Friday, September 30, 2005

A better reason to eat out Oct. 5


Dine for America: October 5
On October 5, 2005, restaurants across the country will band together in a "Dine for America" day, a national fundraising effort for the American Red Cross to help the survivors, their families and other arising needs from the Hurricane Katrina and Rita disasters.

A little diversion




Your Pimp Name Is...



Silky Dogg


Thursday, September 29, 2005

Honey, I’m home

Too bad I don’t have anyone to yell that to.

Alas, I am back from hot and sunny SoCal.

My friend from work, Mark, and I went to see the Dodgers play on L.A. last night so I didn’t have much knitting time this trip. We took the Metro from Long Beach to somewhere in downtown LA. The train was fine, a little long, but I got to see some neighborhoods along the way. One of the sales people from the hotel we are working with was warning me about how bad a neighborhood the ball park is in and a cab might not come pick us up after the game, going on and on about how dangerous it is, blah, blah,blah. She was raining on my parade and I had to be nice to her because we are working with her!

Obviously she lives in a white, middle-class neighborhood in Long Beach and never leaves. I live in a city, I can handle the urban landscape. I wasn’t going alone, and I didn’t tell her my friend Mark is black. Sheesh.

Needless to say we made it out of LA without getting mugged or shot. Phew. We did get scammed by a cab driver though. It was so stupid, I don’t know why we let it happen.

The game was fun, even though the Red Sox loss and the Yankees win last night left me feeling a little despondent. Ugh. This isn’t good. But I am going to keep good thoughts.

And we had a brush with fame! Mike from "Desparate Housewives" was sitting in our section. It was very funny to see him hanging out with his buddy, drinking Coors Light, in the cheap seats. It took a while for Mark to believe it was him, he couldn't understand why he wasn't being mobbed, but he came around after recognizing some of his mannerisms.

We both, separately, are keeping a tally of all the baseball parks we have been to. My list:


  • Fenway Park, Boston

  • Camden Yards, Baltimore

  • Wrigley Field, Chicago

  • Expos Stadium, Montreal (former home of the Washington Nationals when they were the Montreal Expos)

  • Rogers Centre, Toronto

  • Safeco Field, Seattle

  • SBC Park, San Francisco

  • Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles

Knitting
Uh oh. I don’t think my finger is supposed to be poking through the toe of my sock.















I knew the kitchener stitch I attempted was weak. Crap.

I found this book in a used bookstore in Long Beach for $2.00! It is a good reference book and has some nice patterns.












Other Amusements

I am off tomorrow, yay, comp day! Long weekend! Time to catch up with life and hit the dry cleaner, the grocery, do a yoga makeup class.

On Saturday Corey and I are going to the Ballston (Va.) Arts Market . My painting teacher is going to have a space so I am psyched to see him and some local art. Maybe I will find something I like for cheap. I love buying paintings for my “collection,” as long as they are under $150.

Hey, you have to start somewhere. The Cone sisters collected a bunch of Matisse’s works before he was somebody.

Monday, September 26, 2005

sunny SoCal

Stupid is as stupid does


So I am watching some footage from somewhere along the Gulf Coast, a neighborhood that was flooded. I have a question. Why do these people wade around in the dirty, filthy water with no shoes on? Like mother and daughter in their front yard. Maybe I am overly sensitive to wet, squishy shoes and feet. And oh yeah, disease, alligators, and snakes.

And then there’s the guy with a long metal pole, poking around at the electrical transformers and power lines. Standing in calf-deep water. Hello???

Going back to Cali

Today I am in Long Beach, CA. This is a pretty sweet trip. A bunch of us from the office are here to plan our April convention so we are being wined and dined. And I am not alone this trip!! I am staying at the Westin in an executive suite with a pretty nice view of the beach and marina. I saw my boss at the airport but ignored her knowing I would have to say hello on the plane. She's not my favorite person. But I do what I have to do to get along with her.

The Heavenly Bed is reason enough to stay at this chain. In a word, fabulous. The room is really nice, too. I used to live in a studio apartment and once in a while I would stay in a hotel room larger than my apartment! That would always crack me up. I am a sucker for a nice hotel room. Maybe that’s why. It was such a treat.

I flew Jet Blue for the first time. You have to love a direct flight to the west coast. Before take off the pilot made a joke about the wheels being checked. The cabin roared. I guess there was more tension in the air than I realized.

