Look at the sweet little kitty!

Really. Look at that cute little sleeping face. That little angel. What a perfect little ball of furry love.

Don’t let her fool you.

Noel is starting to calm down a little. She isn’t zooming around the house constantly and playing with “happy toy” till she drops. She will occasionally come over by me and either lay by my side or sit on the arm of the chair and watch TV while I knit. I swear she’s watching the TV.

The other night she sat on the arm of the chair and started watching TV. She was so cute and I was overcome by a need to scratch her behind the ears. I put down my circular needles and started petting and scratching and she turned her head toward me in the most loving way…

…and she pounced. In mid air she grabbed the end of the circular needle in her mouth, landed at a full run and pulled the needle out of my knitting. Right out of the Ribbon Lace scarf. There was a 50/50 chance that I would have stopped knitting on a WS row (which is mostly purled back) and not on the row with all the double yos. Yup – the toast landed butter side down.

It took me three tries to get all the stitches on the needles. I had to tink back to where I knew the row was done correctly and I could continue on the right track.

So this is where I’m at now. A lot of progress has been made since my last photo. This is my lunch/car/waiting knitting and lately it’s been getting a lot of attention.

She never had me fooled.

In which I show my dorkiness

I’ve been reading the Whatever by John Scalzi for years. It’s my favorite non-knitting/crafty blog. I don’t know how many of you have followed the links I put here every so often to his site, but I was starting to think I was the only one of my peeps who read his blog (and novels). This is the man who came up with, and followed through on, Bacon Cat for cryin’ out loud. How can you not check in with him?

A few days ago, Scalzi decided to post his one star reviews from Amazon (he is a sci-fi writer primarily). He challenged other authors to do the same on their journals/blogs.

I was going through my daily blog jog this morning and when I got to the Whatever I saw that today he listed the first of those brave souls. I read down the list and I see “Kim Werker”. Now, what are the chances that this is the Kim Werker we all know and love? I follow the link and sure enough… Kim Werker!

My two worlds collide. I left a comment on Kim’s blog saying as much and when I checked my e-mail at lunch, who did I have a message from? Kim Werker! How cool is she?!? Not only that but it seems I was the one to alert her to the fact that Scalzi linked to her.

It’s a little embarrassing how dorky, geeky, and fan-girly I became in like 2.5 seconds.

Kim and I read the same NON FIBER RELATED blog. Oh yeah, we’re on a first name basis.

Heh, heh (still SO embarrassed!)

Fitness-a-Long

I joined up with Trillian42 and a ton of other people committed to getting fit. I need to keep accountable to someone (lord knows I can't do this on my own) so I joined in.

A good amount of the participants have been posting their measurements and their weight, but after taking my measurements I am completely mortified. I was so disgusted that I'm more committed to getting healthy and losing the pounds and inches.

So what I'm going to do it report the loss of inches and if I get brave enough to step on the scale I'll report weight lost too. I'll be doing this every Sunday.

I've decided to follow the YOU Diet, from Drs Oz and Roisen. I hate counting, measuring, weighing and generally obsessing about what I have to eat. This plan seems to take that out of the equation. I'm headed to the market in a little while to stock up on the foods that I'll need to keep me going. Then I'm going to pack it up in portions so I don't have to worry about what to bring for lunch or eat for breakfast.

I'll also start walking at least 30 minutes a day. This may be hard to do this week, but I'll walk on my lunch breaks and if I only get it 15 minutes, that's 15 minutes I wouldn't have walked this last week. I have to remember that every little bit counts and not beat myself up for not having 100% compliance. That is impossible.

I know I can do this, with a little help from my fellow Fitness-a-longers.

Happy Arbor Day!

Today is the day I give thanks to Singulair for keeping me about 90% sneeze free. It’s tough being allergic to all kinds and varieties of pollen.

Here’s my attempt to catch up.

I’ve been busy at work. I had a lot to do the past two weeks – billable work – which was great. It was quite a large project and I stayed late Monday thru Wednesday. That project is done now and I’m back to being non-billable. Oh well.

On the good side, I did have an interview on Tuesday. It went very well and I have a second interview/practical testing of MS applications next Tuesday. Keep good thoughts for me.

Last Friday at DN#2’s opening little league game, he hit an in the park home run with the bases loaded. All the parents (and me, team aunt) were jumping up and down and hugging and going nuts. It was so awesome!

I feel a little bad for DN#1 tho. Last year the kids would get in a few pitches and then the coach would take over. This year, the kids pitch the whole game. He’s a lefty, so he hardly ever gets to hit the ball because the kids really can’t pitch to lefties. Last Saturday he was walked every time he was up at bat. The good thing is that he runs really fast, so all four times he got on base, he ran in for the score.

