A Blog a Day...

Time to thrill you with another post featuring... no knitting pictures! I have been doing some knitting, however. I managed to finish the heel, join the leg, and start the pattern of the second blue cabled sock. I am only managing a couple rows per day, but it is better than nothing and the pattern is easily memorized. From here I just do 13 repeats of the cable pattern, add some ribbing and bind off. Then I can switch to the rainbow-sherbet colored yarn and finish the 2nd sock of that pair.

Had a good day today - worked in the late morning, drove to meet a friend for "tea" and pie, then fondled some wool and drove home. I nearly got my hands on the runaway kitty tonight... but not quite. She meows like she wants to come home but still runs away! I left her some chow on the porch. Downloaded a couple free (FREE) books to my e reader and now it is time for some (more) tea and a lttle World of Warcraft. I wish beer came in a hot version... or that I knew how to heat up some mulled wine. I wonder where my little crock pot is?

Next week starts the month-end portion of my work schedule... yay for craziness and for overtime pay!

Driven to Distraction

My poor car has been falling apart all year and I got another $530 blow this afternoon. This is just one thing to fix before finding out the actual bill for the exhaust system will be. Needless to say I don't have $500 just lying around in ready cash. I found someone who will do the same work for $260 but not until Jan 2nd.

I don't want to buy another car. I love my car! I just want it to freaking WORK. I have poured money into it this year and am still admiring the shine of the paint on my brand new rear end. It is just the right size, has all the right gadgets, and every inch of if has a memory of some kind. The trunk? Full of memories of faires gone by. The back seats? Visions of hauling stock to soap shows for 4 years. The passenger seat? Dozer's perfect perch. The driver's seat? Memories of 110,000 miles traveling in CA, AZ and NV over the last 7 years.

On the other hand, the window doesn't roll up, the sunroof doesn't work right, the front axle needs to be replaced, the entire exhaust system is shot, I have never replaced any of the mysterious belts and now the intanke manifold has two leaky gaskets. I can't fix things before something else goes down.

I just want to burst into tears. I don't want a car payment, don't want to feel crap about my credit score, don't want to feel like I am being taken advantage of at the car dealership OR the mechanic. If only there was a train between home and work, I would switch to commuting! But it takes a bus (or two), a train, another bus and some walking to get from here to there, and takes about 4 hours each way.

Peaceful

Not much happening this weekend. The weather has been fine and I have enjoyed sitting at the desk with the window and door open and letting the 80 degree air flow in. Gardening day was for whacking and harvesting - the oranges are ready and the guinea pigs & birds received the gift of parsley today. Yesterday I tried makinga rosemary wreath but ended up with a rosemary diamond - I need to find a round form to tie the boughs to.

The baby cockatiels are still endlessly entertaining - I put the #4 and #1 (Peaseblossom) in their own digs which leaves Billy and Mustardseed in the front room. MS promptly started to whistle and chatter now that she doesn't have competition! I have been turning over names for that little birdy in my mind, but nothing seems to fit. "Oberon" seems a heavy name for such a little bird to bear, but would keep in the "Midsummer Night's Dream" theme. I considered him to be a her for so long that no manly names seem to fit. Beaker has been making a sweet chirping noise lately - I think the nickname "Cricket" is in order. Violet and Hamlet are sitting on eggs again - and they have only been living on their own for 3 days!

The missing cat is still missing - she comes to the door and meows but as soon as I open it she scampers off. The neighbor even saw her clawing at the screen to come in the other night. What a doofus. I imagine she will get hungry and lonely eventually (yes there is kibble on the porch for her).

Still no knitting this weekend, but have been playing WoW. Now that I am in a new guild I am having a much more pleasant time. It's either that or because I restocked the beer supply this weekend.

On the Level

I am having a nice stay-cation, playing WoW and snuggling the parrots. Beaker (and later, the cockatiels) got a spray bottle bath yesterday and found it very agreeable.Today's treat was half of a pomegranate - he eats every little bit of it. He even passed up some banana! The cockatiels are babbling up a storm and are endless entertainment.

I am enjoying the new WoW expansion very much. It was a long wait but the graphics are amazing and the quest lines entertaining. It is always better when I can play with friends and I have some good ones.

No knitting to report, but I did go out for family dinner tonight and we made cookies afterward. Good times. Everything is better after a full bottle of wine!

Back to work in the morning, then I think the spinning meeting on Saturday if the car will make it.

Interlude

I have a couple scheduled days off this week and have no end of ideas to fill the time. Playing Cataclysm is the top of the list, of course. I am also (finally) starting to get engrossed in _Pride and Prejudice_ and downloaded _Anna Karenina_ to re-read next. The dogs could use a bath and the parrots won't say "no" to some snuggles. My cold head is longing for a new cap and my cold fingers and hands for new knitted gloves & wristlets. The loom is, well, looming over there in the corner and the record player could use some revving up. I want to look up all my daytime knitting friends for knitting and tea, and have dinner and cookies with the yoga crowd.

This is my recharge time before the crush of month-end and holiday pressure and full schedules. Walking the dog (even just to the store) almost every evening is a help, as is keeping some of the birdies in the bedroom for constant chatter and snuggles. The cockatiel (cleverly named #4-1975) baby that I brought back home last week is definitely a male, s...he whistles, chatters and displays to no end.

I seem to be rambling, so off to find some dinner and see if my beer is cold yet!

Charming

Well, there has not been any knitting yet this weekend but it has been pleasant all the same. I am in love with my new e-reader and zipping along through _Pride & Prejudice_. The story so far: some people like other people, and some people think they don't like other people, but they really do. I can check my email, update FB, play number place, listen to music, and READ on the little contraption. The adventure of the evening is to install iTunes and see what free items they offer.

Today was cool but nice during our morning gardening time; the expected rain held off until it was time for our ice cream date. But it wasn't too cold even then, and not the least bit windy, so I call that a win. Dozer is soaking wet now, but lying on a nice dry mat to make up for it. Until I get up and do it, I forget how nice it is to walk. Made a stop at the pet store for a flashy new dog lead and some bird food. That should keep us happy for a while.

The returned baby cockatiel is surely going to be a male - he is strutting, whistling and chattering all sorts of nonsense. Interestingly, much of the chatter was learned from the father bird before s.. er HE left for his new home. I suppose that shouldn't be so shocking... but I am glad he didn't forget us. Little Mustardseed (their very first baby, hatched in April) is still very sweet and snuggly. She wants to be with only me and will never get enough head-scratching; definitely a throwback to her grandmother Dante (my first 'tiel).

Sounds like it is time to shift the laundry and I will refresh my tea. I will log in to WoW and say hi to all my chese nips - I love my nook so well that I haven't even thought about Azeroth this weekend.

Splurge!

I swear I only slowed down at the bookstore to breathe in the atmosphere and this hopped in the car. But no matter the case, I am blowing off our work party in favor of cuddling up with some tea and "Pride & Prejudice"

Won't Martha be proud?

Friday Night's All Right

Another week nearly over! Tomorrow I have to get up at OHMYGODITISEARLY and go to work for the morning, but thn the day is free until the Holiday party (bowling!). There is a rumor that there will be an IPad raffled off, and that we get a drinks budget, so I had better go check it out. The other goal for this weekend is to start some gloves / fingerless gloves and maybe catch the escapee kitty. Again.

Today was my year and a day anniversary at work, and also turned out to be the day of Meeting With Every Employee for the boss. It was nice to get some one on one time and I was pleasantly surprised to get an end of the year bonus. Most of it is going toward fixing the car, but there should be enough left for an e-reader if I find one I like.