Every seat has a TV with tons of channels and movies for $5.00. It was a great diversion for the 5 hour flight. The highlight was BBC America. When I as in Paris in February there were a couple of channels on the TV in the hotel. The only English channel was a BBC station. They have some of the greatest shows.

Have you seen “Ready Steady Cook” (2 professional chefs and contestants have to prepare dinner and dessert with a bag of random food) or “Bargain Hunt” (contestants are given 200 pounds and let loose at an antique flea market. Then they bring their finds to auction to see if they found any great bargains. Any money they make they get to keep). My favorite is “Cash in the Attic.” Art and antique experts will troll through your house for the hidden treasures and then they get sold at auction and you pocket the money.

Don’t worry, I didn’t watch TV the whole time I was in Paris.

Knitting

I made great progress on the pink sock. I just might finish this sucker before the end of the week.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Spiraling out of control

Knitting

It’s hard to photograph the spiral scarf but here’s by best effort.



It’s really spiraling! I am in the middle of binding off but am taking breaks. The yarn is tough to work with with so many stitches on the needle. And Homespun doesn’t have any give.

If I ever do this again, I will try to find longer circular needles so the 800+ stitches aren’t as stiff and hard to work with. They got all bunched up and I had to keep stopping to pull them along to make room for the stitches I was knitting. I don’t know how long the needles I am using are, but they look like your standard length. This shot isn't really much better.


But I am excited about how it looks so far. Another gift done!

Second pink sock is underway. I think I can get a lot done on my flight to California tomorrow.

A few months back I bought some fun novelty yarn to make some scarves and hats for my nieces and nephew in Maine. Not sure what I will make just yet but it is closing in on the end of September so I better get cracking. Just another friendly reminder that the holidays are approaching.

Baseball
Another point of reference of mid-September is baseball. It was a great sports day – the Red Sox won, holding onto the tie w/the Y*#@kees. Now it’s time to route for the sorry Orioles to beat the Yankees this week.

In football news, the Patriots beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh today. Cool-as-a-cucumber Tom Brady and his boys, with 1:40 on the clock, marched down the field for Vinatierri’s field goal. It was a great win even though the Patriots didn’t really show up until the 4th quarter. I think they are finally back. All cohesive and dominating. It’s bliss.

Ok, back to the girl stuff…

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Still in Tampa

Knitting

I have gotten some knitting done on this trip, but not as much I had hoped.

Here is the progress on the Spiral Scarf.


Just a couple more rows to go. This is only 11 rows total because it is knit the long way. Never done that before. And it has 3 complete yarn over increases so it goes from about 100 rows to about 200 rows to about 400 rows and finishes with about 800 rows. How crazy is that? I chose to use circular needles to manage that many stitches. We will see what happens.






And remember Sorbet? I am plugging away at that too, row by row. It’s just stockinette at this point so it’s boring. But I am committed to it!





I have a long flight to Long Beach, Calif. on Monday so that will give me some uninterrupted time with the needles.



What city are you?

These quizzes are so silly.

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern.
A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock.
A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything.
No wonder you and London will get along so well.
What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-)
Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.



Still in Tampa. Ugh. Get me home already! This trip has been way too long.

It’s really hard to eat well, I mean healthy, when I am on travel. I am stuck eating in restaurants for 3 meals a day. It gets so old. I always try to find a grocery or convenience store where ever I am. Thankfully I found Publix the other day. I ate the best peaches I have had in a long time. But I have eaten huge dinners that I don’t normally eat so I feel all bloated and full.

And this hotel has the worst cable channels. I get my cable fix when I travel because I don’t have it at home. So I fool around with cable TV for a few days and realize I am not missing a thing. Network and public TV works just fine for me.

Dating

Speaking of, yesterday I was contacted on match.com by a guy who has never owned a TV. I am not glued to the set every day, but I like my TV wind-down time. Does he know that he is missing “Lost”!! He was a little too outdoorsy-world-traveler-SCUBA diver-anti-establishment for me. I appreciate the environment, I recycle, and avoid the chain stores, but he was over the top. He probably sleeps in a tent in his million-dollar condo in Arlington where he parks his SUV.
But then there is hot Marvin. A big black hunk of man. I thing that is more my speed. I hope our emailing continues. He seems very normal, regular, interesting, smart.

