Wednesday, May 30th

For those of you who read Grilltech you already know. I'd like to introduce you to Robin Kaye. She was born on 05-26-07 at 0926. She's a little thing at 6.8 pounds and 18 inches. (Her mother was 9.5 pounds and 21 inches.) Like most babies, she likes to eat, sleep, and other things... I spent most of Saturday and Sunday, refraining from walking up to strangers and annoying announcing proudly, I'm a grandma. I do have some self restraint. I did wait four days to tell my internet friends.







I've finished off the second skein for the sweater. I'm stalled. Not quite sure if I should add more length or not. Once again, I'm just making it harder then it really is, I should just put the sleeves on and knit. Once again I'll be putting some cabling around the decreases, because it gives me something to look forward to. I'm thinking of doing the three cabled braid.

Work is well, work. The database here at the mine is down. It went down yesterday afternoon and hasn't made it back up yet. We're unable to do much of anything, log the calls and wait and wait, and wait. I can't even knit and it's killing me. However, I am thinking about what I should be knitting for the baby bird.

Friday, May 25th

Waiting is the hardest part. Sure while it's happening you don't think about the pain and suffering. In the mean time...

And now for something completely different:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1,736 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Thursday, May 24th

Yes, I'm a slacker I know. I just didn't have much to say; I can only spew the same words over and over so many times, before it gets old.

I've finished the second sleeve of Dad's sweater. Went back to the body, I keep holding it up and wondering if it's long enough. I haven't stopped to measure. I figure since I haven't ran out of yarn yet, it's not long enough. Course, Dad has 23 inches on the inseam of his arm, so longer might be better.

My sock is coming along. I've started a pattern "Shell" from the Vintage Socks. It's a child's pattern, so I added another repeat. "Honey, does eight go into 72? I don't think it does." He gives me the look, you know the I-can't-believe-you-just-asked-something-so-incredibly-stupid look, before he gently tells me, "Yes, dear. Eight does go into 72, nine times." He's nice enough to leave the dumbass off, but I heard it anyway.

I was at coffee last night, I wasn't going to go because C called and she couldn't make it. Clingy One called and wanted to learn how to cast off (or bind off depending on your location). She spent an hour trying to recover from a mistake. Mean while I just worked on the sweater. High light of the evening, I had to drop down about 30 rows to fix a split stitch. Clingy just freaks out whenever stuff like that happens. Two people came over during our knitting and told her, what a lovely shawl she was working on. She starts on how it has mistakes on it. I tapped her on the arm and said, "just say thank you". She's learning, but it's slow.

Had a lady in the lunch room asking if I'd sell her socks. I told her no, but I'd be more then happy to teach her. She stopped and said, "I like that idea." She was telling me how Grandma was from New Foundland, and all they do there is knit socks and darn them.

Friday, May 18th

Yesterday was a busy one. PK had to go home because her sitter was sick and couldn't watch the kids. One of Gimpy's computers went down and she needed help getting her reports completed. I also had a bunch of schedules to update. I didn't have much time to do anything else but work. Okay, so that's a lie. I did read blogs between switching orgs.

I finished the blue sock. I've started mine. Hurrah for me! I love the colorway. It's called Feelings 1704 and I love the colors. They remind me of antiques and dusty roses. I'm thinking about dragging out one of the sock books that I have to see what pattern I can find to make. I picked up the sleeve last night, but my hands were too sweaty to work on it. Overall, I think I managed three rows while watching Lost.

Strange Days:
Example 1: The other day, we're home and trying to get dinner going. The next door neighbor comes over and asks: "Are you smoking weed?" Huh? "No, I don't smoke cigarettes any more, gave it up years ago." "No, no, meat! We've got a gas leak and want to make sure you're not smoking anything." "Oh," face flaming, "I thought you said something else..."

Example 2: It's 2030 at night, we've been a sleep for about two hours. Whack, tink, tink, tink. Half a sleep, what? Look around the darkened room. Nothing, but the vague shape of the one cats sitting in the window. Go back to sleep. Ten minutes later. Whack, tink, tink, tink. What-the-hell-is-that-white-blurry-thing-looking-in-the-window?! Spawn of Satan, er, Fran is hanging from the screen because she wants in. She has to jump from the ground to the screen, try to hang on and get our attention. The cat in the window mean while is taunting her. “Naw, Naw, I'm in the house... And your not...”