Just getting in a little compy time, a little lasagna, a little Monty Python and then tottering off to bed.

Out and About

I have managed to get out an about this fall - yay! I went to the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire in October to work and found time to see the parrot show... Sadly there were no pionus but they do have an Eclectus. We descended upon the Sons of Norway and gave a demonstration on spinning... It was quite a good time & it felt good to get some wool between my fingers again. We met lots of knitters and I think I freaked out the guy who was asking a ton of questions by pointing out that he must be an engineer... which he was.

I made it down to Hermosa beach for a craft fair a couple weeks ago and enjoyed a nice warm hour on the beach with the seagulls and sand pipers. I was glad I went when the next weekend the weather turned cool and windy.

A Bird's Life

On the way home from work tonight I made a detour to pick up one of the baby cockatiels (born this summer), as she was not working out in her new home. I never work out either, so we are meant to be together, I am sure. It is nice to have her back home. The family who had her also took in her brother and he is a much better fit. She is temporarily installed with Mustardseed (her older sister) and Billy Birdy (the 20 year old cockatiel I took in this fall) while I spruce up the spare cage. Billy seems to like all the girly bird company as I saw him doing unspeakably sensual things to his food dish this evening. Uh oh.

They are all chilling out in the bedroom, Beaker is stuffing himself with pistachios here with me (I keep a nutcracker right by the computer now), and the other birdies are enjoying a late night dinner too.

Tis the Season

Oh blog, I have missed you. I just never seem to want to post without pictures, and can't seem to get the camera and the cord and the computer together in the same place! There has been a small amount of knitting, a small amount of soap-showing, a small amount of gardening, a large amount of parrot snuggling, and lots of time at work over the last month. I seem to have traded in my knitting habit for an eating habit; not a good long-term plan, Martha says. Sage advice.

Things to consider for December? 1. Balance the crushing social pressure to shop, shop, shop with the fact that Yule doesn't even require shopping. 2. Get the darn car fixed. 3. I need a new set of fingerless mitts and a new knitted cap. 4. Find a new knitting store / knitting circle. I have been missing the gang at Knit N Stitch more and more each day. 5. Blog more!

Autumnal Urges

I put some more plants into the garden this weekend - it is odd to prune some things for fall and plant other things as seedlings! The beets are sprouting, the lettuces & spinach are doing well, and I will put the larkspur in the ground in the morning. I cut back the roses, weeded around the herb bed and cut back the hyssop and marjoram plants.

This time of year makes me want to hibernate; to cuddle up with my latptop, or knitting, and cocoa and a cat and watch the world go by. But, contrariwise, I have also been longing to get out and meet up with other knitters, with my lace friends - to get back into the fiber scene. I took a year off from fiber exploits and really miss it. On a related note, I should really start a batch of soap, put in some laundry and fire up the breadmaker this evening!

For now, I will walk mindfully, breathe deeply, turn my face to the sun and enjoy the turning of the wheel of the year.

Quiet Weekend

Puttered in the garden a bit, fed the fish, made some coffee, installed Beaker in the play cage and am happily playing on the computer. A pleasant change from work work work.

For the afternoon? Cooking some pumpkin, making som soap and whipping up an artichoke / olives pizza for lunch. And world of warcraft, of course.

Tired

Crazy at work the last two days. We have just enough staff - barely - for regular days. Take away one person or increase the workload by 20% and my stress level goes right up to "oh my god we are all going to die". The last two days both of those things happened and I was not at my best.

I am NOT going to feel guilty about taking 4 days off in a week. Nope, nope, nope. I have been there every day I was scheduled for 9 months except for two days sacrificed to getting the car running again. And it is a working vacation anyway.

Wakeup call at 4:15 am. Time for lights out!

Bittersweet

I love the new post over on Acorn to Oak. I scrolled down to the KNS sign and got all misty eyed. I forget how much I miss it and then wonder how we go on knitting without it. I peeped in the window yesterday... the new shop has moved in. Shopping there would still seem like a betrayal, methinks. And I have plenty of stash.

Knit a few rows on a washcloth today at lunch. The blue socks are on hold while I search for my missing #1 needle.

It was another scorcher today, but I tried to enjoy it. I will long for the heat around December. The cavies and rabbits will be glad to see the back of the heat though; Lola looks like a pig over a barrel when she lays on her frozen water bottle. I will be surprised if she does not get frostbite in her pig-pits.

As for knitting & sipping wine - I suggest you start slowly. Perhaps a white wine spritzer and a garter stitch scarf!

Starting Over

Well I guess instead of feeling guilty about falling behind in my blogging, I should just start again.

It is hot today. 111 degrees hot. After a week in the climate controlled office, it am feeling a little wilted. I just sprayed down the cockatiels but they seem to have air dried already - time for another round. Baby # 3 I sold to a coworker who loved her greatly, but she died suddenly Friday night. Sigh. Baby #2 is apparently a male, as he is talking, mumbling and singing more and more each day. Lately I have been wondering if he has an "off" button. Mustardseed was bitten by the dog (my fault), but her foot has healed nicely and she will be fine. Mama cat escaped a couple weeks ago, but I caught her last night. Beaker had his first birthday on Monday and has learned to say "here kitty kitty".

There has been knitting - I have two finished pairs of socks to show off and then two and a half single socks. It turns out that drinking and knitting do go together.

Time to run a tub full of icy water and submerge myself!

Feeling Flighty

Oldest baby - legband 1409, 28 days. At the beginning of the photo shoot, she was skittish and pressed to the ground in baby posture. An hour later, she was sitting on my shoulder, chirping, observing the world and grinding her beak like a grown bird. I have never seen a 'tiel with the pinpoint yellow "pearls" on her breast feathers - less than a pearl but different from the stripes of her "underpants" feathers. She has the most, and brightest, yellow on her face. Must come from feeding the parents conditioning & molting food.

Baby 2 - legband 1435, 26 days. A very squirrelly bird; always on the go. This is the only shot of got that was even a little bit clear. She is a deep, deep gray, has black feet and only two or three white nape feathers. Still likes to huddle close to the ground but is getting better at perching. For some reason unknown to me, the birds act more like grownups once they start perching. It is as if that weight redistribution flips a switch in their little birdy brain! Baby 3 - legband 1438, 24 days. Giving #2 a real run for her money in the development department; if not for the bands I would not have been able to tell them apart in age until the feathers started coming in. This one has quite a few yellow crest and nape feathers and is a soft gray. Baby 4 -legband 1475, 22 days. She still has quite a few feathers in pins (even some baby fuzz in places), and a cute naked patch visible on her crop. Has the pinpoint yellow dots on her breast feathers, but more faint than 1409. Her beak is quite dark and her feet are black. They aren't experimenting with food and water yet, but it will be any day now. They started clambering out of the nextbox early this week and I think I will remove it entirely tomorrow and add some more perches (low to the ground) for them to practice on. Hamlet & Violet are looking a little thin - definitely time to take a break from parenting.

The Swing of Things

I have been quite the happy camper this week, even though I caught a cold and was laid out Monday and Tuesday. I was off work so was able to drink lots of Theraflu and sleep to my heart's content. Short days yesterday and today; I work Saturday but am looking forward to two more days off next week. The hours will surely get made up when month end arrives, but I love the time to rest and recharge now.

The baby cockatiels are growing steadily. Three of them have gotten their legbands put on, and it will only be a day or two before the littlest one is ready. All four have opened their eyes, and they love to sway and hiss in unison when I poke my hand into the nestbox. It was wonderful to see little Mustardseed grow up, but the Fearsome Foursome are a sight to behold - I can see the different stages of development and they are already showing their birdy-alities. I suspect they will all be visual grey "normals" - no indications of pied, pearl or cinnamon in the bunch.