I’ve been knitting a bunch too. I knit another bagstopper with Sugar & Cream Striped I got when Bezzie and I were shopping on Sunday. Did you know the striped version has less yardage than the solids and ombres? I had some white that I finished the top 2 inches with and it looks great. Now I have to sew the ribbon handles on and weave in the stretchy cord. I have a 3rd one OTN and then I want to knit the yoga matt bag for my SIL for her birthday.

The Ribbon Waves scarf is coming along. I’m real happy with the progress and with the yarn I’m using. I’m turning into a Dream in Color Ho. Love the stuff. Love the Classy and love the Smooshy and I’m sure if I try their Baby (lace weight) I’ll be sunk for good.

And just so this isn’t a totally picture less post. Look what happened at the end of my street this morning…

A three car accident. The car that is under the truck was struck from behind and pushed that person under the pick-up. That person was medivaced to the local hospital. The weird thing is that I didn't hear the crash, and I live close enough that I should have. From what I understand, the guy that caused the accident was eating and driving. So please don't do that.

Cats

This has me cracking up. I've watched it 4 times in a row and it gets funnier and funnier.


Ok - Blogger won't let me embed the video, so go here and watch it.

Finished!

Everlasting Bagstopper - done. And fairly quickly, even tho the hemp was really rough on my hands. I can't wait to get some ribbon for the handles so I can start using this. There are definitely more of these bags in my future. But I may try kitchen cotton like so many others on Ravelry have done.

Something Tells Me I’m in for Something Good

I heard that song when I was in the womb. I did so!

With all the job crap I’ve been through in the last 5 years or so, I deserve a job that’s better that what I have now. A job that’s challenging, that I look forward to going to the majority of days, that enables me to be a little creative, pays me a lot of money and most importantly, has me reporting to an awesome boss. Ideally this boss doesn’t breathe down my back for the smallest things (or as I’ve thought of it lately, going into the office for my daily colonoscopy), who trusts that I’ll get the job done and doesn’t question my methods of doing them. A job and boss that make me feel appreciated. I deserve better than this place that’s for sure.

Every morning I sit on my bed and come up with reasons to go to work. Some days I can’t come up with a single one, so I have to think about saving all my paid time off (PTO) for a summer vacation in NC. Do you want to stay home today or save that day for the beach? It’s usually an easy answer.

So let me give you a very brief history of how I came to have this job. I was out of work and got a phone call from a temp agency saying that LittleBigCo needed a temp asap to replace an admin who was relocated to another part of the country. No interview no nothing. So I work for Admin A, replacing Admin B. Three weeks later Admin A gives her 2 week notice. MuckyMucks at LittleBigCo sha-freek and offer me Admin A’s job. I accept as I need the benefits.

Picture reward for making it this far! Although I don't know how much of a reward it is. I should have cleaned the mirror before I snapped the shot. Sorry for the toothpaste splotches. But the pics from after work were worse. You can tell I've had a bad week and I wouldn't smile. They're really bad. Trust me, the toothpaste splotches are the better choice.

I work here a year and am mostly OK with the job. It’s paying the mortgage (and for yarn ) and I have benefits so what the heck. Then last December the job Admin B was relocated to gets eliminated. Co-inky-dinka-lee they had a p/t admin job here in our NJ office open, so they bumped it to f/t, offer it to Admin B and back to NJ she moves. Admin B was/is everyone’s favorite. Everyone here loves her and adores her and calls her George. All along I had concerns that all the work I was doing was going to go to her and then I’d not have anything to do. I expressed this concern on 3 separate occasions to the bosses.

Now I have nothing much to do. I saw it coming and none of my/our bosses have done anything about it. I started planting some seeds in the other department when I hear an off-hand comment about their area needing an admin. Oddly enough they already have an admin position open for that area and let’s see if we can slide you right into that job. Well, as it turns out, the job was offered to someone else. Wanna guess who? Admin A.

There are a couple of things I don’t get about this. I’ve worked in a lot of other companies and if there is a qualified candidate in house, they have first crack at the position. Apparently not here. Also, having worked with Admin, I have a good idea of what her skill set is. She was very good at the job I have now (or part of it because I actually replaced 3 people), but not so much on the admin side of things. She was brought in at the same level and title as me. Well that really chaps my ass. My computer skills are leaps and bounds over hers and she’s making around the same money as me? It’s no wonder I have a Pez dispenser of Xanax on me at all times.

Another reward picture! Arrow points to the “coral” I crocheted which will be included in the NYU exhibit. It’s much prettier than the picture. Picture stolen from here. Thanks Justine!

