Almost Everyday

September 19, 2005 By

Thank you all so much for your comments on my Diamond Fantasy Shawl! I so love it and I’m glad you all do too. In fact, I emailed Sivia to thank her for such a great pattern and I think she might link to my shawl on the description page. High praise indeed!

I took a page from Norma and started a sleeve. And just like Norma, my sleeve became a swatch.

Yup. I cast on my superfantastic red heart Manos (color #115 – the picture above is actually a bit more purple than the actual yarn – somewhere between today’s picture and the link picture) for the Everyday Cardigan from Peace Fleece. And I was practically FINISHED the first sleeve when I started tooling around on the Internet looking for other people who have made this sweater. Seems like there are mucho problems with the pattern. For one thing, the sleeves are like teepees – too many increases too fast. And not enough stitches to start so the ribbing is like a tourniquet. And the k2p2 doesn’t match up anywhere in the pattern. Now, I think I’m a fairly accomplished knitter. I can follow a pattern and get a good representation of what I’m supposed to get. One thing I’m lacking in is seeing the errors in patterns. I mean I think somewhere down deep I know that the sleeve is wrong, but I don’t know enough to know why it’s wrong and how to fix it. Thank god all of you do! After looking at the pattern and seeing that it probably needed to be a little bit longer in the body and that the shoulders seemed really complicated the way they wrote them and I was going to have to rip the sleeve anyway, I decided to make this an Almost Everyday Cardigan and I promptly took out my handy dandy Ann Budd book.

Since this sweater is stockinette with some ribbing, I’ve decided to use it as a learning piece. I’m going to try all these new things. For instance, I’ve never made a button band before – unless you count the finishing class I took. So I’ve made sure to cast on an extra garter stitch at the end of each front so to insure easy stitch pick up. I’ve decided to do the body as one piece until the arm holes – never done that before, but it sure is nice to know that two fronts and the back are getting done right quick! My plan is to split when I get to the arm hole shaping (I’m doing Ann Budd’s modified drop shoulder – just a bit neater I think) and to try and do short rows shoulder shaping. I tried that stair step shit that Ann Budd has in the book and I didn’t like it. So in the interest of learning, short rows it is! I think I’m going to seam the sleeves – I thought about doing them in the round by picking up the stitches at the armholes, but that seems a bit complicated after all the other new stuff, but I’ve got time to figure that out. I’m excited!

I love how the yarn is knitting up! It seems such a dark, wine red in the hank but wind it up and there is so much pink and purple and it’s knitting up so lovely and dramatic! This is the perfect project to show off the yarn too. I’ve cast on for the body last night and should be into the stockinette today. I have a feeling this will go fast. I’m dreaming about the buttons too. They’re going to be gorgeous buttons – whatever they are. Please, PLEASE, I beg of you, don’t remind me of the unfinished short rows or the second sunshine sock I still have not cast on for and if you talk about the Retro Rib sock that needs a heel, well then, you aren’t really my friend after all.

Speaking of friends, I met Ann! And got to see Kay again! Do you want to know why? Because they asked ME, little old photographer me, to take the AUTHOR photo for their BOOK!!! Can you believe it?!? How awesome is that? The two of them are so much fun – so comfortable, so lovely – together and apart – it’s amazing they haven’t known each other for a gazillion years. Maybe in another life. I’m pretty sure they’re happy with the pictures (I can’t tell you how nervous I was – I photograph children. And flowers. Not adults for their BOOK!) I can’t wait to see it all finished up! March – where are you? (I had to sign in blood I would not reveal anything about the BOOK, but I think it’s okay to say it’s going to be fanFUCKINGtastic. Is that okay girls?) (Oh and special thanks go out to my baby sis, Samara, Stylist Extraordinaire!) Kay and Ann, I can’t tell you how honored I am to have had a small part in this project. Really. Thank you for thinking of me!