Since I don't spend 2-3 hours a night on the phone with the Friend anymore, I have rekindled my netflix watching and my knitting hobby. Last night I stayed up way too late, but I knit maybe 4 inches on the foot of the second "Skye" sock. I finished the first of the brown "cafe mocha" socks over the weekend, but haven't cast on for the second yet. No second sock syndrome - just want to finish the blue ones. I am knitting from both ends of one skein so I use up every inch of the yarn, which makes for a big mess if the tangle-fairy comes, and I started these back when the kittens were little last spring, so it is high time they were off the needles and in the sock drawer.

I am planning on going to a renaissance faire in a couple weekends - very excited to feel the dust in my ... well, everywhere. I'll take my tent, some wool, some handcards and do a little spinning to earn my keep. I am pretty sure the pets can watch themselves for one day. I should put up the tent and make sure all the pieces are there.

Chirp Chirp Chirp... Chirp

I was having quite a low morning today; nothing seemed to be going my way. Cat is sick, chores are looming, garden is weedy, the new Friendship fizzled. Then I went to check on the birds. It was chaos in the birdroom! Empty dishes, Mustardseed the cockatiel had escaped from her cage and moved into Kiwi's digs (she has been in the play cage in the front room this week), and there was a blast of squawking, calling, whistling and.... chirping? Infant chirping? I peeked in the nestbox (Violet has been holed up in there for weeks, so I was afraid of her coming out beak first) wondering if a chick had appeared, and saw...

FOUR babies.

It was a sea of soft yellow down, pink skin and dark eyes. The eldest must be almost a week old now - i can see pinfeathers coming in underneath the skin. The youngest is dry and fluffy, so must have hatched late yesterday. How did I miss a week's worth of baby-chirping and feeding noises? Must have been watching too much "Deadliest Catch" and drowned out the sound. The babies all look fat and happy. I refilled the food dishes, made up some veggies, and filled the vitamin cup. Hamlet is holding his wing at an odd angle - wonder if he strained it somehow? I snuggled Mustardseed (who wanted to move back in with the folks) and put her back in her bachelorette apartment. Then switched Kiwi and Beaker in the playcage and now a very happy Pionus is swinging about and throwing seed into the keyboard of the laptop.

My 4 day weekend is looking up! Now I have the excitement and energy to get some stuff done this weekend. Or at least to snorgle baby birds. Mustardseed is also looking good - she is three months old now and still sweet, soft, and does her step-ups without biting. Interestingly, someone at work offered to buy a cockatiel from me last week. If this batch makes it, I guess I will have some available! I wonder if they will all be normal coloring? Ooh what if there are males in this clutch?

In non-avian updates, I dragged the Legend of the Shetland Seas stole out of the depths of the closet and have been working on the knit-on edging. I have also made quite a bit of progress on the brown socks this week. I have done some knitting during lunch at work, while watching netflix on the laptop, and then again last night at movie night at Knit N Stitch. Even found time to re-read _The Red Tent_ this week.

Progress

Done - budget begun. Date night done and another planned. Neighbor yelled to tell me my cat was stuck in the window and then talked to me for 2 more hours (but it was nice to visit). Catbox cleaned. Dishes done. Laundry in progress.

Weekend!

To do:

• make a budget
• knit
• clean da catbox
• date night
• garden
• laundry

Wish me luck!

Settling In

I have been feeling myself settle into a sense of stability and smoothness this week. Things with Mr. P are going well and I am starting to let myself be at peace with the idea that I am ready for someone else in my life, after a month of second guessing if I am really ready. It has taken the better part of 2 1/2 years to put myself back together. I don't begrudge that time; I have needed every minute of it to feel whole again; but over the last year I have had a growing sense that I would be capable of enjoying time with a new partner.

It is time to start adding little things back into my day; things that went by the wayside in the flurry of excitement and hopefulness. Blogging is tops on the list. Knitting is right behind. Routine is not an option - not with the crazy work schedule - but I hope that keeping some up some touchstone habits with keep me grounded.

So... watch this space for more snippets of my life with wool, cat hair and dreams of northern climes.

Barrel, Bottom of

It has been a tense week here. I don't know where it went, exactly, but last month's paycheck is long departed and it is STILL a week until payday. I raided every nook and cranny and found 4 $2 bills, one $1 bill, 8 quarters and a dollar coin. The only thing I refuse to give up is that $5 silver certificate. Emptied the savings, emptied the bank, emptied the sugar bowl. Offered to rent out a guinea pig for a week. No takers.

But the bills are paid (excepting food and gasoline), the house is snug, the cats are fed, the car is paid off and insured, and the lights are on. I am pretty sure I won't die. I can always eat yarn... it is a natural fiber, right? There is a man who adores me and a job to go to. There are even knitting projects to work on.

Fire on the freeway meant getting home was a slow trip and it is already very late. Time to put in some laundry, make some lunch for tomorrow, update the blog and take a shower. It is still not a bad life. I am stoked about making a budget this weekend, refilling the savings account after Tuesday, getting the car fixed and starting to put a little bit away for my summer vacation.

Falling

It has been an interesting month here at the Pickyknitter abode. Not much knitting, a lot of working, and a serious amount of falling ass-over-teakettle for a mysterious gentleman. He seems to have all the qualities on my 'list'; patient, patient, geeky, patient, funny, likes cats, patient, affectionate, patient and funny. The timing is right, the stars are aligned, I am getting what I asked for and the next step is to enjoy it and let our friendship blossom without second guessing or feeling unworthy or taking it for granted.

I have also drunk a stunning amount of brandy sours, but not all at once, so that is not really news.

At work today they asked if I would be interested in becoming a 'lead' on my team... I am pretty sure that would be ok with me. I have had short days this week and it is really, really good for recharging the ol' batteries. Month end will be here before I know it.

Surprise Developments

The blooms on my Foxglove plant (planted last spring). A very odd shade of pink, but nice. These are stealth blooms; caught me totally by surprise!

Brushfire seen from the commute home... looks like it started on the left and is working its way around. Saw water dropping planes zipping to and fro. Another view.

Not much else to report - another 14 hour day at work. Just enough time to skip dinner, play some WoW (or maybe just do some flirting) and go back to bed at 8:30. Woot.

Knit Blogging - Year One

This is my 365th post. A year of blogging spread over a much longer span. Knitting projects started, worked, completed, abandoned, resurrected. Relationships come and gone. The never-changing presence of cat hair on my... everywhere.

Knit on CeCe at lunch time (and I think some more, tonight). The pattern is starting to flow and the emerging fabric is quite lovely. Went poking around in bags last night and found several (!) skeins of sock yarn in varying stages of metamorphosis into socks, found two incomplete shawls, found the yarn for the Rug Project (the reason I wanted to learn to weave). Those were just the things I had forgotten about - I saw several other projects that have been on the periphery for a while know. A shawl that needs only a knitted-on border, balls of yarn for an afghan I planned, they yak / silk set aside for weaving scarves, a bag full of washcloth yarn. It may be time to haul out all the yarn and divide it into kits - putting yarn, pattern and needles all together - so I can have an idea of the things that are in progress. Surely I have enough sock yarn alone for a do-it-yourself sock club.

Got my deductible back from the car insurance company today (it must have been in my mailbox since Saturday). Splurged on dog biscuits (for them) and lemon chicken & brown rice (for me) for dinner. Tomorrow I have a short day at work, so it is off to get car repairs so I can pass smog and finally get my 2011 tags.