Haven’t heard from Charles in about a week. My attitude right now is that he can call me. I am quite sure his phone dials out. I am sorry things aren't working out between us but I have things that I look for in a relationship and he is not there.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

KIP

Knitting

I am on the road, exhibiting at a conference, in Tampa. I had a meeting this morning and had some time before I had to be in the hall so I pulled out my sock. A few minutes later, I see this woman coming my way. As she is approaching me she is muttering something and reaching in her bag. I am thinking, “Should I know this woman?” You know that feeling?

No, she pulled out her knitting, a blanket she is making for her new niece. We chatted a few minutes about our projects and then we went back to what we were doing. It was so funny!

On a side note, she had a train wreck of a diamond ring. You know the kind, so huge that you can’t help but stare. Sheesh, she must have had at least 4 carats between the engagement and wedding rings.

I think diamonds are pretty, but I am not a big fan for other reasons. My attitude was influenced after seeing an episode of Front Line (on PBS) a few years ago about DeBeers, the diamond cartel. Fascinating. The value of diamonds has been created by them. If the Russians were ever to flood the market w/their supply, diamonds would be worthless. But DeBeers controls the market, using any means necessary, therefore keeping the Russians, and everyone else, out. It’s pretty sickening, and totally laughable when you see the people who put so much importance and value on their diamonds.

And then I ran into a woman I went to college with! She is attending this meeting. That was really fun.

Other Amusements

I went exploring in Tampa today.


This is the Hillborough River and the University of Tampa. I used to be the Tampa Bay Hotel. Gorgeous, I don’t know what the architecture is called but it looks old southern. I am glad the university moved into this space to preserve it.




Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Knitting on a plane

Knitting


So I made some progress on the second sock on my flight to Tampa. I am pretty psyched that this sock patterning looks very similar to the other one. It has the same spiral of dark purple, you might be able to see it in the picture.

And I brought Sorbet, the spiral scarf, and the 70s sweater. So ambitious! I am here until Sunday morning, but I am going to see if there is a late flight back on Saturday.




Other Amusements
I love cab drivers. They are some of the nicest, most interesting, and insightful people you can meet in this country. I look forward to chatting w/my driver, either in DC or my final destination.

Like today, my driver in Tampa was the loveliest man. He was a handsome, middle-aged Jamaican, has lived in Tampa since his mother shipped him off in 1969, at age 16, to live w/his uncle because she couldn’t handle him anymore.

We talked about sports, college, education, marriage, kids. Two of his 3 sons graduated from college while he didn’t even finish high school. He worked on the docks in Tampa for 30+ years and now he drives a cab.

When I told him I wasn’t married, he told me his brother, a confirmed bachelor, got married for the first time at 52. He is a hotel manager in Ocho Rios and met his wife when she was vacationing and a guest at his hotel. She is from Philadelphia. They recently got married and they live in Jamaica. Isn’t that a great story!

So the next time you are in a cab, start a conversation with your driver.

Dating
Which is a good segway to MY love life. Charles. I am so conflicted. I think he is blowing me off again. At what point do I say enough. Or am I overreacting.

I think I am going to keep on this same path, meeting other people, not putting all my eggs in one basket. It’s too soon. I am so bad at this.


Must run, "Lost" is on!

Sunday, September 18, 2005

One down...

Knitting

I have a sock! Stitching up the toe requires a little more brain power than I can muster tonight, but I am thrilled with how this came out. Let’s hope its twin is identical.

On my trip out to Virginia (see below), I made a stop at AC Moore to see what they had for yarn. They sometimes have some decent or at least interesting stuff to go along with the Red Heart.

I found this lovely Lion Brand Homespun. I won’t be able to duplicate the color via computer but it is really bright and sunny, raspberry, coral, yellow. I am making the spiral scarf for my friend Deanna for her b’day or Christmas. She looks great in these colors, she must be a spring. I love this color scheme but can’t wear it. I am a winter, alas. This is a quick knit and I can’t wait to see how it spirals.

I love living in DC, but there are no stores. So I usually to out to Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners in Va. And I bundle the trip. I never hit just one store because that would be a waste of driving out there. And just about every store a person could need is there: Home Despot, Target, Shoppers, Safeway, Giant, Borders, World Market, Pier One, Michaels, AC Moore, Best Buy…you get my drift. When I moved here in 1995 I remember being amazed at the number of stores in Virginia.