Filed Under: Almost Everyday

Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend

September 17, 2005 By

OH.MY.GOD.
This is THE MOST GORGEOUS THING I HAVE EVER KNITTED.
Warning: There are A LOT of pictures. But you know what? I’m a photographer so pictures are my life. And I LOVE this freaking shawl so I’m going to brag. ETA: The pictures of me were taken by my superfantastic little sis, Samara. She’s the REAL artist in the family.

Carole wanted to see it in full, all blocked out. Here you go!

And away we go! (Click on the pic to see it bigger.)


Look at that lovely I-Cord edging!



Project Specs:
Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding
Twinkletoes Sock Yarn (Foggy Dew colorway) by Over the Rainbow Yarns
Addi Turbo’s size US 5s
10 Pattern Repeats (Shawl Size)

I learned how to do an applied I-cord for the edging and I loved it. Will definitely use this again. Did my first spit join. The yarn is still a bit scratchy for me (Margene – I don’t know who you use this for socks) but the fact that it is a stiffer, rougher yarn probably helped how well it blocked. I took out my FBS yesterday and it needs to be blocked again – the cotton didn’t hold the points on the border. I love the color though – the muted variegation is perfect for the diamonds. The DFS pattern is a dream to knit. Easy to follow charts. I used stitch markers between the 12 stitch repeats and barely tinked at all. I would wholeheartedly recommend this pattern!!!! Thank you SIVIA!

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl
September 14, 2005 By


https://januaryone.com/blog/post_3/

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl

Stoned

September 14, 2005 By

Thanks for all the comments on my DFS (sounds like a government agency – and not the friendly kind.) Blocking may have to wait a bit. G leaves for South America tonight – and my little sister is coming to keep me company while he’s away through the weekend. Normally I’d go down to my other sister’s, the one with all those cutie kids, but the family’s taking a vacation up North, so…. My nephew informs me they will be taking the “Maximo,” the hugest Minivan to ever exist on Earth. There are four adults and five kids traveling together. My sister has no idea where he got the name Maximo – but it does include his name in it and it’s the HUGEST Minivan, so it’s not hard to make the connection.

Anyway, blocking will have to wait until tonight. Since I spent the last couple days constantly knitting, I’ve neglected everything else. I’ve got to get a couple packages together and I have to help G get packed and things are a bit crazy. But it’ll be worth the wait – I promise. And with my sister here, you might actually get me in a picture or two! Wouldn’t that be special?

On to the concert review.

I’d heard lots of things over my life about The Stones and how great they are in concert. Don’t believe the hype. It was definitely fun, don’t get me wrong, but in a goofy way – as in “My GOD, they’re ugly!” And, “Do you think Keith Richards is stoned, or that’s just how he is now?” And “If I have to see Mick’s stomach one more time I might puke.” The music was good – we wore earplugs (as we’re apt to do – I went to a concert a few years ago and my ears rang for three days – ever since – earplugs) and it actually sounded much better and clearer with the plugs in. The stage came out into the middle of the floor, right in front of our seats (about 10 rows away) and it was very cool. They played some good songs – songs I enjoyed hearing seeing that I’m not much of a fan. They ruined 19th Nervous Breakdown for G by playing a “new arrangement.” I guess artists get bored? And they disappointed me by switching out Shattered with Satisfaction and then putting You Can’t Always Get What You Want in the then vacant Satisfaction slot. (When they came out in the middle there were these clear plastic screens around Charlie Watts that contained the set list. As far as I can tell this was the only time they went off the list.) I would’ve much rathered have heard Shattered. Highlights of the evening: they did an AMAZING cover of Get Up, Stand Up. And Miss You. Miss You was really, really good.