The Ties That Bind

On Friday my knitting friends celebrated my birthday. Cards, flowers, and a raisin-free carrot cake with my name on it! That is some spectacular attention to detail. We also watched a movie, ate salad and pizza and did a little knitting.

This afternoon I got the entire cockatiel family out of the cage and onto the playstand for pictures. Hamlet is on the left, the baby is in the middle, and Violet is on the far right. She and the baby are amazingly similar - except one is a normal and one is a whiteface. Baby can fly and land now with a little bit of grace. I think they are going a little stir-crazy in their little cage; when my car insurance refund / deductible comes in I will be cage shopping for them. I am also thinking of switching Kiwi and Beaker, as Kiwi can get her head out of the cage and is rubbing off all the feathers on her shoulders.

Knitting on Cece proceeds apace.... I was really out of the habit of knitting lace. I took the new sweater to the knit shop yesterday to get it sewn together but never took it out of the bag. sigh.

The Halfway Point

I forgot to dig out my copy of 'Inferno' to quote Dante for my post today. I am sure it is around here somewhere. Today I am 35 and part of me is pretty happy and part of me is amazed I made it this far. There is a tiny part of me that is ticking down the days that are left to me - fewer left to suffer through than ever before - but I am trying to squash that one down.

The baby bird (still nameless) had a milestone today - she can fly! She can't really stop flying except by crashing into walls, but finesse will come later. Her parents don't fly, but I am hoping Pretty Bird or Kiwi can give her some pointers. She will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.

Knit on CeCe for a bit last night and then again today at lunch (and then did some un-knitting), and am well into the first lace motif. There is a lot going on at once in this sweater: lace pattern, ribbed edging, increasing on every 10th row for a while and then decreases after a few inches... not really suitable for knitting in traffic.

I didn't get out of work until late (although I wanted to leave early) and didn't make it to Knit N Stitch for my birthday, but Movie Night is Friday so we will have to party then. When driving to my petsitting gig tonight I found the knit shop in Corona - I will have to check it out someday soon.

Off to celebrate my b-day with my WoW friends, if my head doesn't hit the keyboard first. I was up a little too late last night.

Last Day as a Whippersnapper

Only a few hours left until the big day... I am excited. Got the ok to leave work early tomorrow if it is slow - then found out we have double the usual number of signings. Sigh. Oh dear - I just remembered tomorrow is a potluck at work. Guess I will grab a 2L of diet coke on the way in to work.

CeCe day 3 - ripped out previous work and cast on 185 onto smaller needles. That is as far as I got, but it is still progress.

Memories of Knitting

CeCe, day 0 - swatched. stated gauge is 20 st & 28 row to 4" over garter stitch on size 7 needles. I am getting 21 st & 26 rows. I could go up a needle size to get the right st count, but that would make my row count even fewer... I don't think 20 x 28 is possible! I will cast on anyway.

CeCe , day 1 - cast on 185 st (40" bust size), knit one row ribbing at lunch and one row whil playing WoW and reading knitblogs. Start to make a blog post, realize the directions said "with smaller needles". Make note to rip it all out after posting to the blog. Wonder if it was a good idea to reduce my knitting time by 99% over the last year. I like this yarn so far. It is very soft and shiny. No stretch, but lots of drape.

n other news, I made it to work on time, had a good day, remembered to pet sit, came home and pulled up weeds in the garden with Beaker and played a little WoW. The epi is blooming - here is a picture of what it looked like last year. This plant came from Miss Muriel's garden - she lived next door to my grandparents for 30 years and I miss them all.

High Fiber Content

My haul from Newton's parking lot sale last weekend: From Left to Right:

• Firsa the cat - 13 years old and still the center of attention
• a cone of 20/1 100% viscose (I bought 2 cones, and they are huge), destined to be curtains.
• a cone of sage green mystery fiber. It strongly resembles 20/2 cotton, dyed green. I think it will match well with the white & brown cotton that is already in my stash. Dishtowels, here I come!
• 3 cones of rayon chenille (one in graphite & 2 in porcini) that might someday be a simple plaid or striped scarf.

I also got a book on weaving Huck / Huck Lace that looks very interesting. I certainly have enough cotton & viscose to go to town! This is the yarn for my next sweater project, Cece from Chicknits. It is cotton & viscose plied together, which gives it a lovely sheen and drape. Linda at Knit N Stitch has quite a bit of it, in 6 or 8 colorways. They are each quite subtle, but all lovely. This one is blue, gold & aqua. I think it will look cool and refreshing.

And, sadly, Mr Whiskers died in the night. He was at least 7, maybe 8, so he had a good long run. He was a good piggy though, and will be missed. This picture was taken about a year ago at his one and only adventure as a show pig (see the ear tag?).

Blessed Beltane!

Today is Beltane, the pagan fire festival. It was a gorgeous sunny day for it, too. So far today I have celebrated by sleeping in, lounging around and shopping. Tonight I plan on playing some WoW and tomorrow the big plan is to go to the ren faire. I also start a week of pet-sitting tomorrow night for someone at work who is going on a week's cruise to Mexico. Next week is my birthday, so this was also a day of self gifting... but since I will be 35 perhaps the purchase of a new edition of Dante's Inferno would have been a better choice?

Made a quick trip to Knit N Stitch to sew the purple sweater together, but Linda was teaching so I satisfied myself with shopping for yarn for my new project, the CeCe cardigan. It was nice to see Linda & Pat, to meet some new knitters, and to breathe in yarn fumes. The yarn I picked out is (ironically), nearly the same color as some ingeo yarn I spun a couple years ago. That must mean I like it!

Popped by Borders to use my 40% off coupon and came home with Eddie Izzard's "Definite Article" dvd. I really want the Black Adder box set, but just can't justify spending that much, even with a coupon. As always, the trick is to make sure I find the item I want the most without buying more than I came in for. Eddie makes me laugh, so I know this is a good choice.

Then a quick lunch and off to Kohl's to use my $10 gift card. I bought only things on sale and saved $114 according to my receipt. Found a great pair of slacks, two lilac tops, a comfy bra and a cute white indian-style shirt. That should keep me for the rest of the year. I forced myself to really look at the things that were there, made several trips to the fitting room, and only chose things I am sure I can mix & match with my existing 'wardrobe'. I detest clothes shopping and it is extra-frustrating to end up relegating poor choices to the back of the closet.

Baby bird pictures from 2 days ago when she was 4 weeks old. Today she is even bigger and stronger - she is as big as the parents (but with a shorter tail) and has moved out of the nestbox. I even caught her eating millet seed and climbing onto a perch yesterday! Flapping practice is happening all the time now; today she even let me swing her in an arc. Violet is sitting on a new clutch of eggs already (crazy lady). I am still considering names... Flora is one idea. Or I could keep with the Shakespearian theme... Desdemona? Portia? Gertrude?

No New Tale to Tell

Get up early. Go to work. Work. Eat. Knit. Work. Buy cat chow. Go home. Search fruitlessly for cute cardigan pattern. Blog. Sleep.

Taaaa-daaaa.

The Early Bird

I really did try to post yesterday; I think Blogger was down.

This morning I managed - barely - to get my buns in the car and on the road at 5:30. Even had to carry Sunny outside as she had no interest in getting her paws wet. I plonked my bum down in the chair at work right at 6. Then I looked at my calendar and discovered that my shift started at .... 8. Oops. They let me work the extra hours but I felt pretty dumb. All day I thought it was Friday (my real 6am day). Today was payday and my raise was indeed on my check; it pretty much paid off only the accumulated overdraft fees :( Stopped by the pet store and the grocery store on the way home and am now snug as a bug in a rug.