I have pretty much two straight weeks of business trips coming up. Hopefully I will get a lot of knitting time. It’s hard to pack projects for travel, no? There are so many little things that I might need.

Dating
The irony is that Charles is in town this weekend, but he is sick so I haven't seen him. (Let is go Sarah.) Plus his sister is here and he was not ready to introduce the little white girl. He had another job interview in St. Louis this week. I have a feeling he will be moving sooner rather than later. Makes me kind of sad. Who knows what will happen.



Home Improvements
I had anther home improvement weekend. Last May I had my radiators taken out to be sandblasted and enameled. They had been painted over and over in a shade I call “Apartment White” and looked really grungy and dirty. You aren’t supposed to put wall paint on radiators so I thought I would liberate them. When I moved in here 3 years ago, everything was painted this shade. Horrible.

I couldn’t reach behind the radiators when I painted my living room and bedroom so this was my opportunity to paint the walls and baseboards. This took much longer than I had planned, like most home projects. I finished the living room and both baseboards Saturday and thought I would breeze through the bedroom today.

Not.

I went into the closet this morning to get the Silverberry bedroom paint only to remember that I had used every last drop.

Emergency trip to Home Despot, on a Sunday no less. All of humanity was there. Never visit Home Despot on the weekend. Friday night is perfect, no one is there. (Hey I just had a brainstorm. They should have a singles happy hour on Friday nights to drum up some business.)

Of course it took me 4 months to do this quick paint job, but anyway, it’s done. And I scrounged a bookshelf out of the trash last week so now that needs to be painted. So I will get started on that now that all the painting supplies are out.

That Sunday night dread is coming on. You know the feeling. "Ugh, I have to go to work tomorrow."

Make the most of it.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Boring business trip+knitting=Progress

Knitting

Look, it’s finally looking like a sock!




I was in “Chicago” for a few days this week. I was duped, I thought I was going to be in Chicago, but no, I was out near O’Hare in lovely Rosemont. Very disappointing. But I got a lot of knitting in.

I finished a sleeve on “That 70s Jacket,” too. This is knitting up pretty quickly.



I met a really nice woman on this trip, too, Marianne. She was very intrigued with my knitting. She told me she had knit a sweater one time but it didn’t come out right so she stopped. But I inspired to start again. I am going research some yarn stores in Chicago and she is going to send me some good mystery titles. She was cool, I would definitely be friends with her if we lived near each other.

I have a trip to Tampa next week, but I don’t think I will have as much free time. I am exhibiting and moderating a panel at the National Association of College Admission Counselors annual meeting.

Other Amusements
Do you play that little game w/your DVD player like I do? There are some rules I must follow so that Mr. DVD will play nice. Like I know to only use the remote, never push the buttons on the machine. If the READING command is on the screen for too long I know it will say INCORRECT DISK next. So I open the little drawer, take the disk out, turn the DVD off, rinse off the disk and start all over. Nine times out of ten that works.

My last resort is putting another disk in the show Mr. DVD that he does really do know how to do this.

Oh the wonders of technology.

I am watching “The Machinist” tonight, with Christian Bale. It’s kind of weird and creepy so I am not sure I will finish watching it. Did you see him in the last Batman movie? I had read about all work he had done to bulk up for Batman and then all the weight he had to lose for this movie. (He looks like a skeleton.) I always find that interesting when actors go to such great physical lengths for their characters.

Now I have the whole weekend to myself. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Correctional facility friendly

Knitting

How cute is this?














I watched this silly Italian movie last night, "Ginger and Cinnamon." I didn’t realize it was subtitled so knitting last night was a little difficult. It’s hard to read the TV and knit! But I worked on my cousin’s scarf, a Christmas gift. Conclusion: I need larger needles.

And I have picked up the pink sock again after last week’s tragedy (see Sept. 6). The 70s Jacket sleeve is coming right along, too.

I have three business trips this month (ugh) so I see a lot of knitting in my future. I will be in Chicago mid-week. I was all excited about this trip because I love Chicago, until I booked my hotel and realized the part of the hotel name was O’Hare. Never a good sign. I’m out at the airport. So to make up for it I am staying a nice hotel, big room, swimming pool. Next week is Tampa. Following week Long Beach, Calif.

Other Amusements
I made zucchini bread today.