Overall though, the concert left me cold. G and I discussed this on the way home. Now, I’m going to try not to compare the experience with a Springsteen concert. As you may already no, a Springsteen concert is the closet I’ve ever come to an ACTUAL religous experience. It’s so emotional for me I have to take a Xanax during the show. Really. I’m not bragging, I’m just stating facts. (There was no Xanax taken last night.) At a Bruce concert, which generally ranges 3+ hours, I know every word of every song, as do 99% of the people there. And pretty much 7 out of 10 people are ALSO having a religious experience. (I don’t include those people who are drunk about ten minutes into the show and are constantly BRUUUUUCING (sounds like BOOOING) and calling out for Candy’s Room every ten seconds. I HATE Candy’s Room.) There is an AMAZING connection between the artist and the crowd and the band. When Bruce sings, you see and feel every emotion contained in the song – on his face, in his body language, in the crowd reaction. It’s all there.

It wasn’t there last night. Again, I’m not going to compare the concert to a Bruce show, because, admittedly, I’m biased. But I will compare it to a WHO show. And maybe even a KISS show. I’ve seen both bands more than once. The Who shows come about as close to a Bruce show as I can probably get – and I’m not a HUGE Who fan. I mean, I like them and all, but I don’t play their records – more of a radio listen if you will. But the CONCERTS were AMAZING. I was totally into it, pumping my fist, connecting with the band and the crowd. I lost myself for a bit, which is what you want in a live environment, I think. KISS is totally different, but comparable. They’re putting on a show, as is Mick Jagger, and KISS just does it better. It’s a more cohesive show – it’s like Vegas in that way – everything’s choreographed and has a circus atmosphere to it and you get what you’ve paid for.

Last night I felt like there was no connection and not enough show. G felt the connection part was because the crowd was made up of mostly industry types who didn’t pay the $464.50 a ticket (seriously – that’s what it says on our stub – we didn’t pay either) or if they did pay, it was because they needed to see or be seen. Maybe if we had sat up in then nosebleeds the atmosphere would’ve been different, but I don’t think so. The band never connected with the crowd. Half the time while Mick was jumping around like he had ants in his pants or was channeling Michael Jackson, Keith Richards and Ron Wood were standing around chatting. And Mick sucked with the crowd banter. He pointed out that he saw a bunch of kids in the audience. And then he actually said something like, sorry kids, but there goes your education (meaning that the parents blew the college wad on tickets.) Tasteless at best.

I was bummed I didn’t get one of those flashing tongues that people were wearing.

Lest you think differently, it WAS a good time and I’m really glad we went. I don’t often go to concerts and when I do it’s usually Bruce and therefore an EXPERIENCE. It’s something I think about for days before and days after and find the bootleg so I can remember every minute of it forever. This was a concert – pure and simple. Not something I’m used to.

Blocking/wearing pictures to come. Patience, sweet ones.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

According to Ann…

September 13, 2005 By

I’ve got myself an FO!

I knit this thing ALL DAY yesterday and today. The I-cord bind off alone took OVER two hours. But look how pretty. Blocking tomorrow. I have just enough time to shower – got to be clean so I can get dirty with Mick.

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl

Start Me Up

September 13, 2005 By

That’s what I need this morning – someone to start me up. I woke up around 6AM feeling completely nauseated. I knew right away it wasn’t anxiety nausea, but stomach nausea. See, now, I’m an expert on nausea. I’ve often compared myself to Sartre’s sad sack character in his extremely nauseating book, Nausea. There was a time in my life when I did not leave my house without a bag of some sort to throw up in. (I’m not kidding. It was years. I woke up every morning feeling sick.) This was anxiety nausea. That’s long since gone and I’ve seen moved on to bigger and better ways of torturing myself (bad thoughts and all that good stuff.) So I know the difference between psychosomatic nausea and the real honest to god grab the bucket kind. (I should note that in all that time I felt nauseated, I rarely, if ever threw up. It’s all about ANTICIPATORY ANXIETY, people. That’s the silent killer, really.)

They say that the mind and the stomach are very closely releated. In fact, the stomach has it’s own nervous system – the Enteric System. This is why you get butterflies in your stomach – also where the term “gut instinct” comes from and why when you’re scared you immediately have to take a crap. Let’s just say I have a highly honed enteric system.