Walks barefoot into the kitchen to grab a beer, forgetting about the glass the cats broke earlier. Hope I don't pick up any shards.

Took some time this evening to harvest coreopsis blooms for dyeing. Deadheading them should encourage the next round of blossoms.

I finally started watching "The Riches" on Netflix (Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver) and am now a huge fan. Really well done. And with alpacas!

Tuesday Round Up

The purple sweater / blouse now has a front and a back! I just need two short sleeves and a bit of time for the sewing up. I am still loving the yarn and the color. I just hope I don't look like 'Grimace' when it is all done. I still haven't got anything in particular planned after I finish this. Baby bird, this evening (19 days). What a nutcase - flapping, flopping, perching, nibbling my fingers, she does it all. I can really see her yellow chin feathers and orange cheek patches coming in. I am eginning to think she is going to make it all the way!

Carrie, aka Mama Cat. For a cat who eats only when I am not watching, she is getting pretty tubby. I have never had a fluffy cat before and I have to say, I love it!

It rained a bit today and is supposed to stay overcast / drizzly until the weekend. I like a good bit of 'weather'. Sunshine gets so boring after a while. I like to watch the amazing patterns the clouds make.

Monday

A flurry of activity this morning when I got ready early and went to the DMV. Then I got in some good knitting time during the 2 hours I was in line / waiting to be called. I did pay the registration, renew my license and turn in the accident report, so I call it a win. I also fixed the error in the sweater and then made significant progress on the decreases for the back. The end is in sight!

Had a nice chat with the 'good neighbor' when Beaker and I went out for our evening sit. I took "A Weaver's Garden" out for my evening reading, as wanted to look up the proper harvesting time for the coreopsis if I want to dye with it. "Now" is the answer. I will go out and collect some flowers tomorrow for freezing. Previous reading selections include Scott Cunningham, John Milton and Beatrix Potter.

Sleepy tonight and back to my regular shift tomorrow, so I had better hit the hay.

Sunny Day

I am trying to have a sunny day today - I no longer have a schedule that lets me rest and recharge for 3 days at a time. The weather is certainly cooperating. I dreamt last night that I got kicked out of my WoW guild, then that my dog ate the baby cockatiel, and something else equally unsettling in between, which I have (thankfully) forgotten. Baby bird is fine in RL - the new feathers are starting to break out of their quills and she is getting a little fuzzy. Still trying to wrap my head around cockatiel genetics - dominant, recessive, sex linked... there is a lot to consider.

Beaker and I saw lots of little birds in the garden today - the angry hummingbird and then an even angrier one, that red house finch, a gold finch happily eating the leaves of the sunflower and a passel of sparrows. He was very chatty this morning and even groomed my eyelashes a bit. I am going to enjoy the next 30 years with him.

Not too much planned for today - some tidying, some laundry, maybe finding and fixing the error in the purple sweater. Plucking the rabbits if I feel wild and crazy. Warping the loom if I totally lose control of my senses.

Enough About Me

... as I am not a happy cheese this evening. I had a fine enough time at work this morning, but ran into choppy waters with my WoW friends today. The Knitter is having some socialization issues.

The baby cockatiel is turning into a little bird! Took her out today for some snuggling and was amazed to see her practicing her flapping, standing up tall and stretching her wings, shuffling about, trying to preen and nibbling my fingers. Her little crest goes up and down - it is all gray except for one or two yellow pinfeathers. I totally forgot to get a legband while I was at the birdfarm buying food today, and I was even discussing her with the fellow stocking the shelf (who, by the way, bore an amazing resemblance to Ralph Feinnes. I think I might soon be spending more time there). She is going to be too big for it to fit over her little foot. I also handled Hamlet for a bit today. As long as I am constantly bothering the parents in order to snuggle the chick, I may as well get back to keeping them hand-tame.

Speaking of the bird farm, I realized after a stroll through the flights that the don't have the quantities of cockatiels they once did. I wonder if they are out of fashion? There weren't very many budgies either. I did see vast quantities of conures, though. I would prefer a cockatiel over a conure any day, for while the little guys are cute, flashy and more clownish than 'tiels, they are far too loud for my lifestyle. Even Kiwi can be rather ear-splitting when she wants. They did have quite a few pionus; an adult blue-headed, a bronze wing (rather infrequent in aviculture), 3 Maximillians' (a single adult and a pair), the 3 white capped babies they have had since last winter, and Clyde, the 15 y.o. white capped I have been eyeing for about the same amount of time. None were quite as adorable as my Beaker, although the bronzewing is even more pretty in person than in photos. They are very dark birds, unusual for parrots. In fact, the whole pionus species is very subtly colored. I am continually surprised by how much I adore Beaker -he is just about my dream parrot! He is beautiful, a manageable size, does not scream, talks, and has similar food and housing requirements to the rest of the flock (read - no huge expensive cage, huge toys or specialty food like a large macaw or cockatoo). We had some porch time today and were visited by the local hummingbird (who, I think, was trying to drive me back inside) and saw a house finch in the yard. No goldfinches today, but the local sparrows are raising another crop or 12 of babies in the eaves.

Bah Humbug

A challenging day at work today. So many grouchy notaries. No one actually made me cry, but I was at the end of my patience by the time I slunk out of the office. I need to get to bed soon in order to make my 4:30 wake up call; it is another working Saturday tomorrow. Not particularly thrilled about it, but not feeling afraid anymore.

I came home and snuggled the birds for a bit. Beaker and I sat on the porch and read some poetry by Milton as the sun set. I patted the cockatiel chick and I am sure it is a pearl, which means it has to be a female. I think.

Just enough energy left to post and to set the alarm for the morning.

Technicolor

Sunflower in the garden.

Coreopsis tinctora - dyer's coreposis. Must start dyeing again!
Two weeks old today! I am beginning to suspect that she will be a pearl. *fingers crossed* I will have to get a leg band for her later this week, before she grows any more!

Blooming

The flowers are winning the battle against the weeds in the yard. The first sunflower has a perfect, modest blossom shining out and the coreopsis tinctora patch is a cacophany of green, yellow and maroon. I will have to hurry and spin some white fleece so I can dye it! The geraniums are islands of pink, the roses are a lucious red and the alyssum are dainty and white. Sigh.

I mangaged to e'file my taxes this morning and was pleasantly surprised to discover I am actually getting refunds! Now I wish I had not procrastinated, of course. Had a short day at work and then came home and walked the dog to get chili dogs for dinner. Still got settled back at the house by 8pm. Another short day tomorrow; perhaps I will bathe them and take them on a dog-drying walk in the morning.

Knitting continues on the sweater - another 2 rows today. I finally mastered "p2tog tbl" so that it looks correct on the front; I almost want to go back and tear out the ones that did not come out quite right.

Hmmm. I hear quite a commotion from the budgies. I hope they are just being garrulous and not fighting.

Out of Time

I seriously need to face my taxes. Seriously. And go to the DMV and face my driver's license, my smog check and my accident report. And switch over all the auto pays to the new ATM card. In a bit. Famous last words. I did buy cat chow, ramen and petrol today so I was not a complete slacker.

Baby birdy has open eyes and is hissing at me. Progress! Definitely a pied; fingers crossed it will also be a pearl.

Made it to the decrease section of the back of the purple blouse / sweater. The end is near!

Realized - tonight- that yesterday was Monday and I could have gone to the daytime weaving class and the night time knitting meeting. Oops.

Shucks

Darn, I knew I should not have put off posting last night. Oh well.