I got a new cooking magazine in the mail a couple of weeks ago, Cook's Country.

I really like it. It has tips and easy recipes. The zucchini bread came out fine, but it’s a little sweet for may taste. It called for 1 ½ cups of sugar which does seem like a lot in retrospect. I made 2 loaves so I can freeze one.

I freeze a lot of what I bake. Like if I make chocolate chip cookies I bake about half of the batter and then with the rest form the cookies on the sheet and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then I can store them in a small container and when I want hot chocolate chip cookies I take a few out, let them thaw about 15 minutes and pop them in the toaster oven. Muffins freeze well, too.

Dating
Charles came by on Thursday night to watch some of the football game with me. He was reading this magazine XXL, all about the rap music world. For a 40-something, black, upwardly mobile CPA, his musical tastes lean towards gansta rap. With a little Journey thrown it for variety.

When I was cementing my musical tastes back in high school (REM, U2, Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc.), I just missed being introduced to rap. Therefore I don’t like it that much. A song here and there will catch my attention but I don’t listen to it at all. So I find it so funny that he is so into it. The first time I stayed over his place, I was half asleep and heard this loud noise that I could not figure out. Was it coming from the street? What was it exactly? As I started to wake up, I figured out it was coming from his bathroom. He was blasting the music while he was in the shower – and he was singing along. I laughed!

So anyway, he was reading this ad for a porn site called fatass.com that was “correctional facility friendly.” What? Correctional facility friendly? That cracked us up. Prison must be wired.

I got my haircut yesterday so I was able to catch-up with Phuong, the lovely woman who cuts my hair. She is the cutest. Last time we spoke I had a date with R. I had a lot to catch her up on!
I told her the Charles story and she said, “If he doesn’t treat you right, I am going to kick his a**.” Mind you she is about 110 lbs on a good day, but I appreciated the gesture. She, too, struggles with being single, dating, meeting quality men. Such a quandary.

I ended things with Dave last week. I chickened out and emailed him. That is kind of the beauty of meeting people online. There is this whole new set of new rules. Like this situation. We went out 3 times so breaking it off over email was perfectly acceptable. And soooo much easier than an awkward phone call.

I am going for a walk now. Yet another beautiful day in D.C. Fall is the best season here.

Have a good evening!

Saturday, September 10, 2005

A-Rod Accessorizes


Knitting

I received all the needles I won on ebay so I was able to restart the 70s jacket. My passion for sleeves, or more specifically cuffs, lead me to start the sleeves first.




I tried to take a picture of the 70s Jacket. It's a cardigan with an empire waist that ties.

All of my hemming and hawing about clapotis as made me believe I really, down deep inside, don’t want to knit it. It’s like when you are shopping and you see something you like. If you can’t decide whether to spend money on, don’t because you really don’t like it THAT much. So that pressure is off. I think it’s a really pretty wrap and the possibilities are endless with all the different kinds of yarn you can use, but I am going to shelve that idea for now. And I really like Ella featured in the new Knitty so that’s another possibility.

So I will stick with socks and my current stuff, and let’s not forget the Christmas gifts I am planning on making. A couple of scarves, a hat, some socks. I have plenty to keep me occupied. I always have a few projects going at the same time but if there are too many none of them get finished.

Other Amusements
Corey came over last night to hang out. We got dinner at Rocklands and rented “Raising Helen.” For a chick movie, it wasn’t too bad. Corey digs the sappy love story movies while I prefer what he calls depressing indie flicks and foreign films you have to read. He’s right, I do like those kinds of movies. But I reminded him how much he liked “Amelie” and he had to read that one. Even if you don’t like subtitled movies, “Amelie” should be the exception to your rule. It is really funny, cute and clever funny, French movie.

I haven’t been to Blockbuster in more than a year so I got all these coupons for discounts and free movies. They want me back! But I don’t think I will be lured. I have a subscription to Netflix which I like and I will go to Potomac Video in my neighborhood if I need a movie. They have a much better selection of the movies I prefer to watch. I am a chain-hater anyway.

Baseball
So now that is September, it’s time to take baseball seriously. The Red Sox spanked the Yankees today and Schilling is back and kicking a**. He pitched into the 8th inning today.

During last year’s division series this picture was all over the Internet.

It’s nice to know that A-Rod can accessorize.

And the Patriot’s won the season opener on Thursday night so life if good.


