Friday, September 30, 2011

Nerds already pays off

Trolling the discussion boards for insight on what's gonna happen in Ninja Warrior Knitting land and getting a "feel" for personalities I came upon this link:
http://io9.com/5844355/a-7+year+old-girl-responds-to-dc-comics-sexed+up-reboot-of-starfire
That is so great. My 8 yr old son still pours through his old Teen Titan books. He blushes about the StarFire Robin "crush". I can't imagine his face for these grown up ones. It's a shame that I can't introduce him to the newer? more adult? version of the series. Well, we'll always have Tokyo.

Also I hauled buttocks and just need to stretchy bind off the shawl. However I don't really get it so it's languishing on the needles. I think it is for me so I don't really care ha! I will have to get Little Snoopy to demonstrate. This whole, read and follow instructions thing is apparently not working. Do I only reverse YO and knit and pass over once and then knit the next stitch and passover regularly the rest of the time? That can't be right!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Open Post to Little Snoopy

It's like a radio shout out in high school!

All public and stuff. It's like I'm Leo and You're Kate and "I'm King of the World" and the wind is whipping our hair and we're on the Titanic ...

Well the parallel started off nifty, ha!

There I was sitting next to some lady reading, "Merde happens" (this is a real book) on wooden bench at the edge of our balmy bay, watching all the North Bay people flock to their ferries ... and there you were in your cute little outfit and hat glistening a little, scaring away reader stranger lady. I knew then and there, it was going to be a magical ferry building date.

And it was! Knit talk, Moscow Mules and raw oysters and crispy imperial rolls at Slanted Door. Stories that remind me that this family stuff is work.

Dang it's nice to hang out with the cool kids.

Can't wait for our next adventure. And this time I will take a picture before the sun goes down and my "focus" goes off.

You have fired the knitting obsession more. I think I am joining this group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/nerd-wars

It's too late for a team (besides I lack that kind of committment to anything besides the family and wine) so I'm going rogue. I'll follow as a Ninja Warrior and see if I understand this war game properly. These geeks are hard core.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Forgive me if I'm glazing over while you talk to me, but I checked out before you even started

Ever have one of those days where you're just struggling to keep making the appropriate acknowledgement responses?

You know, when every other sentence you distract yourself with a thought like, "I know I need to retain some of this, but what part? WHAT? crap , I missed that ..."

The Kids are telling you when the light has changed to cross or when it's your bus stop.

Co workers speak e x t r a slow and there are heavy pauses for your acknowledgement. Others are offering to buy you coffee for free.

Yeah that was today.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Leftovers of an Imagination

I dreamt of kittens, of hearing kittens and catching glimpses of fuzzy little things but not really being able to "catch" one.

I think it is a good soft compassionate feeling to carry with me through the day. I think it helped with the optimism.

I decided that I have a new "side" project this fall/winter. Maybe if it actually works, I can come up with something for Baby Trois. However I don't trust my skill so I will have to give it a run-through first.

I told Ms. Pearlcream that I hope to knit Lil' Abi something before she gets older and opinionated. Something I can maybe get her to wear once and get a photo in before pitching a fit. I keep trying to tell myself that little people have little clothing that don't take as much yarn and time ... Alas, I can barely finish anything so I'm not making any promises. I am tormented by garments with sleeves -- which is essentially all garments I want to learn to knit. ha!

I must knit-severe! (persevere?)

Manfriend was chucking things in the trash this week. I saw it. Random marbles he just put in the trash, bits and pieces of each of us littered around the house. I was delighted. But you know what really lit the lights on my Christmas tree? Watching him walk out the door and pass the Boy shoerack in the hallway and mutter, "hmm, that really needs work next. Way too much."

... and so the next day dream begins.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Seriously, What's for Dinner

I hate being bored by food. I wish I looked at food simply as sustenance. Perhaps I would be a few sizes healthier. Alas this is not the case.

It doesn't matter if it is going out to eat after a long day at the workplace, or a date night or simple Thai peasant meal that I am recreating from my childhood ... I need a level of anticipation.

I mean I start planning what I'm going to eat for lunch at work when I get in. That may seem lazy and vapid to you, but to me, this is the carrot dangling to get me to the half way point.

The Man Friend and I are pretty good about balancing the responsibility of dinner. We don't get petty about it, "every other day" or "I did it last night!! pout pout!" (which for the record I am EXTREMELY capable and proficient at being -- petty that is)

It's nice when someone in the household has cravings. We can base the week around it, even if it's "Oh you want mussels and oysters! Well Wednesday let's go out!" (We're a bunch of spoiled brats I know)

Or, "Dad can we have some salmon this week?" or "Honey will you pick up my favorite Duck won ton soup hold the noodles in Oakland Chinatown on your way home? Please? I'll wear something 'nice'" OK, skip that last bit of TMI. Like I need to try that hard, come on people, I'm a lazy beast that HE married. sucker.