Anyway. I’m feeling sick today. It’s slowly passing and may have everything to do with major PMS. You know the kind, where your boobs start hurting the minute you ovulate and you have to make sure they’re secured to your body before you get out of bed in the morning lest gravity causes intense pain. You don’t know that kind? Lucky you. I’m sure I’ll feel better as the day progresses. I have to. We’ve got VIP tickets to see The Stones tonight at the Garden. Yes, that’s right. Honestly, I don’t even really like The Stones that much (Blasphemy I know, but whatever. I don’t really like U2 either. So shoot me.) but the tickets were free and the seats are supposed to be good and there may be a Xanax in my future so wish my stomach some good thoughts.

I was bad yesterday (no working) and knit, knit, knit on DFS. Funny thing about those shawls, especially the ones that start off small and grow, grow, grow. It takes a LOT longer to get through a row. I’m a couple rows into the LAST section. I’m not going over the ten. For the longest time I was thinking it wasn’t going to be that big, but it’s suddenly pretty darn big and I still have a ways to go. Then there’s the points and the I-cord edging and it won’t be done for a couple days yet. And I so want it done.

In the meantime I can’t stop thinking about my red, red Manos and the Everyday Cardi and I want it NOW. So I may just wind up a hank and swatch a little bit today. Or at least take the yarn out and fondle it and read through the pattern. It should be a really fast knit. At this point #8 needles will feel like tree trunks and it’s all stockinette so whippee! Let’s go!

And this is for Kay. Wave Hill. Be there or be square.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Photographs

Fantasy World

September 12, 2005 By

It’s fantasy all the time these days. I’ve got about six rows and two repeats left if I’m going to stick with the 10 repeats for the shawl. I haven’t even broken into the second hank of Twinkletoes yarn, so we’ll see. Depends on if and when and how much I have to use of that second hank. The pattern is really a dream to knit. I almost think it’s easier than the Flower Basket Shawl – if only because I’m using stitch markers at every 12 stitch repeat. Of course, yesterday evening, (my goal was to finish the 8th repeat before the night was through) I messed up the border stitches before the first bind off in the repeat (every 10 rows you bind off five stitches for two rows to create the points on the border) and it was KILLING me. So I ended up ripping back a few rows to reknit it. In the end, I think the stitches might have been just loose, but I couldn’t have it. I feel much better now even though my goal wasn’t met. I’m hoping to at least get through 9 today – I want this finished before the week’s out. I’m in that end of project frenzy mode where I can taste the FO and I want to be there YESTERDAY! You all know what I mean. I should just sit here all day and finish it, but there’s work to be done. I need to run today before it gets too hot and I need to do laundry and some work and then I can knit for the rest of the day.

It was a pretty full weekend. I had a birthday party to shoot on Saturday about an hour away – my wonderful husband came with me for the ride (I hate to drive on highways alone) and lucky for me there was a beach close by. So he played tennis in the morning and sat on the beach in the afternoon. Perfect day for him – and perfect for me, because I didn’t have to feel too much like a loser wanting a companion for the drive. And he drove back, so I could knit a bit in the car.

I’m always amazed after a job at how PHYSICAL a shoot is. My whole body hurt after the party. First, the camera’s heavy – really heavy (at least 13 pounds with the big lens on – add the flash and bracket and we may be up to 15) – and I’m carrying it for two hours straight. Then we’ve got the fact that I hold it like a spaz – actually backwards when shooting vertically (so that the shutter button is under the camera not on top) – so that my left elbow sticks out – and finally, when you’re photographing children, you NEED TO BE ON THEIR LEVEL. Parents out there – if you hire a professional photographer and they don’t get on the ground with your kid, well, I’m not saying you won’t like the pictures, but…. I come home from a job and I’ve got grass stains on my knees, my ass, dirt in my hair. So it’s up and down and up and down and I’m not a kid anymore.

Saturday night I was asleep by 10:30. That’s about two hours early for me.