Wednesday, May 16th

I've been working on a pair of mittens for the shop. Things have been going well, until well, I screwed up. Can you see it? No? How about now? I'll be dropping one stitch down and re-knitting one stitch at time. Then I'll be able to finish the mitten and start the second one. I've decided I'm not writing patterns out for classes anymore. People seem to understand better when they have to write their own pattern. Plus I'm lazy.

I'm about ready to start the toe on the blue sock. Then I'll be starting a pair for me. Opals. Because this is suppose to be the year of me. So far I've made stuff for other people. Hmm, I think I need to re-evaluate. Okay, I've got the baby shower invites addressed and I'll need to pick up stamps to get them in the mail. The youngest wants a graduation party. Fine, I've done those invites as well. Mostly people, who have been a part of her life, well since she was born.

Tuesday, May 15th

I don't have any energy. I would complain about it, but that requires strength and I ain't got none.

For Mother's day the girls both picked out vases for me. The youngest gave me a lovely glass one that is HUGE. It would easily hold a dozen roses.















Since I don't have any of those, I filled it with what I have on hand... yarn.















The eldest gave me a darling raspberry cookie jar with a set of six cups and saucers. At first I thought it was a tea pot, but it wasn't. (I think the fact it has no spout clued me in right away.) Now I'll have something spiffy to put cookies in when the grand baby comes to visit.















Warning: computer knowledge being spewed!

The joke goes: there are 10 types of people, those who can count in binary and those who can't. (Random fact #7) In binary 10 means 2. Ready for the heavy lifting? There are only two states: 0 (false or off) or 1 (true or on). There are eight columns that when totaled give a result, think of an abacus. The joke really should read: there are 00000010 types of people, but then it wouldn't be as funny.)

Monday, May 14th

Mother's day dinner - on Saturday night - was smashing. The Eldest and husband came over for dinner. We made Philly cheese steak trenchers. Had half a sandwhich leftover for lunch. Only because Grilltech served up the food. After everyone cleared out, we went star gazing. Left the house about 2130 and made it home about 2330. We saw eight to ten satilites. Grilltech saw four (or was it five) meteors. I saw one. We sat there chatted and overall relaxed. It was great fun, now I have a need for a shawl. Before I couldn't see a use for one, but sitting out there in the desert I could have used one.

I've got pictures of what I got. I'll post them when I'm not so tired.

I've been tagged for the eight random things:

1 I'm a geek. I watch shows and point out their tactical mistakes. It comes from being a RPGer and the wife of a miniature gamer. Idiots, can't hide behind a car and shoot at people, bullets go through cars. (Thanks Mythbusters!) Why are they letting them set up before shooting at them? Don't they want to win? (sigh)

10 I'm a tech. I can install hardware/software, troubleshoot problems and know most MS Office products. I make Grilltech do most of the stuff for my computer, because I'd rather knit.

3 I don't do gauge by swatching then doing the math. I start knitting that sleeve for the sweater, when it's long enough I check to see if it fits. If it does, I'm good, otherwise I rip back and start again. I always start with sleeves. I think it makes the sweater go faster.

4 When I'm teaching people, I'll explain a concept repeatedly as needed. When they begin to get the idea, I'll ask, "are you sure?" Even if they're right, because I want them to get it, not just throw back what I'm saying. The squirrels (girls) really hate it when I do that. Because they never know if I'm just testing them or they forgot something and need to be told what it is.

5 I've been making lists of things to do. It's been helping. Sure I still ignore stuff I don't want to do, but I end up completing it at some point.

6 I always play the Devil's Advocate. It helps me think out side the box and it ties into random factiod #4.

7 There are 10 types of people, those who can't count and those who will get this joke.

8 Grilltech and I have been married for 17 (almost 18) years, and we still enjoy hanging out together.

Friday, May 11th

Grilltech had fun last night. They held their business meeting, then started the real reason for the brewer's club: drinking. I sat and listened in the yard, while sitting in the sun. I finished the heel flap, turned the heel and was eight decreases away from finishing the gusset. They tasted beer and started talking like men. Overall it was fun. Today, on the other hand, I'm dragging. We didn't get home until 2130 last night.

I forgot to charge the PDA, so Grilltech lent me his cord, so I could charge it at work. I'm very grateful, because I'd be stabbing my eye would with a pen without tunes.

Thanks for noticing the new look.

Happy 200th Post

Thankfully the child felt she could go the doctor on her own. So Grilltech and I went to dinner. We was waiting for her to come home, but she decided she was going to go hang out with the boyfriend. I did get a couple more rows completed on the heel of the sock, while at dinner.