Everything is about the same here. Baby cockatiel is going to be a pied, I think (pearled also, I hope), and is starting to open her eyes. The little gray patch of developing crest feathers is high-larious.

Have the day off today - something about working 50+ hours last week. Spending the day playing WoW since I have no money for any of the things that actually *must* get done. Will put in laundry later and maybe buy cat chow and dog biscuits. It rained last night and I might take Beaker and pull up some weeds while the ground is soft.

Maybe I will knit later. I would like to have the sweater done.

Plugged In

Got the power turned back on today. Some sobbing was required. Also, quite a bit of money-flinging. They began by telling me it would be Tuesday since I paid on line last night, so I call it a win.

Came home from work around noon and had some quality porch time. I, Beaker and "The Time Traveler's Wife" enjoyed the day. I finally got engrossed and ended up finishing it. Not a bad little read. I can't imagine how they made a movie of it, though.

Then the power was back on and it was time for more beer (cold this time), a movie and WoW at the same time. With the lights on! Sleepy now. I did get up at 4:30 this morning.

Still would like to drive to Santa Clara tomorrow for the last day of CNCH, but the wallet is empty. And I need to run around turning on all the lights, glorying in electricity. Had an offer to go to Faire... I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Baby cockatiel is still growing. I can see the eyelid forming, the pinfeathers forming, the size increasing. She is huge. I wonder if the Violet's 'normal' markings will override Hamlet's 'pied' markings, and if his 'normal' color will override her 'whiteface' color. It would be something else to get a 'normal' appearing bird out of such lovely parents.

Boring ass blog post today. But from home!

In The Dark

I just love it when I come home to find out that the electricity has been shut off. Maybe if they would deliver a fucking shutoff notice I could have paid them. Oh no, then how could they charge me $100 reconnect fee? Fuckers.

Logging in from the cafe across the street. Going to go home and drink all the beer before it melts.

Bright Blessings

So, a funny thing happened today. As I was driving to work this morning, I was having a long talk with myself about prayer, generosity, requests and gratefulness. I said, I sure do appreciate that when I asked for a job that I like, that I am good at, with nice people, which pays enough to meet my needs, I got exactly that; but if I could someday get a little extra money to be able to do fun things and buy frivolous things again, that would be great. I had no idea how - or if - it would manifest, and put it out of my mind. This afternoon my manager randomly pulled me into her office and said, I am giving you a $1/hr raise, retroactive to the first of the month. It took me a couple hours to put those events together, but am astounded and grateful at the speed of the the manifestation of my request. She also paid me quite a compliment; that when she orders temps now, she asks that they send her another 'me'. /blush

The baby cockatiel is HUGE. I am now worried that they are feeding her too much and she will get sick. I hope not. I hope I have just forgotten how fast they grow. I can see little gray pinfeathers starting to develop underneath her skin... please let her stay healthy and grow into a fine, strong bird.

Not much else to report. I think I knit half a row on the sweater. CNCH is this weekend and I am thinking of driving to Santa Clara for the day. Flying is faster, and I wonder if the cost in gas / hotel would be any less than a round trip plane ticket. I looked at Amtrak, and it will take forever, since most of the travel time ends up being via bus. peh. I have another 12 hour day tomorrow and 6 hours on Saturday... so I will see how I feel about that long drive (8 or 9 hours each way, I believe). I am gunning for Monday off work if the schedule ever slows down.

Winded

It was a quite breezy day today, but warm and sunny. Unfortunately, I did not close the back door all the way this morning and I came home to find the furry inhabitants of the house had been roaming freely. They are all safe and accounted for - none squashed in the street - but I am sure the neighbors were thrilled.

Work is still crazy and tomorrow is another 12 hour day. Whew. I do my best to keep up, but tend to squawk; the office staff equivalent of a yappy dog? Or a grouchy budgie? I bought some microwave food for lunch tomorrow. All I had today was Del Taco and birthday cake. Yerg. I would have a beer before bed, but I don't think I can stay awake that long! It was 7pm before I even hit the freeway to come home today. Slow traffic makes for a tiny bit of knitting time, but getting home at 8 is really wearing. This evening at the grocery store I saw a customer who was a dead ringer for Neil Patrick Harris. Maybe he is slumming? I try not to pry, but I could not stop staring. So handsome!

Baby bird was in hiding again, but I saw her moving around in the nestbox. I am too tired to fight off the parents to take a picture. She (it, right now) will be a week old tomorrow, as this is the second-hatched chick. Stay tuned!

Flapabout

The cockatiels got some outside-of-the-cage time today. This is Graham; his coloring is called cinnamon. He is a sexy beast, and Hamlet's father. Good grief, he must be about 10 years old by now. He was really hamming it up today. He also let me pick him up, sat on my shoulder, and did some "step ups". Pretty Bird got some outside time too, but did not pose as nicely. Perhaps next time. I did wrestle with her and got those nails clipped! Thankfully there are only 3 toes to clip - her previous owners kept her free flight in the home and one day she was perched on top of a door that got slammed. Her toes were the casualties.
In other news, the baby 'tiel is still hanging on. Hamlet & Violet wouldn't let me see it much today, but I heard peeping.

Put in 12 hours at work today and am really glad to be home. Short day tomorrow, but lots of hours the rest of the week and Saturday. I am thinking of driving up to CNCH this weekend, but will wait until the last possible moment to decide. Can't leave the pets alone too long.

Managed to put a couple rows on the purple sweater today. It is only a couple inches away from the decreases for the back panel. Almost had the urge to get some spinning done this evening; perhaps I will make some time for that later in the week.

A Drop of Rain

Woke up to a gray and drizzly morning. Nice enough, usually, but sad today as I lost one of the cockatiel chicks. The other still seems well. It is their first clutch, so I am tying to be zen if they don't make it, but I want a chick by Hamlet so much! Still, I made the birds cooked breakfast again this morning and am hoping for the best. It is entertaining to see which birds eat which treats first. Some go right for pasta, others corn. Kiwi demolished his chili peppers early on today, while Beaker ate all the soybeans first. The cockatiels usually go for pasta, then corn, then peas, then millet.

It was wonderful to have 3 hours off today (well, 2 + lunch) and go in a bit later than normal. I feel refreshed and ready for the week. A good thing too, as tomorrow I am in from 6am (or maybe 5) to 6pm. Early bedtime tonight to accomodate, but I found time to clean the catboxes, feed the fish, sit outside and watch the sunset with Beaker and snuggle Kiwi. A little beer drinking and book reading was also squeezed in. An eighteen pound cat is lying on my arms, trying to convince me it is time for bed.

It feels so nice to sit on the porch and just be. I am not thinking of bills, work, the to-do list. Just taking 20 minutes and enjoying the evening. Maybe I should move the rocking chair out there. I love being wholesome and hokey and simple.

Lazy Sunday

Took some time today to sit on the porch and enjoy the morning. Had a book, had some coffee, had Beaker on my shoulder and had some saffron yellow socks to keep my toesies warm. It was nice. We did a little gardening (well, weed pulling) too. There is quite a riot of wild flowers and / or weeds in the garden. If you look at it long enough it seems gloriously riotous, but a quick glance just reveals an overgrown mess. Have to find some balance.

"Here I go - mumbling"

My long cheerful spell came to an abrupt end this morning. People who pry and then criticize really need to STFU. Just because I open my mouth, does not mean that you are invited to give 'advice'. Pah. The real bummer is that I had wanted to stay for a while and knit and visit.

Got some knitting done earlier in the day while the car was busy failing its smog check. Couldn't seem to find an open garage to get it fixed, so I guess I know what I am doing on Monday morning! It was a beautiful day to drive around town and listen to the radio, though.