This week ... I'm lost, I'm floating, I'm struggling to slap meals together. The other night, The Kid went to a friend's house for dinner and when we came home we "made" dinner for ourselves. The Man Friend had sardines with tomato salad and saltines. I had my own variation of tuna fish surprise: Canned Tuna, chopped pickle and onion with sesame oil, mayo and salt and pepper.

I hear you people, "GORE MAY".

The Kid sniffed at some tuna and pickle and then had a bowl of cereal for dessert. ha!

We are so spoiled to feel like "oh we had Ramen yesterday therefore let's not have Yakisoba today". We know very well they are two different types of Japanese noodles and really, one should not compare.

Spoiled + Indecisive = Unsatisfied Hunger

And then I leave you with
JUST HOW ENTITLED WE ARE.

Monday, September 19, 2011

I SMELL like a Taco!!

Today was Taco Monday. Mayor Harrigan was ready to take his mayoral campaign to the Mission and get tacos after getting over his aversion to ?beans? in your taco.

(I sympathized, because often ManFriend just shakes his head at my bean infested tacos from Pancho Villa.) Hey, it's like instant-dip! Like Nachos in dip form!

Well I didn't have to sell it, I just had to eat it.

And THAT my friends is EXACTLY what I did.

However my chip to "nacho taco dip" ratio was severely off. Much like when one is running out of yarn, I ... made do. I tore off pieces of the doubled tortilla and well ... dug in.

And holy crap I ate more than I meant.

And I proceeded to eat it like an 8 year old boy child raised by wolves with severe utensil allergies.

Well, after cleaning out the shrapnel in my keyboard and washing my hands and face. I return to the bathroom to wash again and throw in some teeth brushing for gold stars and blue ribbons.

But there I am, tappety tapping on the keyboard and I get this whiff of taco. I think, "Bah, it's just the trash. Don't worry about it keep working."

However I smell it following me like some kind of taco ghost. I go home and start to get dressed to go exercise, I smell taco. CLEAN CLOTHES.

I rewash and rebrush.

I think exercise helped. I think I sweat the taco out of me. I think the two pints I had with the Boozey Beavers at The Residence sort of drowned it out.

I better not dream of any stinkin' tacos!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Yarn Rationalization

Mmmm Desire to buy yarn ... strong.

It is project based. I promise you.

There is nothing in my stash that will suffice. I promise you.

I will wait. I will wait.

My friend (K-Star) is having a baby though. A real life baby who will need stroller blankets and something squishy to relax on when he travels to Argentina with his big sister and big brother and parents. My friend is turning her maternity leave into a family adventure.

She's always been rather brilliant.

But guess what? She can't knit ... yet.

So the plan is a blanket? A nursing shawl? (Thanks for the idea little snoops)! Maybe some kind of cardigan to bypass a case of the "baby bobblehead". Maybe some fun time booties? I admit "watching" The yarn harlot on Babywatch 2011 has been infectious.

(I admit the past few months the babies on t.v. and on MUNI give me goofy face.)

The other part of the plan? To see if I can teach K-Star how to knit before she leaves, so she can take a very portable skill with her. TenTenKnits said it best:
Did you know knitting has been shown to help prevent stress, arthritis, heart attacks and dementia! Not to mention it's the perfect ice breaker for anyone who has to move to a new city, across the country, or around the world?
K-Star is such a go getter, this will surely provide enough evidence of being a productive craft that she'll at least give it a try.

It's not for everyone though. It takes patience and time to see completion. Which is really shocking that I still like to do it ha!

I think I need to finish my shawl/scarf and then I am going to cast on a new project from the stash ... and THEN I will start project "Baby Trois Star" -- which means a nice trip to the yarn store yah?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

What is Progress

People Progress is buying enough boxed ice cream sandwiches and bars to make a bunch of hot grumpy people keep working AND smiling. Only being insulted if someone asks if they have to pay you for it. (Geez, who do they hang out with?)

Parental Progress is getting your kid to put his clothes on before he makes his bleary eyed way to the breakfast table without insulting each other.

Work Progress is fixing more issues with your work project than you break.

Personal Progress are those FANTASTIC check marks or strike-throughs on your list, doesn't matter if it's work or domestic. I love completion.

Progress on my optimism is thinking there is a project that would make a great gift AND make you happy working on.

Co-habitation/Love/Happy Hello Kitty Times & all those other long term co-dependent projects progress is Waking up and looking into each others eyes and knowing ... it's best if we don't talk right now, and sticking to it.