I didn't make it to knit at coffee. Instead C came over and watched Heroes with us, since we taped it. She bolted when it was done. Which is okay, because there was nothing else to do anyway. I've completed the gusset on the thumb and put them on a stitch holder. I've started the gusset for the top of the thumb and soon will be just round and round with out any decreases.

Tonight is Grilltech's night to go meet with the brewers.

Dumbass thing of the day: Ran the report for site 2, went back into my site, started running the report for me. Tried to convert DB dump into Excel, there was nothing because I started the next report.

Wednesday, May 9th

Last night, I worked a couple of rounds on the mitten. Instead of increasing to 12, I'll go to 14. The two colors aren't as stretchy as a single color. Only two more increases to go, then the thumb will be mostly finished. Then I'll do the decreases for the top part of the thumb. I'll just have the body to finish. It's almost done. In my mind!

Tonight I'll be sitting down at the doc-in-the-box with the youngest, because she doesn't want to go alone. More knitting time for me, sure I won’t have coffee and people to talk about stuff with, but I’ll be knitting. Not sure if I'll be making it to knitting tonight or not, because those places are slow as glaciers. I won't mention the germ infestation, I just won't. I got lucky, I just gave her money and sent her down by herself.

I've started the heel on the blue socks. I've brought the first sock along with me, because I don't want a repeat of the Bookwyrms. They have two different heels, a square and a dutch. I didn't realize until afterwards the error and by then, it was too late. Heck, even Grilltech didn't know they weren't the same. No one knows but you, me and the lamp post. So let’s keep it that way.

Fish heads, fish heads, rolley-polley fish heads. Eat them up, yum! Yesterday I come home and there is a nasty rotting smell. I look at the child and tell her, time to haul the trash. She tells me, done Mom. Sure enough she has but the smell is there. After a fruitless search, I give up and go knit in the family room. Every once in a while, the smell wafts through the house. Eventually, I'm driven to try and locate the source of the vile odor. Grilltech finally looks up and says, maybe it's the fish head from Saturday night that's in the trash. I close the window, sure enough the smell goes away. Thankfully today is trash day, and the Fish head will be gone.

Tuesday, May 8th

The great white hunter spent the night running around outside. Which means we got a good night's sleep. Well, should have. My cat - ADD kitty - kept bouncing from my side of the bed to Grilltech's, back to mine. No one would pet her, so finally she decided to sleep on me. The alarm scared her, she bolts off. We look at the time, it's an hour early. BONUS!!

I've got about four more rounds to complete before I'm ready to start the heel on Dad's sock. I didn't bring the heel yarn, because I thought it was further away. Oh well. More time to play Texas Hold'em.

Monday, May 7th

Sunday afternoon I lassoed Grilltech and drug him out of the house kicking and screaming for a walk. He kept hissing towards the day star, whining it burns, it burns and would try to slink back towards the cool, dark lair. After a while, he merely squinted up to towards the glowing orb in the sky and grunt bright, while he tried to untie the rope. (Thankfully, all those years of playing with string taught me a thing or two about making knots.) I had to reassure him, the day star was supposed to be bright. He wasn't so sure. By the time we made it half way around the block he remember he was Ooman not a dwarf. I will say, he was happy to return to the lair when we finished.

Saturday night, Grilltech made salmon and a huge ass trout for the Eldest. It was a good dinner, with roasted vegetables as a side. Tonight's dinner is left over salmon with pasta.

I picked up a pair of size 2 lace Additurbo's, this weekend. I'm knitting socks on them, but will use them for lace at some point in time. They are very pointy. Once in a while I'll stab my finger with them. Thankfully I haven't blooded them. Hey, maybe I can make a pair of +5 Additurbo's, so I'll knit even faster then I do now or would I always get gauge?

I'm working on the mittens. I've finally figured out the pattern to use. The single color stitch every fourth stitch wasn't working for me, so I'm doing every other one. It's looking pretty spiffy. Hope to get one finished by the end of the week.

Today at work, I managed to lock myself out of one of the systems. I had to go chat with the IT guys to get it unlocked. I also had to change my password this morning. It didn't like the new password, but wouldn't accept the old one. So a return trip to the IT guy to have the password reset. This time it worked, so instead of laying my head on my desk and napping, I'm working.