The baby birds are fat and happy, I made all the birds pasta and veggies for breakfast, gave Kiwi and Beaker some snuggle time and Kiwi tried to give me heart failure by flying all around the kitchen.

I am supposed to be in the car, driving to San Diego for a concert, but am having trouble getting motivated, even though I have been looking forward to this for weeks. Maybe I will just watch the live feed online. Or put in a cd and sing along. Sometimes being a hermit means I forget if doing things with other people is fun / worth the effort.

"I don't need tiny cue cards"

Made it to knitting night tonight - first Friday movie & pizza. Beaker came, ate some pizza crust, didn't talk to anyone, and pooped on my shirt. Good times. The movie was "Easter Parade" and I made it for about an hour. Linda has some pretty new yarns. Might have to stop by tomorrow (parrot free) and visit for a bit. I put a few more rows onto the new sweater... I could finish it this weekend if I really apply myself. On the other hand, I have no real interest in any other projects-in-progress, so I sort of hate to finish it.

The chicks, aged 2 days and 1 day. Full crops, wiggly and full of cheep-cheep-cheep.

I spent some time looking for cockatiel genetics charts to predict what the little tykes will be, but didn't really grasp it. The yellow down means they will not be whitefaces, as far as I can tell. Hamlet is a Pearl Pied split for Cinnamon and Violet is a normal Whiteface. One is quite bald and t'other is only mostly bald. Fingers crossed they continue to thrive!

No work tomorrow (finally), and I don't need to go in on Monday until noon. Of course, I need to spend that time getting a smog check for the car, doing my taxes, geting my driver's license renewed and of course paying the rent, which I only just realized is due sometime, um, soon. Damn you payday, falling on the 7th. Other weekend plans include walking the dogs, doing chores / housekeeping, playing some WoW and plucking the rabbits. That little chore is way overdue and it is getting hot during the days. Mayhap I will even measure out some warp for a little weaving...

This beer sure tastes good, but I am short tempered, what with the 18 lb cat trying to lay on my lap (which is filled with, you know, a laptop). Time to drink a lot of water and maybe hit up the lemon sorbet in the freezer. I have "Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog" running on the other window. It really is my idea of a perfect film.

Simple Gifts

There was a second chick in the nestbox tonight, still a little damp. Chick # 1 is nice and fluffy and had a full crop. Later I heard Hamlet feeding them, so I have hope they will thrive.

Kiwi and Beaker got some snuggle time and playgym time. I love the way that Kiwi looks furious and Beaker is doing the avian equivalent of a kilt check.

Another average day. Work, lunch, knit, work, stress, laugh, sit in traffic, feed the cats. I think I am supposed to be in Naxx 10 but am just not feeling in the mood for WoW. I stayed up until 2:30 last night (this morning?) watching "The World's Fastest Indian" and it was as fun as I remembered. Right now "Defiance" is playing... it seems to be mostly in Russian, so I am getting every 5th word since I am too lazy to actually watch it and am playing with photos instead. Oh and I think it is time to switch the laundry and take out the trash.

A sunflower from Grandma's home in Wyoming. Sometimes I think about my simple life and wonder why I don't pack up and move out there.

New Beginnings

I found this little thing making noise in the nestbox when I got home from work tonight:

Hamlet and Violet's first chick after all these years. There are 2 more eggs in the box, pipping away. I sure hope they make it. I had given up hope that they would ever have fertile eggs. The parents will be getting massive quantities of millet and soft food for a while. I don't really have time for handfeeding!

I snuck a picture of my workstation:

My world is grey. Things have been really busy this week and I am getting pretty stressed out. However, I would still rather be stressed there than back at the Bad Place.

And I have been meaning to show you the pretty plants outside the office doors.

I don't know what they are, but I just love that color.

Photo journalism

The car the day of The Incident. The bumper is caved in, the trunk smushed in and the lights winged out. Sigh. I particularly like the curliness of the license plate. It hardly looks like $2,300 worth of damage from this angle.After a week at the body shop. New, shiny, freshly painted, and the license plate hammered flat. I guess I should have given them the pristine one that lives in the glovebox. They painted the rear bumper by mistake - it looks great! Too nice to put new bumperstickers on. A random picture from my trip to Maui a couple years ago. How many different shades of blue are there in the world? I think they are all in this photo.

Hangin' on

A beautiful day today: sunny; windy; warm; but not too much of any. Knit a few rows on the purple sweater. It might finally be time to measure soon. Did my best at work today but still had some pretty big errors... might be due to the nearly 60 hours I put in last week or maybe to the incessantly ringing phone & being behind. It was still my best.

Saw the most beautiful full moon this morning (at 5:30 am) - cream colored in a black sky and hanging low on the horizon.

Had some good Cheese time in WoW tonight - decided to fish & chat and not worry about tasks or dungeons or leveling or whatever. Of course right after that I was jealous as hell I wasn't invited to the ICC run. Pah. Much like laundry and doing my taxes, I want to run heroics until I puke when I am at work, but when I get home I lose all motivation.

Got in some good parrot snuggling time. Kiwi is good at flying to me from the swing and then back. Not so confident flying around the house (scary!). Showed Beaker how to crack a pine nut... I am not sure if he is hesitant or just not strong enough to crack them on his own. The tiels and budgies are looking good but probably want some walkabout time here pretty soon.

I think I forgot to eat dinner. Off to find a snack.

Winding Down

Two hours past bedtime; curse you, afternoon nap. Wandered by Borders and picked up "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" this evening, then got some groceries and dog food. I totally forgot that there is a movie theater right over there - maybe I will go see "Alice in Wonderland" this week.

Didn't get much done in chores-ville or bills-ville, but tried to catch up on some sleep at least. We will find out in 6 hours if I succeeded and get up on time.

The Ravel'd Sleeve of Care

Too tired to sleep. I hate that. *yawn* Nope, still awake. It is hard to sleep when the sun is out.

Stopped by the bird farm on the way home and picked up some treats for the flock. It turns out that I buy more stuff for them when I am hungry! Restocked the small hookbill mix and got a small bag each of peppers and pine nuts for the parrots to try. A bag of bermuda grass for the rabbits and cavies rounded out the shopping list. They had a very friendly DuCorps' Cockatoo for sale who wanted endless scratchies, and Beeper the Galah is still for sale, as is Clyde the white capped pionus (a cousin of Beaker the Maximillian's pionus). Clyde is just so beautiful. If I had a 'spare' $400 I would take him home.

Took Beaker outside to enjoy the fresh air on the porch this afternoon. The upside to flying like a potato is that you get outdoor privileges. He gave an apprehensive look at a rampaging balloon, but I promised to protect him. I've heard that running around on concrete works a charm for dulling sharp parrot toenails.

No knitting lately. No spinning or weaving either. I suppose I should see when Fair entries are due. Right after I evict the cats from the closet. It is amazing how small a gap in the door they can slide thru... even the tubby ones.

Shiny

The car is back ! So fresh and sparkly! It is nice to be home.

Worked from 5am to 8pm today. Exhausted but taking the time to check the blogroll. Tried to do a good job today - we were slammed but I did my best to be cheerful, patient, kind and understanding.

Have to sleep - back to work at 6. Dog is in her kennel, barking incessantly. Maybe I should toss her another cookie?

My feet hurt way too much for someone who sat on her ass all day.

Why does the neighbor have to run a power saw at this hour?

Frazz-licious

Wore comfy yoga pants today. Worked my buns off at work. No knitting today. Car ready tomorrow. Going to be at work at *gulp* 5am so I can take the time to go get it in the morning. Watching a few minutes of 'Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story' before bed.