Blogging
Vajra brought to my attention that Aug. 31 was BlogDay2005 . Who knew? But I will be prepared for next year:



And thanks to everyone who has stopped by and commented!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Sock Murder

Knitting


(I took this picture and laughed. It looks like I have put a stake in the heart of my sock.)

Sarah, you ask, it looks like you haven't made any progress on your sock. Why are you boring me with this?

To the untrained eye that is what this looks like. Au contraire. I had turned the heal last night, and was picking up stitches to start the foot of the sock when tragedy struck. It' my boss's fault.

You see I made the mistake of reading my work email earlier in the evening. It completely stressed me out. I was trying to dodge a last minute, total waste of time trip to Seattle that was being planned for me on Friday when I was out. I love Seattle mind you, but I have so many deadlines looming this week that flying across the country for really no reason was totally flipping me out. So my mind was everywhere but my sock when I tried to remember how to pick up stitches. Along the way I had dropped a bunch of stitches and couldn't go back to pick them up so I pulled all the needles out to frog just a little.

But you know what happens when you frog just a few rows!

I got to the heal and knew I wouldn't be able to figure out what row I was on so I pulled it all out.
And then I got to the gusset w/all those slipped stitches. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop and put the stitches back on the needle.

So I had to frog all the way to the end of the ribbing!! The horror. Thanks for letting me vent.

Other Amusements
I had a great extra-long weekend. Saturday I hung shelves and then I loafed around the house, one of my favorite activities. Later in the evening I went to see "Junebug" with Ronald, my movie friend. The film was excellent, a slice of family life we can all relate to on one level or another. I saw my parents up there on that screen! Scary. But so well executed.

Sunday, Del and I drove to Calvert Cliffs State Park, Maryland. After a few wrong turns (how many signs for route 765 are there?!?) we made it to be greeted by a lovely man who took our $5.00, told us what trail would take us to the beach, and explained all the signs for 765.

After about a 2 mile walk through the woods, the trail ends at the Chesapeake Bay and a tiny little beach and these gorgeous cliffs. Much of the beach is off limits because of landslides so I have a feeling this beach is no long lived. There was a nice breeze, the air was so clear, perfect.

Monday I helped Corey move into a temporary apartment while he looks for a condo. It wasn't too bad, he doesn't have much stuff. And he is so fun, the day was a laugh a minute. I love people who make me laugh, so important.

Dating
Charles and I had dinner tonight, and hung out together for a little while. (flutter)

Dave is back from his vacation and has called twice in as many days. Chill! I need to end it with him, gulp. Not a pleasant phone call, but it comes with the territory. He is a really nice person, easy going, but I am just not feeling it. The weird part is I have a friend who he would be perfect for.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you're enjoying your week.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Home Improvement Saturday

Knitting


I restarted the sock. It was a little too small. But I am pleased with how the colors are sort of

striping in this version. I think I got this yarn on ebay. I really love the colors.

A while back I mentioned a chunky pullover I saw in a back issue of Vogue Knitting. Last weekend I did some major research on yarn for the project and yestarday I decided to pull it out and make a final decision. But I couldn't find the pattern - anywhere!

I was so frustrated and annoyed with myself. So I said a little prayer to St. Anthony and let it go. (If you clicked the St. Anthony link you found a page called "Saints Fun Facts." How riduculously funny.) St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things. Say a little ditty to him about what you're looking for and viola, miracles happen.

And what did I find among the papers on my desk that I had sorted through like 5 times yesterday but the pattern. Thanks Tony! He always comes through.

In my distress about losing the pullover pattern I started to ponder a project to take its place. I had always been drawn to Clapotis, but last year everyone was knitting it and I tend to shy away from trends. But the hub bub had cooled down and I was pretty psyched to knit it. So now the quandry is do I put it back on the someday-list or continue to look for yarn under $17.00 a ball.

Home Improvements
I own my condo in NW D.C. I was very lucky to be living in a building that converted to condo, those of us that decided to buy got an unbelievable deal. It was one of those in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time things. I have lived in this unit for 3 years now and, except for the psycho witch Vivien that lives below me, I couldn't be happier. It has been fun painting and decorating. And I replaced the hardwood floors this spring. What an ordeal that was! But it looks gorgeous especially in the kitchen where I replaced the tired linoleum with wood.