Last night, about 0030, I hear the white one attacking the TP. I roll out of bed because I'm right next to the bathroom, and I'm heading in there. She's no where to be found, course I didn't turn on the light to check. I shrug and go back to bed because I must have imaged the whole thing. This morning, I can see where she had attacked the poor defenseless TP. She must have hid behind the door so she wouldn't get yelled at. Anyone want (spawn of satan), er a cat?

Friday, May 4th

We watched Heroes last night. OMG!! I did not(!) see that coming. I won't spoil the surprise if you haven't seen it. I was also working on the second sleeve. During one of the commercials I noticed a split stitch, so I dropped the stitch down and fixed it. Then I was back to watching TV while knitting. Not quite half way, but its going. I'm about three inches away from the heel on the sock.

It's a hourglass day. You know what that means... I'm sitting here wishing I could knit. Instead I spent the time coming up with names for Inns. (108 by the way.) Last night Grilltech installed a program which will allow me to create maps. WAY. FREAKING. KEWL!

Thursday, May 3rd

Worked on the gloves last night. I'm not sure I like the single dash of color. It looks to... boring? No, that's the not the word. I'm sure it will come to me. C called and I went to knitting early, was home by 1830. Grilltech looked at me and said, I'd better called Clingy One. I left her a voice mail, turns out she called about five minutes before I walked through the door.

Once I got home, I worked on Dad's sweater. Did get a couple of rounds completed. Slow and steady. I see I haven't updated my progress bars. I've scrapped Icarus. Poor guy, he wasn't getting the attention he deserved. I'll knit up something sexy with the cashmere, instead of something "grandmotherly". Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with shawls, but honestly, I don't think I'll wear one. (Watch that will come back and bite me in the ass some day.) Right now, I'd give my two lovely cats (or the shaved Peaches) for a sweater, so I just may wear one. Right now, I'm just not up to knitting one. Hey, the sexy one counts as lace.

I didn't make Grilltech grill in the rain. He's done it before and will do it in the future, but it was easier to fry up the pork chops. Tonight we're having left over brisk. What we don't eat tonight will be frozen. Hmm brisk. I think on the way home tomorrow when we pick up some salmon; we'll get some potatoes as well for roasting.

Wednesday, May 2nd

Thank you for the hot water wishes. Turns out the pilot light went out. I had Grilltech light it up and it was good to go. We'll want to turn up the thermal stat, so we have hot water, not almost hot.

I've been daydreaming about a bagel - toasted bagel - with cream cheese. Don't really know why, other then we haven't had bagels in months. Fall out of not having water yesterday, today there is no ice. Stupid broken water pipe at work.

I didn't knit last night, instead I thought about plots. I'm going to go the dark and twisted route, because it has plenty of opportunity for conflict. Conflict, good characters, and a plot are the keys to a good story isn't it? Problem is I have two different possibilities, both can be twisted. In one, the "golden" age returns, all is right with the world. In the other, it's the tail end of the golden age, the noble ideals of the original leaders have been warped and twisted into something no longer good. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of stories that have that plot line.

I did knit about 12 rows today at break. Knitting is good. I'm not sure what I'm going to be working on tonight. I want to get going on those gloves, but I still have Dad's sweater to work on. I'll mostly work on the gloves, they are quick to kick out and they'll be done. Done is good.

It's pouring rain out there, should I make Grilltech grill the pork chops for dinner tonight?

Tuesday, May 1st

Last night while brushing my teeth, I'm thinking to myself the hot water isn't very hot. Tepid doesn't even begin to cover it. I shrugged and decided it wasn't a big deal; I didn't have the water running very long. This morning at 0345, I get up and start the shower. After five minutes, I'm about to get in and notice THERE. IS. NO. STEAM. I reach and see if I've got the handle over to HOT, it is. Shut off the water and turn it back on, HOT. I reach in and test again, sure enough, there is no hot water. My muddled brain is trying to figure out how to get a shower and make it to work on time but there isn't any hot water. Unable to do so, I turn off the shower, about the time Grilltech stumbles into find out why the chamber of blessed hot water isn't running. I summarize no hot water. He promptly decides to call in sick, because someone has to stay home and ensure the hot water heater works, after the pilot light has been lit. I called in late and crawled back into bed for another three hours of sleep. I made it to work by 0845 this morning, only to find out, water has been turned off to the building... I can't win.

I brought my knitting with me, but never made it away from the desk to take a break. I did finish the cuff last night, now I'm trekking towards the heel. I can start on the sweater again, now that I'm down to one sock on the needles.

Hope everyone else had a great day also.