Also, I was asked this weekend to do a really, really, really important shoot for some really, really, really special girls! I’m super excited about it – but for now I can’t talk about it. I promise though, as soon as it’s all kosher, you’ll hear me shouting about it! It’s just SO SUPER COOL! (What a geek I am!) I’m completely thrilled I can help out the cause.

This weekend, while knitting away, I thought about my upcoming projects and listed them out in my head. I thought I might list them here, too, so I can look back and see all the things I didn’t accomplish. 😉

Dad’s Aran Sweater
Manos Everyday Cardigan
Cardigans for the WH girls
Bohemia Aran Cardigan
SOCKS (especially socks for Jolie)
Knits for the kids (cardigan for Charlotte with yarn from MDSW – and especially ELI! He’s never had a handknit from me.)
Elizabeth Bag in Donegal Tweed
Manos My So Called Scarf
Orange Spice Mittens
My own shawl design

Ambitious no? Ugh. So many knits. So little time.

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, Photographs

Better Pals are BEST!

September 9, 2005 By

I LOVE to give gifts. I love choosing the gift, I love putting it together, I love wrapping it – I LOVE seeing the giftee’s expression. I really do. I’m very generous. Because of love the act of THE GIFT – more than the sentiment behind it. Do you know what I mean? It’s got to be PERFECT!

So when I saw all the Secret Pal buttons I knew I had to get in on one. I eagerly joined SP4. Blah. Let’s just say it did NOT meet up to my expectations. I tried to do a good job for my SP, and I think I did, but she was very preoccupied with lots of stuff going on in her life and we didn’t make much of a connection. She was appropriately grateful and all, but there was no spark between us. My SP sent one package that really didn’t fit my profile and then nothing until a nice gift certificate from Elann. Which helped me buy a swift so I was grateful for that, but again, no real contact. Next to nothing spark.

So when I was approached to join a small intimiate gathering of bloggers who would be better pals, I jumped at the chance. We all sort of know each other, or know someone who knows someone, so the odds are that there won’t be much disappointment going around.

Well, today I received my first BETTER PAL package! Yay! I was SO excited. The thing that sort of makes this gift exchange unique is that since we’re such a small group – the secret can almost leap out of the bag. My BP does not live in my country, apparently, from the postage, and I’m relatively sure I could find out very quickly who she is! But I HAVEN’T BP! I don’t know! And I vow, right now, on my blog, to do my best NOT to find out! Okay? Okay.

Look how bright and cheery! I couldn’t wait to rip all the packages open. In her note, BP says she wanted to go with an autumn theme – and autumn she did!

That’s three balls of Rowan Felted Tweed in the new Ginger Spice color! Luscious! I’ve never knit with this yarn, but I’m raring to go. When I picked it up the first thing I thought of was MITTENS! (Or gloves?) The yarn is perfect for that, don’t you think? Nice and warm and cozy! And there’s an orange suede pencil case – which I think I’ll use for knitting doodads – I don’t want to mess it up with pencils. And a gorgeous notebook that will hopefully inspire some writing. Thank you thank you thank you BP! Can’t wait to hear from you again!

~+~+~+~

I’ve taken some editorial license over at Knit One Read Too, yet again. Instead of taking regular nominations, I’ve decided that this month’s book (discussion will start on October 17th) will be a book set in New Orleans, as a way to honor the city and its citizens, as well as a way to travel through literature. I’ve never had the chance to visit, and I’m sorry for that now. Each book is VERY different, and if you’re a member, head on over to vote. If you’re not a member, but would like to be, c’mon and join. We’re just getting back after the summer, so you haven’t missed anything yet.

Have a great weekend everyone! See you on the flip side!
L, C

Filed Under: Better Pals, Books

My Little Pony*

September 8, 2005 By

I didn’t knit a stitch yesterday so here’s some other crap. Oh yeah, and the bed arrived, no problems, and it’s fabulous!