Here is my latest home improvement project. Earlier today I put up these shelves. Not gorgeous but oh-so functional. Any project that lets me use my drill is a good project. This building went up in 1920 so there are plaster walls which can be a real drag when trying to hang something. You can't do anything without a drill. And all these special screw anchors and butterfly thingamagies. There as a lot of sweating and swearing but I am 85% confident they will stay where they are.

This stuff is empowering! Go buy a drill, girls!

Hope you are enjoying the Labor Day weekend.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Socks Nation

Knitting
The #5s haven’t arrived yet and last night I needed a new project so I started socks.

If these come out OK I will give them to someone for Christmas, maybe my mother.

I took a sock knitting class this past spring. Here is what I made.

I really did have every intention of finishing the second one, errr even finishing the first one. Now that I am on my own, it’s a little intimidating. I am not sure about gauge and needle size so I am winging it.

WEBS is donating 10% off all sales through Sept. 10 to the Red Cross Hurrican Relief Fund.

Dating
I haven’t written much lately about the dating life. I guess I am so conflicted that I don’t have a coherent thought in my head.

Charles and I were supposed to go to Luigi’s for dinner last night. The plan was to meet here at 7PM. The phone rings at 6:45. He is stuck at the office, let’s move it to 8:00. OK, fine, I remain calm, don’t let this snafu bug me. Work happens.

So I change back into my shorts and walk over to Christina’s to pick up the eggs and fruit she is giving me because she is overrun w/fresh, organic produce and eggs and will be away for a while.

Come back, put my out-to-dinner clothes back on and wait. 8:00. 8:05 still giving him the benefit of the doubt. 8:15, start fuming. 8:21, brrrring, brrring.

“This was a really hard call to make. Blah blah. I know you’re going to chew me out, but I am still at the office waiting for something to be delivered. This never happens. Blah blah blah. Blah. Blah blah.”

“Ok, bye,” I mutter.

No dinner, no date.

I burst into tears. Why do these things hurt me so much? My rational mind is like chill, it’s not that big a deal. But my irrational mind takes it so personally. Plus all that is going on in NOLA and the entire Gulf coast right now is getting me down.

I can barely watch it on TV, I listened to about 10 minutes of Diane Rehm this morning and had to turn it off. I find it so emotionally draining. This was my reaction after 9/11, too. After a week straight of watching it on TV, I just had to turn it off.

I remember that day vividly. At the time I had a plot in the community garden in my neighborhood. I went over there to get away from it all. I am minding my own business, enjoying a beautiful afternoon with my plants and I suddenly hear this very loud plane which extra-unusual because National Airport was closed. I look up and nothing is there. But it’s so loud. And then I realize it’s a fighter jet, patrolling D.C.’s airspace. I look really long and hard in the cerulean sky and find it. A tiny little dot making all that freaking noise. That was a very freightening moment. And there was no escape.


And then there’s Dave. Very nice, steady, even keeled, vanilla, Dave. He is coming back tomorrow so I need to make up my mind about him. If he wasn’t such a flat-liner I might be more attracted to him.

Charles is the challenge. He brings excitement, for good or for bad.

Dave is predicable. He’s pleasant, polite, easy to talk to. All the qualities you look for in a guy- on paper.

Ugh.

I always read that we continue in our “pattern” until we suddenly realize what it is. I think I am close to seeing my pattern. That way I can break it. And THEN maybe I will find an acceptable guy who is ready for a relationship.

And all of this is why I started knitting socks last night. Amazing how it is all connected.

Other Amusements
I am off tomorrow, hooray. My last long weekend. Not sure what I will do. Maybe drive to North Beach, Md. again. But I haven’t really decided. There is a spa on the boardwalk that takes walk ins…

Charles just asked me to fly to St. Louis with him tomorrow. I would really like to go to St. Louis w/him one of these weekends to see the house he is refurbishing. But there’s this little thing of buying a plane ticket 2-weeks in advance. So is he serious, or is he playing with me. These are the thoughts that run through my head.

I digress.

I am going to help Corey move into a temporary apartment in Greenbelt, Md. on Monday. He is condo-hunting, but has to move out of his cousin’s house because she is cashing out and moving to Bowling Green, with a huge wad a cash in her pocket. More power to you, Hoxie!

It’s nice when someone actually profits from the nutty D.C. housing market. We are all rich on paper, but unless you are moving to a rural area or the Midwest, you have squat.