Lessons

Time for another post of 'things I have learned at the new job'

• Being pretty is the most important thing. Everyone needs either more surgery, less surgery, to gain weight, to lose weight, to date above their level or to date below their level. Also, the closer you are to 'perfect', the smaller the imperfections upon which you will be judged.
• It is OK to have a prayer meeting and take communion right in the office during the work day. Bonus points if the phone is ringing.
• Bragging how you give a dollar to a homeless person - but only if they do not ask for it - but won't support social aid programs is hip.
• Saying 'Can you get that? Thanks' means that you don't have to answer the phone, no matter what you are or are not doing.
• By the time I drink enough coffee to wake up, it is time to curtail caffeine intake so that I can get to sleep later.
• When tanning, don't forget to hold your buttcheeks open so your crack will be tan too. Bonus points for slathering on tanning oil and roasting. However, if you put sunblock on your face, you won't get cancer.

In other news, my car might be fixed tomorrow! I am not entirely sure when I will be able to go get it, but it will be nice to have it back. Time to go bumper sticker shopping.

Dress Up, Dress Down

Today we had prospective clients in the office so it was Dress Up day. Pretty easy for me since I have so few clothes - changing my shoes switches between business and casual. The rest of the month is 'month end casual', time for yoga clothes and hoodie sweatshirts. Although I have so few clothes that right now I actually have more slacks in the clean pile than casual pants.

Came home, pulled some weeds, chatted with the neighbor, now making a mini pizza and headed to bed before 9am. Errr pm. Guess I am more tired than I thought. Added a few rows to the purple sweater... every little bit counts. At this rate it might be ready for Mabon.

Quickie

Home from work on time, but have to go in early tomorrow, so it is early bedtime for me tonight. Might make some dinner in a bit. Snuggled the parrots - Kiwi showed off *two* new whistles for me and Beaker went through his repetoire of whistles, birdcalls, mock phrases and the laugh that cracks me up.

Made some progress on the purple sweater today at lunch while relaxing to some Dave Stringer Kirtan music. It makes fantastic driving music (this disc at least) as it is very calming and meditative. He will be in concert Apr 3 in San Diego - I am planning on a road trip!

Choresday

Laundry? check
Dishes? check
Pets fed? check
Parrot snuggling? check
Birdseed for the goldfinches? check.

Ostara

Happy Spring! Maybe tonight or tomorrow I will have a little ritual, but so far today has been quiet. Work in the morning, home by noon, a little nap, walk to get groceries, eat said groceries, now some blogging and WoW. Glad I don't have anywhere to be, as the Bad Neighbor has blocked in my car with a gorram moving truck.

The new parakeet (Echo) seems to be settling in well, but he and Skye are not all snuggly yet. Violet and Hamlet are still brooding eggs in the nestbox, but no baby cockatiels. Beaker is chatting up a storm; he can say 'BeakerBeakerBeaker', 'Beeeeeeakerrrrr', and has several whistles. We are working on 'WOW' and 'Good Morning'. Graham and Pretty Bird are their usual adorable selves - he does one trick, and that is to 'help' me with breakfast time by pushing the food dish out of its slot.

Week's End

I actually got called in for overtime tomorrow, so it isn't the actual end, but close enough for me. Some pictures to entertain you....

Beaker being adorable at the local knitting store last month.

My new sweater project at my lunch break today. I finally decided to explore the park across the street

The very attractive commute home. I haven't even gotten on the freeway yet and there are cars as far as the eye can see.

GRRRRR

My internet seems to be down; 'borrowing' an unsecured signal from the neighborhood. I pay for the service, I should get the service. Can't it go down while I am away from the house? Perhaps it did.

8pm and finally getting settled in for the night. Enchiladas cooking, catboxes cleaned, internet borked. I was thinking about watching a movie and doing some knitting, I guess that is being decided for me.

I hate to pay to rent the car for the 2 days of the weekend so that it can sit in the driveway, but can't think of a good place to go for a day trip sans doggies. Maybe the Huntington? The estimate on the car repairs is up to almost $2,000. I am sure glad I have insurance! And that I was not at fault; fingers crossed the other driver's insurance will cover my deductible.

Moving along

Having a beer and jamming to some Kyuss on the cd player. Dropped the car off for repairs today and picked up a rental for the week. An okay day at work, and now some pet time and WoW time. Happy STP day!

Moving Right Along

Got a bunch of things crossed off the 'to-do' list today: Called the dmv and made an appt to renew my license, called the auto shop and made an appt to get the car repaired, picked up the accident report at the police station so I could finally have the other guy's insurance info, sent in my census form, bundled up a netflix and got checks ready to go into the bank. On the way home I picked up cat food, bought Skye (the budgie) a companion, made dinner - with vegetables- and snuggled Kiwi while washing some dishes. Felt like I was finally getting the hang of my new tasks at work and had a generally Good Day.

Monday

A quiet, pleasant day. Got up late, did some stuff around the house, got the mail, went to work, felt capable, came home, now watching some Eddie Izzard, eating a BBC (bagel, bacon and cheese sammich) and getting ready to grab a beer and play some WoW.

Discovered Netflix streaming (ooh must remember to change my atm card number) now carries one of my very favorite movies, "The Passion of Joan of Arc". Right now they just have the silent version, but I think if you get the dvd you can play the musical track. I assume it is the fabulous one by Richard Einhorn. I have seen this movie twice before - once at the world premiere in Northampton (thank you Gina for dragging me through the blizzard!) and once at a performance in Orange county. Each had a live choir and the composer in attendance. Very cool.

Goal for this week (well, forever really) is to not use disposable dishware / cutlery at work. No more iced tea on the way home, so sad. Using a travel cup, so rewarding!

Checking In

Wow it is a beautiful not-quite-spring day here today. The sky is blue, the sun is warm, the wind is howling, groceries have been procured and lettuces harvested from the garden. I bought real cream *gasp* for my coffee, so am feeling particularly pampered.

A baby picture of my darling Beaker


The trouble I have been instigating with the Cheese Vendors


Some knitting has been done, but no picture taking. The front of the purple blouse is done and work on the back continues. The sleeves are short, so it shouldn't be too long now.

That Knittin' Feeling

The Wallaby sweater, she is done. 1100 yards of handspun brown romney knitted into a warm hoodie. Next time I will add a bit of length to the body (between the top of the pocket and the bottom of the sleeves) and take away a smidgin of the length of the sleeves. I will also find a more subtle sleeve increase method. Otherwise, I am quite pleased. It was an easy knit, although the directions are SO. VERY. BAD. Half my time was spent trying to figure out a) what to do and b) why on earth they made it so difficult to understand.

There are some socks on the needles but I have not been feeling very sock-ish lately.

It is time for the Knitting Olympics and I think I am up to it. I just began a new blouse, so that is out, but I went exploring in the yarn stash and found the makings of Irtfa'a squirrelled away in a drawer. I have the yarn all wound up and ready to go - Claudia Handpaints in Black Walnut. I am pretty sure I can find some needles around here somewhere *eyeroll* 16 days is a pretty big challenge, but the cable guy comes tomorrow so maybe I can actually watch the Olympics while knitting.

Off to Knitting Night, new blouse yarn in tow. Then a quick stop to buy batteries (for the wireless mouse. what were you thinking?) and some groceries and life will be perfect. I think the Dickens festival is this weekend, so I may wander by. And the Cheesies have a raid/fondue party on Saturday. I hope it is done before the cable guy shows up. Otherwise it is a wave of the hand at the wall with the hookup and "can't talk, boss fight" for him.