Do you get catalogues? We do. A lot. Although not as many as we used to. I’m not sure why, but we still get all the usual suspects. Pottery Barn. Eddie Bauer. J. Crew. The one about feet. Grill Lovers. Hammecher Schlemmer. We also get a bunch of kids ones – clothes, toys – you know, I’ve bought some gifts over the years for the babies so I’m on the list. Well, yesterday, we got the FAO Schwartz catalogue. I usually love this one with it’s over the top presents and BIG atmosphere. I mean, c’mon! Who doesn’t need a life size teddy bear to scare the crap out of you while you’re sleeping?!

So, I’m flipping through and on the first page I see this:

And I’m thinking, WOW! They’re really doing lifelike stuff with those stuffed animals these days and THEN I READ THE INFORMATON AND IT’S A REAL FUCKING PONY!?!?!?!?!?

Exclusive

Miniature Pony
$15,000.00

Imagine your very own precious pony. FAO Schwarz brings that dream within reach. This miniature purebred makes a perfect companion for young horse lovers. This full-grown pony has a buckskin coat and a soft thick mane and arrives ready to be ridden with a monogrammed FAO Schwarz halter and lead, and a Western saddle. Your pony is escorted home by a specialist who is there to offer complete information on caring for a new horse.

Please call the Division of Local Government for your county to check out any specific regulations. Owing to the size and nature of these ponies (under 36 inches and used solely as pets), they should be considered domestic animals rather than farm animals. The pony comes complete with current health papers stating which vaccinations were given. The pony will need a small outdoor area with protection from the elements and enough room for daily exercise.

Call 1-800-426-8697 to discuss the details of this special purchase with a Personal Shopper.

My favorite part? Well, that would have to be the part where (in the catalog – it’s not online) it says “Ages 3-6. Maximum weight limit of rider is 50 lbs.” So what happens when your daughter (or son – why should ponies be limited to girls?) turns 7, you take the thing out back and shoot it? I mean it’s not like a puppy, or is it?

* NOT to be confused with the Pukey Pony. Or should it?

So after I got over my initial shock, I kept flipping through the catalog. Here are a couple of other goodies I found:

Junior Off-Roader Ride-on Car (Gas Powered)
$30,000

Driving the gasoline-powered Junior Off-Roader is a perfect way to acquire early experience at the wheel. The Off-Roader features an all-weather fiberglass body with a protective frame, rack-and-pinion steering, dual hydraulic disk brakes, a manual emergency brake, rubber tires, and full front and rear suspension. The vehicle comes equipped with a a three-speed transmission, and tops out at 30 mph. It also has a removable, fully functional radio and tape deck, and speakers on the side doors. Your young driver will be comfortable cruising around in the adjustable upholstered leather seats. 90″ x 53″ x 60″. This item is a Special Order item. Please refer to expected delivery shown below. This product is recommended for ages 7 to 15 years.

15 Years. That way they’ve got LOTS of practice before you buy them that real jeep!

How about this? Your little girl isn’t satisfied with sleeping bags and popcorn and scary movies for her birthday sleepover? How about a night at FAO Schwartz, replete with weirdo ice cream guy?

For One Special Night, The Store Is All Yours

The FAO Schwarz Sleepover

Imagine having the entire FAO Schwarz store all to yourself, all night long. Your child and 15 friends will indulge in an all-night party that includes a spectacular birthday celebration in the FAO Schweetz Ice Cream Parlor, lessons on the Dance-On Piano, rides on the 3-D motion simulator, and hours of games and activities throughout the store. The guests sleep in sleeping bags in the Rec Room so they are never far away from the fun. This special event ends in the morning with a continental breakfast and goody bags. Ages 6 and up. Starting at $25,000.

Ooh. A continental breakfast! What happened to Cheerios?