As if those two things weren’t enough to have me worried about where I stand with LittleBigCo; ever since I had my review I’ve had the feeling that I’m being watched really closely and scrutinized on every little thing. They question whether or not I’ve made up time when I’ve had to leave early (which isn’t a frequent thing). I’ve noticed that my boss has printed documents from my computer when I’ve been away from my desk. He snapped at me that the first aid kit supplies were past their expiration date (who knew alcohol pads had an expiry date?). They never can find supplies in the supply closet and so they assume it’s not in there and so it’s my fault that “it wasn’t ordered” when it was right in front of their faces all along. All the work on my desk has been gone through and rearranged. Needless to say my blog reading and commenting has been greatly effected.

A perfect example just occurred– I got an e-mail from my boss via his blackberry, (obviously sent on his way out the door) saying “the mail is here”; which means I have to get it and distribute it immediately. Maybe I should call him Minutia Man.

I’ve been trying to second guess what they’ll freak about next and head them off at the pass, but that’s just feeding into the crazy. Mine, theirs, or both; I have no idea but it’s demoralizing to feel like NOTHING you do is right. And I don’t have that much to do. I work extra every week so they can’t accuse me of not putting in my time, when in all actuality I’m putting in a couple hours OT a week that I don’t get paid for.

This past week my boss is trying to find me billable work since all I’ve been doing is non-billable, and the less billable I am, the less justification I have for my existence. The only thing he’s been able to dig up is a job in another division of LittleBigCo, working with folks in another state. He’s hoping that I can be their admin from here in NJ. How sad is that? Two people come in and take my work (and potential work) from me and now they can’t find anything for me to do.

With all the crap I’ve been going through in the jobs I’ve had the last few years, this better be leading to something really good.

Like marrying a multi-millionaire.

Ouch

Photos missing from yesterday's post have finally be uploaded.

Anyone out there knit with hemp yet? OH MY GOD! It's like knitting with pretty colored twine. My hands hurt.

SSDW

I know I’ve been MIA. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and most of it hasn’t been for the good.

I finally broke down and went to the podiatrist. I got the cortisone shot in my heel. It wasn’t fun at all. He kept pulling the needle out and pushing it back in at different angles and I wanted to look away but couldn’t because it was… well, it was like a nightmare you can’t look away from. He also made me some arch supports, which are really no good unless they’re in my sneakers. So that does nothing at all for me when I’m wearing my work shoes (loafers or similar flats).

The cortisone didn’t work. My foot is still in a lot of pain and by the end of the day I’m limping. It’s awful. I just want it fixed so I can start walking and go to yoga again (there are too many positions that require foot flexibility).

On the good news side, I finished Mr. Greenjeans. I found a plain button for it and I like the way it looks. I’ll get a pic of me modeling it after it’s blocked. That’s the only thing I have left to do. I loved this pattern. It was fun and quick. I made a couple modifications, which were making the body and sleeves longer, as well as using the larger needle for the entire body and not changing to the smaller needle for the cable rib design. I also made the cuffs about four inches long, because I love long sleeves on my sweaters.

I know yesterday was “Flash your Stash” day. It’s been a lot of fun looking at everyone’s yarn (when I’ve had a minute to get to it, but that’s another story). But again I didn’t have the time or the inclination to put all my stash together and take a pic. That’s too much like organizing and I’ve been avoiding the yarn organization for a long time now. So no stash pictures.

Last Wednesday I got a call from my brother in the middle of the afternoon (you never want a call in the middle of the afternoon from the brother that lives 12 miles from your parents. It’s almost like a middle of the night call), informing me that he was coming up for the weekend and staying with me. That gave me exactly 2 nights to clean up my very messy condo.

My brother is famous for this. He decides when he is going to do something, makes arrangements on his end and assumes the NJ branch of the family is available. Now, since I don’t have a life, I was available. But my brother and SIL and the kids were away till Sunday afternoon. He didn’t want to change his plans to this coming weekend because he “already had arrangements with the kennel for the dog”. Yeah, I know.

Believe me, we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs. After scrubbing my guest room, bathroom, and kitchen, he decided to stay in a hotel. It wasn’t like all those rooms didn’t need the scrubbing, but – jeeze-o-peet! At least I feel a little bit better about coming into my place now. It looks sort of clean (except for the designated yarn areas, which are many). I need to do a serious de-clutter of everything in my place. From clothes to dishes.

Noel has discovered the joy that is guarding the perimeter of the condo. I now feel safe knowing that no birds, bugs, people, animals, or wind will get past her vigilant gaze.

Katie is so unimpressed.

Oh and since its WIP Wednesday…

Lace Ribbon from the Spring Knitty. I’m using DIC Smooshy in Pansy Golightly. Love the colors!

And I’ve been working on these for a while. I had to rip back a few times, but doing the cable rib on Mr. Greenjeans with DPNs really helped me with getting the Snickett socks going. Again the yarn is DIC Smooshy in Butter Peeps.

Till next time when I complain about my job. I know you’re looking forward to that!