   When the Ipod owner confronted him, he did give it up saving face by saying 'oh I left in in the locker room' and then he went into locker room and took it out of his bag.  The girl was very appreciative, but so was I.  I was so glad that I had said something in time.  I had waited so long to say anything, it was almost too late.   I was glad that I helped, but guilty that I didn't do something sooner, when it wouldn've been so much easier to just pick it up & hand it to her. 

It reminded me of all the times I don't say something at all and regret it.  Or say something too late.  Maybe some things are better left unsaid.  Maybe not.  This was all stirring together in my head with something that happened this weekend.  Of course a boy was involved.  We're friends.  Almost two years ago I kinda, sorta, maybe liked him and did some very heavy flirting.  I thought my feelings were clear, but not reciprocated.  This weekend, after a few beers, we went back in time and he said that he never knew that I felt that way.   I thought I had been clear.   Maybe not after all.  But now after two years, who knows what I said or what he heard.  Most things aren't as clear cut as, 'hey, is that your Ipod?'   But sometimes I wonder if I should say something sooner or more often or clearer and then I won't have to worry about it being too late.    

neverending sleeve w/e

This weekend was all about being crafty and laying low.  Well, after a Friday happy hour that lasted about 2 beers too long and had me couch surfing.  So there I was taking BART back into the city on Saturday wearing my Friday work clothes with my work bag but somehow not caring at all.  When I got off in SF I even stopped by the farmer's market and picked up a few things before getting on the bus that took me home. 

Later after I cleared my head and got cleaned up, my friend Yvonne came over and we had our own personal sweatshop while we both sewed away on various projects.  I attempted some other projects but the lack of the right color thread to hem a pair of pants and the lack of patience to work out which stitch to use on a shirt meant that the only thing I finished was a hem on a wrap dress (can I tell you how much fabric is on a wrap dress hem?   it takes forever just to measure & pin) and she worked on pillows and purses.  Yvonne commented on the quickness of using my rotary cutter to cut straight edges.   I agree.  It's a good thing that she gave it to me for my birthday. 

Despite still being in a sewing mood, I remembered my sweater completion goal and dove back into the orange sweater sleeves.  How long can it take to knit sleeves I ask you?   These are taking forever!!!   I knit for several hours on Saturday and even more on Sunday and I'm still knitting.  A little discouraged I put them down on Sunday to weave in the ends on the the fronts & back and I realized that somewhere along the line I reversed the shoulder shaping on one of the fronts.  Luckily it was only about 10 rows to rip and re-knit, but it took me a while to figure out what was going on.  That's the second time I've done this on a project and not realized until I was almost ready to seam or block.   Grr.  Well at least I noticed before I trimmed the yarn end and weaved in the end.

breakfast with mom

This morning I woke up early to dye my hair, a little more red to color this old blonde hair which has darkened & faded into a blah color.  It's not even brown.  I'd be happy with brown. But no, it seems like brown, but it lacks any warmth at all.  So I add a little red.  Not a lot.  Hardly any even.  Most people wouldn't it call it red, but it's enough to add a little warmth and cover my rapidly growing cluster of grays in the front.  My mom is 64 and has only started going hard core gray so why am I graying at 28?    I tried to call my grandfather to say hello, but he was gone so I ended up calling my mom and chatting because she has the day off.   I hardly ever make coffee at home during the week let alone make breakfast.  So it was nice to sit down with coffee and eggs and have breakfast with my mom.   She also drove down to work with me (after I switched to my cell phone) and walked me into the office.   I know cell phones can be annoying.*   But times like today are when I love them.  When my mom can take me to work.  :)

I'm excited for tomorrow because although I still have to work, I'll be out of the office all day in a meeting. OK, the meeting is the least exciting part.  But I get to take public transit to the meeting which will be something different and kind of cool and I might even bring some knitting along for the 45 minute+ commute.  I haven't knit since Sunday so this weekend I'll have to be a knitting maniac to finish the sleeves

*Like at the ballet the other night when a woman took her cell phone with her into the loo.  There were only two stalls and an extremely long line of people trying to get in & out during intermission yet this woman needed to check her messages while peeing?  whatever.   If my mom can hear that I'm talking to her on my cell  phone while I'm in a store, she'll say good-bye.  She hates people who shop while talking and she won't let me do it with her.  Her behavior has made me less likely to do it too.   

working spider

Today I pulled my calendar/planner thing out of my work bag*  and set it on my desk and a big ugly black spider came with it. OK, maybe not that big.  But it was black and it was very ugly.  My heart jumped!   I managed to not scream and embarrass myself but when I lost track of the spider and couldn't decide what to do I almost wished I had screamed so someone might have come to my rescue.  Because screaming in shock over seeing a spider is understandable, if juvenile, but going and getting someone to kill a spider at work is just wimpy.    Luckily while I was standing several feet from the desk wondering what to do, I SAW IT.  Another mini-heart jump.   I crushed it.  And is my habit, I threw it away several rooms away from myself.  Because I can't shake the completely ridiculous thoughts I've had since childhood that maybe I haven't killed the spider, maybe I've just made it mad and it will crawl up out of the trashcan and come after me.   Ahhh!   Just typing this freaks me out.   

** Back to happier, though more mundane subjects.   I have a work bag for all my extra crap.  My calendar/planner thing.  Notes, websites I've seen and want to look up, bills to pay at work, yada yada yada, you know the stuff.  Lately it's been more of a take to work on Monday, leave there til Friday night kind of thing.  Kind of defeats the purpose of a work bag, doesn't it?