Those Who Know Me

Will Not Be Surprised...

My tendency is to pack very well, and then when I get to my destination, my items explode from my bag. Lee thinks this is humorous.





















I THINK he thinks it's humorous, or else he rolls his eyes in his mind. (He's not allowed to roll his eyes at me anymore.) :)

I hope he can live with it, because it appears to be part of my nature. Here's what happened when I got home. (It was worse earlier.)
















Also, this happened this morning. We've been gone a week. We had a friend checking in on the cats, but they were ALL OVER US this morning... regardless of what I was trying to accomplish.

Yes, that's Sibbie trying to push my laptop off my lap. She's a jealous one.

Finished Objects 2007

• Turquoise V-neck sweater
• Mulberry short sleeved sweater
• Blue cardigan
• Purse
• 3 French Market Baskets (felted)
• 1 Teal sock
• DPN rolled cases (4)
• Wicked 2! (Just right!)
• Wicked! (Too big!)
• Socks (red/brown striped)
• Kitty Pi
• 48 Dishcloths, and counting
• Felted Log Cabin
• 2 pairs Glove/Mittens for Theresa
• 2 Nantasket Baskets

Books Read 2007

• The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
• Dead Cat Bounce - Sarah Graves
  
• The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell - Lilian Jackson Braun
• The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare - Lilian Jackson Braun
  
• Father Brown Mysteries (all of them) - G.K. Chesterton
• The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
• An Instance of the Fingerpost - Iain Pears
• The Nine Tailors - Dorothy Sayers
• Handling Sin - Michael Malone
• The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
• Tough Choices - Carly Fiorina
• Izzy Willy Nilly - Cynthia Voigt
• 17 Against the Dealer - Cynthia Voigt
• 2X Harry Potter: Deathly Hollows - JK Rowling
• The Angel of Darkness - Caleb Carr
• The Alienist - Caleb Carr
• The Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey
• The 6th Lamentation - William Brodrick
• A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman
• Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather
• Possession: A Romance - A.S. Byatt
• Sons from Afar - Cynthia Voight
• Eldest - Christopher Paolini
• Ramona and her Father - Beverly Cleary
• Eragon - Christopher Paolini
• Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
• The Last Enchantment (Merlin) - Mary Stewart
• The Hollow Hills (Merlin) - Mary Stewart
• The Crystal Cave (Merlin) - Mary Stewart
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
• Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
• The Boy from the Basement - Susan Shaw
• Silent to the Bone - E.L. Konigsburg
• The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants) - Ann Brashares
• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
• Skybreaker - Kenneth Oppel
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• Airborn - Kenneth Oppel
• Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince - JK Rowling
• Harry Potter: Order of the Pheonix - JK Rowling
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
• Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

If this Ship's a Rockin'....

Well, you know the rest...

Remain prostrate in your cabin for the day and order room service.

I was worried about being sea-sick on the cruise. I was a little woozy on the 1st day, but I was able to mostly keep the nausea at bay by consuming COPIOUS amounts of food at REGULAR intervals. We all did. Thankfully, there was food 24-7. The buffet in the Wind Jammer was almost always open. Great food!

On the last day at sea... it was a travel day... we were heading back toward Dominican Republic... the waves and wind were really bad. I mean really bad. The crew put out barf bags on all the stairways. I made it to breakfast in the Wind Jammer... trouble is the WJ is at the front of the boat on the 9th floor, and so I staggered in like a drunken sailor, grabbed some cereal and milk, and careened back out to a more central location, hoping for less "lift."

Later I found a spot on the back of the ship which was ok, except for the pitching and heaving and wind... oh, and the creepy old guy rubbing suntan lotion on the nubile young woman's buns. Why anyone needs tan buns, Lee's mom and I couldn't figure out...

Lee didn't make it up to breakfast... he talked with Carrie on the stairs, then went back down. I made it until about 10:30, then I went to lay down too. We were ok when lying completely flat...but sit up, and ugh. We ordered room service and watched movies.

They closed the pool... you can see why!















I'll post more about our other adventures after I'm done sorting pics. I may have been just the tiniest bit click-happy, but I don't think 900 pictures is THAT many... er....

Lee says he can tell where I am by the click my camera makes. :)

Socializing

We had our "holiday" party at work on Friday. I was going to help decorate in the morning, but things started exploding at my buildings. (Figuratively, not literally.) I did get to help a bit... I made the cellophane "fire." (Log cabin theme, in case you're wondering.)





















Here's my cube at work. Some others were really getting into the whole "decorating" thing. I succumbed eventually, since we were not decorating our house. (a. won't be home during Christmas, b. cats, including new one who is still in crazy kitten phase, c. would get home and have to put it all away.)














The little dangling things are the 12 days of Christmas done in felt and sequins, made by my mom. One of my co-workers wondered why I had chickens hanging from my shelf, and why they didn't have Santa hats on (?!?!). Someone finally told her what they were.