After the pony though, this one’s my favorite:

Grand Victorian Mansion
$18,900.00

This enchanting play home is straight out of a fairy tale. The outside is picture perfect, including a wraparound porch, a stained glass window, window boxes, a skylight, and doorbell and brass doorknocker. The interior is decorated with a bay window with window seat, sponge-painted walls, simulated hardwood floors, fireplace mantel and an upstairs loft accessed by a ladder. This Victorian is truly grand indeed. Assembly required.

I don’t know what’s scarier – the idea of an $18K playhouse, or the photograph which looks like it could’ve been staged by wackos Pitt and Jolie. I mean, do those kids look like fun is in their vocabulary?

I’d like to think that even if the tv wasn’t on in the background with people devastated by Hurricane Katrina I would still be appalled by the excess of this catalog. I feel like it should’ve come in brown paper packaging – it’s that obscene. The saddest part – there are (a few, I hope) kids in this world that think they DESERVE “toys” like this. Not just want, but deserve. Entitlement starts young these days. ETA: I don’t blame the kids. I don’t. Because the honest to goodness truth is that a kid is happy with the damn box the toy came in. Entitlement is a LEARNED behavior. Someone had to teach them.

As a stark contrast to the decadence above, I leave you the lyrics to one of my favorite Springsteen songs. I had forgotten about it until last night, when the track popped up on our CD player. Honestly, I can’t believe it hasn’t been THE soundtrack to the horrors of Katrina. Generally I’m in tears hearing it, but last night I was positively distraught. The song really needs to be heard – it’s melody is hauntingly beautiful and positively infused pain. But oh so hopeful too.

My City of Ruins

There is a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door’s thrown open
I can hear the organ’s song
But the congregation’s gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening tr
ees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves,
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother’s down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!

Now’s there’s tears on the pillow
Darlin’ where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city’s in ruins
My city’s in ruins

Now with these hands,
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the faith, Lord
We pray for your love, Lord
We pray for the lost, Lord
We pray for this world, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord

Come on
Come on
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Another Day’s General Passions

September 7, 2005 By

Taking a page from Mamacate, it’s Wednesday, so let it rip!

~ I’m sitting here waiting for the new bed to be delivered. Remember what happend with the last one? Welp, I’m waiting again. Hopefully this one will have the right dimensions. The last one seemed to be a combination of a California King (72×84) and an Eastern King (76×80). This bed is 72×80. Uh, what? So they made us a new one. Actually this is the third delivery date. My building only allows deliveries between 9-5 and the first time they came I was sure to tell them about this – well they said they’d be there in the morning and didn’t show until 4:30. So when they scheduled it again they told me they’d be there between 9-5 and remembering the first delivery I was like fine. And then the phone rang at 7:55 AM asking for directions because they were around the corner. No go. G was pissed! Then we had another date, which I had to cancel. And here we are again. Luckily I called this morning and they said they’d be there after 11. So I went out to run at about 9:30. Yay!

~ Speaking of running, I finished week one! Yahoo! When I’m doing the early weeks of the program, I tend to do three days. Once the running times start getting longer and longer I’ll move to four or five days before moving up. It’s important to pace yourself – not move up in distance too fast – so you don’t get injured. It was nice today – I could totally tell I was running faster (even though I’m not running much) because I take the same route and I ended farther along today than I did the other two days I ran. It’s like riding a bike too, how fast the breathing and stride hits a rhythm. Your body doesn’t forget. Oh and to answer Karma‘s question, I wear a watch with a stopwatch and look at it while I’m running. Not the best method, but it works.

~ I just had some lunch – bbq chicken breast left over from dinner last night. I’m trying to eat more often during the day. It’s not unusual for me to go until about 1 or 2 or sometimes 3PM without eating anything. I do drink water all day long, a big Nalgene bottle by my side which G gifted me a couple of weeks ago. Back to eating – it’s not good for me to skip meals. The anxiety starts up at around 1PM. I know what it is and I still don’t eat. Yesterday, though, I was hungry for a snack and the cupboards are pretty bare so I had some potato chips dipped in red wine vinagrette salad dressing. About an hour later I was feeling kind of funky – nauseous a little and just out of sorts. By the time I went to bed I had one of the worst cases of indigestion ever. It was like fire in my esophagus. I ended up sleeping sitting up. Ugh. Not fun.

~ Do you watch soap operas? I’ve been watching since I was a little girl, a habit picked up from my mom. Days of Our Lives and Another World are the originals. I jumped on the General Hospital bandwagon during the whole Luke and Laura fiasco and it stuck. And when my sister was home with Max, she got into Passions, which she’s since gotten me into – I love that in the info on my TV it says the zaniest soap since Dark Shadows – it definitely is nuts. My faves though have always been General Hospital (I’m a HUGE Sonnylicious fan – that is TOTALLY my type – dark and dark and sexy) and Another World. When they took AW off the air is was awful! And then, SoapNet brought it BACK! Lately I’ve been really getting into it – I tivo it and watch it in the evenings. It’s great to know what’s happening, but at the same time there are still surprises – characters I don’t remember, plot lines I forgot. But it’s still my old fave AW. It’s been a lot of fun – for a lot of reasons – to have this soap back in my life. I can’t wait until they get to Vicky and Ryan!!!!

~ G set it up so that I get cable TV on my computer. So I watch my soaps while I’m working – generally I’m working on pictures. It works out well. If I miss them one day, I don’t care. I don’t TIVO them. I only TIVO Another World because it’s on at the same time as Days.

~ I’ve also been tivoing Family Guy. I swear there’s at least one or two or three jokes each episode that have me howling. And last night I finally saw the last two minutes of the season finale of Gilmore Girls. I missed it when it originally aired. Next week is the season opener and I’ve already read spoilers going into the sixth show. How do you feel about spoilers? Somehow they don’t ruin it for me – I guess it depends on the show though. I would NEVER seek out a spoiler on 24, but GG is okay. I read spoilers for General Hospital too.

~ I didn’t knit anything yesterday. Tired from the weekend I guess. I thought I might start swatching for my dad’s aran sweater that I’m planning on making, but then I saw this lace pattern in a Barbara Walker book that I had seen before and once again I was completely and utterly tantalized. I want to use it to make my own lace shawl, but I don’t know where to start. I posted a message on the Summer of Lace board, so we’ll see if anyone has any suggestions. I want it to be a triangular shawl with a border you knit as you go. I hope I can figure it out. I think it will be beautiful – it already is in my mind. I guess in the end I could make a rectangular shawl – that would completely work.

~ This fall/winter is going to be the season of the cardigan. I’ve got a few kids knits to do and I want to make myself the Everyday Cardigan using this gorgeous Manos. I think about it everyday. Short Rows has to be finished first. Too many projects.

~ My business is really growing. I’m booked pretty much every weekend into October. I don’t think I had one job last September. I’m getting repeat customers too. It’s so wonderful to see the kids growing up in my pictures. I start teaching again on Sept 21. The last class I taught was a disaster, but I’m hopeful about a new one.

~ I need to be writing.

~ I hope Roger Federer wins the US Open. I don’t really care who wins between Agassi and Blake – I’m not really a fan of American Male Tennis Players. That’s not true. I like Vinnie Spadea (I’m not Afraid-a-Ya) because he is an utter goofball. And I used to LOVE Sampras. I
don’t like to watch women’s tennis at all. Actually, to be honest, the only reason I watch ANY tennis is because of G.

~ We’re coming up on the anniversary of our first IVF attempt. I think this is why I’ve been so anxious lately. I tend to turn all extreme emotion into anxiety as a super fucked up way of (not) dealing with things. And they keep showing the promo for that NBC show I don’t want to think about. Between that and the NJ PSAs on Post-Partum depression, which absolutely kill me, I may never get pregnant.

~ I think, in the end, this post will be really boring to most people. I’m sorry for that. Please come back.

Bed’s still not here. An hour after I started this. I’m hungry again too. Crap.

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