Hey, Kelly! My pasta nativity scene is in my upper cabinet. Got lots of comments on that. Good: That is so cool! Bad: I feel like boiling some water.

Oh, we know you're there...

We are just choosing to ignore you...

With disdain.

And extreme prejudice.

Uneasy Truce

Rico and Murray have been chasing each other around lately... I think it's a good sign... and Rico's been fighting back, when Sibbie starts batting at his head.

They seem to have an agreement while sleeping. I don't know what kind of negotiations were necessary to set up the perfect equilateral configuration they've got going on. I've only got one question... where are Lee and I supposed to sleep?

Once a Year

My friend Katherine dropped off some homemade toffee the other night. It almost makes me weep, it is so good. And it is 1/2 gone. SOMEBODY cannot eat just one piece. Um, that would be me. I console myself with the fact that I only get this item once a year. The problem with this thinking is that there are about 57 things that I only get once a year... but I get them ALL at THIS time of the year.

So, let's see... 57 items (which I eat about 1,000 calories of each - you know, the "can't eat just one" thing)... so 57,000 calories in about 2 weeks. Divide by 3,500 calories (which = 1 extra pound of "jiggle"), which gives you (well, gives me) 16 pounds. AAAAEEEEEEIIIII.

I worked out this morning with the same instructor that Lee writes about here. I have been working out for a few weeks in anticipation of the afore-mentioned 57 "once a years" and the cruise (which is a food-fest from what I hear). Quite a few of my "slacker" muscles are feeling the burn. Now that they are being called into service, they're a little unsteady and awkward. You want me to what now? On one leg?

Attending classes costs a little extra at our club. I talked to the owner, and he suggested I try the classes to make sure I liked them before I paid. Like them? Like them? I've heard that exercise should be something you enjoy. Enjoy? Enjoy? I've always liked the results I get from working out, but I have NEVER enjoyed it. Ever. And can I just point out the obvious... it's totally unfair that in 2 weeks I could gain 16 pounds, but it would take 2 months or more to take it off.

By the way, Katherine, I don't want to NOT get toffee.... after all, it's only once a year.

Typical Knitter

After the success of my last sweater, I am pumped to do another sweater. I was going to bust a move out to my favorite yarn store in the middle of a crazy, busy Saturday to get yarn for a new sweater.

So, I took inventory and found some alarming things. I have Unfinished Objects that I had forgotten completely:


1 1/2 socks. Oopsie.









Another French Market Basket.















So, I did what any typical knitter would do... I took the dpns from the socks and started a new project. Ha ha! Mittens!



So no new sweater for me just yet. I'll go the the yarn shop on Friday and get new yarn. Hopefully, I'll get somewhere with the UFO's. Those socks, though... ugh.

My 1st Wearable Garment

Not sure if I ever posted this because I was a little embarrassed by it. It technically fits, but it's too short and the neck is too big. It's been sitting in a drawer since last year. I wore it this week because it was -2. Gah. I got compliments on it. So, ok. I guess I'll wear it.





















It's made of bulky acrylic. I designed it based on a sweater I liked from Kohl's. I did LOTS of math to get it shaped like the Kohl's sweater. I apparently ran out of math when I got to the neck.

The picture is pretty bad, but you get the idea. My photographer decided to take a nap.

Natural Instincts II

Every good story needs a sequel.

Murray, Murray, Murray... this is becoming a bad habit of yours! You're keeping us down! We've got stuff to do!

I can haz sweater?

A friend asked if it was cheaper to make a sweater than to buy it.

No.

But... it fits, and is the color and style I want. Plus, I got to knit it. Hoo boy.

I had some trouble with the sleeves. What a surprise. I had to rip back and rip out. I finally figured out how to attach the sleeves... only 1 re-do of the sleeve seams... getting better!

Murray's Bags are Packed

... and he's ready to go!

And so am I! We are going on a cruise over Christmas break. It's our first one. We'll be in the Caribbean (pronounce it any which way you want - I don't care! I will be warm).

Suffering, as I do, during the long, dark winter months, (Look up Seasonal Affected Disorder... that's ME.) I've been looking forward to this trip like nobody's business. The Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, all my will and energy were bent on the Caribbean. Every thought of mine begins with "on the cruise, we can..."

I cleaned my camera... all the lenses. I bought another set of rechargeable batteries and another SD card (memory). I will not be caught short! My brother in law is looking forward to doing nothing, and said he was counting on me to take all the pictures. OK! On the cruise, I can....

I am actually partly packed. My suitcase is out and has all my summery clothes in it. Lee will pack the night before, I am sure! Must remember quart size ziplocks to keep all my "hazardous" liquids contained.

We leave a few days before Christmas... we have 10 working days until we go. Longest days, ever!